Take a trip down to the Stockport village of Cheadle and you’ll find a surprising glut of great Middle Eastern eateries nestled on the Cheshire border.
Amongst them sits Yara, a family-run Syrian and Lebanese restaurant that’s been serving Manchester for fifteen years.
First opened in Altrincham in 2008, today it has five sites across Greater Manchester – all serving up traditional Middle Eastern favourites like succulent kebabs, crispy donut-shaped falafels, and fluffy pittas with flavourful homemade dips.
A table full of gorgeous Lebanese and Syrian food at Yara. / Image: The Manc Eats
Mixed kebab on the grill at Yara. / Image: The Manc Eats
With further restaurants in Whitefield, Chorlton, Cheadle and Alderley Edge, it’s clear that people just can’t get enough – so we made the trip down to see what all the fuss is about.
Suffice it to say, after tasting their sharp and citrussy babaganoush, stuffed vine leaves, and tabbouleh – a super fresh herb and bulgur salad dominated by parsley – we fell head over heels just like the rest.
Yara is a haven for those on the hunt for some finger-licking Middle Eastern goodness, with vegetarian starters like charcoal-grilled halloumi and creamy pots of homemade hummus pooled with rich olive oil sitting alongside crunchy pastry treats.
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These include chicken or cheese and spinach bourak (often referred to as Assyrian or Middle Eastern egg rolls), lahembajeen – filo pastry topped with minced lamb, pomegranate sauce, pine kernels and onions – and mossahab, a chicken-stuffed puff pastry with added onion and herbs.
Potato kibbeh at Yara. / Image: The Manc Eats
Crispy donut falafel rings at Yara. / Image: The Manc Eats
As for the main attraction: the meaty charcoal grill. This, more than anything else, is what we really came down for. At Yara, tender cuts of lamb and chicken come rich with Mediterranean spices and herbs, whilst lamb kebabs come in the shish, shawarma and kafta varieties.
Oh, and to save on your next Deliveroo order from Yara make sure to use our code 5OFFATYARA when you check out.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
Eats
A glimpse at Manchester’s newest restaurant and bar, opening soon with beautiful skyline views
Daisy Jackson
A beautiful new 14th-floor food and drink destination is coming to Manchester in the coming weeks, home to both a new restaurant AND a new bar.
This will be the latest addition to Manchester’s Treehouse Hotel, which opened last year transforming a huge building at the end of Deansgate.
Now the hotel is unveiling the final chapter of its opening, with a new elevated dining and drinking offering, with beautiful skyline views.
Up first will be rooftop restaurant Sistermoon, a new project from acclaimed chef Sam Grainger (you know him from Madre, among others).
Sam will be working alongside Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford (Electric Chair, Volta, Freight Island) on Sistermoon, a Southeast Asian BBQ concept inspired by his time cooking with a local family in Thailand.
Also opening way up here on the 14th floor will be The Nest, a new signature bar with panoramic views of Manchester that will be a destination for late-night drinks and social occasions.
Treehouse Hotel is opening a new 14th-floor restaurant and bar
And at the very top of the hotel, The Hideout will open as an intimate rooftop lounge and event space designed for private hire.
The final phase of the hotel will also see nine premium suites open, from huge Presidential Suites to interconnecting rooms – expect walk-in wardrobes, kitchens, and skyline views.
Treehouse Hotel is already home to 224 playful guest rooms, the award-winning Pip restaurant, the private Flix cinema, and Playground gym.
Sistermoon, The Nest, and The Hideout will open on 11 June – you can sign up to find out more HERE.
‘Stunning’ Old Rectory pub in Stockport suffers permanent closure
Danny Jones
One of Stockport town centre’s most beautiful pub venues, The Old Rectory, has officially closed down permanently following notices about its “final stages”.
Built circa 1740, the historic space itself has been there since before the Regency period.
Stockport‘s Old Rectory pub on Churchgate has been a number of different things over the decades, and has changed hands multiple times in more recent years, but now the Greene King site has shut down, what seems like, for good.
In fact, if you look online, it is already listed as ‘permanently closed’ on Google, as does a temporary sign now stuck to the gates of their entrance, with the most recent service last week being their final one.
With the news having since been shared on the Stockport Tourism notice board on Facebook, a post from the ‘Old Rec’ team reads: “We are sad to announce that The Old Rectory will be closing its doors at the end of this month. Thank you to everyone who has visited and supported the venue over the years.”
An update has also now been shared on the official CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) website.
Issuing a statement directly to The Manc, a spokesperson for Greene King said: “Following a period of team member consultation, we can confirm that the Old Rectory has now closed.
“We are grateful to everyone who has supported the Old Rectory over the years, and we look forward to welcoming them into our other pubs in the local area soon.”
They also go on to assure that they have worked with the team members who have sadly been put out of work to try and find new positions at other locations, with the operators urging Stopfordians to try other nearby pubs such as Gardeners Arms in Offerton and the recently refurbished Carousel in Reddish.
Described by CAMRA as a “multi-roomed pub-restaurant that still maintains a country house feel with plenty of dark wood and plush décor”, not to mention praising the all-day food service and “top notch” beer selection, its heyday may have been long ago, but it’ll still be missed by regulars and natives.
It’s also worth noting that the former Hungry Horse public house also long-served as an accommodation spot, too, with Premier Inn’s ‘Stockport Central Hotel’ attached to the back of the building.
There are no updates on this front at present, and they could easily repurpose what natives have hailed as a “stunning” Georgian structure – not to mention the expansive garden grounds – but the company is also currently cutting more than 3,800 jobs as part of a wider savings strategy.
Elsewhere, as SK residents bid goodbye to one veteran pub, they’re also gearing up to welcome back another former favourite…
Georgina Pellant -
17th March 2023 
