It’s been in the works for quite some time now, but award-winning sports bar BOX has announced it finally open its doors in Manchester at the end of November.
BOX is aiming to bring the city a new spot to eat, drink, watch live sport, play and party all under one roof.
After first being teased back in July 2020, the “game-changing” 8,000 sq ft sports bar – which already has three successful sites in Leeds – will now open on Deansgate (opposite Spinningfields) and be spread across two floors, boasting over 20 screens to watch live sports matches, two 21-foot European Shuffleboard tables, plus Apres Ski-style live bands, DJs playing floor-fillers, and Bandeoke – giving you the chance to take to the mic and join the house band on stage.
The ground floor features an island bar that’s surrounded by 20 top-of-the-range TV screens, which can be seen from any seat in the venue, and upstairs, there’s a more relaxed and premium viewing experience, with booth-seating and luxurious finishes for parties and private viewings.
It may be a sports bar at heart, but that’s not all BOX has to offer.
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BOX is aiming to bring the city a new spot to eat, drink, watch live sport, play and party all under one roof / Credit: BOX
As mentioned, there’s also live DJs, Apres Ski-style bands, and Bandeoke on hand ready to bring the party every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Those looking for a tipple or two won’t go thirsty either as there’s beer tanks filled with fresh Budvar, handcrafted secret recipe Pornstar and Espresso Martinis available on tap, BOX’s larger-than-life Cocktail Steins, and four-litre beer towers and shot boxes to make for the perfect group drinks.
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Some of the country’s finest craft beers – including some of Manchester’s own – will also be available, as well as a selection of cocktails, wines, and fizz.
And if you’re looking for something to soak up all the alcohol, BOX is also known for its high-quality food menu.
Inspired by world street foods and only using the finest ingredients cooked on site by a talented kitchen team, you can tuck into pizzas made using double fermented dough, signature hand-formed burgers, marinated kebabs, and the famous BOX platters – with mini burgers, mozzarella fries, crispy popcorn chicken, and succulent BBQ ribs.
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BOX is also known for its high-quality food and drinks menu / Credit: BOX | The Photo ProjectBOX Deansgate is spread across two floors and boasts over 20 screens to watch live sports matches / Credit: BOX
There’s also an outdoor terrace for alfresco lunches and drinks in the sun right in the heart of the city centre.
BOX Deansgate marks the fourth Manchester opening from bar group Arc Inspirations, following Banyan Corn Exchange, Banyan Spinningfields, and the smash-hit Manahatta branch – which has lit up Deansgate since 2018.
“We’re delighted to finally be introducing our BOX brand to Manchester for its much-anticipated launch,” said Martin Wolstencroft, CEO of Arc Inspirations.
“It’s exciting to be opening the doors next month to guests, especially after what’s been a challenging time for everyone [and] we’re confident the good folk of Manchester will enjoy BOX’s high-energy experience and overall, come to us for some great fun.”
You can find more ahead of BOX Deansgate’s opening here.
Featured Image – BOX
Food & Drink
A new ’boutique’ chicken spot has opened in Manchester’s Northern Quarter
Danny Jones
A brand-new chicken spot called ‘Le Coq Boutique’ has just opened in Manchester city centre, serving out of a popular Northern Quarter bar.
Is this the best name we’ve ever heard in our time writing about food and drink? It just might be…
Opening from inside The Social NQ on Thomas Street (formerly known as Smithfield Social), their new resident and poultry-centric kitchen is a bit of a pun on the classic French sportswear label, but having now been versed in the word about the bird for ourselves, we can confirm it’s much more than that.
For starters, the only thing more decadent than the roasted meats are the sides and cocktail menu, which features everything from chunky hash browns and some of the richest sauces you could ask for.
As you can see, the most chicken is well and truly the star of the show here, but what they have done is find unique ways of innovating and experimenting with it.
For instance, if you’ve never had a cocktail with chicken fat in it, here’s a place you can try one.
Honestly, this isn’t our first rodeo with this very particular kind of drink – but for those of you that haven’t, we promise, it really is quite good.
Aside from surprisingly saline kicks beside the salty marg rims we’ve become more accustomed to over the years, there are some very nice drinks on the menu.
But we’ll be honest, if you’re a sucker for the famous ‘chicken wine’ – a.k.a. La Vieille Ferme, if you want to be all formal – we imagine you’ll be sticking to plenty of this.
Having already spent many a weekend, be that afternoon or night, at the old Smithfield over the years, now that it has this fine new in-house food offering tacked on, we suspect we’ll be going back a lot more.
Whether you want lots of crispy chicken skin or prefer it smothered in gravy and various other kinds of savoury jus, if you’re an unadulterated mothercluckin’ chicken lover, then you’ll have a great time here.
As the team has joked in the comments under their first few social media posts, while it isn’t technically mandatory to wear the vintage 80s brand upon visiting, it is “expected”, with “bonus marks and shots” and promised for your efforts.
It’s also worth noting that they have an exclusive launch offer for those who sort a booking early, so we wouldn’t wait around if we were you.
Let us know what you think if you visit anytime soon.
Bunny Jackson’s offer Foo Fighters and Mancs incredible deal if they play their stage after Ritz gig
Danny Jones
Beloved dive bar Bunny Jackson’s has offered the Foo Fighters and Mancunians alike an incredible deal, provided the legendary band if they play on their stage after their gig at the O2 Ritz.
As well as Manchester ramping up the 2026 BRITs Week buzz ahead of the awards at Co-op Live this weekend, a little-known American rock group called the Foo Fighters decided to announce a surprise gig here in town.
But the bigger story now, we’d argue, is that the city centre boozer – which serves as a regular go-to both before and after gigs – is offering free drinks if Dave Grohl and co. pop up to perform on their usual bandaoke platform. As in for EVERYONE.
As explained by the Bunny’s boss, if the Foos make what is quite literally a minute trip down the road to OG Jackson’s wing joint and late-night watering hole after their Ritz gig is over, they’re promising to hand out free booze to all inside the venue.
Joking that they can quite literally “do anything” and may not even fit on their even smaller stage – with this being one of the tiniest of Manchester’s small-cap venues – it’s worth reminding that they wouldn’t be the first big name to surprise punters.
It was only a couple of years ago that both The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo showed their faces, with the former getting behind the bar and pouring drinks themselves, and the latter even hopping on the mic herself – yes, really.
Just last March, members of Bilmuri also hopped behind the decks for a DJ set, and saxophone player Gabi Rose couldn’t resist hitting some horns live for the crowd, too.
You might want to be at Bunny’s even if you’re not going to the gig anyway. (Credit: Bunny Jackson’s)
So what we’re telling you is that this isn’t entirely beyond the realms of possibility. Keep absolutely everything crossed.
BJ’s was already hosting a pre- and post-curfew party for the big Manchester gig, as they often do, but just think how incredible it would be if the rock icons actually turned up in person. You can find out what else they’ve got planned on the night HERE.
Not only would it mean free-flowing beer for everyone in the gaff, but this would go down as one of the greatest stories in Greater Manchester music history.
If you want to up the chances of this happening, make sure you share it far and wide, getting @ing and pestering them, and hopefully we’ll see you at Bunny Jackson’s with the boys from Foo Fighters!
Oh, and lads, if you’re wondering why we all love it here, look no further:
Emily Sergeant -
18th October 2021 
