Eats

One of the Northern Quarter’s original coffee shops has suddenly closed down

Okay now I'm really sad.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 18th September 2024

Takk, a long-standing favourite for a caffeine fix in Manchester, has suddenly and quietly closed down.

The business has been part of the Northern Quarter’s cafe scene for more than a decade, and has stood firm as the area has rapidly developed.

Takk first opened on Tariff Street way back in 2013, and its neighbours over the years have included long-lost favourites like Kosmonaut, El Capo, and Beatnikz Republic.

But now this OG coffee shop has suddenly closed, with a forfeiture notice plastered to its shutters.

The letter, dated back to the 9 September, says that Takk’s cafe space has now been seized by landlords.

The notice has been enforced by Clearway on behalf of Kamani Commercial Property Limited.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Takk was visited by none other than boyband McFly, who vlogged their day out in Manchester.

For more than a decade, Takk has been a go-to for its Icelandic-inspired coffee, its events, and its laptop-friendly atmosphere.

It was frequently filled with people working away with some of the best coffees in the city centre.

Its sister site on Oxford Road has also reportedly closed.

Takk also moved out of Hatch shortly before the shipping container neighbourhood announced its closure, replaced by ASAP Coffee.

Rumours had also been swirling that Fig & Sparrow, another decade-old Northern Quarter cafe, had shut, but these are false.

Takk has yet to issue a statement relating to the cafe’s closure in Manchester.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

Hotel Chocolat is set to open a Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester city centre, and it’ll be absolute paradise for chocolate lovers.

The popular chocolate shop, which has stores across the UK selling delicious chocolate bars, boxes and more, is now preparing to branch out in town.

Hotel Chocolat then hit a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.

They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is up next.

If it follows in the footsteps of the Meadowhall cafe in Sheffield, visitors will be able to customise their perfect hot chocolate from thousands of combinations.

There are 18 flavours, different milks, and a whole variety of toppings available.

Then you drink can be served hot, over ice, or as a choc shake.

Colourful hoardings for the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe have now appeared on Cross Street, just next door to the new Joe & The Juice.

A planning application has also been lodged with Manchester City Council.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Dave's Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester

The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.

The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).

Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.

Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.

It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.

The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.

Dave's Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester

Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.

There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.

Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.

And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.

Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.

“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.

“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”

Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.

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Featured image: Supplied

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