How is it nearly September already? Despite the promise of gravy-soaked Sunday roasts, red wine season and cheese boards, the end of summer still seems to have come around a tad too quickly.
Not that we should complain. There are, after all, some great new restaurants opening in Manchester this September – not least the trendy Mayfair restaurant Mnky Hse, which will mark the latest in a long line of new ‘glam sushi’ openings making their way to the city.
Elsewhere, the new arrivals are varied, ranging from a non-profit cafe and bookshop being opened by the charitable arm of a local solicitors firm, to a no-nonsense butty shop where you’ll find established local bakers building hench sandwiches from the bread up.
On top of all this, think a new arrival in the old Northern Quarter Cafe Cafe, a swanky new cocktail bar in a bank vault, a new chicken wing shop, dessert cafe and more.
Keep reading to find out where to put on your list this month.
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Yes Lah
Image: Yes Lah
Image: Yes Lah
Newly opened in West Didsbury, Yes Lah comes from street food favourites Mama Z (Zos Fulwell) and Wok’s Cluckin (Yen Tham). Part shop, part deli and restaurant, they’ve funded the whole thing through Kickstarter.
Between them, they’re serving Pan Asian favourites like nasi lemak, daily rice and noodle bowls like chicken adobo, alongside kimchi bowls, fat baguettes, and a selection of treats from the deli counter. They’re also planning to host supper clubs and workshops in the future.
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Open now
Gooey Cafe
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Opening inside the former Cat Cafe unit on High Street, Gooey’s new home boasts an in-house open bakery, new all-day brunch menu and take-out coffee offering.
Serving up brunch classics delivered with a Gooey touch (think dulce de leche-filled French toast, crispy hash browns and black pepper-cured bacon sandwiches), diehard fans will also find a counter full of the cookies, doughnuts and other sweet treats the bakery has become known for.
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Open now
Read more:Inside Gooey’s new cafe and bakery as it prepares to open in Northern Quarter
Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria
It all feels like musical chairs in the Northern Quarter this month, as a number of our established favourites move from one place to another. Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria, most recently found slinging out slabs from the Alvarium kitchen, is one such place.
As of the end of August, owner Danny has moved once again – this time into the kitchen at Northern Monk, where he’s offering all the staples, alongside some new slabs and Italian subs.
Open now
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Kong’s Cantina
Fried chicken heroes Kong’s is opening another concept this month as the team makes a permanent move into the kitchen at Black Dog Ballroom.
Taking over from modern Chinese takeaway favourites Salt and Pepper, from September you can expect to find a range of suped-up tacos and quesadillas coming out of the kitchen.
Open now
Salt and Pepper
Image: Salt Pepper Manchester
Image: Salt Pepper Manchester
At last, Manchester’s favourite modern Chinese street food pop-up has found a permanent home of its own. This month sees it move into a new restaurant opposite the Arndale Market, where it all began for them in 2019.
Opening next door to the English Lounge pub, diners can expect big flavours, fast food-style service and a new boozy list of drinks to wash it all down.
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TBC
Coffee Block
Image: Supplied
This new addition to Stockport’s Merseyway Shopping Centre specialises in barista coffee alongside a wide selection of delicious cakes, paninis, and sandwiches.
Opened by David Howarth, a Stockport local with 25 years’ worth of experience in hospitality behind him, find it next to The Body Shop on the High Street.
Open now
Sterling
Image: Sterling Bar
Image: Sterling Bar
From the same brothers behind award-winning bars Schofield’s and Atomeca comes Sterling, an appropriately-named cocktail bar in a bank vault.
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Housed underneath Ryan Giggs’ Stock Exchange hotel, the new bar promises a high-end selection of classic cocktails.
TBC
The Food Hall at New Century
Welcoming six new food traders, legendary 60’s concert hall New Century unveils the first phase of its redevelopment this month.
Here, you’ll find a new butty shop from Adam Redi (of The French at The Midland), a wild pizza concept from PLY, award-winning street food from father and son duo BaoBros23, plus Japanese delights from Zumuku Sushi, top-quality steaks at Tallow and Vietnamese bites from Bahn Vi.
There are also coffee and grab ‘n’ go concepts from New Century, plus local beers, wines, cocktails, teas, juices and smoothies.
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Open now
Mnky Hse
Glam sushi is definitely the key food trend for Manchester’s hospitality newcomers this year. / Image: Mnky Hse
Another ‘signature mirror room’ for the glitterati crowd to pose infront of. / Image: Mnky Hse
Already a popular late-night fixture in Mayfair, Mnky Hse will try its luck in Manchester this month.
Moving into a unit in Lloyd House, just off Deansgate, the music-led Latin American restaurant and bar is known for ‘hidden entrance’, Instagram-friendly interiors, extensive cocktail menu and Latin American dishes.
The 102-cover restaurant will boast a central bar and open kitchen serving a great range of tacos (soft and crunchy), sushi, ceviche and grill dishes.
A non-for-profit cafe and bookshop, The House of Books & Friends will open inside The Manchester Club on King Street later this year.
Set up by local law firm Gunnercooke, this new not-for-profit cafe and independent bookshop has been specifically designed with the intention of helping to combat loneliness in the community.
Stocking books for both adults and children, the cafe will use the profits from its book sales to engage with those around the shop – working with local charities to combat social isolation.
TBC
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Creams
Image: Creams UK
Dessert cafe Creams is opening a huge new site at Manchester Arndale this month, bringing its loaded sundaes and waffles with it.
The popular UK-wide dessert shop is taking over a huge space at Halle Place, offering everything from takeaway ice cream cones to boxes of Biscoff and icing-laden donuts and slices of cake.
It is the second Creams site for Manchester, building on the popularity of its Cheetham Hill cafe which first opened in 2017.
TBC
Super Happy MCR
Image: Super Happy MCR
Image: Super Happy MCR
A new no-nonsense sandwich shop from the team behind Batard, Super Happy MCR opens inside Ducie Street Warehouse this month – taking over the counter from popular bagel shop Bread Flower.
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Switching out bagels for butties, every sandwich is built from the bread up – with house-made hoagie rolls and potato brioche buns both set to feature on the menu. Elsewhere, you’ll find choux pastry crullers and Turkish breads, all made using organic flour from Wildfarmed.
1 September
Wingstop
Image: WIngstop
Now open inside the Trafford Centre, this new arrival marks the third Manchester site for Wingstop.
Known for its classic wings, boneless wings and tenders, all available in ten different bold flavours including lemon pepper, this is the newest go-to for chicken lovers, who’ll also find fries and a new ‘ Big Flavour Burger’ on offer.
10 major restaurants and bars that have closed in Manchester already this year
Daisy Jackson
We are barely a quarter of the way through the year, and already it feels like Manchester is having a brutal year of restaurant and bar closures.
Already this year we’ve bid farewell to restaurants that should, in any other economic climate, stood the test of time.
We’re talking long-standing neighbourhood favourites, restaurants that have caught the eye of the prestigious Michelin Guide, local institutions, and award-winning bars.
But, with the hospitality industry battling ever-increasing costs and a stark lack of support from the Government, we might be seeing a lot more of this to come, industry insiders have warned.
We’ve rounded up 10 restaurant and bar closures that have shocked Manchester already this year.
Climat
Climat has laid their finances bare in their closing statementMichelin-recommended rooftop restaurant Climat has closed its doors with immediate effect
A real wake-up call for everyone about the dire circumstances facing hospitality landed last month, when Climat closed its doors for good. Despite a Michelin Guide recommendation, rave reviews across the board, and an enviable location with views across Manchester, the finances for the restaurant just didn’t stack up. And they were brutally honest about those finances in their closing statement. Climat’s founder listed an annual energy bill of £112k a year, a 33% increase in staff wages, and a jump in business rates from £12,000 a year to £38,000 a year among the reasons for its closure.
One of the Northern Quarter’s longest-standing restaurants announced it would be closing its doors for good back in February. In a brutally honest statement TNQ said that it had become ‘no longer viable’ to run the restaurant, listing costs like an £8k a month energy bill. This independent business said it was focused on paying the staff ‘every penny they’re owed’ and finding them all new jobs in the industry.
KAJI
Glitzy Manchester restaurant KAJI has quietly shut downKAJI
KAJI opened on Bridge Street back in 2022, a big glitzy, futuristic restaurant space with a modern Japanese menu, which quickly drew in all sorts of glamorous customers (like when Ilkay Gundogan’s wife – who had famously described Manchester’s restaurant scene as ‘horrible’ – actually liked the food here).
But despite a rebrand from MUSU to KAJI and pulling in some impressive chefs, it appears that this glamorous spot has closed for good last month, with repossession notices now in the windows.
The restaurant remained silent on its closure, but it’s no longer possible to book a table here.
Restaurant Orme
Restaurant Orme in Urmston has announced its shock closure. Credit: Instagram, @littlemcrhouse
This is a bit of a weird one because it hasn’t actually closed yet – but Restaurant Orme in Urmston has notified followers that with ‘great sadness’ they are intending to sell the business.
In a statement, the Michelin-recommended restaurant acknowledged the ‘significant economic pressures’ facing the restaurant industry, writing: “We find an increasing disparity between perceived value and the true cost of operations, rendering long-term sustainability unfeasible.”
But they also detailed that a break in their lease has allowed them to ‘thoughtfully consider’ their circumstances and make the ‘right choice for our growing families’.
You’ve still got time to visit, but I wouldn’t delay.
Topkapi
Just this month, we’ve had to bid goodbye to a bit of a local institution.
Topkapi Palace has closed its doors on Deansgate after almost five decades in the city, making it the longest-running Turkish restaurant in Manchester.
This one triggered a wave of discussion, with one local operator warning: “If we keep letting places like this go, we lose more than food, we lose culture, history, identity.”
Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders bar in Manchester has closed with immediate effect
This one maybe stuck around for a bit longer than anyone expected, if we’re being honest, but the enormous Peaky Blinders-inspired bar on Peter Street shut down back in March.
Peaky Blinders opened back in 2018 in the former Sakana site, with plenty of nods to the popular Netflix series – including oil paintings of the main characters on the wall.
Peaky Blinders said in a statement: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we unfortunately have to announce the closure of Peaky Blinders Manchester with immediate effect. We are devastated it has had to end this way, but grateful for the journey.”
It was known and loved for its epic happy hour deals and its bottomless brunches, but glitzy Spinningfields bar Banyan shut down right at the start of this year.
It’s part of the Arc Inspirations group that also operates Manahatta and Box, and still operates another Banyan across town at the Corn Exchange.
Their sign in the door read: “Thank you so much for your custom over the years, we’ve loved being part of this wonderful city and have made so many friends.
“Don’t be a stranger, we’d love to continue to welcome you to our Banyan bar in the Corn Exchange. Team Banyan.”
House of Fu
One of Manchester’s coolest ramen spots quietly closed its doors in March, saying the site just ‘doesn’t click’.
House of Fu opened just two and a half years ago on Portland Street, following major success across in Leeds.
They wrote: “It’s been a wild two and a half years. To say the economic landscape has been challenging would be a bit of an understatement, but sometimes a site just doesn’t click. You live and hopefully learn.”
Project Halcyon
Project Halcyon also made the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list. Credit: The Manc GroupProject Halcyon also made the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list. Credit: The Manc Group
Project Halcyon was formerly named one of the best cocktail bars in the UK, famed for its speakeasy-style setting that drew inspiration from Prohibition-era Chicago.
But it closed for good back in February, writing: “Project Halcyon has poured its last cocktail.
“It was with sincere regret that due to unexpected challenges at the ownership level we must close our doors for the foreseeable. Though we say goodbye, the memories live on.
“Thank you to everyone who shared in our craft, our community, and our story.”
Simmons
London-born bar brand Simmons closed their Manchester site just over a year after opening their first Northern location, right in the heart of one of town’s busiest nightlife strips.
An otherwise well-established and popular chain down south, Simmons had a total of 15 different bars in central London, but things clearly didn’t quite take off as planned here in Manchester.
They wrote: “It’s never easy to say goodbye. We’re incredibly proud of what the team built here and so grateful to them, as well as everyone who joined us over the past year.
“We’ve had some unforgettable nights. We love Manchester, and we hope to be back under the right conditions.”
Kahiki Soundhouse – the new Mint Lounge site is living up to the old name and its live music legacy
Danny Jones
If you went out in town back in the day (pretty much any time from the late 90s to the 2010s), or indeed have sampled a Funkdemia over the past couple of decades, chances are you tried or at least heard of Mint Lounge – but did you know it’s been replaced by a new kid on the block, Kahiki?
Kahiki Soundhouse, to give it its full name, is the new live music venue bar that has opened up the old basement space on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter.
In truth, it’s now more of a classic lounge than ever before.
The large open-plan floor, which used to be filled with people standing/two-stepping inside a fairly barebones club room with no air conditioning, has now been traded up for a stylish space lined with plush padded seats, classy low-lit tables perfect to share a glass or two over, and lots of new features.
Perhaps the biggest change is that the old soundbooth/stage area that used to be way at the back has now been swapped for a central 360° podium that changes up each night.
It really is the star of the all-week-round Kahiki show, if you ask us.
This also means that no matter where you are in the main venue (there are other rooms, but we’ll get to that), be it tucked in a booth to the side, at the bar, or even ‘behind’ whoever’s playing, you’ll have a virtually unobstructed view of what’s happening from noon until night.
Seriously, thanks to their already jam-packed schedule, the reviews aren’t just off to a great start only a few days in, but people have been turning up in the early evening and staying well into the early hours of the next day.
They’ve got duelling pianos, live bandaoke, acoustic nights and straightforward DJ sets for those who still fancy a taste of the previous vibe.
Kahiki’s maiden Manchester city centre venue definitely harks back to the good times had in the Mint Lounge days, but the team, who possess decades of experience between them, have combined a retro feel almost more akin to 1960s speakeasies, cocktails and evening venues.
It’s no secret that clubbing and the UK nightlife scene have changed quite a bit since the pandemic, but these guys look to have found that perfect blend of more relaxed seating, along with plenty of room to get up and boogie; there’s even a raised mini-stage/dance cage for your main character moments.
Better still, if you do want something a little bit away from the crowds of punters that are continuing to make this one of the liveliest new additions to NQ, they also have adjustable karaoke rooms where bi-folding doors can make room for up to 50 of you and your lot to party in privacy.
Let’s just say the spirit of the Lounge is alive and well in the Soundhouse.
Just one corner of KahikiYour podium awaitsOne of the smaller karaoke rooms
Georgina Pellant -
25th August 2022 
