Manchester’s bars, restaurants and hardworking hospitality staff have been celebrated at the Manchester Bar Awards.
Now in its fifth year, the Manchester Bar Awards took place last night, Tuesday 14 March, in a high spirited ceremony at industry favourite Bunny Jackson’s.
Following on from a jam-packed first day back at the Northern Restaurant and Bar Show, the creme de la creme of Manchester’s bartending scene flocked across to the First Street dive bar for a night full of Hooch, tequila and well-deserved accolades.
Put together by a group of Manchester bartenders and hospitality professionals, the awards were organised by the admins of a local Facebook group and first began in 2018 to champion local people working in the industry.
Winners were decided by a public vote from within the Manchester bar community, which is some 17,000 members strong.
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Every year the awards pick out the very best operators in the city – with 2023’s categories championing the city’s best new bars, speciality venues and restaurants.
Further categories paid homage to professionals within the industry, with awards given to the best bar backs, front-of-house staff, and rising stars.
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Big winners included underground cocktail bar Project Halcyon which took home the award for best new bar, Mulligan’s of Deansgate, which won the speciality venue award for its incredible pints of Guinness, and modern Chinese takeaway Salt & Pepper, taking home the award for best restaurant/food concept.
See the full list of winners from last night’s awards ceremony below.
Manchester Bar Awards 2023 winners
Best New Bar sponsored by Ford’s Gin
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Winner: Project Halcyon
Shortlisted: Blinker, Sterling, Exhibition, New Century, Project Halcyon
Best Restaurant / Food Concept sponsored by Tito’s Vodka
Winner: Salt & Pepper
Shortlisted: Salt & Pepper, Sparrows, Kong’s, Climat, Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria
People’s Choice Bar of the Year sponsored by Jameson Irish Whiskey
Winner: Schofield’s
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Shortlisted: Blinker, Sterling, Exhibition, New Century, Project Halcyon
Bartender of the Year sponsored by Angel’s Envy Bourbon
Winner: Conor Knowles, Schofield’s
Shortlisted: Jonathan Moncur – Speak in Code, Deana Ferguson – Hawksmoor/Redlight, Adam Montanaro-Taylor – Project Halcyon, Dionysios ‘Dio’ Tzorouchof – Cane & Grain, Conor Knowles – Schofield’s
Outstanding Achievement sponsored by Jagermeister Cold Brew
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Winner: The Schofield Brothers
Shortlisted: Abi Dunn – 68 People, The Schofields – Schofields, Sterling, Stock Market Grill, Atomeca, Nathan Larkin – Speak in Code, Dan Berger – Blinker Bar, Paddy & the Team at So Let’s Talk
Front of House Hero sponsored by Cazcabel
Winner: Alex Proudfoot – Wolf at the Door
Shortlisted: Alex Proudfoot – Wolf at the Door, Paola Mariotti – Sterling, Hannah Wingfield – Ramona, Taylor Martin – Tariff & Dale, Oliver Hughes – Ramona
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Manchester’s Rising Star sponsored by Old J
Winner: Reah Owen, Project Halcyon
Shortlisted: Reah Owen – Project Halcyon, Caitlyn Grocott – Blind Tyger, Eddie Smyth – Tariff, Joe Kereszteny-Lewis – 10 Tib Lane, Ben Topham-Taylor – Blind Tyger
Bar Back of the Year sponsored by Belle de Brillet
Police issue urgent warning following a rise in scam calls across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The public is being urged to ‘remain vigilant’ following a rise of scam calls across Greater Manchester.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says it has been made aware that scammers, who are impersonating police officers, are contacting people trying to convince them to hand over personal and sensitive information linked to their ownership of cryptocurrency.
From the numerous reports that GMP has received, one common method the offenders appear to be using is claiming that a suspect has been arrested and was found to be in possession of the victim’s personal documents – such as their passport, driving licence, or banking details.
On several occasions, fraudsters asked victims about their cryptocurrency accounts – specifically looking for their IDs, recovery phrases, and security codes.
GMP is urging the public to know that the police would never ask you to share this information or move your accounts.
The police have issued an urgent warning following a rise in scam calls across Greater Manchester / Credit: Rawpixel | Nordwood Themes (via Unsplash)
“These calls can appear convincing and are being made through spoofed GMP phone numbers but we are urging the public to remain vigilant, especially when providing sensitive information via phone calls,’ GMP said in a statement this week.
GMP is asking that the public ‘be wary’ of unsolicited calls, emails or messages relating to cryptocurrency investments or accounts, and that they never share passwords, recovery phrases, or security codes with anyone, as well as refusing to transfer any money or cryptocurrency to accounts suggested by a caller.
DS Reed, from GMP’s Cyber Crime Team, said these calls are ‘incredibly sophisticated’, and those responsible are targeting ‘vulnerable communities’
“We take offences of this nature incredibly seriously, and our Cyber Crime Team are working around the clock to understand how these offences have occurred, and how to prevent it from continuing,” DS Reed concluded.
Featured Image – Priscilla Du Preez (via Unsplash)
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Jewish leaders call for cancellation of huge Fontaines D.C. gigs in Heaton Park
Daisy Jackson
Jewish leaders have expressed ‘profound concerns’ regarding the two enormous Fontaines D.C. gigs taking place in Heaton Park next summer.
The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region has called for the shows to cancelled.
They said that ‘the safety of our community must be paramount’.
Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. have been outspoken at their concerts in the past in their support for Palestine, displaying ‘Free Palestine’ messaging on huge screens across the globe.
Now, the JRC has publicly expressed concerns about ‘the potential consequences of inflammatory rhetoric from the band’.
They added: “At a time of heightened antisemitism, the comments and chants associated with the band risks importing tensions from the Middle East into the UK, with Jewish people here becoming the targets.”
Fontaines D.C. are set to play two massive shows at Heaton Park next summer, on 3 and 4 July.
Manchester City Council has stressed that they will be working closely with members of the Jewish Representative Council as event management plans are developed, and added that ‘partners from the Council, emergency services including Greater Manchester Police (GMP), and event organisers, will comprehensively review the plans in place ahead the concerts’.
In a statement, the JRC said: “The JRC has registered our profound concerns with Manchester Council regarding Fontaines D.C.’s forthcoming concert at Heaton Park and has called for it to be cancelled.
“Despite our representations, it appears the concert will be going ahead. We expect and will be working with the council to ensure robust and adequate safeguards are in place to protect the Jewish community.
“We have no objection to Heaton Park hosting concerts.
“Our concerns are not about legitimate political expression but the potential consequences of inflammatory rhetoric from the band.
“At a time of heightened antisemitism, the comments and chants associated with the band risks importing tensions from the Middle East into the UK, with Jewish people here becoming the targets. The safety of our community must be paramount.”
A Manchester council spokesperson said: “We understand the very real concerns that members of our Jewish community have in the wake of the horrific antisemitic terrorist attack at Heaton Park Synagogue last year and a wider rise in antisemitism. Our thoughts remain not just with those who lost their lives and their loved ones but with the whole Jewish community.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with them in saying there is no place for antisemitism or discrimination of any form in Manchester and continue to work with the police, communities and other partners to provide reassurance and support.
“On the specific concerns expressed by some members of the Jewish community in relation to the two Heaton Park concerts in summer 2027, addressing these concerns will be front and centre in preparations for these events. We have met recently with members of the Jewish Representative Council and will continue to work closely with them as we develop event management plans.
“Partners from the Council, emergency services including Greater Manchester Police (GMP), and event organisers, will comprehensively review the plans in place ahead the concerts. This is standard practice for all major events in the city and is there to ensure events take place safely and successfully.
“In advance of the concerts, as with any other large-scale events, a thorough risk assessment of every aspect of the event will be carried out, focused on ensuring the safety and security of the event, its attendees and the wider community.
“The organisers, City Council and GMP will put in place suitable and proportionate mitigations and assurances to make sure that the concerts are delivered in full compliance with the licensing conditions. Organisers would also be happy to meet with concerned parties to help address any concerns. They are clear that discrimination or intimidation, including antisemitism, have no place at their events.”
Georgina Pellant -
14th March 2023 
