We’ve officially entered ‘fool’s spring’, that time of year when even the briefest glint of sunshine has us optimistic that brighter days are coming.
Admittedly, of late the Manchester weather has been pretty mardy – but there’s plenty of cheery sunshine to be found on the plates at some of these new restaurant and bar openings.
From a globally-inspired seafood pop-up to foraged small plates, chip-stuffed souvlaki and saucy sandwiches taken from the streets of Naples, Manchester’s operators have been busy.
As a result, we’ve got some cracking new openings to shout about this March.
We’ve rounded up some of the best new restaurants to check out this month. Keep reading to discover where to put on your list next.
ADVERTISEMENT
Pesky
A new pop-up at Deansgate Square, cocktails and fishy small plates are the order of the day at Pesky.
Think seaweed martinis, prawn and cabbage Japanese okonomiyaki pancakes drizzled in Kewpie mayo, and BBQ squid in fragrant north African Chermoula butter.
ADVERTISEMENT
Elsewhere, you’ll find ‘drunken oysters’ served with paired shots and a ‘from land’ section mostly comprised of fresh, plant-based dishes that both cut through the greasiness on the fish side and cater to vegans.
Only here for a month, find it opposite the General Store until 27 March.
Owen St, Manchester M15 4YB
ADVERTISEMENT
Mira (Ancoats General Store)
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Mira’s saucy Neapolitan-inspired street food sandwiches have moved down the road, leaving The Crown and Kettle for Ancoats General Store.
The saucy ‘Cuzzetiello’ sandwiches first became a hit with Mancs during lockdown – stuffed with the likes of giant meatballs, slow-cooked beef brisket stew, or juicy aubergine parmigiana.
The team has added some new breakfast sandwiches to the menu for the move.
Made using homemade vegan brioche (a first for them), opt for a Lincolnshire sausage butty with tomato jam or a ‘vegan bacon hashy’ with added cheese sauce.
Read more: Mira’s saucy Neapolitan sandwiches are coming to Ancoats General Store
ADVERTISEMENT
57 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester M4 5AB
Pong & Puck
Image: Pong and Puck
A new beer pong and shuffleboard bar, Pong & Puck is opening inside the Great Northern Warehouse this month.
Specialising in beer pong, table tennis and shuffleboard, it comes from the team behind Bar Hutte, which brings Alpine-inspired karaoke huts to the city every Christmas.
Filled with neon signs, graffiti and murals, it will be soundtracked by music from the 80s, 90s and 00s.
From the same company that owns Franca Manca, The Real Greek is incredibly popular down south – now it’s making moves on Manchester.
This is the second site to open up here in as many months, meaning shoppers at The Trafford Centre can now get their hands on its trademark chip-stuffed souvlaki wraps and halloumi popcorn.
Elsewhere, diners will find a good selection of Greek wines, hot and cold mezze, homemade baklava and Greek filo custard pies.
ADVERTISEMENT
Unit R8B, The Orient, Trafford Centre, Manchester M17 8EQ
The Post Box Cafe and Shawarma (Chorlton)
Image: Google Maps
Attached to the Post Office on Wilbraham Road in Chorlton, this new shawarma spot has only been open a week but it’s already got tongues wagging.
Served in super fresh samoons, a type of yeast bread popular in Iraw, shawarma filling choices include chicken, lamb or doner – all roasted on huge spits inside.
Meat is marinated long in advance to a secret recipe, then served shredded from the spit with salad, hummus, tzatziki, cabbage and mixed olives (if you so desire).
You can also get all the usual takeaway fare here: burgers, chips, onion rings and pizzas also feature on the menu, but we get the feeling it’s all about the shawarmas, really.
ADVERTISEMENT
543 Wilbraham Rd, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9PP
O’Sheas Irish Beer Garden
Image: Supplied
It was one of the biggest openings of 2021 – and now O’Sheas giant Irish beer garden will return this month, this time with an indoor venue.
Still within staggering distance of Piccadilly station, punters can expect ice-cold Guinness, pornstar and espresso martinis on tap, plus bagels and loaded fries courtesy of Eat New York.
Re-designed and draped in the colours of Ireland, a clear roof above rows of tables will keep revellers dry no matter what the weather.
Another promising new addition to what might just be Manchester’s most overlooked foodie street, Another Hand opens on Deansgate Mews from 3 March.
Cheffed by Max Yorke, formerly of Hispi and Edinburgh Castle, the new opening sees him join up with Julian PIzer and Danny Foggo of Three Hands Deli to bring the project to life.
Serving a daily changing menu of seasonal small plates, the focus here is all on the quality of ingredients – with operators taking huge pride in sourcing from the very best local producers.
With room for just 24-covers, it will offer an intimate atmosphere and a mostly vegetarian menu with some sustainably sourced meat and fish dishes.
Food will be served with natural wine, craft beer, seasonal cocktails and coffee.
ADVERTISEMENT
255 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN
Band on The Wall
Image: Supplied
Band on The Wall reopens from 10 March, following an extensive £3.5 million expansion project that has transformed the 200-year-old venue into a ‘bigger and better’ version of its old self.
Expect a larger ground floor venue space, a new ‘grand and ambient’ bar area and a second newly created bar and restaurant space, which will serve a menu of hot and cold food throughout the day.
The second bar space also includes a stage, perfect for smaller gigs. Elsewhere, a whole floor is now dedicated to BOTW’s learning programme with breakout rooms, a state-of-the-art AV suite and a large group space.
A new Polish bakery that’s just opened up inside Stockport’s market this week, selling locally-made breads, sweets and more.
Sweet tooths will find a large variety of breakfast pastries, all made from scratch every morning.
Everything comes hot out of the oven at 7am, with bread choices ranging from sweet Challa to crusty Italian/
There is also an extensive selection of high-end desserts to discover, so make sure to go hungry.
ADVERTISEMENT
Market Pl, Stockport SK1 1UN
Black Milk NQ
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Manchester’s favourite naughty dessert cafe has reopened following a two-month closure with a new look and a new pancake menu.
Not content with celebrating on just one day, the team is stretching Shrove Tuesday out into the whole week, serving up delightful late-night pancake stacks loaded with the likes of blueberry crumble, maple syrup, Kinderella cream and hot fudge from 12-8pm all weekend.
After that, they’ll be launching a new birthday-themed menu from 7 March to celebrate the cafe’s 7th anniversary with plans to introduce more cakes, cookies, gelato and brownies as the weeks go on.
Amazon to donate surplus essential goods to Greater Manchester families in need
Emily Sergeant
A new charity initiative has been launched this week to help more than 50,000 families in need across Greater Manchester.
The Brick-by-Brick Project has been set up with support from Amazon, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Wigan-based charity The Brick, and it’s setting out to donate more than 400,000 surplus essential goods to over 50,000 families in need throughout the region this year.
With the rising cost of living crisis sadly continuing to make its impact felt nationwide, the Brick-by-Brick Project will work as a community donations hub, where Amazon and other local companies can donate a wide range of surplus products to.
While reducing waste and helping the community at the same time, the donated surplus products will then be distributed out to to people in need through a network of local charity groups and care professionals – including teachers, midwives, and social workers.
Amazon to donate surplus essential goods to Greater Manchester families in need / Credit: Amazon UK
The launch of the initiative comes after it was revealed that, in February 2023, more than 32,500 people in Wigan, and the borough town of Leigh, were claiming Universal Credit, while 29 of the borough’s 200 neighbourhoods also all fall within the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England, which makes up for roughly 15% of Wigan’s total population.
The Wigan project is an extension of the ‘multibank’ model first launched in Fife in Scotland as ‘The Big House’ in 2022, which has now supported 50,000 families in Fife, Edinburgh, and the Lothians.
The Brick-by-Brick Project will bring the knowledge and network of charity, The Brick, together with other local charities, logistics expertise, donations from Amazon, and product donations from other national and local retailers to “provide the right products at the right time”.
Today we are excited to be officially launching our Brick-by-Brick Project – England’s very first multi-bank, offering a range of essential household items to families in need, from bedlinen to towels to kitchen utensils and cleaning products. #BrickByBrick@GordonBrown@AmazonUKpic.twitter.com/sLND8BetYB
Suppliers and partners will provide products that “meet the particular needs of families in the area”.
Some of the essential surplus products set to be distributed include bedding, toiletries, nappies, wipes, clothing, backpacks, home furnishings, lightings, and electrical products.
Speaking on the launch of the project this week, Andy Burnham said: “Last year, Gordon Brown invited me to Fife to see for myself the work he was doing with Amazon and a local charity there to support thousands of families with essential household items.
“The project made a huge difference to people’s lives, and that’s why I was determined to work with Gordon and Amazon to set up a pilot in Greater Manchester, so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to support the partnership with The Brick and I’m blown away by what has been achieved so far.
More than 50,000 families in the region are set to benefit from the new initiative / Credit: Amazon UK
“Families in Wigan are struggling in this cost of living crisis and that is why this project is vital in helping those who need it most.
“During these difficult times, it’s right that the public, private and VCSE sector work together and do what we can to alleviate difficulties, and I congratulate all those involved in this, and look forward to it being rolled out elsewhere across Greater Manchester.”
Amazon’s UK Country Manager John Boumphrey added that the company is looking forward to “providing much-needed support” to families in other communities in Greater Manchester this year.
Qatar and Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to submit ‘world record’ offers to buy Manchester United as other bidders are expected to join the race
Danny Jones
The deadline for the second round of bidders in the race to takeover Manchester United football club has officially passed, with multiple world record offers reportedly on the verge of being submitted.
Following the first round of bids, which saw a Qatar investment group headed up by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe both put in their initial offers, Manchester United set a second deadline of 9pm on 22 March for them to increase their offers and welcome other offers.
While the opening bids matched each other at £4.5 billion, working with financial advisors Raine Group who are brokering in the deal from the US, neither reached the Glazer family ownership’s estimations, who value the club closer to £6bn.
As a result, both went on to carry out further negotiations — each visiting Old Trafford last Friday and staying for upwards of six hours (more than 10 in the case of the Qataris) — but it is now thought they may no longer be the only parties involved in the bidding war. Whether it will be in time is the issue.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos have not submitted their bid for Manchester United before the 9pm deadline pic.twitter.com/XTc0rVKAn2
Kaveh Solhekol trying to clear up the confusion over Qatar and Jim Ratcliffe’s United bids.
Despite earlier reports that Sheikh Jassim and his associates had submitted a “world record offer” before the Glazers and Raine Group’s 9pm deadline (5pm New York time), Sky Sports‘ Kaveh Solhekol has now clarified that the bid was not submitted in time and that they have asked for an extension.
Man United are said to have agreed to the extension and Sheikh Jassim still remains confident that they have the “best bid” of the bunch.
Moreover, as per the likes of Mike Keegan, Jim Ratcliffe was also set to enter his second bid, with both offers said to have increased to around the £5bn mark. However, the INEOS chief exec is also said to have failed to meet the deadline and been granted an extension, according to a senior source.
Kaveh also went on to detail that multiple other offers have in fact been submitted, with the numbers said to be “approaching eight” different bidders.
Many bids have gone in for #mufc this evening, approaching eight [@SkyKaveh]
Any bid of more than £3.75bn would break the world record fee for a sports club set when the Denver Broncos were sold last summer.
As for the frontrunners, both offers are still around a billion short of the Glazer’s asking price and not only have Sheikh Jassim and co. already warned they will ‘walk away’ if the price is too high, but it’s unclear how far Ratcliffe’s wealth can stretch if he is to continue pursuing a deal.
The key difference between the two bids is that Qatar’s bid will apparently make the club debt-free given the sheer mass of state wealth behind them, whereas the Failsworth-born businessman’s financing may be more complex to put together.
Trying to clear up the confusion, The Times‘ Matt Lawton said on Twitter that “both Qatari and INEOS representatives said their bids were in, United sources [are] saying they haven’t yet bid and have asked for an extension”, with offers now set to be made by tomorrow.
As reported by Sky Sports earlier this week, it was thought that “at least five other bidders” and as many as eight in question could join the race along with Ratcliffe and Qatar, who were the only two parties to have submitted an official offer for United during the first round of bidding.
However, a detailed list of the other candidates and precisely how many are still yet to be confirmed; Kaveh did go on to suggest that some could simply be a form of “hot air” designed to hopefully urge the ‘serious bidders’ to edge their offers up even higher.
As for next steps, neither of the parties in the supposed two-horse race expect an immediate decision from the board, especially after the unexpected delay, and those who submitted new offers in the second round of bidding will have to wait at least seven days to hear back from the club and brokers Raine Group regarding their progress.
However, it is worth noting that these subsequent bids may not necessarily be attempts to buy the club outright and not only is there a feeling that a third round of negotiations could take place, but there is also a growing sense that the Glazers could still pull out of a potential buyout altogether.
Georgina Pellant -
4th March 2022 
