A new dive bar inspired by the Deep South has opened doors and is serving up 50p chicken wings to the people of Stockport.
With wooden walls and colourful murals spray-painted throughout, Notion is the brainchild of founder Andy James – who set up his initial musical-themed restaurant and takeaway Ate Days a Week during lockdown, and has now turned the Vernon Street premises into a “grungy late night dive bar with a serious party vibe”.
The venue not only boasts a hearty and affordable food menu alongside a huge range of cocktails, but it’s also said to have the “most extensive back bar in Stockport”.
Over 40 rums and 40 whiskies are available to try out.
The collection includes rare and award-winning bourbons that have been hand-blended all across the world, and Notion is also one of the very first bars in Greater Manchester to serve the premium Indonesian rum, Nusa Cana – which uses nutmeg and clove combined with ginger, coffee, cacao and pineapple to create a delicate and warm rum with a balanced finish.
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The food menu includes buttermilk-brined chicken wings to tuck into for just 50p each, and massive hand-pressed burgers with a range of mouthwatering toppings to chose from.
Notion’s wings are said to be “the best in town – and possibly the best in Greater Manchester” / Credit: Notion
Notion’s owner Andy has worked on the food and drink hospitality scene since he was just 16 years old, honing his craft at some of Manchester’s busiest bars and restaurants including Cane and Grain as Head Chef, Bunny Jacksons, 33 Oldham Street, and most-recently at The Edinburgh Castle in Ancoats running the pub kitchen.
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But it was lockdown that inspired his own business idea – Ate Days a Week.
“The venture took off ridiculously in lockdown which led me to finding the site in Stockport to give it a home,” Andy admitted.
“The venue has an upstairs area, and two further lockdowns later and we finally have Notion – somewhere people can come and party and completely let loose, especially after such a challenging year.
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“The Stockport bar scene right now is the best it has ever been and it’s only going to get better.
“A new wave of independents are coming in, giving it a breath of fresh air and bringing a newfound love of the word ‘hospitality’ to the area.”
Credit: Notion
“I absolutely love how it’s a community and we can work together with other businesses to bring out the best of the area.” Andy added.
“We’ve already got a very strong working relationship with Neil Garner’s Cherry Jam which has recently opened in the marketplace, working together on their bottomless brunch which boasts food from Ate Days a Week.”
He also teased that there are more collaborations coming up, so “watch this space.”
Mongrel – New taproom and pizzeria set to move into the former Street Urchin site
Daisy Jackson
A brand new taproom, coffee shop and pizzeria concept has announced plans to move into Ancoats.
Mongrel will come from the same team behind Crust, a much-raved-about pizza joint that operated off a Stockport industrial estate until earlier this year.
They’ve now confirmed they have their sights set on the city centre, specially the magnificent corner unit that was previously home to the beloved Street Urchin.
Street Urchin suddenly closed earlier this year after co-founder and head chef Kevin suffered a heart attack, leaving them ‘unable to continue as a business’.
Rachel Choudhary, Kevin’s partner and co-founder of the neighbourhood restaurant, wrote at the time that they were ‘heartbroken’ to close the business.
Street Urchin was quietly one of the top restaurants in Ancoats and operated in a market diner fashion, creatively cooking the best catch of the day for an ever-changing menu that honoured each season.
Thankfully, this key corner unit won’t be quiet for much longer, with another local operator now lined up to move in.
Inside Street Urchin before its closure – the site will now become a pizzeria called Mongrel. Credit: The Manc Group
Mongrel has so far shared that it’s set to be a ‘coffee shop, pizza place and taproom, all under one roof’.
Upon closing Crust in Stockport they confirmed this will be ‘a huge step up from the Crüst you know and love’.
They posted on Instagram: “Thanks to everyone who’s popped down over the last year. We’re eternally grateful for the support from our fantastic customers, and will look back on this period with huge gratitude.
“It’s with great sadness that we announce our departure from Stockport. We know this will come as a disappointment to our Crüst family – we haven’t made this decision lightly.
“We have been looking for a new premesis in Stockport for a while, however after multiple applications going nowhere, we have finally found a new home in Manchester City Center!
“Our new home will be a huge step up from the Crüst you know and love… We can’t to reveal what’s to come!
Mongrel is set to open its taproom and pizzeria on Great Ancoats Street, in the former Street Urchin site, in November.
Wet Leg announce huge outdoor gig in Manchester as part of landmark live dates
Clementine Hall
Isle of Wight five-piece Wet Leg have announced their biggest headline shows to date, announcing a trio of huge outdoor gigs, including one right here in Manchester at Castlefield Bowl.
The multi-award-winning indie and alt outfit rose to fame back in 2022 with iconic tracks like Chaise Longue and Wet Dream, packing out stages at Glastonbury not long after releasing their critically acclaimed debut album.
Becoming their second consecutive number one in just as many attempts, moisturizer, is equally as fun and fabulous as the first – we cannot wait to hear it live in these.
Comprised of two lead singers in Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, Ellis Durand on bass, drummer Henry Holmes and guitarist Joshua Mobaraki, this lot can make plenty of noise.
And as you can see, to make things even better, they’ll be joined by Leeds’ very own English Teacher as the main support act at each one of the landmarks shows.
As for their down south show, they’ll also be playing Alexandra Palace Park down in the capital to round out this run of live dates next summer.
It goes without saying that we’re obviously buzzing to see them become the latest name on the lineup for the 2026 Sounds of the City series, with a hometown hero also joining the ranks as of this month:
Wet Leg are in good company when they rock up to Castlefield Bowl.
Set to play the Bowl on Wednesday, 8 July, before heading to Leeds and then London for consecutive nights, we’re sure you’ll see them playing tonnes more big stages throughout festival season.
Tickets for all three of Wet Leg’s confirmed dates for 2026 go on sale this Friday, 31 October from 9:30am, and you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
We reckon this one will be a real ticket scramble, so we wouldn’t mess about if you want to bag yourself a ticket; in fact, given that all of their live shows this year sold out, we know it will…
Emily Sergeant -
30th June 2021 
