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.
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).
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.
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.”
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).
Viral K-beauty brand Pureseoul is opening ‘second, even bigger’ store in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
K-Beauty brand Pureseoul has announced plans for a second Manchester store, and this time, they’re taking on the Trafford Centre.
Packed full of cult Korean beauty products including skincare and make-up, Pureseoul had an impressive launch into the city with its Arndale opening last year.
Anyone with a passing interest in skincare and beauty knows that no one makes products quite like Korea.
From facemasks and serums to lip tints and eyeshadow palettes, Pureseoul is a haven for all things beauty.
And following its northern debut last year, the beauty retailer is now setting its sights on an ‘even bigger’ base for us.
Pureseoul has confirmed it’s taken on a unit at the Trafford Centre in Manchester, which will be its 11th in the UK.
Co-founder Gracie Tullio said: “This isn’t just another Manchester store.
PureSeoul is opening a second Manchester store at the Trafford Centre. Credit: The Manc Group
“Our northern community is incredibly loyal and engaged. Arndale brought the bright energy of the city – students, young professionals, Gen-Z K-Beauty lovers.
“Trafford Centre offers an opportunity for something different: families, day-trippers, weekend explorers, with time to dwell and explore our curations.
“We’ve always known there were thousands more fans we hadn’t been able to reach – until now!”
Viral K-beauty products at Pureseoul. Credit: The Manc Group
Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, said: “We’re really excited to welcome PURESEOUL to Trafford Centre – it’s a fantastic addition to our ever-growing beauty offering.
“We’re seeing a real boom in the beauty sector at the centre, with more and more visitors coming to us as a one-stop destination for all things beauty.
“As the top-rated Korean beauty brand in the UK, with a hugely popular following, PURESEOUL brings something fresh and exciting to that mix, which we’re sure will really resonate with our visitors.”
Full list of road closures set to be in place as Manchester Day 2025 takes over the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2025 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 26 July, and as always, it’s set to be ‘the day summer officially starts’ in the city centre – with a massive celebration of ‘all things Mancunian’ on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is music, and it’s inspired by Manchester’s spectacular summer of sound, spearheaded by Oasis Live ’25 that recently concluded at Heaton Park.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Manchester Day is back with a ‘mammoth day’ of music-themed free fun / Credit: Manchester City Council
As always, activities will be taking place right across the city centre – from St Ann’s Square to Cathedral Gardens, and everywhere in between.
Organisers say there will be plenty of chances throughout the day for visitors, both young and old, to get stuck in, try their hand at making music and maybe even uncover a hidden musical talent they didn’t know they had.
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
A number of road closures and parking suspensions will be in place / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester Day 2025 – Road Closures
Saturday 26 July
From 6am to 10pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Victoria Street to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
Cross Street (Corporation Street to New Market Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Cross Street to Exchange Street)
Exchange Street (St Mary’s Gate to St Ann’s Square)
Cateaton Street (Deansgate to Exchange Square)
Victoria Street (Deansgate to Cathedral Approach)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street)
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square)
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 9pm on Friday 25 July to 9pm on Saturday 26 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Victoria Street to St John Street)
Peter Street (St James Street to Deansgate)
Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
Central Street (Southmill Street to Mount Street)
Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Jackson’s Row)
Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
George Street (Princess Street to Dickinson Street)
Victoria Street (Deansgate to Cathedral Approach)
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
Cross Street (Corporation Street to New Market Street)
Cateaton Street (Deansgate to Exchange Square)
Market Street (Cross Street to St Mary’s Gate)
St Mary’s Gate (Market Street to Deansgate)
John Dalton Street (Cross Street to Deansgate)
King Street (Cross Street to Spring Gardens)
St James’s Square (King Street to South King Street)
St Mary’s Street (Southgate to Deansgate)
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street)
Southgate (King Street West to St Mary’s Street)
On the day, full traffic diversion signage will be in place across all areas affected by road closures, and the Council says it will do its best to ‘minimise’ their duration.
Manchester Day 2025 is taking over the city centre on Saturday 26 July, and will be kicking off at midday right through to 5pm.
Daisy Jackson -
25th March 2024 
