A new bar has opened underneath a shopping arcade in Bolton, taking over the former home of the town’s infamous Oasis-inspired venue Definitely Maybe.
New pink and green cocktail den Upside Down has just moved into the underground unit in Mawdsley Street, which has sat empty since Bolton’s own Gallagher brothers Paul and Mark decided to up sticks and move their hit bar into a bigger home nearby.
Promising to bring the ‘boujee’ cocktail bar atmosphere of Manchester out to Bolton, co-owner Sinclair Little revealed that he has secured a late license so that Upside Down can serve drinks until 4.30am.
There will also be some live music at the venue as well as drag acts and tribute acts, but Sinclair insists he doesn’t want to compete with Definitely Maybe.
Rather, guests can expect a playlist of feel-good ‘cheesy’ hits from over the decades as well as old school R&B.
Sinclair, who is opening the bar with his partner Rebecca Smith, told the Manchester Evening News: “We may go down the clubby route a bit later on but early doors, it will be more of a boujee cocktail bar.
“Every now and again we’ll have some live music but we don’t want to really compete with Definitely Maybe and places like that.”
He continued: ” “We want a Manchester quality bar, where instead of people getting a taxi there, they’ll want to come here instead. If we brought you in here with a blindfold on and took it off, you wouldn’t know that you was in Bolton.”
Drinks-wise, alongside crowd pleasers like pornstar martinis and zombies Upside Down is also serving a signature cocktail named after the bar.
The Upside Down, made with raspberry vodka, blue curacao, lemon sour, bitters and pineapple juice, puts a twist on a classic French martini – a cocktail first invented in the 1980s at one of Keith McNally’s New York City bars.
Other intriguing signatures at Upside Down include the Terry’s Chocolate Orange Delight (triple sec, Baileys, creme de cacao white, and espresso), and Hubba Bubba Baby (gin, bubble gum syrup, blue curacao, cranberry juice, and lemonade).
As for that all-important Instagram photo opportunity, owners have already installed flower walls inside the pink and green-themed cocktail bar and plan to add a swing further down the line.
Open from 8pm beneath St Andrews Court shopping centre, to find out more about Upside Down head over to its Instagram page here.
Feature image – Upside Down
Eats
Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Hotel Chocolat is set to open a Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester city centre, and it’ll be absolute paradise for chocolate lovers.
The popular chocolate shop, which has stores across the UK selling delicious chocolate bars, boxes and more, is now preparing to branch out in town.
Hotel Chocolat then hit a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.
They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is up next.
If it follows in the footsteps of the Meadowhall cafe in Sheffield, visitors will be able to customise their perfect hot chocolate from thousands of combinations.
There are 18 flavours, different milks, and a whole variety of toppings available.
Then you drink can be served hot, over ice, or as a choc shake.
Colourful hoardings for the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe have now appeared on Cross Street, just next door to the new Joe & The Juice.
A planning application has also been lodged with Manchester City Council.
Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.
The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).
Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.
Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.
It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.
The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.
There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.
Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.
And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.
Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.
“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.
“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.
Georgina Pellant -
13th March 2023 
