The indulgent five-layer lasagne spot is graduating from its little dark kitchen in Ancoats and expanding from takeaway to full service with not one but TWO new kitchens popping up in town.
Lazy Tony’s will still be keeping its delivery and collection service at Radium Street, but on top of this, fans will now also be able to enjoy owner Danny’s cheesy creations in a sit-down restaurant setting.
Lazy Tony’s isn’t just known for its lasagne – they also do some incredible things with cheese / Image: Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria
Starting from Thursday 29 July, he’ll be taking over the kitchen of Foundation Coffee House in the NQ for a 6 month-long pop-up: offering a greatly expanded menu with new additions like a fresh pasta section, new extras and sides, and a dedicated mac and cheese section (which we’ve seen and are already drooling over).
Yes, you should be very excited – there are four different types of mac and cheese going onto the menu here, including an incredible-sounding 280-day dry-aged, roasted and pulled beef short rib mac and cheese with sage mustard and a special new three cheese blend.
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Currently, Lazy Tony’s mac and cheese is made using taleggio, but going forward they’ll be introducing a new three-cheese blend / Image: Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria
Danny will also be serving up his incredibly popular lasagnas, of course, as well as his much-loved brick-cheese mozzarella sticks, fried chicken, and super-boozy tiramisu puddings.
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Made entirely from scratch, the giant lasagnas here are completely stacked with homemade pasta, bechamel and ragu. They’re so big, in fact, they take an average of 10 hours to cool down after leaving the oven.
There will be both classic meat and vegan options available, alongside a range of different specials like chicken alfredo and beef short rib, with the Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria menu available at Foundation from 5 to 10 pm, Wednesday to Sunday.
And that’s not all. As well as a new sit-down home in Northern Quarter, Lazy Tony’s is also opening a new pop-up restaurant behind its Radium Street kitchen on Saturdays in partnership with a local rum brand they share the building with.
The new pop-up dining space behind Lazy Tony’s dark kitchen on Radium Street is open every Saturday / Image: Witch Kings Rum
Joining up with Witch Kings Rum, they’ll be hosting intimate dinners in the red-bricked courtyard with room for up to around 30 people at any time.
The covered outdoor space – formerly a loading bay for the shared mill – has been fitted out as a quirky little pop-up restaurant, using upcycled and sustainable found materials.
Dinner here is set to be more experiential, featuring live music from local artists.
The new pop-up kitchen will also host boozy brunch events in partnership with The Flat Baker and Herbies Homemade / Image: Witch Kings Rum
Taking place on Saturday nights only between 5pm and 10 pm, you’ll be able to get your hands on all of Lazy Tony’s top lasagne dishes here as well as sipping on some craft cocktails using rum made so locally that the distillery is literally just on the other side of the wall.
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Witch Kings Rum is also bringing boozy Brazilian jazzy brunches to the intimate new space in collaboration with local independents The Flat Baker and Herbies Homemade.
Tickets for entry cost £5 and include a free cocktail on arrival – with lasagnas purchased separately.
To find out more about the Radium Street kitchen, click here.
Manchester’s Cat Cafe issues lengthy response to anti-industry statement
Danny Jones
Manchester’s soon-to-return Cat Cafe has shared a lengthy statement responding to the recent suggestion made by leading animal charities that their particular line of business should become a thing of the past.
Cat Cafe Manchester (CCM) closed its city centre premises back in January 2021 like so many others suffering from the post-pandemic struggle, but there are still several other feline-focused coffee shops and similar set-ups located up and down the country.
With that in mind and after the Manchester location announced a comeback later this year – in a prime location on Deansgate, no less – the discussion surrounding the niche industry has turned to issues regarding animal rights, welfare and overall quality of life.
However, rather than simply firing back at the likes of the RSPCA and Cats Protection over their concerns and belief that these venues should be “phased out”, the company has come out to agree with their overarching point whilst still assuring that their sites “are different”.
As you can see in an extensive reply, the brand begins by writing: “We are in strong agreement that there needs to be more regulation in the industry, as we believe many cafes are operating in manners that are harmful to cats.”
They detail how they don’t support ventures that operate by simply piggybacking on vital animal rescue procedures, citing that around 90% of the UK’s cat cafes simply ship prospective pets in and out, creating a stressful environment for its furry residents.
In contrast, Cat Cafe MCR go on to insist that “cats in our cafes are pedigree, as they are best suited to an indoor-only environment [as opposed to rescues who often benefit from outdoor time], and they are bred for temperament, meaning our cats need a lot of attention from people, and also enjoy the company of other cats.
“Our cafes have windows for natural light and there is plenty of space off the cafe floor for cats to get away from customers. They are provided with enough resources spread out throughout a very large building to reduce any competitive behaviour. Our cats are never ever kept in cages – as is the case in some Cat Cafes.”
CCM also explained how the behaviour of their in-house cats is analysed weekly, adding that “if we feel any cat in our cafe is not happy and is showing signs of stress, we would immediately remove them from the environment.”
Besides the obvious soothing quality of the experience for regular customers, cafes like theirs and the canine equivalent CuppaPug in Salford are extremely helpful in providing animal-assisted therapy for people struggling with mental health conditions and those categorised as neurodiverse.
Cat Cafe drew their response to a close by inviting both of the charities in question to work with them in creating new guidelines and strict rules when it comes to animal welfare in these spaces.
They concluded by declaring that not only are they “incredibly difficult to run responsibly” when done properly but that “Cat Cafes are not all the same, and they should not be opened without serious thought and consideration for the cats’ welfare.”
We are still unclear as to when exactly Cat Cafe Manchester will reopen but all we know is that the team will be as dedicated to providing an enjoyable experience for both the animals and visitors when it does.
Sir Gareth Southgate says young men ‘need better role models’ – and more of them
Danny Jones
Ex-footballer and England manager Sir Gareth Southgate has called on contemporary society to do better when it comes to young men, insisting that boys today need real role models.
In fact, not to put words in his mouth, but he isn’t just calling out for more of them; more precisely, he believes they need better ones than some of the figures who have found a following in recent years.
Speaking in one of his first public addresses since being knighted in the 2025 New Year’s Honours list and one of a scarce few since stepping down as the Three Lions boss, Southgate gave a lengthy speech as part of the BBC’s annual ‘Richard Dimbleby Lecture’.
The former Crystal Palace, Middlesborough and Aston Villa defender touched on a number of topics in his discussion, including the troubling rise of “callous, manipulative and toxic influencers, whose sole drive is for their own gain” and are finding increasing popularity on social media.
Southgate has strong opinions on the current archetype of ‘role models’ that young men are gravitating towards.
Southgate went on to express the crucial nature of “identity, connection and culture” in contemporary society, insisting that current values are drifting off course.
He went on to state that because of the swirling questions surrounding masculinity, “young men end up withdrawing, reluctant to talk or express their emotions […] They spend more time online searching for direction and are falling into unhealthy alternatives like gaming, gambling and pornography.”
Southgate also believes that “if we make life too easy for young boys now, we will inevitably make life harder when they grow up to be young men”, arguing that we are at risk of creating a culture where they fear failure so much that “they fail to try, rather than try and fail.”
Drawing from his own experience as a player and his famous penalty miss in Euro ’96, as well as his multiple attempts at winning a major tournament as the national team coach, he reflected on how these experiences made him who he is today – experiences he navigated through thanks to role models.
Put more simply, he suggested that we need to return focus to the importance of teachers, sports coaches, youth groups and ‘proper’/traditional role models, rather than simply allowing the next generation of young men to resort to poor examples online.
"We have to show young men that character is more important than status."
Gareth Southgate demands leaders step up to become positive role models for 'isolated' young men. pic.twitter.com/FMlnqjppQi
The timing of Southgate’s speech hasn’t been lost on large swathes of the British public, in particular, in light of the hit Netflix drama, Adolescence.
Revolving around the story of a young boy accused of a violent crime towards a young girl, the four-part series touches on incel culture, the growing ‘manosphere’ digital community, controversial figures like Andrew Tate and more.
You can listen to Southgate’s lecture on young men and the importance of role models in full HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
22nd July 2021 
