Teacup Kitchen has undeniably been a beloved hangout for many visitors to the Northern Quarter over the last 10 years.
Founded by local DJ, producer and artist Mr Scruff all the way back in 2011, and famous for its wide-ranging food and drinks menu – with more teas than you can name, an ever-changing lineup of freshly-baked cakes and sweets, traditional afternoon teas, and so much more – Teacup Kitchen has been a city centre staple for the best part of a decade.
But unlike other surrounding hospitality businesses, it never fully reopened after first being forced to close amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic back in March 2020.
And now, to the shock of passers-by and without saying a final farewell, the long-standing licensed venue appears to have vanished.
The Thomas Street site where it once stood has now been gutted.
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Not only that either, but the cafe’s dedicated website has also been deactivated and its social media platforms have also fallen silent, with the last post on its Instagram page dating back to 22nd March 2020.
The post directed to loyal customers and followers read: “Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, we will be closing the doors at Teacup until this all blows over.
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“Hopefully we should be back soon [but] in the meantime, keep safe, ride through and do your bit”.
According to emerging reports, the large Thomas Street site where Teacup Kitchen once stood won’t be staying vacant for long though, with Mancunians and visitors to the Northern Quarter set to see a new resident take over once the country emerges from lockdown restrictions in due course.
Jobe Ferguson and Anthony Fielden – both of the nearby Northern Quarter restaurant TNQ – have recently taken over the unit.
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Teacup Kitchen
The pair are said to be launching a new bar and restaurant in Teacup Kitchen’s place in the coming months.
Jobe is also a director at Liar’s Group, the company behind several of Manchester’s most popular bars, including Black Dog Ballroom, Cane & Grain, Science & Industry, Crazy Pedro’s and The Liars Club.
Teacup Kitchen is yet to publicly comment on the final closure of the venue.
Eats
Inside Manchester’s new padel club with a Pot Kettle Black cafe and courtside cocktail bar
Daisy Jackson
Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the world, and it’s really picking up speed in Manchester now too with another city centre club opening this month.
The Pollen Club is a little different to the others, in that it’s fully undercover and protected from Manchester’s less-than-favourable weather.
And another thing that makes it a must-visit is the cafe attached to it – a third site for the beloved Pot Kettle Black.
The Pollen Club and Pot Kettle Black have both taken over a prominent city centre spot just off Deansgate, at the foot of the recently-opened Treehouse Hotel.
There are two state-of-the-art padel courts inside, with a mezzanine terrace for enjoy Pot Kettle Black’s offerings.
In summer, there are plans to launch a bar downstairs too, where you can sip spritzes courtside from loungers and swing seats.
The exciting new Manchester padel club will host pop up events, DJ takeovers and an extended evening food offering.
Pot Kettle Black are part of the new padel clubInside Manchester’s new padel club, The Pollen ClubPot Kettle Black are part of the new padel club
And even if you’re not heading inside The Pollen Club, Pot Kettle Black has a grab-and-go hatch facing onto Blackfriars Street, making their delicious coffees, sandwiches and pastries (from their own bakery Half Dozen Other) even more accessible.
Commenting on the opening of the new site, Pot Kettle Black co-owner, Mark Flanagan said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have opened our third Pot Kettle Black site at The Padel Club. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team.
“After ten years in the city we’ve been enjoying seeing some familiar faces stopping by for a coffee and we can’t wait to get started on our programme of summer events!”
Insomnia Cookies is giving away FREE cookies to anyone with these two names
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s late-night sweet treat spot Insomnia Cookies is dishing out freebies this week… but there’s a catch.
You have to be called one of two specific names to get one.
With the long bank holiday weekend upon us, those in-the-know will also have noticed that this Sunday isn’t just Easter Sunday, it also happens to be 4/20… and that means Insomnia Cookies is back with its ‘blazing’ £4.20 deal, giving you the chance to bag a box of four warm cookies while saving nearly £7 at the same time.
But even better still, if you happen to have either the first or middle name ‘Mary’ or ‘Jane’, then you can also get yourself a warm tasty cookie for free.
To mark both 4/20, and celebrate the launch of its newest strain of mouthwatering cookie, the Mary Jane, anyone called Mary or Jane can pop into either of Insomnia Cookies’ two Manchester city centre sites – Cross Street and University Green – show their valid ID with their name on, and walk alway with a cookie free of charge.
If you want to try the new Mary Jane cookie, then this limited-edition special is made up of a cookies n cream dough base, packed with rainbow sprinkles.
The freebie deal has been running all week, and you have up until 3am on Monday 21 April to take advantage of it.
Customers will be limited to one free cookie per day.
Insomnia Cookies is giving away free cookies to anyone with these two names / Credit: Insomnia Cookies UK
If you aren’t lucky enough to be called one of those two names though, then thankfully you can still make some great savings on a classic four-pack of cookies over the spring bank holiday weekend, and for every four-pack sold, £1 will be donated to Groundwork – a charity helping make Manchester greener for nature and for local people.
“We’re calling for Marys and Janes to join us to live the high life with free cookies all week,” commented Millie Ralston, Head of Marketing at Insomnia Cookies.
Emily Sergeant -
24th February 2021 
