One of the year’s most exciting restaurant openings is officially ready to open in Manchester, with Medlock Canteen now fully kitted-out at Deansgate Square.
The restaurant comes from the team behind Madre (the Mexican restaurant at Kampus) and Belzan (one of Liverpool’s top restaurants).
And when it officially opens on 29 March, diners will be spoiled with bottomless coffee, a rotisserie chicken oven, and ‘strong sandwiches’.
Oh, did we mention they’ll also be offering 50% off for the restaurant’s soft launch period?
Medlock Canteen is taking its inspiration from eateries on opposite sides of the pond – the laid-back and accessible style of American diners and the hospitality of Parisian bistros.
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There’ll be an all-day menu served alongside those bottomless coffees, with guest welcome to sit as long as they like.
You can expect breakfasts ranging from classic Full Englishes to duck-egg hash to ‘millennial eggs’ (smashed avo and poached eggs).
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There’ll be familiar brunch dishes like oats, pancakes, and breakfast sandwiches, plus French inspired dishes like a crab and gruyere omelette, with several brekkies available to take away.
Fresh baguettes stuffed with rotisserie chicken straight out of the ovenMedlock Canteen will have bottomless coffee – and excellent espresso martinisLeeks and peas at Medlock CanteenSteaks at Medlock Canteen, which are cooked over coals. Credit: The Manc Group
Then at lunch, chef patron Sam Grainger is promising a ‘strong sandwich game’ – we’re talking roast beef sandwich with caramelised onions, gruyere and jus; turkey schnitzel with mozzarella and marinara; and a grilled cheese with three different cheeses and pickles.
And in the evenings, it’s all about steaks and fish of the day, as well as that rotisserie chicken oven.
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Believed to be the only restaurant rotisserie oven in Manchester, Medlock Canteen will be serving chicken baguettes with chicken mayo, butterhead lettuce and jus at lunchtimes, and half- or whole-chicken with a choice of sides all day.
You can even pick up a chicken in a bag to take home with you.
Owner Chris Edwards said: “Picture your typical canteen; a spot where everyone and anyone can gather.
“On one table you have a group of friends catching up over dinner, two colleagues are sitting at the bar enjoying a post work drink, a worker pops in for a coffee before their night shift and a couple swing by for dessert en route home from dinner.
“We want people to come as they are, use the space as their own and eat and drink as they desire.”
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Owain Williams added: “Medlock Canteen is inspired by American diners and French bistros. In these venues, everyone is always welcome for unfussy, traditional, everyday faire.
“The British equivalent of these spaces has always been the pub but the community bond created by these spaces has become collateral damage in the UK’s reframed relationship with the pub.
“We still want the community, the accessibility and the prices, but it needs to exist in a different atmosphere suitable for the city dwellers of Manchester.”
Medlock Canteen will be opening on 29 March at 5 Owen Street at Deansgate Square (near Kitten and Salvi’s).
Big Night of Musicals is back in Manchester next month and there’s thousands of FREE tickets
Emily Sergeant
Thousands of free tickets are set to be released tomorrow as the National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals returns.
Now in its fifth year, and having gone on to become one of the world’s biggest annual theatrical events in the process, Big Night of Musicals will once again illuminate Manchester’s AO Arena this winter, hoping to deliver its most ambitious celebration of British theatre to date.
Hosted by Manchester comedian and musical theatre star Jason Manford, the event will bring together lots of the UK’s biggest and most beloved musicals for one extraordinary night.
Audiences can expect mesmerising performances from some of the biggest musicals across the UK, alongside performances from a range of incredible National Lottery-funded arts organisations, all under one roof.
✨🎭 A spellbinding night awaits!
The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals is returning to the @AOArena on 26 Jan 2026, ready to cast its biggest theatrical enchantment yet!
This year’s brilliant lineup of West End and UK-touring shows include the spectacular new production of Miss Saigon, an exclusive performance from Jesus Christ Superstar with Sam Ryder, ahead of him making his West End debut in the role of Jesus, and the legendary musical comedy, Mel Brooks’ The Producers.
Also featuring is the extraordinary London production of Wicked ahead of its 20th anniversary in the West End later in 2026.
Many more productions are still to be announced, so keep your eyes peeled.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be hosting Big Night of Musicals by The National Lottery for the fifth-year running,” commented Jason Manford. “The 2026 lineup is phenomenal, some of the biggest shows in the world are coming together for one night only, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it.
Big Night of Musicals is back in Manchester next month / Credit: Supplied
“This event is also a huge thank you to National Lottery players whose support keeps theatre alive and accessible. Without their contributions, so many productions, training programmes and venue restorations simply wouldn’t be possible.”
As always, 12,000 free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis as a special ‘thank you’ to National Lottery players.
Each player can reserve up to four tickets (a £2 booking fee applies per ticket) when they go on general release tomorrow afternoon (9 December) at 1pm, and proof of purchase of a National Lottery product is required to secure the tickets.
There’ll also be a ‘pre-sale’ from 9am to midday tomorrow too.
Big Night of Musicals 2026 is coming to AO Arena on Monday 26 January 2026.
For more information and to register for free tickets, National Lottery players should visit bignightofmusicals.com
Featured Image – Supplied
Manchester
Inside Portfolio, the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’ and bar in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester this week, boasting more than 250 different champagnes to our city.
Portfolio will be a new bar and ‘immersive wine experience’, which will have one of the largest and most diverse champagne collections in the UK.
Mancs will be able to order champagne by the glass from just £12.50, along with plenty of accessible bottles.
To kick things off, Portfolio will open with a bar food offering that includes Welsh charcuterie, British cheeses and accoutrements, created by co-founder Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and the Edinburgh Castle.
But later down the line, there’ll be a fun, relaxed tasting menu, ranging from a few bites to a full dining experience, obviously paired with the best champagne list in the country.
Inside Portfolio, you’ll be greeted by a striking champagne wall of 100 different bottles, plus a wall of photos from the team’s trips to Champagne in France.
Every drink will be served in exclusive Lehmann glassware imported from Reims, with more than 10 different glass styles and a strict no flutes policy.
There’ll be an open chef’s pass and sommelier station with bar seating, plus a working champagne cellar that will function as a private dining room and event space.
Portfolio champagne boutique opens in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Julian Pizer has created Portfolio with Cameron Foster, founder of Duex Six which specialises in providing exclusive grower champagnes to the UK.
They’ll be joined by Wayne Baxendale as food and beverage director, who has more than 30 years of global wine experience including from Michelin starred restaurants, and Nikolai Kuklenko as general manager, who previously held a role as Head Sommelier at Mana.
Portfolio will be a wine boutique packed with rare grower bottles and vintage prestige cuvées and hopes to ‘strip away the snobbery and make champagne accessible’.
As well as well known names, guests will be able to enjoy rare and highly sought-after cuvées, including Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, Jérôme Prévost, Cédric Bouchard, Larmandier Bernier and Egly Ouriet.
There will also be vintage prestige cuvées from Cristal, Philipponnat, Pommery, Jacquesson, Pierre Peters and Bollinger, some dating back to the 1990s.
As Cameron Foster explains: “We want to strip back the snobbery of Champagne and make it a wine for everyone, whether that’s a quick glass after work, a special celebration, or discovering grower champagne for the first time.”
Portfolio will open on 9 December at 67 Bridge Street, Manchester, with the full restaurant experience launching in February 2026.
Daisy Jackson -
25th March 2024 
