Food & Drink

There’s a brewery party happening in a secret Manchester venue next week

Manchester Union lager is throwing an exclusive secret party on 3 November at an as-yet unnamed Northern Quarter venue

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 25th October 2021

A secret brewery party is coming to an as-yet-undisclosed venue in Manchester’s Northern Quarter next week, The Manc can reveal.

Manchester Union Brewery has revealed it will be throwing an exclusive secret party next week on Wednesday, 3 November, with free-flowing beer and food in a top-secret Manchester location.

The event is taking place to launch the brewery’s new Helles lager, called Scenes.

Hosted in partnership with Skiddle, two of Manchester’s most notorious homegrown DJ’s – namely Chimpo and Nanny Banton – will be on the decks providing the soundtrack from 8pm to midnight.

Free to attend, the event is guest list only – meaning to get through the door you’ll need to apply for a ticket via Manchester Union Brewery’s website.

Those entering the ticket ballot will be entered into a lucky draw, with winners chosen at random. The brewery will be keeping the party location top secret, with the details only revealed on the day of the event.

The new 4.2% party beer is inspired by classic German Helles styles, which tend to be pale gold in colour but typically fuller-bodied than light lagers.

Manchester Union Brewery is the only dedicated craft lager brewery located in the city. Located in Ardwick, brewers here use methods unique to the UK to create the freshest lager in the city.

By adding an extra step to its brewing process, the brewery claims to create a “bold silky mouthfeel with a touch of caramel sweetness followed swiftly with a hugely refreshing, dry and bitter finish from the central European hops.”

If you go down to its home in Ardwick, you’ll also discover the brewery’s taproom – which gives you chance to sample some of Manchester Union’s best creations straight from the source.

Poured from hand made side tap handles imported directly from the Czech Republic, it doesn’t get any fresher than this. Space, however, is quite limited so it is recommended to book in advance.

Feature image – Geograph


Food & Drink

The first new tenant of the old Debenhams department store on Market Street has been confirmed

Danny Jones Danny Jones new food hall opening in Ryland building old Debenhams department store Manchester

The first new resident of the Rylands Building on Market Street in central Manchester has been revealed, and it’s a foodie one.

Set to be the maiden opening inside the old Debenhams department store, which closed after more than three decades back in 2021, Rylands’ debut won’t be for another year or so, but it will soon welcome Mancs with an increasingly popular food hall operator making its way up north.

Simply called Market Place, the ever-growing brand is fast becoming a well-established name, with four venues in the capital already and a fifth coming soon.

Rylands will be their first location outside of London, and with 1,300 sqm of space at their disposal, Market Place Manchester is set to make a significant splash on the high street.

market place food halls london
A look at Market Place Peckham.
market place food hall manchester city centre
A rough idea of what the Manchester branch could look like.

Developers managed to green-light plans for the Grade II-listed building last November, sharing the first details and glimpses of their vision for the instantly recognisable city centre spot, including a whole new rooftop terrace.

Currently earmarked for a late 2026 launch, the former department store (previously Paulden’s) consisted of seven floors but is now set for a four-storey extension that promises to be a massive and varied retail, leisure and business destination that makes the most of the expansive structure.

Not to be confused with the famous John Rylands Library – a much older, more gothic, historic and hallowed hall over on Deansgate – this task of ‘revitalising a Manchester icon’, to quote property firm AM ALPHA, is a huge undertaking.

In charge of the redevelopment since 2023, the group have been outlining a pretty complete overhaul, with plans to convert the upper floors into premium office space, and the creation of a retail arcade at ground level, on which Market Place Manchester will sit.

This particular Manc corner was a bustling food, drink and shopping complex for the longest time, but has been derelict and covered up by boards for what feels like forever, with urban explorers even roaming the large, abandoned building.

rylands building market st manchester
Credit: Supplied

Now, though, the new long-term 15-year lease agreement will see the latest food hall kick off a new era for Rylands, delivering socially focused venues and the range of flavourful, vibrant choices of scran that Market Place have become known for.

With sites in St Paul’s, Vauxhall, Peckham, Harrow and soon Baker Street – as well as their eventual Manchester outpost, of course – the chain is getting bigger and better, meaning its arrival in the North West is an exciting one.

AM ALPHA manager Paul Hodgkiss said in an official statement: “Manchester is a city with a vibrant cultural scene – the perfect environment for forward-thinking concepts like Market Place Food Hall…

“The early commitment to Rylands is no coincidence: it reflects the strength of our strategic and forward-looking approach to development. We are not just creating high-quality space – we are setting new standards for urban mixed-use concepts. Interest from further prospective tenants is strong.”

It was only last week that Greater Manchester’s latest market hall, Campfield Studios, said hello to the general public and with House of Social also opening this summer, among several other similar projects, soon you won’t be able to move for more social hospitality scenes like this:

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Featured Images — Press shots/CGIs (supplied)

Food & Drink

Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Dave's Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester

The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.

The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).

Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.

Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.

It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.

The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.

Dave's Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester

Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.

There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.

Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.

And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.

Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.

“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.

“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”

Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.

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Featured image: Supplied

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