The nights are longer, the clocks have gone back, and spring has begun to sprung here in Greater Manchester.
With the turn of the season, it seems, comes a host of new openings in the city centre and beyond.
From bespoke butty shops to new delis and tasting rooms, to boozy coffee bars in a secret garden and pop-ups across town, there are loads of great new eateries to get stuck into this April.
Keep reading to find out where to put on your list this month.
The Vurger Co.
Image: The Vurger Co.
Popular London-born vegan fast food joint The Vurger Co is opening its first restaurant in the north this month, right here in Manchester.
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Diners can expect indulgent plant-based burgers, alongside sides like crispy dippers, vegan mac ‘n’ cheese and vegan shakes in flavours like Biscoff, strawberry, salted caramel popcorn and banoffee.
So strong is the commitment to the vegan ethos here, all its packaging is made from plants and is fully compostable with a customer guarantee that nothing you buy will end up in landfill.
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With room for 50 covers inside, the new vegan restaurant will open seven days a week with walk-in bookings only from 30 April 2022.
Unit 2, Transmission House, 11 Tib Street, Manchester. M4 1AE.
House of Habesha
Image: House of Habesha
Having moved away from its Blossom Street Social pop-up a few months ago, House of Habesha’s delicious Ethiopian and Eritraean curries found a new home serving the crowds at Mala’s secret garden.
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Now it’s planning moving into The Eagle Inn pub in Salford’s kitchen, giving fans the chance to get their mits on their coveted injera bread and flavoursome stews from Thursday 7 April.
19 Collier St, Salford M3 7DW.
Lucky Mamas
Image: Lucky Mamas
From a trailer in their Eccles backgarden to a brand new shopfront in Chorlton, Lucky Mamas is the success story that just keeps on giving.
After a few trials and tribulations, owners Mamadou and Gaby have opened their own restaurant next door to the popular Jasmine, serving up their famous ‘Rasta Pasta’ alongside other Senegalese-inspired pizza and pasta dishes.
565 Barlow Moor Rd, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 8AE.
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Sndwch
Image: Sndwch
Image: Sndwch
First established in 2018, over the past four years, the Sndwch team has progressed from making sandwiches at their kitchen table to opening their own counter over in Media City.
You’ll have likely already seen their wares stocked in the General Stores around the city, now you can also get them straight from the source – made to your bespoke specifications. Known for having a great plant-based range.
Inside Media City General Store, Media City UK, City of Salford.
Lucky Ramen
Image: Supplied
This April Ancoats hotspot Mule launches its delicious new Ramen offering, Lucky Ramen.
Curated by a local chef, the menu will consist of five lovingly crafted ramen bowls made with 8-hour broths, with meat, fish and vegan options served alongside a delicious selection of sides.
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Think crispy karaage chicken, stir-fried soboro pork, char sui and crispy soft shell crab with snow crab sticks, then tell us you’re not craving one of these.
Elsewhere, you’ll find ‘magic mushrooms’ (chargrilled with spicy miso butter, crispy shallots, sesame, truffle and crispy chilli oil), gyoza and tempura crab.
Lucky Ramen will be serving Wednesday to Sunday, 5pm-late alongside Mule’s modern cocktail, classic wine and beer menu.
Lucky Foot
This spring, Escape To Freight Island will welcome a host of new traders, including a new deep-fried and charcoal-grilled chicken offering from Belzan called Lucky Foot.
Think buckets of orange wine and modern cooking using the best chicken – made from scratch in Manchester – and you’ve pretty much got the jist. Also moving in this month will be bakeries Batard and Gooey, as well as new concept Carnival from Hawksmoor co-founder Richard Turner.
Fat Pat’s, the sell-out sandwich specialists who had most of South Manchester queueing up for a taste, has found a new home on Portland Street.
Operating out of a hole in the wall as walk-ups only, fans can now get their hands on a brand new menu featuring the likes of Philly Cheesesteak and Hot Honey Fried Chicken every weekend, from 12pm Thursday-Sunday until sell out.
88 Portland Street, M1 4GX.
Ornella’s Kitchen, Denton
Image: Ornella’s Kitchen
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Parmigiano Reggiano ravioli with saffron sauce. / Image: Ornella’s Kitchen
Previously head chef at Pollen, Ornelia set up her delivery-only kitchen during the first lockdown whilst on maternity leave. Over a year later, she’s just opened her own deli pasta shop and kitchen in Denton.
Cooking seasonally using only the freshest local ingredients, diners can expect to find a range of delightful pasta dishes alongside Italian street food favourites like arancini and parmigiana. Open now.
10 Manchester Rd, Denton, Manchester M34 3LE.
Crunched Tacos
Image: Crunched Tacos
Putting a northern twist on hard shell tacos, Crunched has just opened up inside the shipping container neighbourhood at Pollard Yard in Ancoats.
Think Frazzle-dusted taco shells filled will pulled pork and Strongbow Dark Fruits sauce, cauliflower cheese tacos, chicken nuggets and nachos, and we think you’ll get the jist.
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If you’ve ever heard of TexMex, this is kind of like that – but a lot more Mancunian. MancMex, we guess?
Tacos Pollard Yard, Crunched, 15 Pollard St E, Manchester M40 7QX.
BQ Farm and Fish, Monton
Loch Fyne Beetroot Cured Salmon on Toast. / Image: BQ Farm & Fish
A collaboration between the Butcher’s Quarter and Wandering Palate. Farm and Fish is part Artisan Butcher, part fishmonger, and part tasting room.
The expansive selection of fresh fish here is sourced from sustainable fisheries on the British coast, whilst cheeses, wines and cured meats are sourced internationally. Pop in to pick up some nice bits for dinner and sample a few small plates whilst you’re at it. Winner.
190 Monton Rd, Eccles, Manchester M30 9PY.
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The Donut Whisperer, Northern Quarter
Image: The Donut Whisperer
Image: The Donut Whisperer
This Chester bakery was named the best in the UK for vegan doughnuts last year, now it’s coming to Manchester city centre for a short residency at Home Sweet Home.
For the next 8 weeks from Wednesday, 30 March, the Doughnut Whisperer is popping up in the Northern Quarter with a range of giant, all-vegan bakes. Think giant square Lotus Biscoff and cornflake-loaded bakes smothered in icing and stuffed with all things sweet.
49-51 Edge St, Manchester M4 1HW.
Coffee Rituals at Mala, Northern Quarter
Image: Mala
Image: Mala
Over in the Northern Quarter inside Mala’s secret garden bar is a new boozy coffee bar called Coffee Rituals.
They’re serving up eight different styles of boozy coffee – from a smores-style, marshmallow-topped ‘Campfire Mochas’ to Irish coffees and, everyone’s favourite, the espresso martini.
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Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find a ‘Mala Mud Slide’ (chilled with an ice cream cone and cream) and an iced doughnut-topped espresso martini they’re calling ‘Fancy Clancy’. Open from 12-8pm daily, walk-ins are welcome.
8 Dale St, Manchester M1 1JA.
Carnival street food and bar
Image: Google
A new Caribbean and Latino-inspired pop-up will take over the all-pink £1m Boujee restaurant terrace at Bridge Street, turning its eye-popping frontage from pink to yellow as it moves in for a five-month stint.
Landing on April 14th, it will serve up a range of sunny cocktails like rum-soaked pornstar martinis, sweet caipirinhas, glasses of punch and Red Stripe, alongside dishes like spicy Jerk chicken and loaded nachos.
It will be open every weekend from Thursday to Sunday, from 4pm on weekdays and 12pm on the weekends.
After four years in the making, this project to transform Levenshulme’s disused South train station into a cafe, bar and garden is finally complete.
Located on the Fallowfield Loop, its been restored by a community group who’ve spent years fundraising to bring their vision to life. Head down to find tea, coffees, craft beers and popular foodie classics as well as a bike repair workshop and full-on events calendar packed with live music and DJs.
975-977 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3NP.
Featured Image – Ornella’s Kitchen / Mala / The Manc Eats
News
Local Stockport school opens library in memory of ‘selfless’ and ‘truly special’ teacher
Danny Jones
A local school in Stockport has opened a brand new library in memory of a former teacher, with the learning space being named after the “life-changing” educator.
The late Danyon Robert Chesters, or simply Dan to colleagues and friends, was a secondary school educator who enjoyed a long teaching stint at Offerton High (OHS), which was formerly the site of two girls’ school and a boys’ secondary which went on to merge in 1972 and was ultimately renamed in 1983.
Since closed over a decade ago, the premises is now home to two educational facilities for students with learning disabilities and complex needs: Castle Hill High and Lisburne School. The latter officially opened last December after being built on the site of OHS’s old Woodbank Building.
Now, in an effort to both connect to the school’s history and honour the man known to so many simply as Mr Chesters, Lisburne School has now opened the new reading and study space in his name.
Credit: Lisburne School (supplied)
Unveiled earlier this month, the Lisburne Special School Library was formally dedicated as ‘The Dan Chesters Library’ on the same plot of land where he taught history for over a decade.
Writing via the ‘Do it For Dan’ charity page set up in the wake of his death and which has raised thousands for mental health causes through regular sports-based fundraisers, his husband and fellow academic, Jeff Evans, was present for a “bright and sunny afternoon” spent remembering him.
Local Liberal Democrats Lisa Smart, MP for Hazel Grove, and Stockport MBC Councillor, Dan Oliver – a previous student of Dan’s – were also in attendance as Lisburne’s Headteacher Sam Benson and several students help cut the ribbon.
Speaking on the opening, Cllr Oliver said: “Dan made such a difference to so many of us, both at school and after we left. Over the last few weeks, I’ve re-read our emails, he was always so supportive and keen to know what was going on in our lives.
“He also came to perform at a fundraising event that we organised, a sign of just how special he was and how committed he was to all of us. This library now stands in honour of Dan Chesters, on the site of the building that he taught in, as a permanent reminder of his commitment to education, his kindness, his selflessness and his brilliant smile. Thank you, Dan.”
He often organised history school trips home and abroad.‘The Dan Chesters Library Wellbeing Wall’
Structured Pathway Lead and Class Teacher, Jess Jones, told The Manc: “Here at Lisburne, we offer a specialist provision for children aged 4-11 years in Stockport. We have recently opened our new school building, providing amazing facilities to meet the diverse needs of all students.
“As part of our opening celebrations, we have created a well-being area in our Library in memory of Dan Chesters, a well-loved teacher who taught at the old Offerton High School. The aim of this space is to provide an area of reflection and emotional regulation.
“This marks the beginning of our project here in school and is something we are hoping to expand. We are looking to work collaboratively to fundraise for appropriate resources to engage and support learning, regulation and wellbeing of the full school community.”
As well as the school welcoming local support, Mr Evans himself is now exploring the latest Do it For Dan fundraising event – of which there have already been many – to help fill the library with books and other resources specifically geared towards its students.
An even bigger character than his brain.A school trip to Germany, where he also taught.Credit: Supplied
The organisation has held everything from annual charity football matches, group hikes and memorial runs in the years since his passing.
While he was an inspiration to countless kids during his days teaching in schools, helping build their self-esteem and world views as young adults, Dan Chesters sadly battled with mental health throughout his life. In 2018, he tragically decided to take his own life.
He was just 44.
Reflecting in a lengthy and emotional post on the first anniversary of his death on 2 July 2019, his partner Jeff said: “I would use this deeply painful occasion to again enlist your help for all those other Dan’s in our community who need our voice.
“Family members, friends and workmates that are suffering today, often alone, similar mental illness that plagued Dan’s life. Please do continue speaking out about mental health and thereby challenging the taboo about this increasingly common illness…
“Please do consider raising with your MP and local NHS Mental Health Trust the consistent underfunding of the NHS Mental Health Services. In doing so, you’re practically honouring Dan’s life and enhancing his legacy by helping others […] he’d love that.”
The impact he had not only on generations of secondary school students but his fellow teaching colleagues, members of the LGBTQ+ community and beyond cannot be overstated.
Fellow ex-pupil, Jake Sheppard – who not only has a PhD in history but now works for Seashell Trust in Cheadle Hulme, an organisation that also provides severe learning disability support – told us: “Every boy’s heart responds to the examples set by greater men. Mr Chesters was that greater man.
“He was the first person to prise open my own heart to the wonder of the past, the strength of responsibility truly great teachers hold, as well as to the potential goodness of humankind.
“I owe my three history degrees to his strength, wisdom, depth, courage, and kindness.”
Another former student of his and a university graduate turned Greater Manchester nurse, Sophie Williams, added: “Dan was a dedicated educator whose passion for teaching and commitment to his students left a mark on the lives of all who had the privilege of learning from him.
Credit: Supplied
“His love for his students and his profession was evident in every lesson he taught and every interaction he had. We loved him.”
“He was known for his patience, empathy, and ability to make learning engaging and meaningful. He always went above and beyond for his students (even after they had left school) to ensure that they felt valued and empowered.
“His classroom was a space where curiosity thrived, and every student was encouraged to reach their full potential.”
“He leaves behind a lasting legacy in the hearts of his students, colleagues, and everyone who knew him. His influence will continue to resonate in the lives of the countless people who were fortunate enough to know him, and his spirit will live on in the stories shared by all.”
Put simply by the Wilkinson family in a tribute along with a donation on his JustGiving page back in 2023, they described him as “a teacher who always went the extra mile.”
A well-travelled man full of wisdom.An musician, an athlete and a charitable spirit.A lifelong City fan and a loving partner.Credit: Do it For Dan (via Facebook)
The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess to host ‘Merch Market’ in aid of bands
Thomas Melia
Tim Burgess, frontman of legendary band The Charlatans, is set to launch a one-off ‘Merch Market’ event, and its core purpose is to support bands.
He might have a ‘Jesus Hairdo’ but he’s currently serving as a good Samaritan as The Charlatans‘ Tim Burgess is putting on an event solely focusing on funding bands via gig merch and other apparel.
Running across a variety of live music locations within Manchester city centre, the day-long event is called ‘Merch Market’, and it’s encouraging music lovers and bands alike to tag along.
Although ticket sales, album sales and streams are critical in funding the careers of all the artists we know and love, one key drive in securing actual revenue in the music industry is merchandise.
Expect to pick up some rare finds and own some limited edition collections.Band merch will be front and centre at this event which is hosted by The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess.Credit: The Hoot/Audio North
‘Merch Market’ is taking place at O2 Ritz as well as adjacent venues Gorilla and Dog Bowl across the road with a special appearance from ‘Tim Peak’s Diner’, the caffeinated brainchild of Tim Burgess.
The whole point of this event is to make sure that bands can receive the full 100% of merch sales without any cuts from any third party.
Fronted by The Charlatans lead singer Tim Burgess, ‘Merch Market’ is building off his 2021 gathering, which had a similar initiative with ‘Vinyl Adventure’ encouraging the sale of physical music and media.
Alongside stocking up your wardrobe with all the latest band t-shirts, hoodies and everything in between, there will be an array of interesting performances and talks happening throughout the day.
Entry to this incredible celebration of bands is completely free of charge and, better still, there are chances to win some seriously cool prizes – including some tasty festival tickets.
Gorilla is one of the live music venues that ‘Merch Market’ is taking place at.The Manc and Antony Szmierek outside O2 RItz, another venue which will be taking part in ‘Merch Market’.Credit: The Manc Group
Expect stalls, live DJ sets, interviews, panels and even a chance to bag yourself VIP tickets for UK festival, Kendal Calling, which Burgess will be returning for 2025.
Burgess is a man of many talents as he will not only be hosting this fantastic initiative, but he will also be hosting a stall of his own and singing a couple of his biggest hits.
Bands don’t have to worry about forking out a fortune for renting a stall either as tables at ‘Merch Market’ are free, the only thing musicians have to bring is their merch and charming personalities.
So whether you’re an artist with leftover stock from your last tour or a music lover who just missed out on snagging a snap back, head down to these three venues on 25 May.
Georgina Pellant -
1st April 2022 
