When Gooey first arrived in Manchester in 2020, it did so in perfect step with the pandemic.
Tentatively launching the same month the country plunged into lockdown, no one knew just how much its salty-sweet treats would shape the course of our isolation.
Beginning life as a small pop-up in borrowed space, its bakers soon became Manchester’s go-to sugar dealers as the business pivoted into home delivery.
Two and a half years later, as we wander around inside Gooey’s new bakery and cafe, we can’t help but wonder how many deliveries (and kiosk collections) it took to get here.
Now, the team is trying something new, with the launch of their very own cafe, which will offer an all-day brunch menu when it opens its doors this Friday.
Light, airy, and modern, with a full kitchen and on-site bakery, Gooey’s cafe will be serving up all-day breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes made using special breads baked on site.
Housed in the former Cat cafe unit, some serious work has gone in here over the past few months, not least the installation of a proper extraction fan.
Gooey French toast, a magnificent tower of lighter-than-air eggy bread layered with vanilla creme patisserie and swimming in maple syrup. / Image: The Manc Eats
Four crispy hash browns and a classic black pepper-cured bacon sandwich on toasted Shokupan bread. / Image: The Manc Eats
On the counter, fans of Gooey’s signature melt-in-the-middle cookies and fluffy donuts can still pick up their favourites, to eat in or takeaway, or ogle a new selection of changing pastries, cakes and specials.
The biggest new addition is the new cafe menu, which caters to breakfasters, brunchers and lunchers from 9am-6pm with a range of different things on toast, in sandwiches or salads.
We cut open the Gooey French toast, a magnificent tower that’s somehow swimming in maple syrup and still lighter-than-air, only to find its insides oozing with dulce de leche and vanilla creme pat.
A Kewpie egg mayo sandwich on toasted Japanese Shokupan bread, a plump whole egg running through its middle, is a modest showstopper, as is a vegan-friendly wild mushroom toast on toasted chia brioche, smeared with a generous helping of roasted black garlic cashew cream.
A Kewpie egg mayo sandwich on toasted Japanese Shokupan bread. / Image: The Manc Eats
vegan wild mushroom toast with roasted black garlic cashew cream on toasted chia brioche. / Image: The Manc Eats
Other menu highlights to look out for this Friday include the char sui bbq glazed baby back rib sesame sub, panko-fried chicken katsu brioche, and the hefty bricks of ‘side portion’ halloumi, which come slathered in a (pleasantly spicy) chilli jam.
A full coffee menu is also available, alongside a list of fresh, cold-pressed juices in orange (carrot, ginger and orange), or green (cucumber, kale, pear and grape),
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
If that’s not doing it for you, you’ll also find ‘fancy schmancy’ iced strawberry, vanilla and matcha lattes, a caramelised white chocolate mocha, and cold-brewed green and white tea with added coconut, pineapple and hibiscus on the drinks menu.
As for those who like life’s simpler pleasures, rest assured you can also get a proper builder’s brew here.
Prices start from £3.20 for a Yorkshire breakfast tea and £4 for slabs of toasted brioche loaf served with a pot of seasonal jam.
At £6.90, the aforementioned Kewpie egg sandwich is a steal, As for the French toast, at £11.30 it might be the most expensive thing on the menu but if you don’t order it you are seriously missing out. You can always split it with a friend.
Opening this Friday, 26 August, the new, dog-friendly cafe will welcome customers from 9am to 6pm seven days a week.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
Manchester
Another Deansgate Square restaurant closes as Salvi’s shuts down
Daisy Jackson
Salvi’s has announced the closure of one of its restaurants, in another blow for Deansgate Square.
The much-loved, decades-old Italian restaurant group opened the sprawling 3,000 sq ft restaurant in the luxury skyscraper neighbourhood back in 2022.
While its other sites around town have always been cosy, traditional trattorias, Salvi’s went for a more lavish, luxury and modern touch in Deansgate Square.
It was nestled down beneath the city’s swankiest apartments and was split into a heated drinks terrace, elegant restaurant space, Italian deli, bar, and private dining room.
But now, Salvi’s has announced the closure of its Deansgate Square restaurant.
The Italian spot has shut down with immediate effect, teasing that it’s going to ‘make way for an exciting new concept in Manchester’.
All reservations for Deansgate Square will be honoured at their other, original site at the Corn Exchange.
Salvi’s wrote in a statement on Instagram: “When one door closes, another opens… From tonight Salvi’s Deansgate Square is saying ciao to make way for an exciting new concept in Manchester!
“You can still get your Salvi’s fix at the Corn Exchange. All bookings will be honoured there and we’ll be in touch soon if you’ve got a reservation with us.
Salvi’s in Deansgate Square has shut downIt’s the second restaurant closure at Deansgate Square in as many months
“Grazie Mille a tutti.”
One person commented: “So sad to hear but also excited to hear that there is something to look forward to.”
Another said: “Only there last night, cant believe that.”
And someone else simply wrote: “I’m starting a protest.”
This is the second restaurant closure at Deansgate Square in as many months – back in June, critically-acclaimed Medlock Canteen also shut down for good.
Medlock Canteen wrote: “With heavy hearts, we’re announcing the closure of Medlock Canteen. When we opened our doors 18 months ago, our dream was simple: to build a neighbourhood spot where everyone felt welcome, serving proper good food you know, love and can’t wait to eat.
“But the current climate has made that dream a tough one to sustain. Rising costs, increased taxes, and tighter spending have created challenges we’ve fought hard to overcome but, sadly, they’re ones we just can’t compete with.
“We’re proud to say our amazing team has been looked after, with payroll up to date and everyone offered roles elsewhere in our family of venues. If you’ve got opportunities going, drop us a message – we’d love to pass them on to anyone ready for their next chapter.”
Pizza Pilgrims – why Manchester’s newest pizza joint isn’t ‘just another pizzeria’
Daisy Jackson
Pizza Pilgrims has finally opened its very first restaurant in Manchester, and its 26th in the UK.
It is another pizza joint for a city packed with pizzerias, but it’s not ‘just another pizza joint’ – it’s got a lot of heart and story behind it.
Pizza Pilgrims was co-founded in 2011 by brothers James and Thom Elliot, who took a trip to Italy on a pilgrimage… of pizza.
They picked up a three-wheel Piaggio Ape van, drove thousands of kilometres, immersing themselves in all things pizza along the way, falling in love with the traditional, floppy-bottomed style of Napoli.
To this day, Pizza Pilgrims has strived to remain committed to the authentic Neapolitan style.
That means both sourcing the very best ingredients from this Italian region, as well as trying to bottle the frenetic, lively spirit of Naples itself.
When The Manc headed over to Naples with James and Pizza Pilgrims, they gave us a lot of insight into the inspiration behind this popular pizzeria, from the San Marzano tomatoes harvested at the foot of Mount Vesuvius to the world-class 00 Caputo flour used in the bases.
Completing the ‘holy trinity’ of ingredients that goes into a Neapolitan pizza is the Campanian Fior di Latte mozzarella they use too.
The brothers want your dinner at Pizza Pilgrims to replicate a holiday to Naples in just one hour – though hopefully without a moped almost running over your foot.
Inside their first Manchester restaurant, they’ve called upon artist ad Mancunian legend Stanley Chow, who has immortalised those three producers in his signature style, their portraits proudly displayed inside.
He’s also immortalised Napoli footballing legend Diego Maradona, whose likeness is plastered all over Naples city.
Pizzas here include classics like a margherita that shows off those beautiful imported ingredients, a salsiccia e friarielle topped with Italian sausage and wild broccoli, and a mushroom and truffle pizza with a white ricotta base.
Inside Pizza Pilgrims in Manchester
You’ve Got Maiale and a CarbonaraCacio e pepe bitesInside Pizza Pilgrims ManchesterThe retro Fiat Panda barNeapolitan pizzas at Pizza PilgrimsColourful interiorsPizza Pilgrims opens on Deansgate in Manchester next weekA Nutella ring with ricottaPizza Pilgrims opens on Deansgate in Manchester next weekClassic margerita with chilli oilFiat Panda seats in a boothColourful interiors at Pizza Pilgrims ManchesterThe Pizza Pilgrims workshop spaceA Maradona margarita The retro Fiat Panda bar
Then there are Pizza Pilgrims favourites like the carbonara, with crispy guanciale bacon, black pepper, and even spaghetti; and The 8 Cheese, with eight. different. cheeses.
The interiors of the new Manchester Pizza Pilgrims are extravagant, colourful and playful, including a retro Fiat Panda turned into a cocktail bar and mismatched laundry hanging overhead like bunting.
You’ll dine beneath vines studded with lemons, while a slushy machine churns up a Maradona margarita at your side.
So pull up a seat at a checkered tablecloth, count all the Maradonas on the wall, and prepare to feel like you’ve spent an hour in Naples.
Pizza Pilgrims Manchester officially opens on Monday 18 August, but there’ll be a free slice giveaway from 12pm on Wednesday 13 August.
Georgina Pellant -
24th August 2022 
