As of Monday 17 May Manchester will have officially entered ‘Step Three’ of the roadmap out of lockdown.
This means new rules permitting indoor drinking and dining for the first time in months, as well as the reopening of some long-shuttered local businesses like cinemas and museums.
For the roughly four in five Manchester hospitality businesses left unable to trade during the strict nationwide lockdowns, this is welcome news indeed.
The majority have been unable to open since before Christmas. Others have been closed for the best part of a year.
Lockdown saw us lose some real city centre gems, with casualties including city centre favourites Nexus Arts Cafe, Bock Biere, Teacup Kitchen, Lunya and Earth Cafe.
We’re very sad to announce that Nexus has not been able to weather the Covid-19 storm. As a not-for-profit organisation, our margins were always very small, and even with your help we didn’t have the reserves to keep us going. pic.twitter.com/ZRA3dNhOQ3
Now, with the next few months set to be pivotal for the success of many local hospitality businesses, we are at risk of losing more if they don’t get the support they need.
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So, as the city takes one more step back towards normality, we thought we’d put together a list of the places that will reopen for indoor drinking and dining from May 17.
Let’s go and show them some support.
This piece will be regularly updated as new information becomes available.
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Manchester bars and restaurants reopening the week commencing May 17:
Albert Square
Reds True BBQ Slug and Lettuce Speak In Code The Allotment Vegan Wood & Co. Armenian Taverna
Ancoats
Blue-Eyed Panda Second City Erst Jub Thai Street Urchin (Wednesday, 19th May) Sugo Viet Shack Cha-ology
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Bridge Street
Dishoom Mason’s Restaurant and Bar MOJO
Castlefield
Albert’s Shed The Wharf Cafe Istanbul Cibo The Wharf
Central
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American Pies The Bank Crown And Anchor Circle Tavern The Flying Monkey Annies San Carlo Bottega Browns The Bull & Bear Chish & Fips Harvey Nichols Second Floor Bar and Brasserie Mamucium The Restaurant, Bar and Kitchen Peru Perdu TGI Fridays Sam’s Chop House Three Little Words The Brotherhood of Pursuits and Pastimes City Arms
Chinatown
Little Yang Sing Phetphalin Teppanyaki Chinatown Yang Sing Yuzu The New Emperor Seven Oaks
Corn Exchange
Pizza Express Pho Vapiano
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Deansgate
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Be At One Las Iguanas Slug and Lettuce The Knott Ark Bem Brasil San Carlo Cichetti Cloud 23 Dimitris Taverna Gaucho Hawksmoor La Vina Evuna Dirty Martini
First Street
Junkyard Golf Club Indian Tiffin Room HOME
Great Northern
Vesper cocktail bar James Martin Manchester Platzki Fat Hippo Siam Smiles Cafe
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King Street
Flight Club Grand Pacific Kala Rosso Honey at Gotham King Street Tavern
Northern Quarter
63 Degrees Allotment NQ The Abel Heywood Bem Brasil Band on the Wall Behind Closed Doors Bar 21 Castle Hotel CBRB Cottonopolis Dusk Til Pawn English Lounge Herd NQ Junior Jacksons NQ64 Noi Quattro 33 Oldham Street TNQ Restaurant & Bar The Lost Cat Night & Day Turtle Bay Restaurant & Bar SoLIta NQ Chakalaka (?) Ciaooo Pizzeria Pen and Pencil Penang Evelyn’s Cafe & Bar Ply Seed and Cherry Sicilian NQ
Oxford Road Turtle Bay Restaurant & Bar Joshua Brooks Dog Bowl Temple Bar One Plus Oishi Q Navarro Lounge The Refuge
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Peter Street
Asha’s Don Giovanni Don Marco Ezra & Gil The French at The Midland) Mount Street Dining Room and Bar at The Midland Peaky Blinders The Blues Kitchen Manchester (20th May) Peter Street Kitchen
Piccadilly
Brasserie Abode Bundobust Chez Mal Ducie Street Warehouse Franco Manca The Green Waldorf Hotel Escape to Freight Island
Printworks
Bierkeller Chiquito Frankie & Benny’s Hard Rock Cafe Nandos Wagamama Wasabi O’Neills Walkabout
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Shudehill
Lower Turks Head The Pasta Factory
Spinningfields
Fazenda Tattu BLVD
The Village
Jasmine Grill Habesha Arnero Napoleon’s bar and Chinese restaurant Yizhichuan Samsi
Food & Drink
M&S launches its fancy festive ‘food to go’ range for 2025 with sandwiches, snacks, and more
Emily Sergeant
Christmas is nearing closer, and M&S has now launched its fancy festive food to go range filled with sandwiches, snacks, and loads more.
We may still be in the middle of autumn, with Halloween and Bonfire Night yet to pass us by, but there’s really no escaping Christmas food in the supermarkets nowadays – and now, M&S has dropped its long-awaited festive food to go range, which is an absolute fan-favourite each year thanks to the wide selection on offer.
Basically M&S’s version of a lunchtime ‘meal deal’, except there’s technically no ‘deal’ involved, the food to go range is known and loved for its quality and variety of options.
The retailer has decided to launch its Christmas food earlier than ever before this year, with more than 35 festive favourites having now hit stores across the entire range, including eight brand-new additions joining the Christmas classics – including the first ever festive breakfast pot.
This year’s festive food to-go range includes must-have newbies like the Ho Ho Ho Honey Ham Hock & Cornish Cove Sandwich, the Boxing Day Curry Wrap, and the Fa La La La Fel Wrap, which is a festive take on the beloved vegetarian classic.
But of course, M&S’s iconic Turkey Feast sandwich is back, as is the Made Without version for those who are gluten-free.
M&S has launched its fancy festive ‘food to go’ range for 2025 / Credit: M&S (Supplied)
Not only that, but breakfast, sides, and drinks are aplenty this year, including all-new Festive Turkey Dipper, Chocolate Orange Milkshakes, and the high-protein Gingerbread Overnight Oats, which are already going down a treat on social media.
Other returning favourites include the Pigs in Blankets Sandwich, the Christmas Club Sandwich, and the Brie & Cranberry Sandwich, as well as the Turkey, Bacon & Cranberry Sausage Roll, and mini festive-themed Colin the Caterpillar cakes.
For the 21st festive season in a row, M&S are ‘proud’ to be partnering with Shelter, the housing and homeless charity, again this year.
5%* of sales from each item sold in our festive food on the go range will be donated.
Featured Image – M&S (Supplied)
Food & Drink
A massive bowling, games and entertainment bar is coming to Manchester next year
Danny Jones
A popular bowling and table games bar that has already proved a hit in Liverpool is coming to Manchester for the very first time next year.
If you’re from the North West, PINS Social Club may not be a new name to you; nevertheless, this will be its Manc debut, with the location not only their first beyond Merseyside but just their second site to date.
As the name would suggest, PINS is primarily about bowling and socialising, but there is plenty more going on at this social club as you’ll find out soon enough.
Scheduled to open in late spring 2026, Manchester and our nearby neighbours in Liverpool are about to strike up a firm party partnership.
CGIs of PINS Social Club Manchester (Credit: Supplied)
Selecting the shifting face of Sunlight House for the space – already home to the likes of Schofield’s Bar – the 25,000 sq ft unit will span three whole floors, offering a next-generation social and entertainment experience in one of Manchester’s most stunning buildings.
A Grade II-listed, Art Deco structure, Sunlight House is undergoing a major £35 million refurbishment, with ‘grade A’ offices set to take up a significant chunk, but it’s soon set to house the latest PINS venue.
Sitting on Quay Street, just off the main Deansgate strip, the busy Peter St corner, and adjacent to Spinningfields, PINS Manchester is springing up right in the midst of arguably the city’s busiest stretches for nightlife.
Promising not only bowling, darts, and table games like pool, shuffleboard and beer pong, but karaoke, live music and all the biggest sporting events on the box, PINS Social Club really does aim to be a one-stop shop for all your needs on a night out.
For instance, their food offerings will run all the way from breakfast through to the late evening, and PINS Manchester is also set to feature a main stage on the ground floor for “electric half-time shows”, with the gaming mezzanine looming just above.
Not only is this going to be PINS’ biggest venue yet, but it’s well and truly on track to be one of the biggest hospitality openings coming in the next 12 months.
Headed up by MD Daniel Kelly, who has also been helping run the resurrected Almost Famous brand here in Manchester, the team knows all about this city. Speaking on the announcement, Kelly said: “Manchester is a city that thrives on energy, culture, and community – everything that PINS is about.
“This new venue will be our biggest yet, offering a bold and exciting social space that’s purpose-built for entertainment, competition, and ultimately, having a great time. We can’t wait to bring our concept to Manchester’s incredible social scene. Keep an eye out for more details coming soon.”
Julien Buronfosse, Managing Director at Karrev (the estate company who have leased the building to the business) added: “The PINS offering is diverse, dynamic and will provide tenants and the local community with an unparalleled leisure experience.
“We wanted to work with an operator that understood our vision of breathing new life into a historic building, contributing to the new era that Sunlight House is entering. The building has ambitions to be much more than Grade A office space, with a specific emphasis on community building. The addition of PINS to Sunlight House will contribute greatly to that.”
Consider us here at The Manc GroupVERY excited for this one.
As you can see, they’ve got plenty of room to work with. (Credit: Calmafftaylor via Wikimedia Commons)
Georgina Pellant -
17th May 2021 
