The new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this month | May 2022
Think Italian subs, sit-down lasagne, a new Spring Gardens cocktail bar from Gordon Ramsay's former bars boss, plus sushi, sashimi and (maybe) even a new dumpling place.
With a whole host of Bank Holidays stretching ahead of us, we roll slowly into May with plenty of free time on the horizon and even more new restaurants and bars to visit.
THis month, not only do we have a load of new eateries on the cusp of opening, we’ve algo got a few who’ve snuck through right at the end of April – all well deserving of an honourable mention.
Over in Stockport, one half of The Otto-Men has launched OTTO Vegan Empire – taking veganism back to its roots with a focus on grains, spices and legumes from a new home above a country pub.
In Sale’s Stanley Square, Sugo has just opened its third Manchester site with new artwork on the walls celebrating the Kickstarter supporters who made it happen, whilst in town we’ve been bless with a new Mac and Cheese restaurant in the Arndale, award-winning Stockport pie shop Ate Days A Week and vegan burger spot The Vurger Co.
As for what’s still to come? Think Italian subs, the return of sit-down Lazy Tony’s lasagne, a new Spring Gardens cocktail bar from Gordon Ramsay’s former bars boss, sushi, sashimi and (maybe) even a new dumpling place.
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Keep reading to find out the new Manchester bars and restaurants to put on your list this month.
Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria, Alvarium
Image: The Manc Eats
Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria takes over the former Black Leaf kitchen in the basement at Alvarium, switching out vegan fine dining for giant slabs of meat and cheese starting from the beginning of May.
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Chef-owner Danny is bringing along all of his favourite dishes, so get ready for great lasagne, loaded mac and cheese and fries, as well as a host of new Italian subs and desserts like Nutella cannolis, apple pie, and pizza subs.
8 Dorsey St, Manchester M4 1LU.
Green Lab, Deansgate Square
Image: Supplied
The Green Lab at Deansgate Square opens on Friday, 6 May with a new evening offer to complement its existing salads, juices, treats and plant-based options.
Expect an organic wine list and twists on classic cocktails, including a miso caramel espresso martini and a strawberry matcha highball, plus new menu items such as sushi and sashimi.
Open from 7am weekdays and 8am at weekends, Green Lab at Deansgate Square will serve breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner all week long, with live entertainment from Wednesday to Sunday.
Manchester’s newest cocktail bar, Blinker, will open its doors on Spring Gardens on 17 May.
Bringing everything founder Dan Berger has learnt from his time at 5-star London hotel The Ned and overseeing the bars for Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant group, it will focus on classic cocktails, with an additional menu of reimagined classics based around four set flavours changing each month.
Blinker will sit at the top of King Street, close to Hotel Gotham and Six by Nico.
Spring Gardens, Manchester M2 2BQ.
Burgerism, Escape to Freight Island
Image: Burgerism
The one and only Burgerism will take over from Patty Queen at Escape to Freight Island in May, bringing what are widely considered to be the best smashed burgers in town to this corner of Piccadilly.
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Fans of the brand can look forward to the famous ‘Cheesed’ burger with two smashed patties, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and Burgerism sauce in a brioche bun, alongside the mouthwatering chicken burger.
11 Baring St, Manchester M1 2PZ.
Kong’s Sandwich Shop, Hatch
Image: Hatch
The team behind Manchester fried chicken heroes Kong’s Chicken Shop is opening a new sandwich spot at Hatch over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend – and there will be crisp butties on the menu.
Moving into the Oxford Road food and drink shipping container village this Friday, Kong’s Sandwich Shop will serve up an NYC bodega and deli-inspired menu with a few cheeky northern twists.
There’ll also be frozen margaritas and bottles of Pacifico for sale over the counter, in a nod to its founder’s bartending roots.
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103 Oxford Rd, Manchester M1 7ED.
Matterello, Trafford Palazzo
Image: Trafford City
Luxury Italian restaurant Matterello comes to Trafford Palazzo (formerly Barton Square) at Trafford City this month, promising ‘authentic cuisine’ and immersive events like on-site pasta-making classes.
Developed by Manchester restaurateur Steve Pilling from the Northern Restaurants Group – which also has The Dockyard, Gas Works, and Roost – it will draw inspiration from Southern Italian kitchens, serving the likes of bruschetta with salsa Rossa, marinated squid, fettuccine with pesto and gorgonzola and a wide selection of desserts.
Trafford Palazzo, Greater, Manchester M17 8AS.
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Hooters, Salford Quays
Image: Hooters
Hooters, an American restaurant chain more famous for its scantily clad waitresses than its food, is opening a site in Salford Quays this month.
Home to the Playboy bunnies of the hospitality world, the Hooters chain is actually pretty famous for its chicken wings – but even more so for its ‘girls’.
It serves up six different wings styles – original breaded, naked, boneless, Datyona, smoked and roasted – with a choice of 17 different sauces ranging from mild to ‘hot as all hell’.
Elsewhere on the grill-focused menu, you’ll find burgers, sandwiches and tacos, seafood like snow crab legs and shrimp platters, alongside fries and other sides.
Tesco are introducing ‘VAR-style’ self-checkouts in the UK
Danny Jones
Many people think VAR has already gone too far and want it gone from football full stop, and we’re here to tell you that you’re a fool; your hopes are in vain, and the technology is only going to become more common as time goes on. Sorry.
So much so, in fact, that Tesco look are bringing in their own virtual referee into self-checkout systems in shops. You could say the ‘game’s gone…’
Of course, we’re being a bit flippant here, but if you have seen ‘VAR’ and ‘Tesco‘, you’re not seeing things: this is genuinely a thing that is being rolled out here in the UK, with video footage of the supermarket chain’s next self-checkout technology going viral online.
Thought you’d got away with sneaking an extra little something in the bag without paying? Think again.
— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) May 28, 2025
We’ll admit, this was the first time we’d come across the technology, but as it turns out, the updated self-checkout service has been in place for a while.
Similar VAR checkouts have already been installed at other retailers, Sainsbury’s and ASDA, although some reports claim that while stores capture footage of shoppers to check if they’ve scanned all of their items, it is thought that not all of these self-service tills show a playback when an error is detected.
Although this particular speculation has sparked some uproar and debate online, many have quite rightly pointed out that CCTV records your movement in any given shop.
Regardless, it’s fair to say that aside from the obvious memes and people poking fun at the new system, many on social media have shared some pretty strong opinions on the matter.
Not that it matters much – it’s likely this will soon become increasingly the norm, with the likes of Sainsbury’s having already introduced barriers which require customers to scan their receipt in order to leave at branches such as the site on Regent Road Retail Park over in Salford.
As yet, it’s unclear how many of these new self-service tills are in operation and whether they are limited to larger supermarket locations of their Express convenience stores, but don’t be surprised if you come across one.
Put simply, if a barcode isn’t registered before being put on the scale and/or set aside to be packed away, the Tesco till will read: “The last item wasn’t scanned properly. Remove from bagging area and try again.”
Addressing these new VAR-style checkouts in an official statement, a company spokesperson said: “We are always looking at technology to make life easier for our customers.
“We have recently installed a new system at some stores which helps customers using self-service checkouts identify if an item has not been scanned properly, making the checkout process quicker and easier.”
What do you make of the new Tesco and their new VAR self-checkout technology?
Ruben Amorim reacts as Manchester United are booed off after Malaysia friendly
Danny Jones
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has delivered a fairly brutal response after his club were booed off by supporters during a friendly in Malaysia.
The Red Devils recently embarked on a post-season tour following a calamitous 2024/25 campaign, both domestically and continentally, with that limp loss in the Europa League final, but have already resumed what has become alarmingly normal service with yet another defeat.
Finding themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur – a squad comprised of various talents from around the region who had never played together before and were only founded as an actual team back in 2014 – it was all far from clean slates and fresh starts.
In the wake of the shock result, Man United were booed off by the Malaysian and other international fans inside the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, which saw more than 70,000 in attendance.
It’s the end and that’s it. Man United got boo’ed by the fans after the final whistle.
They got beaten by non-full team Asean All-Star who just trained together as a group few days before the match. pic.twitter.com/fBxnMiZPN8
For context, the ASEAN All-Stars had only trained together for the first time just days before the game itself, but the de facto exhibition outfit still managed to break the deadlock in the 71st minute against a United side that rarely looked like scoring.
All that being said, Amorim had some choice words for his own players in his post-match duties after their first post-season tour fixture, insisting that while he always remains accountable, those out on the pitch perhaps received somewhat of a deserved reckoning too.
He began by stating, “I’m always guilty of the performance of the team, no matter what. [I have been responsible] since the first day”, but went on to argue: “The boos from the fans, I think it something that we need, maybe.”
Citing that the Old Trafford faithful and die-hard away fans have always been loyal and supportive despite frustration in the league, he suggested that “maybe they will change the way they behave” following this latest reality check.
Despite adding that he has seen reasons for optimism in performances against Man City and Liverpool, for instance, where he felt he saw “belief” and seeds of what’s to come, he’s made very few excuses for the poor displays up to now.
United face the Hong Kong national team in their next friendly on Friday, 29 May, and it’s fair to say anything less than a win would be beyond bad for the predictably unpredictable Premier League club.
You can see his full post-match press conference down below.
Georgina Pellant -
29th April 2022 
