Manchester wakes up this weekend. But where will you be going?
It’s a big decision – choosing the first place to visit after lockdown. But it’s worth approaching with the same sort of mentality you had on any pre-quarantine weekend: What sort of flavours do you fancy?
We’ve broken down the list of reopened Manchester venues into categories, so you can settle on the right spot regardless of whether you’re craving a cocktail, burger or bottle of fancy wine.
Remember that many venues require bookings as table service is compulsory – so be sure to act fast and reserve a seat if you want to make the most of your first day of freedom in more than three months.
Booze. That’s front and centre for many right now.
Classy cocktails. Carefully poured craft beer. Cheap pints at the local. They’re all back this weekend. And oh, how we’ve missed them.
Here are a few of the top spots in the city that are serving again from July 4. There’s also a welcome return for the best coffee houses – which could help sort out that sore head come Sunday.
Lucky back garden owners got to enjoy a few banging BBQs over the course of an unseasonably sweltering spring this year. But now normality has been restored and Manchester is wet once again.
If you’ve already forgotten what great summer grub tastes like, there’s a few spots in town where you can rediscover those flavours in all their glory.
Almost Famous – booking required. Get a table here.
All Star Lanes – booking required (terrace available). Get a table here.
Hard Rock Cafe – booking required. Get a table here.
Hatch – no booking required.
Luck, Lust, Liquor & Burn – booking required. Get a table here.
Pizza & Pasta
Crazy Pedro’s
We’re inundated with top-quality Italian food venues in Manchester. Genuinely spoiled for choice.
Several of them have confirmed they’re ready to return from July 4, too – offering diners delicious dollops of cheese piled high on Instagram-worthy plates.
This one is going to give you a selection headache…
Ciaooo Pizzeria – booking required. Learn more here.
Fine cuts of meat. Fantastic fish. Crispy fried chicken. These are surefire solutions to satisfy your tastebuds with the treat they deserve after three long months of home cooking.
There’s a number of seafood restaurants and grill houses restaurants flinging open their doors this weekend – and demand is already surging, unsurprisingly.
Here are a few places where you can still reserve a seat.
We’ve had our fair share of Chinese and Indian takeaways during lockdown.
But guzzling sauce out of Tupperware boxes half-drunk in front of the tele just isn’t quite the same as tucking into a first-class meal at an elegant restaurant.
Here’s where you can head this weekend to taste some amazing Asian-style cooking.
The Manc is helping local businesses and venues get back on their feet after lockdown with our #BuzzingToBeBack campaign – offering as much support and exposure for Manchester hospitality as possible. Read more about what we’re doing for the industry here.
Manchester tapas spot Maricarmen open second city centre site
Danny Jones
Affordable Manchester tapas spot Maricarmen has just finished launching its second site in town, doubling its city centre presence with the official opening on Thursday, 4 September.
Maricarmen launched on Great Ancoats Street back in June 2023 and quickly became a firm Manc favourite, famous for their £3.50 dishes
When it comes to their small plate approach, they serve up some of the best tapas in Manchester, and even the shopfront seats at their popular roadside location are regularly full regardless of passing traffic.
However, if there’s ever been one gripe we’ve had with the place, it’s that the outdoor area isn’t the most peaceful, even if it is a stunning suntrap on a warm day – that’s where the new restaurant comes in.
Ancoats…… vs NQNew but familiar (Credit: Supplied/The Manc Eats)
We’ve been semi-regular visitors of Maricarmen ever since it started out life as a pop-up just around from Cutting Room Square, and they’ve gained speed and reputation ever since.
Known not only for authentic, value-for-money tapas, but welcoming plenty of punters for a simple drink as one of the best places for a sangria in central Manchester, they’ve managed to stay relatively just not just when the weather is bright but throughout most seasons.
While the Ancoats restaurant is known for the aforementioned roving ‘El Tableo’ style of service inspired by southern Spain, the newest location will be slightly different, revealing not only lighter colours and Alicante beach influences with a focus on alfresco eating, but lots of new specials.
Created by Marian Diaz and Jose Nunez, who previously owned a tapas restaurant in Madrid, La Porcineria, which was sadly curtailed by Covid.
On the bright side, Manchester has been the greatest beneficiary of their fresh start, and we can’t wait to see what venue number two delivers.
Co-founder, Diaz, said of the new opening: “Maricarmen is about compassion, hard work, strength, reinvention, opening our minds & hearts and connecting with people. It’s more than just food, for us, it is the beautiful moment when we see our customers and our coworkers smile because they are here.”
She went on to add, “To us, Manchester signifies the ability to reinvent and grow. The people here support you without expecting anything in return. It’s really beautiful. I have never felt this before in my life. […] We’ve built up such a loyal customer base of locals – many have become dear friends.
“And to be in a position to open a second site within two years and share our love of good food and great times with Manchester’s Northern Quarter is quite unbelievable.”
There really is a Costa Blanca beach house vibe to this bright, new yellow-accented corner of NQ and having tried some of their dishes, we can’t wait to get stuck in.
Be sure to follow them on socials too, not only for more announcements and updates but because it’ll give you an even better flavour of the vibes over there.
Popular Manchester cafe and bakery Gooey brilliantly responds to ‘2/10’ TikTok review
Daisy Jackson
Gooey, easily one of Manchester’s busiest bakeries and brunch spots, has clapped back at a negative review on TikTok with a refreshingly honest statement.
The local business shot to fame initially with its chunky, gooey cookies, but has since expanded from its hatch to have its very own cafe, famed for its enormous French toasts and its sandwiches made with baked-in-house Shokupan bread.
Generally, Gooey gets an incredibly good rap, with queues that speak for themselves stretching from its doors down High Street.
But one TikToker has shared a less favourable video review of the business, slamming it as ‘one of the most disappointing food experiences I’ve ever had in my life’.
The reviewer in question specialises in finding places you could eat comfortably as a solo diner, and ranked Gooey an overall 8/10 – but slated the food at a 2/10.
And now Gooey has shared their side of things, defending themselves against the reviewer’s claims that the food is ‘expensive’ and ‘tastes like it could have been made at Greggs’.
“Not everyone is going to like what you do and that is absolutely fair enough,” they wrote in a statement.
Gooey continued: “We’re not usually in the business of responding to negative reviews.
Gooey clapped back at the review that said its sandwiches were ‘too expensive’
“What has made us respond to this review is how often I’m seeing local businesses like ours targeted on costs.”
The cafe then justified the £10.90 cost for a bacon and egg sandwich, pointing out the bacon is cured in-house and cut thick every day by hand; the bread is also baked in-house daily; even the ketchup and brown sauce are made from scratch.
“With all that said, yes, we do have to charge more than you would pay for a bacon butty at Greggs.
“Listen, I understand this criticism. I used to get a bacon and egg butty before college for £1.95 from my local butty shop.
“We cannot do that here. We are paying Manchester City Centre rent. We employ a team of chefs, bakers, front of house, and more.
“And we are trying to make the best version of a bacon sandwich that we could.”
Chunky cookies at GooeyThe Gooey French toast that the review claimed was ‘too sweet’
As for the complaints that the French toast is ‘too sweet’, Gooey clapped back: “Yes, our French Toast is sweet. It’s filled with dulce de leche and topped with maple syrup.
“We personally love it and it’s our most popular item but if you don’t like sweet things, you might not like it!”
Finally, in defence of rising prices across the hospitality industry, they signed off with this brilliant piece of insight.
“Every single independent cafe, restaurant and bar across this country is charging more than they would like to be doing for their dishes.
“In 99.99% of cases, this is not greed, or us being thick, or trying to rip people off. It is simply the only way to survive with the costs we are facing.
“Even then, many of us are struggling to make it work.”
Anyone fancy meeting at Gooey for a bacon sandwich later then?
The Manc -
2nd July 2020 
