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.

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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.

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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.

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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

There’s a new summer terrace in town with a weekend spritz happy hour

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Embankment Kitchen terrace in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

There’s a new summer terrace in Greater Manchester that’s the ideal spot to soak in some rays – and enjoy a few discounted spritzes while you’re there. 

Over on Chapel Street – just across the river from Manchester Cathedral – you’ll find Embankment Kitchen, which has opened up its terrace for the season. 

This stylish spot is part of the CitySuites aparthotel, and has a menu rooted in the warm spirit of Northern hospitality. 

It’s worth a visit all year round for their seasonally-focused, local-as-possible menus, but the summer terrace at Embankment Kitchen is a real added bonus in spring and summer. 

And following that spell of absolutely glorious weather, they’re opening up two hours earlier every day too for maximum sun-soaking from 2pm. 

At Embankment Kitchen you can tuck into a drinks and nibbles menu from 2pm until 5pm, and Happy Hour drinks deals from 4pm until 7pm. 

That means two-for-one cocktails, plus discounted wines, prosecco and beers – an ideal post-work haunt.

Cocktails at Embankment Kitchen in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Cocktails at Embankment Kitchen in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Small plates on the Embankment Kitchen terrace. Credit: The Manc Group
Small plates on the Embankment Kitchen terrace. Credit: The Manc Group

It’s usually almost impossible to find a happy hour in Manchester at weekends, but these guys are doing two-for-£12 spritzes every Saturday and Sunday between 12pm and 4pm, with flavours including Aperol, Hugo, and limoncello. 

Drinks on the menu include signature cocktails that are inspired by the city’s industrial roots, like The Emmeline, Manchester Exchange (a take on an old fashioned), and the Atomic Zombie, as well as classic cocktails such as an espresso martini, limoncello negroni, amaretto sour, and strawberry daiquiri. 

As for nibbles, tuck into treats like garlic bread, edamame beans with smoked salt, garlic and parmesan fries, salt and pepper tater tots, and halloumi fries. 

Surrounded by lush plants and gigantic parasols, it’s hard to believe you’re just across the river in Salford when you’re soaking up the sun at Embankment Kitchen. To find out more, head HERE.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

‘Hidden’ Manchester cocktail bar shuts down after only six months

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Ego Death cocktail bar in Manchester appears to have closed down.

A cocktail bar in Manchester city centre that opened only last December has reportedly closed down, with its final service today.

Ego Death, a ‘hidden’ speakeasy-style bar in the Northern Quarter, told CLASS magazine that they were told by backers that they would have to close.

It opened under the steer of acclaimed bartender Cressida Lawlor, co-founded by Beau Myers, who also founded the original Almost Famous.

The bar is beneath newcomer smash burger joint Super Awesome Deluxe and accessed through an unmarked door within the takeaway.

Shortly after Super Awesome Deluxe opened, Almost Famous went through a high-profile closure of all of its restaurants this year, later bought out and reopened by D2.

And now just six months after launch, Ego Death looks set to be closing for good.

Cressida told CLASS: “The team here is wildly talented so the goal now is to get them into jobs so they can pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads.

“No one wants Ego Death to die and I think we’ve made enough of a stir in the six months that we’ve been open to find a new site and investment.

“Our last day is going to be Sunday, so anyone who can get here for one final party should come down.”

She later added on Instagram: “Truly gutting but there is always light in any form of darkness. Come see us this Sunday for the final service as we go through a true ego death.”

Ego Death came from the same team behind Socio Rehab (which if you remember it from 2004 was a bit of a local institution) and had a cocktail menu inspired by the speakeasy bars of New York City.

Behind the bar the stars were bourbon and champagne, plus cocktails inspired by the Big Apple – including one named after Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones.

Beau Myers, co-founder at Ego Death said at the time of its opening: “It’s been 20 years since we opened Socio Rehab so it seems pretty poignant to be opening another amazing cocktail bar. We changed the landscape of cocktail bar culture then and that’s something we’re trying to do again.

“We’ve partnered with Cressida Lawlor to make this dream happen. She’s a total firecracker and reminds
me a lot of myself 20 years ago, she’s the future of cocktails and bartending and has that maverick spirit.

“Together we’ve created Ego Death, hidden in a basement behind an unmarked door at the back of a
burger shop will be this cocktail haven. An underground escape throwing out the best classic cocktails,
bourbon, and champagne from top level bartenders.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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