As transformation works continue at the future £3.5m Central Bay site, the new food and drink neighbourhood has revealed a major update to its ever-growing offering – a new waterfront bar and microbrewery to be launched by Salford brewing legends SEVEN BRO7HERS BREWING CO.
Named 11 Central after the family’s seven brothers and four sisters, the bar will offer visitors a mix of drink, food, live music, bar games and waterside views from the striking 2,000 square foot terrace, as well as gin making classes available to book this summer.
Staying true to the siblings’ ethos and inspired by their father’s home brewing, 11 Central by SEVEN BRO7HERS will serve authentic artisan beer, expertly brewed just a few miles away in Salford where they grew up and where some of the family still lives.
With a state-of-the-art microbrewery on site, customers are also set to enjoy limited edition beers made just metres away from the bar – available exclusively at Central Bay.
The huge new bar will face the waterfront. / Image: Kargo Mkt
Image: Seven Brothers Beer
Extending the menu to gin lovers, the SISTERS DISTILLERY will have a key role behind the bar with its full range of award-winning flavoured gins available plus an assortment of artisan tonics to pair with.
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The SISTERS DISTILLERY will also host distilling sessions at 11 Central for gin enthusiasts who want to learn the craft of making unique gins from the experts themselves. Ideal for those looking for an exciting date night or groups of friends looking for a fun activity, the classes will be available to book via the SIS4ERS website in the coming months.
11 Central will run events in partnership with Central Bay, including family-friendly day time activities during the school holidays, live music nights, and it will also offer food within the bar area.
Building upon the hugely popular SEVEN BRO7HERS bar offering which has become a well-known and loved part of the Salford and Manchester social scene, the new site will also boast games like pool and shuffle tables as well as a wider beer offering to cater to all tastes.
Earmarked for a summer 2023 launch and with 25,000 square feet of exciting culinary experiences, Central Bay will be one of the biggest independent food and drink operations in the North and a first for Salford.
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It will house four new independent restaurants, 20 kitchens, pop-up events, indie markets, live music performances, and recreation space for children, with more announcements set to be made in the coming months.
Palestinian favourite Baity will be arriving at Kargo Mkt this summer, after closing its Didsbury site. / Image: Kargo Mkt
Ad Maiora will also be moving into Kargo in August. / Image: Kargo Mkt
Blend Family, the operator behind the British Street Food Awards 2022 – ‘Food Hall of the Year, Cutlery Works’, in Sheffield and The GPO in Liverpool, has been brought on board to run and develop the food hall, which will be known as Kargo.
They will also oversee the street vendor elements of Central Bay, branded Kargo Mkt – aligning with the area’s rich history, with Central Bay named after the original stretch of dock which was once a thriving loading bay during the industrial revolution.
Food traders confirmed to arrive at Kargo Mkt so far include sandwich dealers Ad Maiora, Korean bimbimbap trader Bab K, Tang’s Hot Pot, Palestinian favourite Baity, Manchester burger lads What’s Your Beef, Monton pizzeria Leopard Pie and many more.
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Keith McAvoy, CEO of SEVEN BRO7HERS BREWING CO, said: “It’s an exciting time for us as we take our bar offering to a new level and create a diverse, theatre-led experience. To date we have had great success in the beerhouse space, 11 Central gives us the opportunity to build an entertainment hub for the quays – the chance to work on a brand-new concept.
“This project is close to our hearts, as it’s our third site in Salford down the road from where all the family grew up. There is the added satisfaction knowing that our grandfathers were part of the Salford Docks community, being dock workers and our parents were born and raised a stone’s throw away from where the bar is situated. It just feels right to be working here bringing something new and exciting to the area. To be able to play a major role in what will be an incredible destination in Salford.”
Stephen Wild, Managing Director for MediaCity, added: “Central Bay is a major project for us, and we are putting everything we can into it, to give the local and wider Greater Manchester community a leading food and drink destination just a walk or short tram ride away.
“Having the 11 Central team on board is an absolute pleasure; we’ve watched them grow exponentially since setting up their first brewery down the road, to now having two different bars on MediaCity grounds. 11 Central at Central Bay will make a huge positive impact on MediaCity and our current and future residents – making it the place to work, live and visit.”
Popular American fast food franchise Shake Shack is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester is getting another big global franchise as Shake Shack is finally set to make its Northern debut.
With so many good burger joints and a million and one great places to grab a good portion of chips in town alone, they’ll have to hit the ground running to fight off the competition.
The well-known transatlantic multinational is nothing short of massive in the States, vying with the likes of In-N-Out Burger, Five Guys, Carl’s Jr. – also eyeing up multiple UK sites over the next few years – Whataburger and Wendy’s, just to name a rather large handful. Oh yeah, and Maccies, of course.
Yanks will debate until the cows come home (pardon the pun) about which is best, and many believe Shake Shack is right up there, so Manchester foodies have every right to be excited. Consider this a belated Thanksgiving contribution.
The New York-founded company already has multiple locations on this side of the pond, such as several in London, which is where we first sampled it for ourselves.
Other venues include Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford and Cardiff, as well as one inside Gatwick Airport; as for the brand’s first Manchester branch, Shake Shack UK no. 18 will be coming to the borough of Trafford and one of the biggest shopping destinations in the region.
But what sets this burger and milkshake-driven brand apart from the others?
Well, for starters, you could argue they’re not even most famous for their patties, buns or shakes; the first time we ever heard about Shake Shack was regarding their fries – specifically, the crinkle-cut shape and that very American-style cheese sauce.
They have long proved divisive among the masses, but those who love them go NUTS for the stuff, and you’ll find all manner of fakeaway recipes online of people trying to make their best imitation of the side and sauce, specifically.
Put it this way, Colonel’s gravy on KFC chicken is what cheese sauce is on Shake Shack fries. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but fans will stan this scran to no end.
Case and point:
My first time at Shake Shack 👌🏼💚 The cheese fries might be my new hyper fixation 🍟 pic.twitter.com/3HVwAgxRtD
Honestly, you’ll find countless examples of this kind of post on social media…
Richard Franks, Business Director at Shake Shack UK, said: “Manchester’s a city that does things proper; it’s full of heart, graft and great taste. We’re so pumped to be growing Shake Shack across the UK, and to be opening our first Northern Shack at Trafford Centre. We can’t wait to be a part of this city.”
The major mall and North West tourist attraction’s Centre Director, Simon Layton, added: “We’re really excited to welcome Shake Shack’s first Northern restaurant to the Trafford Centre.
“We know our visitors are going to love getting their hands on those iconic ShackBurgers and crinkle-cut fries. It’s a huge moment for the North – and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it with us in 2026.”
Opening in place of the Costa in the Great Hall, the opening of Shake Shack Manchester at the Trafford Centre is scheduled for next March. Exciting times.
Featured Images — bryansjs (via Flickr)/LN9267 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Eats
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.
Georgina Pellant -
27th July 2023 
