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.
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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.
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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.
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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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England head coach Shaun Wane quits ahead of 2026 Rugby League World Cup
Danny Jones
England head coach Shaun Wane has stepped down from his role as the national team setup after more than half a decade in the post.
His resignation comes as the Rugby Football League (RFL) looks to pivot and set out a long-term vision ahead of the World Cup later this year.
The Wigan-born former Warriors manager’s replacement is expected to be merely a part-time appointment as future planning begins.
Announced on Wednesday, 14 January, Shaun Wane’s tenure has ended “effective immediately”.
Sharing an official update online, the RFL wrote: “Wane, who has led England since February 2020, has taken time to reflect on the programme and believes the timing is right for new leadership to guide the team into the next phase, including the upcoming World Cup.
“During his tenure, Wane oversaw memorable series victories over Tonga in 2023 and a star-studded Samoa a year later, as well as a semi-final in the World Cup. He finishes with 14 wins from 19 matches.”
Crediting him as one of “a very small elite number of coaches to have won the full suite of domestic club honours and achieved World Club Championship success”, hailing his experience and longevity both as a player and as a coach.
As for Wane himself, he said: “It has been the honour of my life to coach England Rugby League over the last six years, but after careful reflection, I believe the time is right to step aside and allow the programme to move forward into its next chapter.
England are on the lookout for a new coach heading into the World Cup after being swept in the Ashes.
Coach Shaun Wane has reportedly resigned from the post after a disappointing 3-0 whitewash against Australia last year.
The 61-year-old ex-pro goes on to add, “The privilege of leading my country in a World Cup, an Ashes Series on home soil and securing victories over Tonga and Samoa will live long in the memory.
“I’m incredibly grateful to all the players, coaches and staff I’ve worked alongside during that time; their commitment and professionalism made those moments possible. I wish everyone involved with England Rugby League the best going forward and for the World Cup later this year.”
According to the latest reports online, St Helens boss Paul Rowley is now said to be the favourite to take over in the interim.
The 2026 Rugby League World Cup is still months away (scheduled to take place in October and November), but the governing body will want to get the new setup and coaching in place as soon as possible to prepare for the tournament.
Greater Manchester town named as one of country’s worst at fixing potholes
Emily Sergeant
A town in Greater Manchester has been named one of the worst in the country at managing roads and fixing potholes.
For the first time ever, drivers across England can now see how well their local highway authority is tackling potholes on their roads thanks to a new traffic light rating system published by the Government this weekend.
The new ratings grade local highway authorities as red, amber, or green.
The ratings – which have presented on a new interactive map – are based on current road condition and how effectively local authorities are spending the Government’s record £7.3 billion funding to fix potholes and investing in long-term measures to maintain roads.
The Government funding is meant to allow local authorities to repair potholes ‘effectively’ and move away from short-term repairs that work out to be more expensive – with these fixes meaning more money in drivers’ pockets, as the average repair bill from hitting potholes is said to be around £320.
We’ve launched a Red, Amber, Green rating system, so you can see how well your local highway authority (LHA) is fixing your local roads.
🟢 Green = best practice, long-term preventative plans 🟠 Amber = on the way, but room to improve 🔴 Red = support in place to raise… pic.twitter.com/gRwkEx5kdm
The condition of local roads, how much local authorities are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways are all key areas taken into account when deciding on an area’s rating.
Those that scored ‘green’, like Manchester, were able to demonstrate they are following best practice, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads, and those that scored ‘amber’ – which the majority of Greater Manchester came under showed that there was room for improvement in individual areas.
However, one Greater Manchester town did not fare well at all, and ended up with an ‘red’ rating… and that town was Bolton.
The colour-coded map showing each local authority’s pothole rating / Credit: OS / Crown Copyright (via gov.uk)
Those local authorities that are rated ‘red’, like Bolton, are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured, according to the Government, such as the current state of the roads, their plans for preventing potholes, or investment into maintaining their local roads more widely.
“For too long, drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate,” commented Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for.
“Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time, we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.”
Georgina Pellant -
26th August 2021 
