A huge new restaurant has just opened up in Spinningfields, taking over the former Artisan and Manchester House sites.
Called Sakku Samba, it will fuse Brazilian and Japanese cuisine together in a swanky all-you-can-eat setting – complete with fistfuls of pink sakura trees, floral walls, neon lighting, and plenty of selfie traps, not least a room filled solely with giant lightbulbs.
Split across two floors, the new space includes a ground-floor caipirinha bar and a first-floor restaurant and bar with room for 400 covers, as well as two plush private dining rooms.
Elsewhere, there is a second restaurant for VIPs only with its very own access and private VIP corridor – something that is sure to appeal to the city’s glitterati crowd.
Image: The Manc Eats
Brought to the city by restauranteur Zack Isaak, the new arrival borrows from two popular concepts already well-established across the Pennines and promises a glitzy cocktail menu alongside a range of sushi platters, prime Brazilian steak cuts and small plates.
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The new dining concept will see guests order fresh sushi and traditional Brazilian meats in unlimited quantities via digital tablets on each table, meaning they will have access to over 150 varied dishes at the simple click of a button.
From Brazilian picanha and pork belly to Japanese hosomaki and fresh sashimi, the extensive menu at Sakku Samba celebrates a fusion of two distinct cultures.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Though this is restaurant owner Zack Isaak’s first Manchester-based endeavour, his other restaurants SAKKU and Estabulo have proven to be extremely popular with sites all across England.
Speaking on the new concept, Zack Isaak said: “Sakku Samba is all about creating an incredible dining experience. From the moment guests walk through the doors, to the minute they leave they’ll be blown away by our stunning decor, unique cocktails, beautiful menu and high end service.
“We wanted to come to Manchester with a bang, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do at our launch tomorrow evening. SakkuSamba is set to become the go-to place to dine here in Manchester.”
Sakku Samba’s arrival in the business district comes at a time of change for the area, which has been dominated by current and past Living Ventures businesses like Australasia, Manchester House, The Alchemist, and The Living Room almost since its inception.
This year will see more out-of-town concepts follow in its wake, with the planned arrival of brands like Sexy Fish in the former Armani unit, Giggling Squid in the former Carluccio’s site, Soho House at nearby Granada Studios and Mnky Hse at nearby Lloyd Street.
The restaurant will open its doors to walk ins on Wednesday 27 July following a swanky VIP launch party on Tuesday. Bookings can be made online now from 1 August onwards by visiting their website, www.sakkusamba.co.uk.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
A huge new restaurant has opened up in Spinningfields, returning a touch of glamour to a part of the district that has lain empty and forgotten for years.
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Taking over the former Artisan and Manchester House sites, once a mecca for Manchester’s glitterati, it
Called Sakku Samba, the glamorous new behemoth combines two popular existing concepts, Brazilian steakhouse Estabulo and sushi restaurant Sakku, to fuse Brazilian and Japanese cuisine together in a swanky all-you-can-eat setting.
Complete with fistfuls of pink sakura, neon lighting, and its very own VIP restaurant with separate access and corridors, this huge block of real estate has become a place for the city’s glitterati to gather once more.
The new restaurant and bar will launch
its Instagram-friendly brand of dining to Manchester – complete with a special VIP dining area and corridor.
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Taking over the former Artisan and Manchester House sites to form a glamorous all-you-can-eat behemoth, newcomer Sakku Samba fuses together Brazilian and Japanese cuisine under one roof.
Launched by restauranteur Zack Isaak, the new site combines two popular existing concepts, Brazilian steakhouse Estabulo and sushi restaurant Sakku, to offer Manchester something it hasn’t seen before – limitless dining in a VIP setting.
Inside, there are two bars, two private dining rooms, two restaurants (one for VIPs only) and a special private corridor for
the concepts of Estabulo Rodizio, an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse with a number of popular sites in Yorkshire, and Leeds’ all-you-can-eat sushi and Japanese grill venue, Sakku.
Split across two floors, ground-floor caiprinha bar and a first-floor restaurant with room for 400 covers.
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Beyond that, you’ll find a VIP dining room and two extra private dining rooms, an ‘Instagram trap’ selfie room lit with hundreds of kilowat bulbs, lemanc2020
At 400 cacpacity, it’s absolutely huge – with two private dining rooms, a private VIP corridor and restaurant as well as
News
Government sets out multi-million-pound plan to move UK away from animal testing in science
Emily Sergeant
A £22m push to ramp up the UK’s move away from animal testing in science is set to bring together cutting-edge tech and research.
The latest figures show there were 2.54 million animal testing procedures in Great Britain in 2025, which is down 3.8% on 2024, but with a further update due to be released later this year, the Government is now moving to ‘capitalise’ on that momentum with funding to shift the nation onto alternative testing options.
A dedicated national research hub and nine new high-tech projects are planned to develop ‘better ways’ to test medicines on human biology rather than animals.
According to the Government, this means treatments for conditions like cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) could be developed ‘faster’ and ‘more precisely’ to not only help patients but crucially also move science away from traditional animal testing.
At the heart of the plans is a new Pre-clinical Translational Models Hub – based in Cambridge and backed by £20 million in Government funding, which will work to build and share models of human tissue, grown from NHS patients, to test new treatments.
The new hub will accelerate the development of testing on ‘organoids’ – tiny, simplified versions of a human gut, tumour or brain, using cells donated by patients.
From beating heart cells in a dish to AI that can predict how drugs move through the body, exciting alternatives to animal testing are transforming medical research.
We're investing £22m to help scientists develop the next generation of life-saving treatments. pic.twitter.com/1EWRQvwySa
— Dept. for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (@biztradegovuk) August 12, 2026
Because these ‘organoids’ retain crucial features of a patient’s own biology, they will help researchers learn how a real person may respond to a drug and provide additional insights that can complement information that is currently obtained from animals.
Scientists will then be able to use these cutting-edge techniques in their own labs to work out which medicines are worth pursuing.
Overall, it’s hoped that the move will slash the time it takes to get ‘potentially life-changing’ treatments to market.
Alongside the funding for the new Hub, nine cutting-edge projects aimed at identifying new methods of animal-free scientific testing – from beating heart cells in a dish, to lab-grown human ear models, and AI that predicts how medicines move through the body – are being funded.
Sadly, many of these still rely on testing on dogs and monkeys, as it stands.
“This marks another significant step forward in the UK’s move away from animal testing in science and research,” commented Science Minister Chris McDonald.
“This is all about backing our world-leading researchers and innovators to improve lives, giving them the tools they need to deliver more effective treatments for horrendous diseases like cancer, while also preventing the need for animal testing wherever possible.
“It’s also a boost for our life sciences sector, fuelling opportunities for new investment and new jobs, and ensuring Britain is better off.”
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
25th July 2022 
