The new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this week | 13 – 19 December 2021
Think the best pizzeria in the world (yes, we know, but really), giant sharing cocktails in disco balls, magical heated dining domes in Heaton Park and more.
It might nearly be Christmas, but that’s not putting off new restaurants and bars from opening in Manchester.
This week, we’ve got some exciting new additions to shout about – not least, the world’s best pizzeria L’antica Pizzeria Da Michele, which has just opened its doors on King Street.
Elsewhere you’ll find a new wing spot, magical dining domes serving up afternoon tea, and a new hotel bar that’s selling giant sharing cocktails in disco balls.
Keep reading to discover the new Manchester openings you need to check out this week.
Manchester is, without a shadow of a doubt, spoilt for great pizza. We are so spoilt, in fact, that whenever a great new pizzeria opens many locals cry, “not another one”. But l’antica Pizzeria Da Michele is no ordinary ‘great’ pizzeria. It’s widely considered the best in the world.
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Known as the ‘Sacred Temple of Pizza’ by Naples locals, it also featured in the 2010 film Eat Pray Love. Now it’s opened in Manchester on King street, we implore you to give it a go. L’antica is as strong a contender as it gets for anyone after a new Mediterranean side piece.
The newest hotel to arrive in Manchester, Moxy first caught our attention for its dog-friendly status – something that’s still a bit of a rarity in Manchester’s city centre hotels.
The ‘fun’ Spinningfields hotel is filled with affordable rooms and also boasts a Manchester-inspired bar, kitted out in artwork that nods to the city’s history and stacked with plenty of games ranging from foosball and cards to board games, such as Scrabble.
Menu-wise, think light bites and cocktails – including a special house sharer called Disco Diva, which comes served in a disco ball and combines vodka, limoncello, elderflower and prosecco.
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Find it at 8 Atkinson St, Manchester M3 3HH.
Heated winter dining domes at Heaton Park
Image: Lightopia festival
Opened especially for the festive season, Heaton Park has got ten heated dining domes available to book throughout the day serving four different afternoon tea menus.
All curated by Heaton Park Cafés: operators of The Stables Café and The Lakeside Café at Heaton Park, there are special vegetarian and vegan options, a ‘classic’ tea and a hearty pork savoury tea.
Priced at £20 each with a pot of tea included, with the option to upgrade to a glass of house Prosecco or local ale for £5, the ‘Afternoon Tea Beneath the Trees’ experience is available to book every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until early January 2022.
Find it at Heaton Park, Sheepfoot Ln, Manchester M25 0DL.
Ok technically this one opened up earlier this month but we missed it off our list, so we’re popping it in here now so you don’t have to miss out too.
American chicken chain Wing Stop has opened on Piccadilly serving wings and tendies in ten different flavours, ranging from lemon pepper to spicy Korean, ‘atomic’, Louisana rub and more. There are burgers and fries on the menu too, plus churros for dessert, but as the name suggests you’re really stopping in for wings here.
Find it at 11-13 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 1LZ.
News
Oldham man jailed for ‘non-contact’ child sex offences after pretending to be 15-year-old boy online
Emily Sergeant
A man from Oldham has been sentenced to time behind bars for what police have described as ‘non-contact’ child sex offences.
Ryan Greenhow appeared at Manchester Crown Square Court yesterday (Tuesday 24 February 2026) to be sentenced, after he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to 22 counts of non-contact child sex offences – including child sexual exploitation, sharing images or film to cause alarm, causing or inciting a child aged under 16 to engage in sexual activity, and malicious communications.
The offences occurred between November 2024 and March 2025, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed.
It involved Greenhow contacting six victims via different social media platforms including WhatsApp, TikTok, and Snapchat.
The 37-year-old then blackmailed the victims into sending him indecent images.
Pretending to be a teenage boy, he would send the victims – who police say were aged between 12-15 years old at the time – an indecent image, making claims that the image depicted them when it was actually a picture of a naked woman obtained from the internet, and the proceeded to threaten to send the image to their friends and family if the victims did not do exactly as he said.
This led to Greenhow making demands for indecent images from victims across the country, in areas like Greater Manchester and Lancashire, and even further afield in Buckinghamshire.
He would go on to send numerous text messages threatening his victims, including saying: “This is your last chance, everyone will know this is you” and “I have seen your nudes, add me”. On some occasions, police say the victims would respond that she did not know what they were talking about, but kept receiving messages telling them that it was their “last chance”.
Some of the victims did send Greenhow images, and reported his activity to their parents, carers, and school teachers.
At his sentencing this week, Greenhow was jailed for seven years and four months, and will also be made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Speaking following Greenhow’s sentencing, Detective Constable Adair, of GMP’s City of Manchester Division, said: “Greenhow used several different social media platforms pretending to be a 15-year-old boy and followed the same method with each of his victims – sending them random images obtained from the internet, falsely attributing them to the victim, then threatening to share the image with the victim’s friends and family in exchange for an indecent image of the victim.
“Once our investigation was underway, detailed phone analysis led to us identifying further victims. Officers worked to safeguard these victims from any further harm.
“This sentencing is part of our wider work to tackle child sexual exploitation and we’re committed to protecting victims and bringing offenders to justice.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Local BID board launch new ‘Visit Alty’ app ahead of Taste of Altrincham 2026
Danny Jones
One of Trafford’s resident BID (Business Improvement District) board have officially launched their brand-new ‘Visit Alty’ app for the market town ahead of this year’s A Taste of Altrincham festival.
Set to be a dedicated one-stop where residents can find out what’s going on in and around the area, the platform is already available on the likes of the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android phones.
As A Taste of Alty returns for 2026, this is just the second instalment in the total 10-day food and drink party – with a big opening weekend celebration starting this Friday, 27 February – the latest innovation by Altrincham BID is hoping to keep residents more up to date on their village than ever.
Sponsored by native law firm Myerson Solicitors and supported by various local businesses, the sophomore edition of the now annual festivities serves as the ideal staging event for the fledgling Visit Altrincham app.
Running until Sunday, 8 March, A Taste of Altrincham is even bigger this time around. (Credit: Press shot)
With a full programme events kicking off this weekend, the app itself is ideal for keeping track of everything going.
In addition to workshops, live demos by regional chefs, supper clubs, wine tastings, the latest ‘Ultimate Pudding Competition’ and lots of other special events, it can be hard to keep track of everything.
That why, like any good festival, the app has a full map and guide featuring all the key info.
Beyond just the event itself, the app itself is aimed at supporting local independents and more by helping to increase their exposure, sign-post daytrippers to the old Cheshire holdout’s best bits, and push more and more people to one of the borough’s blossoming suburb in general.
Teaming up with a number of popular locations in and around the town centre, it’s a real come one, come all affair – just as things should be.
Residents and visitors alike can also found physical printed copies of the full Taste of Alty ’26 programme nearby at the likes of Altrincham Library, the Bee Network Interchange, as well as OYEZ Arts at the Town Hall.
Created with digital town hub partners, Loqiva, co-founder Marcus Chidgey said in a statement: “We’re pleased to be partnering with Altrincham BID to support Altrincham’s continued growth.
“With a strong independent business scene, an award-winning Market and excellent transport connections to Manchester, the Visit Altrincham app offers a new way for people to discover and explore the town.”
As for the local BID department, Alty’s director Mandy White added: “If you haven’t downloaded the Visit Altrincham app yet, now is the perfect time. It’s a simple way to find out what’s on, discover local businesses and unlock exclusive offers, especially during A Taste of Altrincham.
“The app helps people get more from their visit while supporting our independent businesses and high street brands.”
The Visit Altrincham app is FREE to download right now – you can find it HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
13th December 2021 
