A luxurious restaurant in Manchester city centre has shut its doors only nine months after opening.
It appears that Ikaro, the lavish steak restaurant and champagne bar that had moved into the former site of the iconic nightclub Panacea, has already closed down.
The space had been transformed last September into a modern 84-seat restaurant, filled with black marble and dark velvet furniture, along with massive screens outside projecting colourful digital art onto John Dalton Street.
Ikaro’s menu was split into two portions – fire and ice – and included dishes like grilled lobster tails, Japanese A5 Wagyu steak, torched hand dived scallops and bluefin tuna otoro.
There also used to be a huge selection of champagne, including frequently-changing selections of rare bottles available until 2.30am.
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Company director, Zack Issak, said at the time of the Ikaro opening: “It’s long overdue that this popular space opened its doors once more and we’re thrilled to be able to do that.
“IKaro will create an unforgettable experience from start to finish. Guests will enjoy a choice of the world’s finest Champagnes, paired with the best Wagyu steaks and seafood on the market.”
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Inside Ikaro, which opened in the former Panacea site in 2023.
But despite such lofty ambitions, it does seem that Ikaro has gone for good.
All the social pages for the restaurant have vanished, it’s listed as permanently closed on Google, and emails to book a table now bounce straight back.
Ikaro was opened by the same team behind SakkuSamba and the brand-new Habbibi, a decadent Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant in Spinningfields.
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SakkuSamba closed at the end of May for ‘an exciting refurbishment and upgrade’ but hasn’t yet reopened.
Hidden Manchester bar Mala to offer unique ‘movie night’ experiences inside private cabins
Thomas Melia
You can have your own private film experience inside little wooden cabins at a popular Northern Quarter bar this summer.
Manchester city centre secret garden spot Mala is hosting an event where you and your friends can enjoy a private movie night with food, themed drinks, and bucket loads of free popcorn.
Listed as the ‘Cabin Movie Night’, get ready to sit back, relax and watch a cult classic, all from the comfort of your own personal wooden hut.
The film you’ll be watching is very on-brand too, as it’s none other than none than ‘Labyrinth’.
This secret garden spot is hiding right in plain sight over on Dale Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, and as well as hosting events such as these, they’re also home to some top tier eateries too.
Currently El Jefe, Doodles, Wok Bros, Christakis, D&X Caribbean, and Gulf are all serving up some cross-continental delights for you to enjoy in this marvellous space.
Some mouth-watering scran from El Jefe.Wok Bros have some delicious noodle boxes. Credit: The Manc Group
The Cabin Movie Night’ is the perfect way to round up your friends and watch a classic with a cocktail in hand.
There’s a handful of group packages available too at an additional charge, ranging from £30 to £50, which includes themed cocktails for each guest in the booking, and the cost of the ticket.
You can get FREE sandwiches in Manchester this weekend – but only if you have certain names
Emily Sergeant
Hungry Mancs can help themselves to free sandwiches this bank holiday weekend… but there’s a bit of a catch.
You can only get yourself a sandwich if you have one of these particular names.
We’ve been enjoying some absolutely stunning sunshine across Greater Manchester and much of the UK over the past couple of months, and nothing says sunny days more than taking a packed lunch or grabbing a meal deal and taking it to your local park or greenspace for a picnic.
This is why Pret A Manger has decided to make picnics easier for those who are lucky enough to have a certain type of name.
This late May bank holiday weekend, the popular high street coffee shop chain will be dishing out hundreds of free sandwiches across the UK – including here in Manchester – to anyone whose name happens to start with ‘Nic’.
That means people called Nick, Nicholas, Nicola, Nicole, Nico, Nicolette, and plenty of others could be in with a chance of some free feasting over these next couple of days.
You can get FREE sandwiches in Manchester this weekend / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | Supplied
Here in Manchester, it’s the chain’s Portland Street site, just off Piccadilly Gardens, that’s participating in the free giveaway this weekend, and there’ll be 50 sandwiches a day given out, so you’ll need to be quick if your name starts with ‘Nic’ and you’re feeling peckish.
The offer is only limited to Pret’s freshly-made sandwiches, and unfortunately excludes baguettes, wraps, or rye rolls… but free food is better than no food, after all.
All you’ll need to do to grab a freebie is show your ID at the tills of participating stores this Saturday (24 May) to prove your name, and you’ll get to walk out with your lunch in hand, all without having to spend a penny.
Manchester’s Portland Street Pret A Manger will be giving out 50 free sandwiches to ‘Nics’ this Saturday, and they’re on a first-come-first-served basis.
Daisy Jackson -
27th June 2024 
