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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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).
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.”
ADVERTISEMENT
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).
The K’s kick off Manchester’s BRITs Week celebrations early with jam-packed intimate gig
The Manc
If you were ‘Hoping Maybe’ to see The K’s at some point this year, this is your sign do it, as the rising indie band did not let the occasion of playing an intimate BRITs-backed gig get to them – they were buoyed by it.
Beloved city centre venue Gorilla was overflowing for The K’s last night, hosting an unreal small-cap set as part of Brits Week ‘26 for a very important cause: War Child.
Perfectly teed up by fellow nearby band, Florentenes from Bolton, The K’s took to a familiar stage many years on from their debut, and instantly had the crowd ready and raring for an hour of pure tunes and some very, very sweaty brows.
Earlestown’s finest certainly carried that Northern charm and energy throughout the whole night; their indie and almost nostalgic lyrical storytelling has you moshing one minute, whilst grasping your mate and ascending into live music heaven the next. There really aren’t many feelings like it.
Sobbing and swaying in the vast ocean of shoulders whilst screaming the lyrics to ‘Helen. Oh I’, I questioned how any compliment will ever compare to launching “thousand ships every time” from a kiss.
The K’s were yearning before Wuthering Heights made it vogue (again).
Musically, the band were seamless and a well-oiled machine, and so were the audience as they wholeheartedly echoed every lyric back at the lads and bounced it off the walls.
The K’s have come a long way since their first visit to Gorilla (Credit: Lucy Wagstaffe)
Every primary school assembly proudly led us to this moment, and it did not disappoint, displaying their increasingly seasoned and successful career, which I can only imagine is going to go from strength to strength this year.
I don’t think we even one more fan could have squeezed one more passionate fan into Gorilla on the night; it was heaving with people and pride; the sweat dripping down the walls indicated things are big for these local lads, and we couldn’t be prouder.
They are another prime example of shining a deserving light on Northern artists! And having the 2026 BRIT Awards up here with us is a testament to that.
Featured Images — Lucy Wagstaffe (supplied via War Child UK)
Manchester
Florence + The Machine at the Co-op Live, Manchester – the star has never been better
Clementine Hall
Florence + The Machine make a triumphant return to the stage in a thrilling exploration of female rage.
When you think of Florence Welch, you can’t help but picture her barefoot complete with flower crown and bouncy skirts racing around the stage in a fairy-like fashion.
And yes whilst she still is this, the band’s new era is suddenly a lot darker and haunting with their new album Everybody Scream exploring topics of loss and grief.
Florence and her coven-like quartet of dancers did not leave the stage once throughout the 21-track setlist, but not once did it feel tired.
Image: The Manc
The album’s title track kicked off the show before transitioning into fan-favourite anthem Shake It Out.
Florence’s voice is just as recognisable as ever, as is her long auburn hair that she swishes with her as she strides up and down the stage alongside her flowing sleeves.
Beneath the powerful vocals, the haunting atmosphere grew stronger as Seven Dials and Which Witch saw the dancers, coined as ‘the witch choir’, crawling up and down the stage in a Michael Jackson Thriller-style fashion.
Daffodils saw Florence interact with the crowd – embracing a woman pressed to the front of the barrier sporting a bright yellow flower crown.
It’s clear to see how much their music means to so many, and being at a Florence gig you feel as though you’re really part of something special.
A highlight came half way through the two-hour spectacle, as Florence dedicated Never Let Me Go to her sister in the crowd who she stated was “clever enough to marry a man from Manchester”.
Image: The Manc
We couldn’t agree more Florence.
Spectrum (Say My Name) really ignited a fire in the crowd, the entire arena was up and moving to the iconic track.
Her most vulnerable moment of the night comes as she returns for the encore, when she sings You Can Have It All which is written about her near-fatal ectopic pregnancy she experienced in 2013.
It’s raw and haunting, and we feel every note as she summons the strength to perform a song so revealing.
Of course, as the first two notes of Dog Days Are Over the crowd erupts into chaos.
Florence asks us to put our phones down, “you won’t get a good video and if you’re holding your phone, you can’t move” she states, and so we did what we were told.
It’s proof of the power that Florence holds over her audience, and from then on we were left to dance with complete abandon as the show ended in a feeling of pure joy and euphoria.
Daisy Jackson -
25th March 2024 
