Manchester restaurant Habas has made it into the prestigious Michelin guide just six months after opening its doors in the city.
The restaurant is the creation of esteemed chef Simon Shaw, who also has the two-AA Rosette and Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant El Gato Negro, as well as Canto (which has been newly-awarded a Michelin Plate) in Ancoats.
It opened in the lower level of the historic Manchester Reform Club building in June to mixed reviews.
Inside Habas. Credit: Supplied
However, it seems the naysayers are to be mostly ignored, as it’s already caught the eye of inspectors at Michelin, who advise diners to ‘arrive early for a cocktail in the bar before moving into the fun, slightly retro-style dining room’.
The guide continues: “Small sharing plates take their influences mainly from the Middle East but there are also hints of the Mediterranean to be seen.
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“Must-haves include the homemade pita bread, stuffed filo cigars and vegetable dishes.”
Food at Habas in Manchester. Credit: Joby Catto Photography
Housed inside the building’s former wine cellar, the menu follows a similar format to Shaw’s other popular Spanish and Portuguese-style city-centre restaurants – with a strong focus on small plates, ordered to share.
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Speaking on the inclusion of Habas in MICHELIN’s fourth live release of the year, Shaw said: “First and foremost I’m absolutely delighted. For a business that’s been such a long time in the making and yet still very much in its infancy its remarkable. It’s all credit to Craig, Kelly and their respective teams who are doing an incredible job.”
Habas is one of 12 Manchester restaurants recommended in this year’s guide, alongside Adam Reid at The French, Allotment vegan eatery, Tast, El Gato Negro, Porta Tapas, Canto, The Bull and Bear, 63 Degrees, Erst, Mana, and OSMA.
The restaurant has just introduced a new Sunday roast offering, with two options available and an option to bring your own wine for just an additional £5 corkage fee.
The announcement follows a new approach announced by Michelin this summer, which sees the guide announce new additions on a monthly basis for the very first time.
Usually, these are only revealed at the annual launch event – but we have to say, we’re enjoying the new approach, as it gives us something new to look forward to every month, instead of having to wait a whole year.
The most prestigious awards, however -Stars, Bib Gourmands and Green Stars – will be announced at the annual 2022 ceremony as usual. So we’ve still got a bit of a wait for those.
Featured image: Supplied
Food & Drink
Viral chicken shop Wingstop is opening inside the Manchester Arndale
Daisy Jackson
Wingstop, the chicken shop famed for its vast range of wing flavours and sauces, is opening another spot in Manchester city centre.
The brand will be taking over the old Yo Sushi site in the Manchester Arndale, which shut down just last month.
It’ll mean there’ll be two Wingstop locations within a few minutes’ walk of each other, with another takeaway already well-established on Piccadilly Gardens.
Wingstop UKI has found viral fame with people taste-testing its wide range of hand-sauced chicken wing flavours, ranging from garlic parmesan all the way up to the eye-watering ‘Atomic’.
As well as chicken wings, it serves delicious tenders and burgers, all cooked to order.
There are also a range of sides, including loaded fries, sweet potato fries, and cajun fried corn, plus dips like ranch, honey mustard, and blue cheese.
Wingstop is also famed for its thick milkshakes – which are a necessity if you order your chicken down the spicier end of the scale.
Established in Texas in 1994, Wingstop rose rapidly to become one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the US.
The brand launched in the UK market in 2018, and into Ireland last year, and now operates more than 85 locations.
Wingstop is opening in Manchester Arndale
Wingstop will be moving into the 5,928 sq ft unit upstairs in Manchester Arndale, just opposite Next.
Scott Linard, Portfolio Manager for M&G Real Estate, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Wingstop to our vibrant F&B offer; an addition we’re sure will resonate with our younger visitors.
“With the additions of popular restaurant chains like Wingstop, coupled with the arrival of new retailers such as Arc’teryx, Alo Yoga, Pro:Direct and Sephora, we are strategically creating a destination where people across the North West and beyond want to spend their time.”
Steve Gray, Head of European Retail Asset Management at Global Mutual, said: “Wingstop will join Manchester Arndale’s varied F&B mix, including Popeyes, Sides, Hotel Chocolat, Joe & The Juice and Café Nero.
“In-demand operators like this help create energy and momentum that allows the brands across the scheme to thrive, driving increased footfall, longer dwell times and a more compelling offer for visitors.”
The best cheese tasting party in the North is BACK at a new Manchester venue
Danny Jones
That’s right, one of the biggest and best cheese tasting nights in the entire land is returning to Greater Manchester at a brand new city centre venue.
Not to be over-the-top, but this isn’t just another experience sampling possibly the greatest foodstuff on Earth, it’s a fully-fledged cheese-lovers’ party.
Some of you may have come across Homage2Fromage before, but for anyone unaware of the Yorkshire-born event, it started out as a monthly cheese tasting club and went on to expand across the dairy-adoring North at large.
Relaunching here in Manchester for 2026, all you lactose-intolerant people better watch, because Home2Fromage is coming back with a vengeance and heading to the Northern Quarter. Here’s how it went down the last time we visited one in Leeds:
Leeds, Sheffield, Harrogate, Manchester and who knows where else next.
Posting up in a relatively recent addition to NQ‘s bar and restaurant scene, The Faraday – a pub on Lever St that replaces the old Seven Sins back in October – it looks set to be an ideal venue for the regular evening series.
Homage2Fromage will be making its Manc return this month, and better still, they’re holding a cheeky little giveaway to sweeten the pot.
As in the deal, we mean – not the inevitable bowls full of olives, chutney, oil and various other dips…
To welcome this celebration of all things cheese coming back to Manchester city centre, they’re giving away a bunch of free tickets: 20 pairs in total.
Worth over £50 a piece for each twin set of tickets, you’d be a fool not to at least throw your hat in the ring for this one.
As you can see, the competition closes this Thursday, 19 February, ahead of the full relaunch party next week (Wed, 25 Feb), and all you have to do to enter is fill out this super quick survey.
It really is as simple as that; a few quick words are all that stand between you and a potential mountain of cheese and more.
You can find all you need to know about the event right HERE, and in case you haven’t popped into The Faraday just yet, see more down below.
It’s still somewhat early days, but we can see ourselves spending a fair bit of time in this up-and-coming Manchester watering hole, especially when there’s cheese nights involved.
Georgina Pellant -
24th November 2021 
