It’s the hit reality show that has made celebrities out of countless attractive young hopefuls, with its newest season debuting to an audience of 2.4million UK viewers.
Now, as the season 8 drama continues to build, one Manchester bar has revealed plans to launch a new series of weekly watch parties with endless pornstar martinis, frozen strawberry daiquiris and giant street food sharing platters.
Taking place every Wednesday night throughout the show’s summer run at The Shack in the Northern Quarter, fans of the hit UK dating show can sink endless cocktails as they catch up with all the Islander’s romantic drama.
Image: The Shack
Image: The Shack Manchester
Image: The Shack Manchester
Priced from just £20 per person, Love Island stans will be treated to huge platters of food including pickle-topped fried chicken burger sliders, chicken and salad-stuffed wraps, and heaps of fries, as well as bottomless drinks including prosecco, mimosas and bellinis.
And that’s not all. Also included in the £20 per person drinks package are a range of beers from Coors, Corona and Red Stripe, and ciders from Aspall and The Shack’s own house line.
If you really want to go all out, though, you can opt to upgrade to the premium drinks package for an extra fiver.
For that, you’ll also be treated to non-stop pornstar martinis, frozen strawberry daiquiris and a selection of house spirits and mixers including vodka, gin and rum throughout the show’s duration.
It certainly sounds like our type on paper.
Love Island screens from 9pm on ITV1 every night except for Saturdays, with bottomless boozy showings at The Shack held every Wednesday.
To book your table for the next showing, click here.
Bury FC have clapped back at Oasis after Noel Gallagher aimed a sly little dig at the Greater Manchester side during their reunion show this week.
The Burnage boys returned to Heaton Park for round three of their five-night run, where roughly another 80,000 descended on the massive outdoor space for their latest homecoming gig.
While the energy back in 0161 has been unreal for every date thus far, with the Gallagher brothers seemingly getting just as much of a buzz from the reception as Mancs and out-of-towners alike, ‘r Noel did dish out a bit of sarcasm when he was welcomed into the spotlight on Wednesday evening.
In case you didn’t see the now-viral clip, here’s what he had to say…
“Who do you support, fucking Bury? Bury are fucking shit.”
Noel Gallagher during last night’s Oasis gig at Heaton Park.
— The Mighty Shakers Podcast (@TMS1885) July 17, 2025
The Gallaghers are never ones to shy away from a bit of cheek, but Noel definitely has the reputation for being the drier of the two wits.
Not that making a joke about the nearest team being Bury, to what was most likely a sea of Manchester City and/or United fans (purely based on the law of averages), is particularly witty.
Regardless, we were glad to see not only Shakers fans but the club itself give the local but now London-based music legend a bit back.
Responding in a social media comeback of their own, the North West Counties League (NWCL) outfit noted that while they couldn’t share the original clip – not that it stopped supporters, mind you – they did go on to share an old clip of their 1997/98 side beating Noel’s beloved Manchester City.
The decisive finish was headed home by one of their very own “dyed in the wool” Blues, too: Paul Butler, who scored the only goal of the Championship fixture to beat City in their own barn back at Maine Road.
More importantly, the NWCL club used the opportunity to capitalise on the old adage of ‘no press is bad press’, writing in the caption: “Here’s our ticket link if you wanna roll with it and watch the champions in action.”
At the end of the day, it did get people talking – not a bad result for the non-league team.
Now, less than a month until the Premier Division champions get underway in the 25/26 campaign, we can wholeheartedly recommend going along to Gigg Lane to see what moves the Shakers are making.
For starters, they’re heading into the new term with a big-brand partnership already under their belt.
Lupo Caffe Italiano, a cosy Italian restaurant tucked on an industrial estate in Prestwich, has just been crowned the best in the North West by the Good Food Guide.
This authentic spot serves hearty, homemade Roman pizza and pasta, with the ever-charismatic Nico Pasquali at its helm.
The Good Food Guide has listed it as the overall winner in the North West in its prestigious 100 Best Local Restaurants list.
Lupo was joined by five other Greater Manchester restaurants in the top 100, ranging from a much-loved Chorlton tapas joint to a Michelin Bib Gormand modern European spot beneath a railway arch.
On the list were Cantaloupe in Stockport, Cibus in Levenshulme, The Sparrows in the Green Quarter, Stretford Canteen, and Chorlton’s Bar San Juan.
Of Lupo, the guide heaped praise on its ‘excellent Roman pizzas’ served from an ‘all-day trattoria in the incongruous setting of an industrial estate’.
Over the years, Nico has added a wooden terrace to double his restaurant’s capacity, with checkered tablecloths and cabinets displaying homemade desserts, like semifreddos and his legendary millefoglie.
The Good Food Guide judges wrote: “The vibe is friendly, unfussy and unpretentious, although Nico’s regulars also come for his precisely cooked traditional dishes made with prime ingredients flown in from Italy or fresh from his allotment.
Lupo Caffe Italiano in Prestwich has been named the best restaurant in the North West in the Good Food Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
“They are the perfect antidote to the standard Anglo-Italian repertoire, and the glitzy but vacuous styling of most high-street chains. Popular (and reasonably priced) dishes might range from rigatoni with guanciale, chilli and pecorino to arancini, suppli (deep-fried pizza balls) and Roman Jewish artichokes.
“There’s also a list of specials that may feature orecchiette with Italian fennel sausages and romanesco broccoli, as well as whole baked sea bass cooked with cherry tomatoes and olives.”
Nico said on winning the top spot: “Hard work and perseverance pays… and people value what we’ve been building for the last 10 years.”
Across town, The Sparrows received praise for its handmade dumplings (‘perfectly rendered little parcels of happiness’ and sharing boards, plus its hearty goulashes for winter.
In Stretford, local French bistro Streford Canteen made its way onto the list for the first time, thanks to being a ‘shining light in a small suburb that needs and deserves a reliable, high-quality restaurant.’
Stretford Canteen also made the Good Food Guide this year. Credit: The Manc Group
You’ll find familiar bistro classics like galettes, croques and French onion soup, as well as a seasonally sourced menu showcasing their brilliant cooking.
The Good Food Guide added: “And, finally, praise is due to the little publicised fact they have fed a local homeless man for years – happily now off the streets.”
The next entry on the list is firm favourite Bar San Juan, a cosy tapas spot in the heart of Chorlton with a bit of a cult following.
The Good Food Guide singled out its ‘papas bravas’ (crispy cubes of potato served with a Madrid-style brava sauce), cod’s cheeks, aubergine stew and croquetas.
Bar San Juan in Chorlton
A deserving entry into the Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Local Restaurants list.
Over in Stockport is a new-ish neighbourhood restaurant that’s already caught people’s eye – Cantaloupe is a ‘small, easy-going bistro’.
The guide says: “Cantaloupe prioritises its budget where it really counts – on the food, cooking and service, plus a focus on doing simple things well and not over-stretching the short, restrained and fairly priced daily menu. And it’s paid off: the place now has a clutch of loyal fans who appreciate the unpretentious atmosphere.”
Completing the list for Greater Manchester is Cibus in Levenshulme, which started life as a market stall but grew to a proper Italian restaurant space.
Here it’s all about sourdough pizzas, pasta dishes, meat dishes, seafood, and cicchetti.
Georgina Pellant -
29th June 2022 
