As Manchester’s indoor hospitality scene cautiously begins returning to some semblance of normality, new opening announcements seem to be absolutely everywhere.
These would usually be more staggered, but it seems a glut of operators were holding back for the long-promised “freedom day” of June 21st.
Amongst these, we count a smart new aperitivo and spritz bar, the arrival of Brighton-born vegan pizzeria Purezza in the Northern Quarter, a second NQ64 on Peter street and a new independent Piccadilly station stop-off called The Coffee Hive.
We also see the return of some solid favourites this week, including American Pies Chicago-style deep dish pizza and underground NQ vegan restaurant Black Leaf, which is back with an all-new menu.
Elsewhere, outdoor dining is still very much a thing. The Refuge is currently in the midst of hosting a huge street food takeover with some of Manchester’s biggest lockdown success stories – and this weekend sees two of our favourites, Batard and Badabing, take the reigns.
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Read more about that (and our other top picks for the week) below.
NWR are advocates of the ramen community, championing collaboration and shared knowledge as key to growing ramen in the UK / Image: New Wave Ramen
Wales’ ‘only proper slurp spot’ NWR kitchen takeover at Mackie Mayor
Matsudai ramen have garnered huge praise from the likes of national papers the Guardian and Observer, now it’s been announced they’re taking over the New Wave Ramen kitchen at Mackie Mayor for two days. Technically it’s next week, but tickets have just gone live and are selling fast so we thought we’d give you a heads up. The event is part of a series that’ll bring some of the UK’s best ramen to Manchester for the very first time.
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Confirm your bowl for a deposit of just £10 and check out the other upcoming events here.
A “Jewish grandma-style” wine-paired supper club, held in a cabin on stilts
Think “Friday night dinner” roast chicken with blackened lemons, whole-roasted garlic and sweet potato kugel, freshly-baked challah and borscht, followed by chocolate and chilli babka, then try and tell us you’re not hungry. Hosted by KAMPUS newcomer and bagel bakery-come-florist Breadflower, this one-off supper club takes place this Thursday 24th June with wine pairing from Ancoats’ Le Social Wine.
Held in the KAMPUS bungalow, tickets start from £40. Grab yours here.
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The Manchester Tart cannoli at Batard, created as a special for Father’s Day weekend / Image: Batard
The indie Manchester bakehouse serving amazing cheesecake-filled brioche pastries
There’s a lot of baking competition in Manchester, but indie startup Batard is rising fast through the ranks. Founder Lewis Loughman previously helped set up indulgent Manchester cookie house Gooey, now he counts the likes of Edinburgh Castle, Takk and General Stores amongst his wholesale clients. Popping up at The Refuge this weekend, his kolace, best described as what happens when “cheesecake meets brioche danish”, are a must-try – as are the cream-filled cannolis and sfogliatelle.
Catch Batard at The Refuge terrace this weekend, 25th-27th from 12-5pm.
The new addition to Sicilian NQ’s warm brioche sandwiches, the Nutella brioche Siciliana col tuppo / Image: @nqmanchester
Warm Sicilian brioche sandwiches on a Northern Quarter backstreet
What began as a Sicilian pop-up in an English butty shop found itself a new home at the other end of the Northern Quarter last year. The warm ice cream-stuffed brioche rolls here are a summer sensation – and now there’s a new addition on the menu. Think the same fluffy, house-baked brioche, this time slathered in sweet hazelnut chocolate spread and/or pistachio sauce and crunchy nut crumb. Just pull up on the street and order from the kiosk to take away.
Find Silician NQ on 14 Turner Street, between Thomas Street/ High Street.
At Haunt MCR, bi-fold doors open up onto Peter Street to let the golden hour sunshine seep through / Image: @Haunt.MCR
The smart new Italian-inspired aperitivo bar inside a former Cafe Nero
Opened by two businessmen with no obvious hospitality background, we’re not mad on Haunt MCR’s name but the offering has caught our eye. Inspired by the Italian tradition of aperitivo (think British happy hour, but more refined), there is a big selection of Italian wines and spritzes here plus other classic aperitivo drinks like the negroni and its American counterpart: the boulevardier. Stuzzichini (finger food) is served from morning to night, though it’s not clear if owners plan to send out complementary plates between 5 and 7 – as is customary abroad.
Find Haunt MCR at 58 Peter Street.
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‘Danger to life’ amber wind warning issued for Greater Manchester as Storm Éowyn arrives
Emily Sergeant
Storm Éowyn is expected to bring very strong winds and widespread disruption to Greater Manchester later this week.
In case you hadn’t heard, the Met Office named Storm Éowyn yesterday, and confirmed that it will begin to influence the UK’s weather from early on Friday – with strengthening winds initially expected in the south west first, accompanying heavy rainfall, before it quickly spreads to the north and the rest of the UK as the morning progresses.
An amber warning for wind has been issued for large parts of the UK, including the majority of Greater Manchester, for most of the day on Friday.
#StormÉowyn has been named and is forecast to bring strong winds to much of the UK on Friday and into Saturday.
Coming into effect from 6am this Friday (24 January), the weather warning his means that power cuts are likely to occur, transport services will be affected with delays and cancellations, and there is a chance that buildings could be damaged.
Worse than that though, there’s even a ‘danger to life’ too, with potential injuries occurring from flying debris.
Speaking ahead of Storm Éowyn’s arrival in a couple of days time, Mike Silverstone, who is the Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Storm Éowyn will bring a period of very unsettled, potentially disruptive, weather to the UK through Friday and into Saturday.
Warnings for strong winds, heavy rain and snow are in place across many parts of the UK during Thursday, Friday and into the weekend ⚠️
“The strongest gusts are likely to be felt across parts of Northern Ireland, northern England, northwestern Wales and western Scotland, where exposed sites could get gusts in excess of 80mph, which has the potential to cause impacts for those in these areas.
“There will also be some heavy rain, bringing some unpleasant conditions to end the week.”
The initial warning for Storm Éowyn has been issued several days in advance, so it’s important to stay up to date with the forecast on the Met Office website here in the coming days.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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The 2025/26 Premiership Women’s Rugby season has been delayed
Danny Jones
The next Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) season has been officially delayed by nearly three weeks.
Announced on Tuesday, 21 January, the decision has been taken in an effort to help promote the Women’s Rugby World Cup (WRWC), the proximity of which is rather close to the national union championship competition.
With sporting bodies also trying to nurture a growing interest in female rugby, the start of the next PWR season will be pushed back not only to give players more time to rest but in an effort to drive a larger audience to the WRWC as well, the final of which is being played here in England.
The hope is that it will also better the Red Roses’ chances of winning the international tournament in turn – fingers firmly crossed.
Get excited 🤩
The PWR 2025-26 Season will officially kick off on Saturday 25th October PLUS the PWR Cup will return 🙌
The conclusion of the international tournament is taking place at Twickenham Stadium in London on 27 September, just days before the 2025/26 Premiership season was due to start.
Local side Sale Sharks are sadly at the bottom of the table this current campaign, which kicked off on 5 October 2024 and ends this March, but with eyes already on the WRWC the focus for lots of players in the division will no doubt already be shifting.
Not only is the domestic women’s rugby season being delayed by nearly three whole weeks – meaning the first games won’t happen until 25 October – but this comes after the current schedule of fixtures was also reduced with player recovery in mind ahead of the World Cup.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the PWR’s operations manager, Amy Walmsley, said: “The Rugby World Cup is a generational moment for women’s rugby and will create a huge opportunity for both PWR and our clubs to grow and celebrate with their fans.
“The optimum time between the Rugby World Cup Final and our first league match will ensure we capitalise on what we already know will be the biggest and best World Cup ever, while also ensuring player welfare with adequate rest across the season.”
The stats back it up too as 2024 saw numerous milestones for the women’s game; in addition to record crowds at the Olympics, last year’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations was the most viewed on record with 8.1 million fans tuning in, not to mention an increased interest among 18-24-year-olds.
You can find the run-down of the Sale Sharks Women fixtures below:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗜𝗻
All of our fixtures for the 24/25 season are locked in. Let's bring that Northern roar to every game #SharksFamily 🦈
As for the final of the Premiership Women’s Rugby, the date has been reverted to its usual window in June, which should also fit within what congestion remains.
Nevertheless, with the Women’s Six Nations in late April and England – who have won all but one of their last 51 games – set to begin their World Cup on 22 August, the margins are still going to be somewhat fine if they are to head into the tournament in the best shape possible.
With the tickets selling extremely well, the expectation is that the Rugby World Cup final break is set to break the world record for the best-attended women’s rugby fixture in history.
In the meantime, Greater Manchester is gearing up for the men’s action as the Six Nations gets underway at the end of this month and the city is boasting the perfect place to watch it.
Georgina Pellant -
21st June 2021 
