Eats
Eats
‘Theatrical’ rotisserie chicken restaurant to open just off King Street
Daisy Jackson
A new ‘bold and theatrical’ restaurant with dishes cooked over fire and a full-scale rotisserie is opening in Manchester later this year.
Plans have been revealed for The Counter, a 62-cover new restaurant inside a new building on John Dalton Street.
When it launches, The Counter will offer all-day dining, from breakfast flatbreads to rotisserie-led feasting, large sharing plates and nostalgic desserts like a knickerbocker glory.
It comes from Open Restaurant Group, a hospitality collective led by restaurateurs Sam and Emma Morgan alongside Executive Chef Andrew Sheridan.
Set to launch in September, The Counter hopes to be a ‘bold, theatrical and unmistakably Mancunian’ destination for long lunches, late-night dinners, and cocktails.
The 1,700 sq metre space, designed by the Open Restaurant Group, will feature polished concrete, aged brass, leather finishes and dramatic lighting.
At the centre of the restaurant will be towering four-metre elm trees, plus curved booth seating and a brass wine display.
There’ll be space for between six to eight guests at a chef’s counter, plus room for 20 more customers out on the terrace outside.
The restaurant will also feature dedicated meat and fish dry-ageing cabinets alongside a full-scale rotisserie, showcasing traditional rotisserie chicken, large joints of meat, whole cuts, seasonal game, slow-roasted fish and changing produce-led specials cooked over fire.

The rotisserie will also be the star of The Counter’s Sunday lunch experience.
The team behind the restaurant want it to be an ‘ambitious, design-led restaurant that genuinely feels built for Manchester’s creative community’.
Sam Morgan said: “Manchester is one of the greatest cities in the world for music, creativity and culture. We wanted to create a restaurant that genuinely reflects that energy.
“The Counter is about atmosphere as much as food. It’s glamorous but still grounded. High quality but relaxed. Somewhere people can come three times a week, whether that’s for breakfast, drinks, dinner or a long Sunday lunch. We want this to feel like a restaurant Manchester can really own.”
Executive Chef Andrew Sheridan added: “The food at The Counter is all about cooking the things we genuinely love eating.
“We want guests to order naturally, share everything, stay longer and enjoy the experience. It’s ingredient-led, produce-led and chef-led, but most importantly it’s fun.”
The Counter Manchester will officially open in September 2026.
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Featured image: Supplied
Eats
Authentic pizza restaurant Proloco to open inside luxury Manchester apartment building
Lydia Mastrolonardo
A new modern pizza restaurant is coming to town – say hello to Proloco.
Opening inside One Port Street in the city centre, Proloco is set to have a seasonal menu and a weekly rotating selection of sharing plates, gelato made in-house daily, and pizzas crafted with ingredients from local suppliers across the North West, as well as the best quality tomatoes and oil imported from Italy – naturally. Have we said all of your buzz words yet?
Sharing a chef with Honest Crust Sourdough Pizza too, it’s guaranteed to be good.
Priding themselves on fantastic food, unfussy drinks, outstanding hospitality, and a love for music – which is at the heart of everything – Proloco will be a welcomed addition to the city.
Some of the seasonal dishes currently available include succulent grilled lamb chops with anchoïade, salt-baked beetroot with ricotta and dill, and radicchio agrodolce with stracciatella.

The main event – being their selection of 18-inch pizzas, of course – includes one with porchetta, whipped potato, and fennel pie, charred seasonal greens with anchovy pie and a tomato butter pie with marjoram.
Finally, the question on everyone’s lips – the drinks list. You can expect honest wines, locally sourced quality beer, aperitivi, and the star of the show, their £7 Negronis. No, we can’t wait either.
“Proloco is about cooking food I genuinely love with the best people and produce around me,” commented co-founder, Richard Carver. “I want it to feel effortless – warm, a little bit fun, and always worth coming back to.”
Read more:
- Ornella’s Kitchen, the tiny Italian where people wait MONTHS for reservations, teases new restaurant
- How to eat at Manchester’s Michelin-recommended restaurants for less
- Giuseppe’s – the tiny Italian bistro that proves Stalybridge is fast becoming a dining destination
Manchester’s food scene truly does just keep getting better and better.
You can sign up for Proloco’s soft launch information at www.proloco.uk, or follow their progress at @proloco.mcr.
Featured Image – Supplied