Beloved student stomping ground and long-standing pub The Footage has suddenly closed its doors as university regulars and city centre locals have been left in shock.
The Oxford Road institution, which served as one of the busiest and most affordable student pubs for more than three decades and was rejuvenated back in 2014, looks to have sadly posted a closure notice over the May bank holiday weekend.
Formerly The Grosvenor Picture Palace, hence its modern-day name, the ex-cinema turned public house was also a great spot for student deals on no-nonsense pub grub and a go-to spot for watching live sport, having only recently shared a post welcoming England fans ahead of the Euros.
Unfortunately, it all looks to have been premature as The Footage is now listed as “permanently closed” online and the team has now shared a statement on their website.
The brief statement simply reads: “We will no longer be trading after Saturday, 25 May. It has been a pleasure serving the community and we shall miss you!”
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The Footage was previously a branch of the Riley’s Snooker Club and pool hall chain before first opening as a pub, first called Flea and Firkin, back in 1990. The pub was then renamed to The Footage and Firkin prior to the takeover which saw the suffix ultimately dropped.
People reacting online have been left gutted by the news, with one user on Reddit commenting, “The last hold out of Scream Pubs from circa 2004. A sad day” and another going on to say, “Can’t believe it’s gone! I always go there for the football and it’s always busy?!”
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Social media is full of people mourning the pub and reminiscing years of watching live sports inside the Grade-II listed building and spending uni socials there. A third Redditor wrote: “One of my favourite bars in the mid-90s. So many nights spent with the bouncers asking us to stop dancing on the tables.”
Operated by Crafted Social as part of the wider Stonegate Pub Group, The Footage was one of several Manchester boozers said to be under threat earlier this year.
They operate 4,400 pub and bars around the UK in total, including dozens across Greater Manchester. We approached Footage and their owners for a comment on the abrupt closure but are yet to receive a response.
Rest in peace to a truly great pub that we ourselves spent many an evening in, you will be sorely missed.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/The Footage (via Facebook)
Food & Drink
One of Manchester’s grandest restaurants has finally reopened TWO YEARS after fire
Daisy Jackson
One of the most historic restaurants in Manchester has reopened at last, two years after a fire forced its closure.
Mount Street Dining Room & Bar – which many of us may remember as Mr Cooper’s – stands within the Grade II-listed Midland Hotel.
The grand dining room dates all the way back to 1903, when it opened with the hotel as the Grill Room.
The restaurant was at the epicentre of the Industrial Revolution and was frequented by railway travellers, perhaps best-known for hosting a lunch between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce in 1904, who went on to form the world-famous Rolls-Royce brand.
The Midland’s restaurants has gone through several changes in the decades since, undergoing a major £14 million refurb in 2020 to relaunch as Mount Street Dining Room & Bar.
Its interiors are inspired by the hotel’s early 1900s art deco and railway heritage, with a menu that focuses on locally-sourced British produce.
But the restaurant has been shut since early 2024, when a fire damaged the entrance and trellising around its main entrance on Mount Street.
The beautiful bar areaA glimpse of the menu at Mount StreetCocktails and British food
The Midland has finally managed to get the restaurant back open again this month, with a new food and cocktail menus, which aims to offer refined but simple British dining.
Expect dishes like pork and black pudding bonbons, white onion soup with crispy potatoes, smoked British salmon with lemon gel and dill mascarpone, and slow cooked beef daube with confit garlic mash.
Plus desserts such as rice pudding with Anise glazed pearsand Bakewell pudding with cherry syrup.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen inside this beautiful, storied dining room – and it looks just as beautiful as we remember.
Tiny Manchester restaurant with just 12 seats added to the Michelin Guide
Daisy Jackson
Sampa, a tiny restaurant in the Northern Quarter with just a dozen seats, has been added to the Michelin Guide.
The Brazilian chef’s table concept comes from the acclaimed chef and former MasterChef star Caroline Martins, who has been refining the concept across the city for years.
She’s gone from a residency in an Ancoats wine bar to supper clubs and pop-ups across Manchester – and now has a place in the Michelin Guide.
Sampa, which is almost fully booked all the way through to August, is the first Brazilian restaurant in the UK to be included in the prestigious guide, which Caroline has described as ‘a small step for me as a chef patron, but a massive moment for the Brazilian community’.
Not only is the restaurant small, but it’s exclusive – Sampa is almost fully booked all the way through to August, and keeps its location under wraps until just 24 hours before your reservation.
The food showcases both traditional Brazilian techniques and ingredients, but with a modern take which has earned it rave reviews – including its signature Dormouse dessert, in the shape of a glossy red mushroom.
The Michelin Guide wrote: “In Manchester’s artsy Northern Quarter, Sampa is quite literally hidden away, with the exact address of this 12-seater chef’s counter only provided to guests 24 hours prior to dining, and a sign hung outside the door just 20 minutes before service.
“This sense of intrigue is fitting for an immersive experience where Chef Caroline Martins hosts her guests in a gregarious manner and treats them to a surprise menu of Brazilian cuisine.
“From the traditional ‘pão de queijo’ cheese bread to the showstopping ‘Dormouse’ dessert, these are fun, flavourful dishes packed with personality.”
And speaking of the honour, Caroline wrote: “SAMPA is now officially the first ever restaurant in the UK under the category “Brazilian” in the @michelinguide — and one of five across Europe! A small step for me as a chef patron, but a massive moment for the Brazilian community.
“This year has already gone beyond anything I could have imagined — and it just keeps getting better. We’re so proud of what we do at SAMPA every single day.
“Since January 2025, we’ve continued to grow and push forward, and it truly feels like we’re stronger than ever.
“A huge thank you to the Michelin Guide for the recognition, and to our amazing guests for being part of this journey and supporting us every step of the way. OBRIGADA!”
Danny Jones -
28th May 2024 
