On Saturday, for the second time in the space of eight months, the Prime Minister appeared on our television screens and ordered everyone to stay indoors – stirring up a stomach-churning sense of deja-vu.
The virus that sent the UK into quarantine back in March has enjoyed an alarming new lease of life, and without tough action now, Boris warned us, Christmas would effectively be cancelled.
There’s a temporary ban on most socialising, whilst thousands of businesses across England must close.
Among those ordered to shut, of course, are bars and restaurants.
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Hospitality has had a raw deal throughout the pandemic, with the sector subjected to particularly stringent measures including a 10pm curfew.
But from Thursday, every bar, pub and restaurant in England will have to shut entirely – serving customers only via takeaway (although it will be forbidden to provide alcohol ‘to go’).
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Ultimately, there’s lots of stock set to go to waste. And in order to clear the shelves and pipes, bars in Manchester are launching a wide variety of lockdown deals – offering customers the chance to grab a bargain before the country closes down again.
Here are a few of the best ones. We’ll keep adding more as they come in.
£1 pints at Albert’s Schloss
Albert’s Schloss is serving pints for £1 for three days in November.
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Litre growlers are also being poured for £2.50.
All of their draught beer is included in the lockdown deal – and you’ll need to order food as per Tier 3 rules.
The bar wrote on social media: “Today [Monday 2 November] til end of play Wednesday, we’ll be serving £1 pints.
“Tour the Taps to stop it going to waste – you can also take away a 1 litre growler of your favourite bier for only £2.50, just ask your server.
“Our Haus will be open 4pm – 10pm til we close the doors (again) on Weds. Available on every draught bier – til they’re gone. Must be served with a substantial meal. Bookings strongly advised.”
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Big sale at Nibble NQ
Northern Quarter’s Nibble restaurant is also arranging a huge lockdown clearance – with loads of ingredients up for grabs for low prices.
Eggs, sausages. beans, milk, juice, powder and sugar are all being advertised on the cheap – and you can place your order via email.
Nibble representatives said: “The money is undoubtedly better in the bank than on our shelves, so if you’re going to be getting any of these things from the supermarket over the coming days and weeks please consider placing an order with us instead to help with cash flow while we get ready to close up and focus on delivery and collection only.”
Nibble NQ added: “This list is subject to availability, and preorder only, once it’s gone it’s gone. But we will continue to provide our local and national delivery menus throughout lockdown so check out the website for these and email [email protected] for any upcoming orders and birthday treats for loved ones.”
£10 off per person at Kala Bistro
Kala Bistro is offering £10 off food and non-alcoholic drinks every day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
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The lockdown deal is available for both lunch and dinner, with the restaurant encouraging customers to enjoy “one last Kala fix before [they] close for a short break.”
The King Street venue will be opening from midday to 3pm and 5pm – 8pm.
Free shooting at Point Blank
Fancy taking out some of your frustration on the pending lockdown with a shooting game?
Point Blank – the speakeasy-style range on Deansgate – is offering customers a free go on the guns before the bar closes down.
Representatives commented on social media: “We are offering FREE SHOOTING all day Tuesday & Wednesday.”
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They added: “Not only that, we’ve got drinks deals, pizzas, guns and positive vibes.”
To book a booth, customers can call Point Blank on 0333 023 0363.
50% off at Asha’s
Asha’s Indian restaurant on Peter Street has also announced a corker of a lockdown deal – half price dishes right across their A La Carte menu.
The restaurant wrote on social media: “As a massive thank you for your continued support throughout this pandemic, we would like to invite you to enjoy 50% off our á la carte menu from Monday 2nd November – Wednesday 4th November from 5pm – 9.30pm.”
Bookings can be made online or by calling 0161 832 5309. Walk-ins are also welcome.
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50p wings at Northern Soul
Northern Soul Grilled Cheese – Manchester’s top toastie takeaway of Man v Food fame – has ordered in a “f*** load” of wings for this week, according to staff.
But now, due to new circumstances, they need to offload this grub somewhere fast.
That’s why Northern Soul is plating up wings for 50p each right up until Wednesday.
Both Solita restaurants in Northern Quarter and Didsbury will be offering an all-day discount Monday to Wednesday – with 50% off their menu (up to £10 per person).
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Offers on alcoholic drinks will also be available.
Cutting Room Square’s neighbourhood kitchen and bar Elnecot also needs to get rid of its beer – so staff are encouraging customers to visit the premises with empty milk cartons and get them filled up with lager instead.
The price? £2 a litre.
Somehow it seems likely that Mancs will be ploughing through the rest of their milk supply later today…
Open from 4pm – 8pm Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday this week, Blossom Street Social is apparently all set to start serving “tempting platters, free wine upgrades & cheaper pints”.
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According to their social media channels, the bar is pouring their “famous FOUR [at] just £3.50/ pint, served in an ice cold tankard!”
The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub
Daisy Jackson
Well-known pub group The Head Of Steam has revealed plans to take over a prominent Northern Quarter site.
The craft beer brand will move into the Grade II-listed building that was (very briefly) home to the Lamb of Tartary gastropub, which sadly shut down after just six months.
Prior to that, the landmark building was the home of Cottonopolis.
It’s been empty since Lamb of Tartary shut down more than a year ago, but now The Head of Steam is swooping into Manchester city centre to bring it back to life.
Their plans include 30 beer lines (24 keg and six cask), augmented reality darts, live sports across six screens, and a dedicated pop-up kitchen from a local operator, also making its debut in Manchester City Centre.
Spanning 2,800 sq ft, there’ll be space for 180 guests, with a design that will mix ‘industrial character and Northern warmth’.
It sounds like there are changes in store from the Lamb of Tartary days – there’s talk of a striking circular central bar, surrounded by exposed brickwork and restored original features.
Behind that bar you’ll be able to enjoy a UK craft beers, plus a vast collection of Belgian beers, alongside a rotating selection of cans and bottles, as well as a fresh cocktail menu and quality spirits range.
The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub. Credit: Supplied
The Head of Steam was established back in 1995 and is part of Camerons Brewery. The group already has 15 venues across 13 cities, including an existing Manchester pub out in Didsbury.
Mark Connor, Head of Operations & Brand for The Head of Steam, said: “We’re excited to be joining the Northern Quarter community and to bring our favourite UK brewers, alongside classics from our extensive Belgian range, to this vibrant part of the city.
“The location is incredible, and being able to offer something new and exciting to the area is fantastic for us.
“We can’t wait to open our doors later this year, meet our neighbours, and become a part of this iconic area of Manchester.”
The Head of Steam will open at 16 Newton Street in the Northern Quarter later this year.
Chorlton’s Horse and Jockey is reintroduced to the suburbs after stunning transformation
Danny Jones
The much-loved Horse and Jockey in Chorlton is back open for business following a major and marvellous refurb, which has seen the heart and soul of the pub restored to its former glory.
Opening just in time for the bulk of cosy boozer season, we’re about to spend A LOT of time in here.
With an impressive culinary pedigree to boot, the ‘new and improved’ Horse and Jockey was always bound to be a hit with critics and natives alike, we just weren’t expecting them to knock it quite so far out of the park – or, in this case, Chorlton Green.
Giving the already gorgeous 200-year-old structure a new lick of paint and then some, the new Horse and Jockey looks set to reassert itself as one of the prettiest, cosiest and tastiest pubs you’ll find in central Manchester.
Benefitting from sitting just outside the city centre, you’ve still got plenty of footfall from those who have seen Chorlton become a foodie destination all of its own, and those who have lived there all their lives.
Yes, you’ll still find plenty of old boys sipping their well-deserved pints and dogs curling up on the carpets here.
Now boasting up to 82 covers outside in the familiar evergreen beer garden, with table service in the summer, you can see this being a go-to spot for grub and a reliable watering hole for all year-round.
It’s also worth noting that it’s a pretty roomy venue inside as well, with an entirely refurbished upstairs seating area and a dedicated private dining space now, too.
The Horse and Jockey is glistening once again ahead of reopening this month. (Credit: The Manc Group)
Other touches we especially liked are bringing Chorlton Pale Ale – which used to be brewed right here in the Jockey itself prior to Covid – back on draught. It may be made elsewhere nowadays, but we’re glad to see it being shipped back to and served out of its ancestral home.
And it just gets better.
As well as supporting the local art scene by sourcing works from Greater Manchester creatives, they really are aiming to make this a community cornerstone.
They’ve taken the holistic idea of a public house right back to its roots, providing not only a place to meet, eat and drink for regulars, but also a real social outlet right in the middle of the suburb.
It’s also about supporting and celebrating traditional British pubs and the Northern working-class culture that goes along with it.
There’s still a recognisable style and familiar feel to the Horse and Jockey refurb. (Credit: The Manc)
The majority of the furniture is even salvaged from the pubs we sadly lost up and down the country, not to mention other businesses that have unfortunately closed post-pandemic and the continuing struggles facing the industry.
We’re lucky to have people like this putting drinks in our hands and keeping our bellies full, so we’re glad that they’re doing what they can to pay homage to those who have come before them as well.
Perhaps most heartwarming is that not only have they kept pre-existing staff in post during the switch-over, but they’re all welcoming back familiar faces from the past. Once again, this is about championing the beauty of British pub culture in all of its facets.
This is a proper foodie pub at its core, boasting cosy vibes just in time for the colder months; they even restored three of the five original fires that used to burn through the autumn and winter back in the day.
Bookings are live already, and if you’ve tried the Sunday roast at The Black Friar, you expect this place to fill up just as quickly – we’d reserve our tables early if we were you…
The food offering is substantial, filling and full of flavour. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
This may be a big rebrand and transformation, but there are also still the same old Joseph Holt favourites on the taps for those who love the classic lineup, and they’ve even used their ‘Trailblazer’ stout glaze on one of their cheesecakes. Safe to say, they have our undivided attention with that one.
Owner Neil Burke, who formally acquired The Black Friar two years ago and now heads up the revamped Horse and Jockey, said of the reopening: “I have a personal history with the Horse & Jockey and it’s always held a special place in my heart.
“It’s such a beautiful building, but it hasn’t been shining the way it should in recent years. As a local myself, I felt Chorlton deserved a proper foodie pub – somewhere that delivers brilliant food in a setting that does justice to the building’s history.”
To top things off, they’ve got Michelin-trained head chef Paolo Bianchileading things in the kitchen.
“The Horse & Jockey is an iconic part of Chorlton’s history and I’m proud to be leading its kitchen with the brilliant Black Friar team”, says Bianchi. “After gaining years of experience in Paris, Dubai and London, it feels great to be rooted in Manchester, a city I’ve really fallen in love with.”
“My vision is simple, to serve British classics that people know and love, elevated with seasonal local ingredients, touches from my Italian heritage and international experience. The menu will be ever-changing, so guests can expect something fresh every time they visit.”
As for your job, it’s simple: expect great, hearty pub grub classics elevated to a gourmet level, with all the welcoming warmth of a traditional English pub.
This isn’t just a metropolitan boozer trying to be acountry-style pub; the Horse and Jockey is a Chorlton gem reborn. It opens on Monday, 20 October, and you can guarantee you’ll be seeing us there.
The Manc -
2nd November 2020 
