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.”
Local BID board launch new ‘Visit Alty’ app ahead of Taste of Altrincham 2026
Danny Jones
One of Trafford’s resident BID (Business Improvement District) board have officially launched their brand-new ‘Visit Alty’ app for the market town ahead of this year’s A Taste of Altrincham festival.
Set to be a dedicated one-stop where residents can find out what’s going on in and around the area, the platform is already available on the likes of the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android phones.
As A Taste of Alty returns for 2026, this is just the second instalment in the total 10-day food and drink party – with a big opening weekend celebration starting this Friday, 27 February – the latest innovation by Altrincham BID is hoping to keep residents more up to date on their village than ever.
Sponsored by native law firm Myerson Solicitors and supported by various local businesses, the sophomore edition of the now annual festivities serves as the ideal staging event for the fledgling Visit Altrincham app.
Running until Sunday, 8 March, A Taste of Altrincham is even bigger this time around. (Credit: Press shot)
With a full programme events kicking off this weekend, the app itself is ideal for keeping track of everything going.
In addition to workshops, live demos by regional chefs, supper clubs, wine tastings, the latest ‘Ultimate Pudding Competition’ and lots of other special events, it can be hard to keep track of everything.
That why, like any good festival, the app has a full map and guide featuring all the key info.
Beyond just the event itself, the app itself is aimed at supporting local independents and more by helping to increase their exposure, sign-post daytrippers to the old Cheshire holdout’s best bits, and push more and more people to one of the borough’s blossoming suburb in general.
Teaming up with a number of popular locations in and around the town centre, it’s a real come one, come all affair – just as things should be.
Residents and visitors alike can also found physical printed copies of the full Taste of Alty ’26 programme nearby at the likes of Altrincham Library, the Bee Network Interchange, as well as OYEZ Arts at the Town Hall.
Created with digital town hub partners, Loqiva, co-founder Marcus Chidgey said in a statement: “We’re pleased to be partnering with Altrincham BID to support Altrincham’s continued growth.
“With a strong independent business scene, an award-winning Market and excellent transport connections to Manchester, the Visit Altrincham app offers a new way for people to discover and explore the town.”
As for the local BID department, Alty’s director Mandy White added: “If you haven’t downloaded the Visit Altrincham app yet, now is the perfect time. It’s a simple way to find out what’s on, discover local businesses and unlock exclusive offers, especially during A Taste of Altrincham.
“The app helps people get more from their visit while supporting our independent businesses and high street brands.”
The Visit Altrincham app is FREE to download right now – you can find it HERE.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Altrincham BID)
Eats
Six by Nico to close popular Manchester location as it ‘evolves’ into something new
Emily Sergeant
Unique restaurant concept Six by Nico has announced that it’ll be closing one of its most popular locations in Manchester.
Six by Nico is famed for its six-course tasting menu inspired by a different theme, destination, or concept that changes every six weeks – with the brand now having around 15 restaurants based in across 12 cities in the UK.
Launching in Manchester in Spring Gardens back in 2019, Six by Nico has gone from strength to strength ever since, opening a second site off Deansgate in 2023.
But despite this success, both nationwide and in Manchester, Six by Nico has sadly announced this week that its popular Spring Gardens site would be closing down as it is and ‘evolving into something entirely new for the city’.
Owner Nico Simeone took to Instagram last night to share the news of Spring Gardens’ impending closure, and explained what the future holds for the site.
“As Six by Nico approaches its tenth year, I look to reimagine one of our most successful restaurant locations, Six by Nico Springs Gardens, into something entirely new for the city,” Nico said in his Instagram statement.
“This hasn’t been a small decision. Spring Gardens has been one of our strongest and most loved restaurants. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built there, the team behind it and the loyalty Manchester has shown us over the years.
“Six by Nico will always stand for immersive storytelling, six-course journeys and transporting guests somewhere new. That continues, and we’re investing further into Manchester through our Deansgate location and beyond.”
Six by Nico is closing its popular Manchester location as it ‘evolves’ into something new / Credit: The Manc Group
The founder also then went on to say that he’s realised there’s another side of his cooking that he hasn’t shared, and it’s one that he feels is ‘more stripped back’ and ‘personal’.
“That’s where Lennox begins,” Nico continued.
Giving an insight into what the future holds for the Spring Gardens restaurant, the statement adds: “Spring Gardens won’t disappear. It will evolve. A new restaurant brand is being built in that space from the ground up. A different energy. A different style. A different way of cooking.”
The announcement that Six by Nico would be closing its concept at the Spring Gardens site has amassed dozens of comments on social media.
Anyone ‘curious’ to to know ‘what Lennox really is and what it will become’ is encouraged to sign up online at www.lennoxrestaurant.co.uk, and follow the journey on Instagram at @lennoxrestaurant.
Georgina Pellant -
27th July 2023 
