The former Knott Bar is set to become a new Italian restaurant. The old owners have closed their doors for good and now the building has been taken under new management.
It’s always been an iconic venue in Manchester, sat on the edge of Deansgate and Castlefield, but now The Knott Bar is no more – at least, not as we’ve known it up to now.
Rather, the two-story hospitality venue is due for some big changes this autumn as news reaches us that it’s been acquired by a new operator and is set to become Manchester’s latest destination Italian restaurant.
Dom’s Paccheri al Ragu and Alle Verdure pizza / Image: Ellen Eats Out
Chef restauranteur Dominic La Cola has been a solid presence in the city for years, running his much loved Dom’s Tavola Calda from the other end of Deansgate.
For decades now, he’s been lovingly dishing up authentic pizza, pasta, and Southern Italian mains from his authentic little kitchen – but now the restaurant is on the move and it has found a new home inside the former Knott Bar.
With Dom’s existing home landmarked for demolition, Dom’s Tavola Calda has now been pushed out by its landlord – and its owner now plans to reopen his popular Italian eatery at the other end of Deansgate, close to Castlefield Bowl.
Inside the old Dom’s Tavola Calda restaurant, which has now closed and will be moving into the former Knott Bar unit / Image: Dom’s Manchester
Speaking to The Manc, he revealed that he’s currently refurbishing the bar and plans to open his restaurant there sometime in the autumn.
It’s good news for fans of his authentic kitchen, which has long been an Italian staple on Deansgate for those in the know.
When The Knott Bar reopens as Doms Italia later this year, it will serve up all his kitchen’s popular favourites with weekly specials appearing on the board alongside beloved antipasti dishes like the house fritto misto, homemade meatballs and signature oven-baked ribs.
Dom’s Tavola Calda has been a fixture on Deansgate for decades. The speciality pizza ‘Dom’s’ uses spicy sausage made in house, red onion, porcini and mozzarella / Image: Feast Street
In the meantime, whilst renovations take place all of the staff at Dom’s have moved over to the restaurant’s sister site Vincenzo Trattoria which is located just of St Ann’s Square.
Sharing the news with their followers on social media, an update from the restaurant said:
“Good evening to all our customers friends and family of Doms,It comes with great regret that we have to close our doors for last time on Monday the 9th August.
Chef restauranteur Dominic La Colla pictured with his general manager and chef / Image: Dom’s Tavola Calda
“It has been an eventful and memorable 8 years, and we would like to thank all of you that have been to see us here at Doms, whether it was just for a coffee or an evening out.
“For the foreseeable future, all our staff will be moving over to our sister restaurant Vincenzo Trattoria, st Anne’s street manchester.
“Fortunately, it’s not the end of Doms as we will be opening a new restaurant at 374 deansgate Manchester in the up and coming months called Doms Italia , as soon as we have finished the renovation we will inform you all, again
“Thank you and hope to see you all soon in the near future.”
At a time when so many hospitality operators are struggling, it’s great to hear that such an iconic Manchester restaurant has found itself a new home and a new lease of life.
For more updates on the return of Dom’s, head over to the restaurant’s Instagram page here.
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There’s a World Gravy Wrestling Championship near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
Just on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, there’s a country pub set in a rural village that hosts a world gravy wrestling championship.
Leave it to us northerners to organise a world gravy wrestling championship because let’s face it, there’s nothing more northern than plummeting yourself into bucket loads of gravy.
At The Rose ‘N’ Bowl in the village of Stacksteads, it’s not just their meals they’re drenching in the brown nectar; they drench any willing guest in this beige saucy goodness too as part of the World Gravy Wrestling Championships.
Here’s a little taster from nearly a decade ago.
Participants are expected to wrestle in the gravy for two minutes, with the winner being judged not only on their play-fighting skills but also on their choice of fancy dress, comedy effect and entertainment.
Past wrestlers have rocked up as zebras, racehorse jockeys and famous TV characters like Ali G and Mickey Mouse.
Each wrestler is encouraged to raise money on behalf of a charity of their choice, but if you don’t have one, donations will be sent to East Lancashire Hospice, which has helped people countywide suffering from life-limiting illness for the past 30 years.
The World Gravy Wrestling Championships have been held outside this very pub for over a decade, with the first ever event taking place at a car park in Wigan before it found a permanent home outside The Rose ‘N’ Bowl.
And if swimming in a pool of gravy isn’t for you, don’t fret because there’s a handful of sauce-free activities you can get involved with spread throughout the pub’s car park.
Fret not, past events have included bouncy castles, cheerleading performances, craft beer stalls, cake and tombola stands and even a BB gun shooting range that are all completely gravy-free.
There will even be help from a local fire brigade who will be on hand to wash down wrestlers in between their gravy-filled tournament, so they can wander round all the stalls too.
The 2025 World Gravy Wrestling Championships are coming to The Rose ‘N’ Bowl in Stacksteads on 25 August, with tickets available in person only, but plenty of information about the event HERE.
If you’re after signing up to be one of the wrestlers at this event, applications are still open and you can get stuck in with all the details you need HERE.
And if that wasn’t enough Northern food competitive action, we’ll catch you at the World Black Pudding Hurling Championships, innabit.
Inside this Victorian mansion with 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and more near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
There’s a million-pound Victorian-style mansion that has 10 bedrooms and its own personal swimming pool just outside of Greater Manchester.
Just like the childhood nursery rhyme, “There were three in the bed and the little one said… there’s another seven beds, roll over!” or at least that’s how they remember it in this character property.
Located in Warrington, less than an hour away from Manchester city centre, this property is a semi-detached Victorian property built in 1860, with 10 bedrooms and its own private swimming pool, all spread across four floors.
As soon as you enter the foyer, your eyes are drawn to the sleek silver chandelier before you notice the grand staircase, which feels like a piece of living history.
Inside this Victorian mansion with 10 bedrooms and a swimming pool near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market)
The ground floor hosts two of a whopping 10 bedrooms alongside a teal-toned farmhouse-style kitchen and that extremely impressive swimming pool with its own built-in projector.
In the kitchen, the focal point is the large wrap-around kitchen unit, which is accompanied by a variety of hanging lights and a big central island.
On the way to the swimming pool, there are a handful of lockers identical to those found in a leisure and as you enter the room, your eyes are drawn to the island-inspired feature wall.
Venture upstairs to the first floor and you’re greeted by five spacious bedrooms with one having its own en-suite while the rest share a main bathroom.
Each of these bedrooms follows a completely different design style, with the largest following a muted grey palette with pops of yellow thanks to the artwork and bed accessories.
The grand staircase and one of ten bedrooms inside this Victorian mansion near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market
As you go upstairs again, you’ll find (you guessed it) even more bedrooms, three to be exact, with the standout
The stand-out of this second floor is the navy-walled bedroom with a vintage vanity unit, patterned floor-to-ceiling curtains and a similarly dark-blue rug to match its four walls.
Another flight of stairs and you’ve finally reached the top of this property, and there’s an LED-lined ceiling and a neutral bedroom colour scheme of greys, whites and everything in between.
There are various amenities nearby, including three schools and three train stations… for if you get fed up of strolling around your four-floored ten-bed, swimming pool-owning mansion.
Two contrasting bedrooms found within this Victorian mansion near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market
We know this property may not be in the price range and might not be affordable for a lot of readers, ourselves included, but we can dream, right?
You can check out this Victorian mansion and flick through even more pictures of this property – Snooping never hurt anybody? Official site HERE.
As always, make sure to check out The Manc‘s property page to check all the other stunning structures currently on sale/in progress across Greater Manchester and in the nearby North West.
Georgina Pellant -
26th August 2021 
