This week sees the start of Advent, and with snow already on the ground, it’s all starting to feel very festive here in Manchester.
It’s a feeling that’s reflected in this week’s list of new restaurant and bar openings, too, which cover a mix of Christmas tipis and market stall pop-ups alongside some permanent new additions to the city’s dining scene.
Keep reading to discover where to head for the newest food offerings in the city this week.
Salvi’s Italian Christmas Markets
Salvi’s is selling its soffietti (fried dough balls) with a choice of sweet or savoury toppings / Image: The Manc Group
Mancunian-Italian institution Salvi’s has gone all-out this year, hosting a festive Italian Christmas market in partnership with Deansgate Square. Open now, the two-tipi hub boasts a selection of fine Italian food and drinks alongside a roaring firepit, festive huts and more.
Pick up Salvi’s favourite street food, soffietti (fried dough balls) alongside olives and taralli, and enjoy drinks from the Campari and Peroni bars – selling the likes of fig, hazelnut and hot mulled negronis, Aperol spritz and Italian mulled wine Vin Brule, alongside the usual suspects.
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Open from 27 November – 22 December. Find it at Deansgate Square.
All-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse Jardim Rodizio is officially open in Altrincham this week. Brought to the Trafford market town by Robert Melman, one of the restauranteurs behind Fazenda, the new opening offers diners top-quality Brazilian-style steak in a bottomless setting.
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Launched inside the Old Post Rooms, meats are served directly off the cooking spit in traditional rodizio style – sliced and plated right at your table. There is also a substantial salad bar, to help you add a bit of green and balance out the endless meat feast.
Find it at 70 Stamford New Rd, Altrincham WA14 1EE.
Dishing out serves by Salford Rum alongside beers from the likes of Pomona Island, Cloudwater, Seven Brothers, Track, Shindigger and Squawk breweries, the festive pop-up will be open throughout December.
Open from December 1, serving between 12pm-12am every Wednesday through Sunday over Christmas.Find it at Arch 33 on Viaduct Street, Salford,
Steakhouse Herd NQ has revamped its old home at gin bar Allotment, taking over the space entirely and rebranding it as Herd.
The steakhouse has built a solid reputation for itself, using only the finest cuts from local butchers The Butcher’s Quarter, and runs popular steak nights as well as serving a bang-up roast.
This week, unfortunately, the kitchen is temporarily closed due to a number of kitchen staff testing positive for Covid-19 – but the bar remains open, selling some gorgeous martinis, spritzes, sours and more, alongside a strong wine list.
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Find it at 24 Dale St, Manchester M1 1FY.
Northern Soul Grilled Cheese at Winter Island
Image: Northern Soul MCR
Manchester grilled cheese heroes Northern Soul have upped sticks – with not one but two hubs for you to get your cheese fix from this Christmas.
The eatery will be slinging its beloved Crimbo Dinner toastie special at Escape to Freight Island this winter, as well as from its Northern Quarter restaurant.
This toastie is up there with one of the best festive specials in the city – loaded with slices of turkey crown, homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce, not to mention oodles of cheese, before being toasted, topped with a pig in blanket lollipop, then drenched in gravy.
Find it at Winter Island, 11 Baring St, Manchester M1 2PZ.
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This Charming Naan at The Deaf Institute
This Charming Naan has found a new home at campus favourite The Deaf Institute / Image: The Deaf Institute
Campus favourite The Deaf Institute has teamed up with Smiths-themed curry house This Charming Naan. Run by Smiths superfan Max Paley, the vegan Indian restaurant pays tribute to the band with dishes like ‘Girlfriend in a Korma’, ‘ How Saag Is Now’ and ‘Last Night I Dreamt That Some Bhaji Loved Me’.
With twenty different plant-based dishes on the menu, This Charming Naan is now available at The Deaf Institute every Wednesday to Sunday from 4pm until 10pm.
As well as its namesake bubble tea, Happy Lemon also sell bubble waffles and stuffed crepes with fillings ranging from ice cream to ham and cheese, Nutella, banana and red bean matcha (£3.50 – £3.95).
Tea-wise, you’re absolutely spoilt for choice with over 40 options on the menu. Think classic milk tea, cream crown milk tea, milk tea smoothies, fresh lemon milk tea, pure brewed milk tea, fresh fruit matcha latte and speciality drinks like chocolate milk tea with taro balls, red bean matcha latte smoothies and more.
A new champagne bar, and the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’, is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester next week, boasting more than 250 different champagnes to our city.
Portfolio will be a new bar and ‘immersive wine experience’, which will have one of the largest and most diverse champagne collections in the UK.
Mancs will be able to order champagne by the glass from just £12.50, along with plenty of accessible bottles.
To kick things off, Portfolio will open with a bar food offering that includes Welsh charcuterie, British cheeses and accoutrements, created by co-founder Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and the Edinburgh Castle.
But later down the line, there’ll be a run, relaxed tasting menu, ranging from a few bites to a full dining experience, obviously paired with the best champagne list in the country.
Inside Portfolio, you’ll be greeted by a striking champagne wall of 100 different bottles, plus a wall of photos from the team’s trips to Champagne in France.
Every drink will be served in exclusive Lehmann glassware imported from Reims, with more than 10 different glass styles and a strict no flutes policy.
There’ll be an open chef’s pass and sommelier station with bar seating, plus a working champagne cellar that will function as a private dining room and event space.
Julian Pizer has created Portfolio with Cameron Foster, founder of Duex Six which specialises in providing exclusive grower champagnes to the UK.
They’ll be joined by Wayne Baxendale as food and beverage director, who has more than 30 years of global wine experience including from Michelin starred restaurants, and Nikolai Kuklenko as general manager, who previously held a role as Head Sommelier at Mana.
Portfolio will be a wine boutique packed with rare grower bottles and vintage prestige cuvées and hopes to ‘strip away the snobbery and make champagne accessible’.
As well as well known names, guests will be able to enjoy rare and highly sought-after cuvées, including Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, Jérôme Prévost, Cédric Bouchard, Larmandier Bernier and Egly Ouriet.
There will also be vintage prestige cuvées from Cristal, Philipponnat, Pommery, Jacquesson, Pierre Peters and Bollinger, some dating back to the 1990s.
As Cameron Foster explains: “We want to strip back the snobbery of Champagne and make it a wine for everyone, whether that’s a quick glass after work, a special celebration, or discovering grower champagne for the first time.”
Portfolio will open on 9 December at 67 Bridge Street, Manchester, with the full restaurant experience launching in February 2026.
A build-your-own banana pudding bar is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s now-viral banana pudding brand, Buttercup, is opening its first permanent spot – with a build-you-own pudding bar.
The local business has brought banana pudding – a dessert made world-famous by the Magnolia Bakery in New York City – to our city.
And now Buttercup is making things permanent, opening a banana pudding bar at Deansgate Square where you can customise your perfect pot of this nostalgic dessert.
Each pot comes with a base of vanilla custard whipped with cream, soft sponge, and fresh banana, which you can then customise with rotating flavours and toppings (previous signatures have included brown butter Biscoff, matcha and white chocolate, and tiramisu).
Expect toppings like homemade cookie crumb, brownie bites, chocolate chips, and pretzels, and drizzles like cinnamon honey, raspberry, and pistachio.
This cult dessert spot will be taking on a permanent residence at General Store Deansgate Square, in partnership with HUBB Coffee.
It’s the first permanent home for Buttercup since founder, 22-year-old Natasha Black, launched the idea from home in July 2025.
A build-your-own banana pudding pot from Buttercup. Credit: The Manc Group
Buttercup founder Natasha Black at a recent pop-up. Credit: The Manc Group
Since its inception, Buttercup has sold thousands of banana puddings around Greater Manchester, hosted sell-out pop-ups, and collaborated with big local brands.
Classic puddings will start at £5.50, with rotating flavours at £6, and toppings from 50p. There’ll also be a range of other homemade bakes.
To celebrate the launch, Buttercup and HUBB will be offering free classic banana puddings to the first 20 customers on Saturday 6 December from 12pm, followed by a special £5 combo deal offering a pot of classic banana pudding paired with HUBB’s banana latte, running until 3pm.
Natasha Black, Buttercup founder, said: “This residency feels like the perfect next step for Buttercup. I’ve been absolutely blown away by the response to our banana pudding in just three months and wanted to give our customers a regular spot to enjoy it.
“General Store and HUBB have created such an amazing, supportive space for independents and I’m so excited for people to build their own pudding pots and try all the new flavours we’ve been working on.”
Mital Morar, founder of General Store, also commented: “Buttercup has been a standout example of the collaborations we love to support. Their rapid growth and loyal following have been incredible to see.
Buttercup banana pudding pots. Credit: The Manc Group
Buttercup banana pudding pots. Credit: The Manc Group
“We’re delighted to welcome them in-house alongside HUBB Coffee as a permanent fixture. Natasha and her team bring real creativity and commitment, and we’re excited to work with them through Christmas and into the New Year.”
Dean Hans, Co-founder of HUBB Coffee also comments: “We’ve had a fantastic introduction to Manchester since launching our coffee bar in September. Teaming up with Buttercup strengthens the whole concept – it allows us to focus on what we do best: delivering top-quality coffee, matcha, and beverages, while Buttercup shines on the sweet-treats and pudding side.
“Bringing the two brands together just makes sense, and we’re excited to explore the mash-ups we can create between our coffee and Buttercup’s pudding range.”
The residency will open 12pm-7pm at General Store Deansgate Square, opening on Wednesday 3 December.
Georgina Pellant -
29th November 2021 
