A new bar-come-shop has opened next door to Terrace in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Serving up wines and beers by the glass, as well as offering them to take away and enjoy at home, new venture Ad Hoc is part-bar, part-shop – and we’re already very taken with it.
Soon to become the NQ’s go-to spot to grab some quality bevs and good times, it initially opened earlier this year – but has kept things pretty low-key up until now, only serving those in the know.
“We want everyone to enjoy the best wines possible at affordable prices, whilst making the most of our window bar top and stools along with just a fiver corkage in the shop.” said Miles / Credit: Ad Hoc
Located on Edge Street, the shop boasts a vast selection of bottles from all corners of the globe, with stacked shelves filled with beers and ciders from brewers far and wide, as well as a selection of spirits covering everything from weekend essentials to rare bottles you didn’t know you needed.
Run by Miles Burke and Charlie Heyes, Ad Hoc is a store of abundance, created from a passion for the good stuff, with truly something for everyone.
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If you aren’t sure what you’re after, Miles and Charlie can advise you based on your likes, dislikes, and will likely encourage you to try something new based on their advanced knowledge of the selection at hand.
If you aren’t sure what you’re after, Miles and Charlie can advise you – the pair have some extensive product knowledge between them / Credit: Ad Hoc
Their ‘house’ bottle, La Ficelle Union Des Vignerons Saint-Pourcain, priced at £12.90 is a real people-pleasing blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir. Delicious served slightly chilled, it can be taken home or drank sat down inside or out with a £5 corkage – and is recommended to be enjoyed alongside Ad Hoc’s selection of magnificent Torres crisps.
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Speaking on the new opening, Miles said: “We offer a vast selection of hand-picked wines, beers, and spirits (all tried and tested) so that there’s truly something for everyone.
“We want everyone to enjoy the best wines possible at affordable prices, whilst making the most of our window bar top and stools along with just a fiver corkage in the shop.”
Bottles range from £10 to £100 and are all handpicked from independent wineries with an organic and biodynamic focus / Credit: Ad Hoc
Bottles range from £10 to £100 and are all handpicked from independent wineries with an organic and biodynamic focus.
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On the shelves, you’ll find a selection of people-pleasing pinots and easy sipping cans, as well as some more elusive bottles which are sure to pique the interest of wine, beer and spirit connosieurs.
Ad Hoc also offers a selection of low ABV / non alcoholic beers.
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
24-hour bus services are now running across all Greater Manchester boroughs
Emily Sergeant
24-hour bus services are now running across all boroughs in Greater Manchester.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy… and now it’s official, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched those 24-hour buses this month, along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford now join the rest of Greater Manchester in having 24-hour bus services, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that these new services will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
The routes which will run around the clock from Thursday until Sunday are:
50 (Salford – Manchester)
216 (Tameside – Manchester)
263 (Trafford – Manchester)
192 (Stockport – Manchester)
83 (Oldham – Manchester)
All Greater Manchester boroughs now have 24-hour bus services / Credit: TfGM
They launch alongside the most significant service changes to the Bee Network since the completion of bus franchising last year – including other new bus routes, and more frequent services across Greater Manchester.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy everything Greater Manchester offers, without the worry of how to get there and get home,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“By growing the Bee Network, we’re making it easier than ever for people to use the bus, day and night.
“Our night buses are already providing a lifeline to some of the hundreds of thousands of people who are growing our night-time economy and working in essential public services.”
“Whether people are heading home from a night at the theatre or starting the early shift at a hospital, they can now get on board the night bus as a safe and affordable way to travel.”
Further improvements will delivered from January 2027, and a full breakdown by borough can be found on the Bee Network website here.
Georgina Pellant -
22nd October 2021 
