A handful of restaurants and bars in Manchester city centre have unveiled new Christmas menus and events happening over the festive season.
With the arrival of December merely a few days away, and the most wonderful time of the year right around the corner, plenty of the city’s best-loved hospitality venues are gearing up for Christmas and New Year by revealing seasonal food and drink menus and themed events to help get Mancunians in the festive spirit.
New Year’s burlesque shows, late-night Christmas parties, and new limited-time festive food and drinks offerings are just some of the things you can get stuck into at each of the four popular venues – which are all owned by the Northern Hospitality group – over the next month.
So, whether you’re looking for a quiet place for lunch / dinner, or a night to remember in the city centre, there’s sure to be something that takes your fancy.
Located on the bustling Stevenson Square, Quarter House is one of Manchester’s most laid-back restaurant bars that’s serving over 14 beers and ciders on draught, speciality cocktails, and hearty food all year round, cheffed up by one of the North West’s leading multi award-winning BBQ chefs.
But for this Christmas, the extensive food menu has some new festive additions.
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In celebration of the season, a trio of turkey treats have been added to the menu – Turkey Fries, Turkey Tray, and Turkey Tacos – as well as the undeniable and indulgent menu stand-out, the ‘Santa’s Little Helper’ burger, which is an aged steak burger patty topped with double cheese, maple bacon, smoked Turkey, sausage and cranberry stuffing patty, Vimto BBQ sauce, sprout top slaw and a candy pigs in blanket pinwheel lollipop, served with fries and a pot of gravy.
You can find out more about Quarter House this Christmas here.
Hula
Stevenson Square
Hula MCR / Credit: Hula
Also sitting on Northern Quarter hub Stevenson Square, Hula – which is the original and best Tiki experience in Manchester – is known for transporting you to a 1950s-inspired tropical slice of paradise, with lots of hedonistic fun, exotic cocktails, and shake-your-booty dance beats that make for one of the best nights out you’ll have in the city centre.
It’s also the ultimate afterparty venue for the Christmas parties, and it’s open from 5pm until late everyday for those who don’t want the party to stop.
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You can find out more about Hula this Christmas here.
The Fitzgerald
Stevenson Square
The Fitzgerald / Credit: The Fitzgerald
Yet another Stevenson Square gem, the “Northern Quarter’s atmospheric drinking den” The Fitzgerald will be hosting a number of events throughout the festive period, including the continuation of the ever-popular monthly comedy night on Thursday 16 December, with doors opening from 7:30pm and the show starting at 8pm.
And then, on New Year’s Eve, there will be a special Burlesque show by Bad Bunny Burlesque, with tickets from just £10 on Skiddle.
You can find out more about what’s happening at The Fitzgerald here.
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Man With The Fish
High Street
Man With The Fish / Credit: Instagram (@manwiththefishmcr)
Newly-opened Man With The Fish – another laid-back Northern Quarter bar that’s situated on the bustling High Street – is the ideal place to hit up after a busy day of shopping, during your lunch hour, after work, or if you want to party the weekend away.
Upstairs in the venue is focused around beer, with 15 different lines and huge selection of bottles and cans, as well as an amazing cocktail list, and a good selection of wine, while downstairs is the basement club that’s open Friday and Saturday nights until 3am.
There’s also rooms available for private hire for any last-minute Christmas parties too.
You can find out more about Man With The Fish this Christmas here.
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Featured Image – The Fitzgerald / Man With The Fish
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Massive rock, paper, scissors tournament with BIG pizza prizes takes over Trafford Centre this week
Emily Sergeant
A thousand free pizzas will be up for grabs to celebrate one of Greater Manchester’s newest restaurant openings this week.
That’s right – award-winning Neapolitan pizzeria Forbici is officially opening at the Trafford Centre.
From 11am until 12:30pm this Wednesday (5 August), Forbici will be giving away up to 1,000 full-sized pizzas, so visitors to the shopping centre will have the chance to taste what has recently been declared one of the best pizzas in the world without needing to spend a penny.
Following the opening of its first site on Cross Street in the city centre last year, before expanding over to Sheffield, this new 7,000-capacity Trafford Centre space at The Orient will be Forbici’s third restaurant in the UK and the second in Greater Manchester.
Crafted with signature three-generation ‘biga dough’, slow fermented to create a light, airy crust, alongside carefully sourced Italian ingredients, it’s no secret that Forbici offers some of the finest pizza in town.
Forbici is opening at the Trafford Centre this week / Credit: The Manc Group
And staying true to its name, every pizza is cut with scissors before being served.
The celebrations will then continue on Friday (August) as Forbici’s newest restaurant transforms into the home of Europe’s biggest Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament hosted by Manchester’s viral foodie content creator, Zack Hipps.
Across four sessions, you’ll have the chance to test your luck, speed, and strategy in a bid to be crowned champion – with tournaments taking place every hour from 11:30am.
Inspired by the pizzeria’s name, Forbici – which is, of course, the Italian word for ‘scissors’ – competitors will go head-to-head in fast paced knockout battles throughout the afternoon, with prizes up for grabs at every session and the winner of each game getting to take home a year’s supply of Forbici pizza.
There’ll also be a couple of exclusive local-themed pizza specials to celebrate the new opening too, including Forbici’s indulgent Manchester Tart pizza, and the Lancashire Hotpot pizza, which combines Fior di Latte, slow-cooked Lamb Ragù, and cracked black pepper on Forbici’s signature Biga base.
The Manchester special pizzas are also available at Forbici’s city centre restaurant as well, so you can feast wherever you find yourself.
Toni Dennan at Forbici said: “We’re incredibly excited to bring our innovative pizza craft to the Trafford Centre. To celebrate, we’re giving away 1,000 pizzas, inviting guests to experience Forbici on us.”
“Forbici is all about pushing pizza craft to new heights,” commented Forbici’s Toni Dennan. “Opening at Trafford Centre gives us the opportunity to share our passion for proper pizza with even more people.”
Simon Layton, who is the Centre Director at Trafford Centre, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Forbici to Trafford Centre, offering an innovative pizza concept to shoppers and leisure seekers alike. With a huge giveaway and exciting Rock, Paper Scissors tournament, Forbici’s opening week is not one to be missed and we look forward to welcoming customers down to the centre to celebrate its arrival.”
Forbici Trafford Centre is opening this Wednesday 5 August, and bookings are now live online here.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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A huge Stanley Chow exhibition featuring inflatable portraits of Manc icons is coming to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Some of Manchester’s most famous faces are about to get even bigger, with a new Stanley Chow exhibition coming to town this summer.
And rather unusually, the artist’s portraits will be inflatables…
The huge new MCR Made exhibition is set to take over Manchester Arndale from 3 August all the way into the autumn.
Shoppers and locals will be able to admire 13 portraits of Manc icons, which will be up to six metres in length, whether it’s Oasis legends or Suffragettes, football heroes or creative pioneers.
The gigantic inflatable Stanley Chow portraits will be suspended right across the iconic shopping centre for an art trail that celebrates the figures who have shaped the city.
The impossible-to-miss exhibition features famous faces from the worlds of music, sport, science, politics, art and culture.
Along the trail you’ll spot the likes of Liam and Noel Gallagher, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Emmeline Pankhurst, Alan Turing, L.S. Lowry, Lemn Sissay, Caroline Aherne, Aitch, and a host of other trailblazers, all in Stanley’s signature and distinctive style.
MCR Made showcases the work of legendary local artist and illustrator Stanley Chow in an exciting new way, encouraging exploration through photo opportunities and a social media competition.
Stanley Chow said: “The Arndale Centre for me is my Mecca, and I’m sure it is for so many people from Manchester. I’m old enough to remember when it first opened as a shopping centre nearly 50 years ago, and I haven’t stopped coming here since.
Inflatable portraits by Stanley Chow will take over Manchester Arndale this summer
“I’m a proud Mancunian, so I was very flattered and touched to be asked to do this. Art needs to be seen everywhere, and not always necessarily in a gallery. I can’t think of a better place for as many people as possible from all walks of life to be able to see my work presented this way.”
David Allinson, Centre Director at Manchester Arndale, said: “Manchester has always been a city that outperforms and exceeds expectations. Through music, sport, science, politics, creativity and innovation, Manchester’s influence is recognised around the world, and MCR Made celebrates the icons whose talent, ambition and determination helped build that reputation.
“The exhibition feels particularly at home inside Manchester Arndale, itself a Manchester institution that has been woven into the city’s fabric for almost five decades. The shopping centre provides the perfect backdrop for celebrating Manchester, its creativity and the iconic figures behind its global reputation.”
Manchester Arndale will also be giving visitors the chance to own a piece of MCR Made, with 26 limited edition A4 prints signed by Stanley Chow up for grabs. Two prints of each icon have been produced, with winners allocated their artwork at random. To enter, simply follow @manchesterarndale on Instagram and like the competition post.
MCR Made will run at Manchester Arndale from 3 August – 24 October, and is totally free to visit.
Emily Sergeant -
29th November 2021 
