A popular vegan takeaway in Chorlton has announced its permanent closure.
Zad’s was the first fully-vegan takeaway in the UK when it opened its doors on Barlow Moor Road in 2017.
Since then, vegan junk food has grown in popularity and plant-based alternatives crop up on menus across the nation.
The takeaway is famed for its pizzas, as well as its range of meat-free burgers, cauliflower wings, and macaroni cheese.
Vegan chicken wings (made with cauliflower) at Zad’s. Credit: Instagram, @zadsmcr
The owners of Zad’s have been looking for a buyer for the business, but say ‘the time has come to close our doors’ for good.
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Last year, they posted: “Zad’s is looking for a new owner and is going on the market for sale. Like many people, I have taken a lot of time over the last eighteen months or so to reassess many things and have come to the difficult realisation that I’m not the right person for Zad’s – I have a full time job which I love, a young family and a growing list of voluntary charitable commitments which just mean I don’t have the time to give to Zad’s that it deserves.
“Zad’s was started as a bit of fun, to give Manchester the vegan pizza it so desperately needed and there is still a huge need for what we do today.
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“We have a huge fanbase and if the last eighteen months has taught us anything, it’s that when Zad’s gets the attention it deserves, great things happen. We flourished through lockdown and provided an incredibly important service to all of our wonderful customers when you needed us most.”
Sadly, the Chorlton takeaway has now announced that it’s been unable to find someone to take over, and it will close after a few last celebrations.
The business is revisiting some of its most popular specials over the coming weeks before it closes on Sunday 24 July.
Zad’s posted on Instagram: “Well… after almost a full year of trying to find a buyer for Zad’s, the time has come to close our doors.
“We will be celebrating our 5th birthday on Thursday 21st July and will close our doors for the final time on Sunday 24th July. It’s been a hell of a rollercoaster and thank you all for your support over the last 5 years.
“More updates coming on our plans for the next 4 weeks, including specials, and details of how we can get our food to everyone before we close. I’m sure they’ll be a blog post before long too, with all the details around our decision to close.”
The announcement from Zad’s in Chorlton. Credit: Instagram, @zadsmcr
Fans of the takeaway have expressed their dismay to see the business close.
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One person wrote: “What a shame. Absolutely paved the way for vegan junk food in Manchester.”
Another said: “You guys were the trailblazers of vegan fast food in Manchester.”
Someone else commented: “Such a massive shame. Goodbye to the best vegan takeaway pizza ever.”
Featured image:Instagram, @zadsmcr
Eats
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Award-winning Didsbury bakery La Chouquette reveals incredible new site
Daisy Jackson
La Chouquette is one of Greater Manchester’s top bakeries – an award-winner, with queues down the street every weekend for its authentic French pastries and loaves.
And now they’re ready for a new chapter, revealing a major expansion today.
Owners Catrina and Flo have painstakingly expanded the bakery into the unit next door, creating what feels like a true French bakery.
And in the midst of this huge renovation project, they’ve welcomed a tiny new baby boy – quite the summer for the couple.
Catrina and Flo launched La Chouquette in lockdown, and in a time where people could only get their hospitality fix from takeaways, immediately became one of the most popular spots in the region.
Their success has been so great, you’ll still consistently find queues down the street every weekend, for their top sellers like their authentic almond croissants.
Then in October 2024, they grew the business and launched Piqniq, a new deli in Didsbury village, serving freshly-baked baguette sandwiches, breakfast butties, toasties, tiramisu pots and their legendary pastries.
The new-look La Chouquette features beautiful details like mosaic floors, rich blue walls, wooden shelves, and brass light fixtures.
La Chouquette’s best-selling almond croissantsInside the stunning new La Chouquette in DidbsuryNew savoury bakesThe chausson aux pommesThe counter stuffed with artisan French bakesChocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns
The huge new counter displays more pastries and breads than ever before, like a hearty chausson aux pommes filled with apples that will be perfect for autumn, plus seasonal treats like a rhubarb creme brulee pastry, and homemade quiche.
Speaking at the grand relaunch today, Catrina said: “The layout has changed, it looks so much more chic, it looks like a traditional French bakery. We’re really excited about it.”
As for what’s on the counter, Flo reassured fans that their beloved almond and pistachio croissants remain, but with some new savoury editions, like a truffle croque monsieur made with croissant dough.
La Choquette has reopened today, and will be open seven days a week from 7am until 5pm.
Daisy Jackson -
4th July 2022 
