Cibo Manchester is set to open its doors this weekend as bosses prepare to launch the popular Liverpool road restaurant’s second site inside the Great Northern Warehouse.
Taking over the former Home Sweet Home unit, the swanky new Italian independent eatery is all yellow-gold and burnished copper with exposed industrial details and a cluster of filament bulbs making a statement above the impressive bar area as you enter.
When it opens on Friday, diners can expect a brand new cocktail menu, late weekend opening hours stretching to 2am, and flaming parmesan cheese wheels in which pasta is swirled whilst you watch to create the ultimate indulgent cheesy dish.
Image: The Manc Group Image: The Manc Group
Regulars of Cibo in Castlefield can expect to see the same yellow-gold seating and plush booths, dark wood, and white herringbone details here that make the existing Liverpool road site so sleek – but this time on a much grander scale.
Split across four different levels, there’s a huge bar as you enter, boasting a brand new cocktail menu with flaming drinks to match the flaming parmesan cheese wheels for which the group has already become quite famous.
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Elsewhere, you’ll find Italian classics like the bellini and negroni sbagliato – a lighter, low ABV alternative to the classic negroni that replaces gin with prosecco.
Seating is tiered, with plump comfy booths lining the wall on the top mezzanine level giving views across both Great Northern Square and the glitzy interior of the restaurant below.
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Image: The Manc Group Image: The Manc Group
Food-wise, all a la carte dishes remain the same here as in Castlefield – meaning diners can enjoy the authentic Italian pizza and pasta favourites they have come to know and love, alongside traditional mains and sides.
What’s more, further quarterly menu additions in the form of specials promise to introduce something that is just “as big and as exciting” as the epic flaming cheese wheel every few months here.
Owners have invested over £600,000 into the snazzy new restaurant, which opens inside the Great Northern Warehouse this Friday 14 January.
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Already nearly fully booked for its opening weekend, it’s easy to see why so many Mancs – already enamored with the existing Cibo – are flocking to making a booking at the new site.
Image: The Manc Group Image: The Manc Group
Alongside the regular a la carte menu, which is 50% off Sunday – Thursday throughout the month of January, diners can also opt for more savings at certain times of day by choosing set menus like the lunch menu (1 course £7 or 2 courses £12) or the pre-theatre menu (2 courses £14.95 or 3 courses £19.95).
The pre-theatre menu, available between 5-7pm every day, features pizza and pasta favourites, including the house-made lobster ravioli, as well as a selection of side dishes ranging from salads and ‘mama’s mashed potatoes’ to spicy wild spinach and courgette fries.
The set lunch, meanwhile, is available in the week from 12-2pm and on weekends from 12-3pm, includes choices such as a whole burrata topped with cherries and balsamic glaze, wild mushroom risotto, and homemade ravioli stuff with either lobster or spinach depending on your preference.
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Bosses have also introduced a new three course Italian bottomless brunch service at the restaurant on Saturdays, with endless mimosas and prosecco making an appearance alongside Italian breakfast twists on mid-morning classics.
Open from 12pm-11pm Monday to Thursday, and 12pm-2am over the weekend, Cibo Manchester opens its doors to the public this Friday 14 January. To find out more and book, visit its website here.
Didsbury favourite Rustik has confirmed its will sadly be closing this month
Danny Jones
West Didsbury favourite Rustik has sadly announced it will be closing for food after a decade at the end of this month.
The beloved Burton cafe and bar has been a staple of the tight-knit foodie neighbourhood since 2015, but now the independent Irish eatery has confirmed that the business will be shutting down permanently in less than a fortnight.
Confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, 17 September, the casual Manc restaurant and hangout informed their loyal followers of the unfortunate news.
Unsurprisingly, their social media has been awash with condolences, collective sadness and support for the local institution.
Posting across all of their accounts, Rustik wrote: “After an unforgettable 10 years on Burton Road, the time has come to close our doors. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come — never in a million years did we imagine Rustik would grow into what it became.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every single one of you who walked through our doors and supported us along the way. We poured everything we had — our time, our energy, our lives into making Rustik a space for everyone. And what a ride it’s been.
“From the chaotic, beautiful brunch shifts to late nights dancing on tables to ‘Wagon Wheel’, pushing through the challenges of COVID and helping our community with meals during hard times— we’ve done it all, together.
“To our amazing staff, past and present: thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and the love you brought every single day. You helped build something truly special, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
“To the incredible musicians who filled our space with life — keep doing what you do. The noise complaints? 100% worth the unforgettable nights.”
The team go on to detail that the official closing date is Tuesday, 30 September, reiterating that it is “business running as usual until then” and urging fans to “come down, grab your last Rustik fix, and raise a glass with us one final time.”
Signing off with an emotional farewell, they add: “Lastly, a message close to our hearts: please support your local cafes, bars, and independents. Hospitality is tough right now, and they need your support more than ever.
“Thank you for the most incredible decade of our lives. It’s over and out from us.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted to see Rustik go and know how much it meant not only to the Burton Road community, but also to the Didsbury community, Chorlton and many other Greater Manchester natives.
That was dubbed the ‘best Warehouse Project there has ever been’ by people in the room – so the chance to see him at Amber’s is going to be pretty wild.
Fred Again sent a ticket link to fans registered in Manchester, which appear to have sold out immediately.
He wrote in his mailer: “cos it’s a very small venue i really wanna make sure the tickets go to the people who are more likely to be from Manchester based on what the team see when you’ve signed up for things before. so yeah, that’s why you’re getting this first :)”
Sharing the news on his Instagram stories today, he added: “i am playing a small show at @ambers.club in Manchester this thursday with @cariboumusic and @zuri_fernandez. a handful of tickets have been sent to the ppl we know are in manny, we did it this way jus to try and stop resellers and stuff ykno”
Fred Again added: “massive love to amber’s for making it possible. another really important independent venue i’m so happy i get to play in.”
Amber’s is a no-phones nightclub that’s famed for its sound system.
Fred Again and Caribou will take to the stage at Amber’s on Thursday 18 September.
The Manc -
13th January 2022 
