Every time we think things are slowing down, it comes time for another new openings round up and there’s loads of new stuff going on. Manchester you are, as always, a culinary chameleon.
This month we have Bolton’s first halal ramen bar, a new Neapolitan pizza spot in Urmston and more pizza and an MC Escher interior design from the long anticipated first phase of Diecast.
Read on for all the details on these and more exciting new openings in Manchester this July.
Bunsik
7 July
Since the whole world seems to have no concluded that if your foodstuff can’t go viral on TikTok it frankly isn’t worth knowing about, then it would be remiss of us not to include at least one potentially viral restaurant on our new openings list. Viral’s not the most appetising of food adjectives but here we are in 2023 and Bunsik is bringing its cinematic Korean hotdogs to Manchester’s very own Hollywood boulevard, Piccadilly Gardens. You might have tried something like these at Manchester’s Xmas markets and now you can chomp on one all year round. In case you’re unfamiliar, Korean hot dogs aka gamja hot dogs are a hot dog on a stick, dipped in cheese and either potato chunks or breadcrumbs, deep fried and then drizzled with spicy sauce and mayo. Bunsik is already a big hit in London for these along with bubble tea and bingsu ice cream desserts.
The Pavillion, 1B Parker St, Piccadilly, Manchester M1 1RG
Canteena
Open now
Sale Foodhall has morphed into Canteena which comes from Danielle Condron and Lisa Kettle the team formerly behind The Bridge. Open every day expect Monday, the new restaurant is light and bright and pretty huge, perfect for large get togethers. The menu has something to please everyone too, with everything from fish and chips to fried chicken burgers and steak frites.
Stanley Square, Sale M33 7WZ
Chi Yip
Open now
Altrincham welcomed the brand new Chi Yip supermarket at the end of June for all your noodle needs. Not just noodles but all kinds of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese items, fresh vegetables, a roast meats counter, and a bakery counter. You can get hot food to grab and go or buy fresh items to cook at home as well as all the store cupboard essentials/ Sip Cha is in there too, for all your boba tea, ice cream and waffle needs. Grab us a box of Pocky if you’re popping in, ta.
5 Cross St, Altrincham WA14 1EQ
Diecast – Leno Ex Machina
8 July
Probably the most talked about new opening of the month, DIECAST goes live with its first phase LENO Ex Machina in July. The grand opening weekend on 6-9 July sold out in nanoseconds but why are people so buzzed about this one?
Well, for a start, it comes from the can-do-no-wrong team behind Ramona and The Firehouse who not only provide one of the liveliest party venues in the city (and do one of the best margs) but also knock out some of the best casual dining food around. LENO Ex Machina will go more down the Ramona route food wise as the big draw is pizza. LENO pizza is a sort of hybrid of the floppy Neapolitan style and the thinner, crisper NYC style. There will also be wood fired piadino, burgers, Italian small plates and more. Instead of margaritas, the drink du jour here is the Daiquiri. There will be no less than 64 combinations of Daiquiri churning out of 20 frozen daiquiri machines.
The interior sounds like a real life version of that students’ favourite MC Escher poster with “vertical stages”, stairways and platforms forming “one of the biggest immersive, art house, dance parties the city has ever seen”. And if that’s not enough there is also a huge beer garden with rum caravans which seat up to 40 people – because no garden is complete without one of those. Keen? You can book now for the series of parties on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays throughout summer.
51 Ducie St, Manchester M1 2JQ
Harajuku
Open now
The first Halal Japanese ramen restaurant in Bolton is now open and it’s just a five minute walk from the train station. Harajuku is named after the trendy district in Shibuya, Tokyo. Everything here from noodles to mayo is handmade and dishes include bao with different fillings, ‘street bowls’ with a choice of rice or chips or (the winner’s choice) both topped with tsukune (chicken meatballs), beef, prawn or chicken karaage, there are also special ramen dishes like Japanese chicken broth with spicy tare dipping sauce and homemade noodles topped with grilled sirloin of beef. It’s great to see some more exciting food openings in Bolton. Give this one your support.
37 Derby Street, Bolton, BL3 6JE
Half Dozen Other
14 July
Feels like we’ve been waiting a while for this one so we’re very pleased to include Half Dozen Other this month. The bakery arm of coffee shop Pot Kettle Black opens its Red Bank site on 14 July. With the capacity to produce twice as many of its colourful and creative baked treats as its former home, the bakery will be keeping Manchester’s hottest new neighbourhood development in things like blueberry cheesecake croissants and gianduja cookies. Head down on opening day for coffees and treats to celebrate.
Unit 17, Red Bank, Cheetham Hill, M4 4FE
House of Habesha and more at Hatch
It’s new trader time again at Hatch as it welcomes three freshers this month. House of Habesha is a name that will be familiar to you if you’ve been keeping an eye on pop up food traders as those massive platters of Eritrean and Ethiopian soul food are pretty difficult to miss. Samson Yitbareck will be bringing recipes inspired by his Godmother’s homemade food to Hatch including Shiro (a spiced chickpea stew), Kulwa Seida (a lamb stew with Habesha spices) and loads of veggie and vegan options all served with a freshly made flat spongy sourdough rice bread called Injera.
ASAP Coffee will also be serving damn fine coffee made using a variety of brewing methods from espresso to filter coffee with V60 and Aeropress across two floors including a terrace with views down Oxford Rd. Finally, Tailor2Fit is a shop dedicated to reducing clothing waste by offering clothing, leather and bag alterations and repairs, as well as a dry cleaning service.
Inforno
Open now
Urmston has a had a couple of exciting new openings recently and Inforno is the latest one for your radar. Serving up proper puffed up and blackened Neapolitan wood fired pizza, you’ll find classic Margheritas, marinaras and prosciutto topped pizzas here. But there also some more unusual options like a pizza topped with slow cooked bolognese sauce and mozzarella instead of the usual tomato sauce, and another with pistachio creme and mortadella. The menu also includes baked pasta, chunky salads and loaded bolognese fries.
72 Gloucester Rd, Urmston, Manchester M41 9AE
Kaya
Open now
Manchester China Town’s first traditional Malaysian restaurant, Kaya opened towards the end of June. Owned by Juliet Moo, who recently moved over from Malaysia, the menu is full of Malaysian classics like Nasi Lemak, prawn laksa, and char kuey teow fried rice noodles. The name Kaya comes from a kind of green coconut jam that is traditional in Malaysia, you can get this jam on a thickly buttered sandwich too. Its great to see a new breed of new places opening in China Town along with Dragon Oriental and Noodle Alley.
Lower Ground Floor, 50 Faulkner St, Manchester M1 4FH
Miami Beach Backyard Cinema
5 July
Depot Mayfield is being transformed into a Miami beach-themed cinema experience for summer. Launching on 5 July, the space will be transformed into a (fully covered) beach scene with beanbag seating where you can watch films from a programme of retro classics and recent blockbusters. The cinema will be open Wednesday – Sunday with various screenings from 12pm onwards. These include Grease, Dirty Dancing and the new Barbie movie.
Depot Mayfield, 11 Baring St, Manchester M1 2PY
Noodle Alley
Another new restaurant for Chinatown, Noodle Alley specialises in Szechuan cuisine with its famously mouth-numbing Szechuan pepper showing up in plenty of dishes. This place does stunning handmade dumplings and ravioli with chilli oil as well as big bowls of soup noodles and drier noodle dishes like ‘wan za mian’ with minced pork, yellow beans and more of that house chilli oil. There are also fried rice dishes and sweet treats like Chengdu’s famous fluffy baked egg pancakes and deep fried pumpkin cake with red bean filling. Oof!
56A Faulkner St, Manchester M1 4FH
The Old Fire Station
4 July
We first talked about the conversion of Salford’s Old Fire Station into a microbrewery and bakery almost three years ago and finally it is set to open in July. The team will be baking sourdough, brioche, croissant loaf and more. They will also be firing up a pizza oven alongside a brunch menu that incorporates all of those freshly baked treats. Head brewer Changmin will be brewing up hazy IPAs, stouts and kettle sours at Salford’s newest beer brand Lark Hill Brewery. You’ll be able to try them all when the Old Fire Station opens on 4 July. Finally, Blossom coffee roasters will provide the all important caffeine beans for this community minded space.
The Crescent, Salford, M5 4NL
Pray Tell
Late July
Moving into the old Draft Bar site in Sale, modern new bar Pray Tell comes from Beth Ellison a cocktail whizz with Riddles, Higher Ground and more on her illustrious CV, and Paul Rooney, the man behind Altrincham’s fantastic vintage footy bar Libero. There will be a big focus on the bitter end of the cocktail scale – think Negronis, aperitifs and spritzes, alongside natural wine and locally sourced craft beers. Another brilliant addition to Sale’s enviable foodie scene.
11 Stanley Square, Sale M33 7XZ
West Beverly
4 July
The team behind popular Altrincham coffee shop California Coffee and Wine are taking over another well loved coffee shop. Common Ground has closed so owner Carl can concentrate on his cocktail bar, Alibi and this new project called West Beverly will move in. Interiors are themed around the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles so we can perhaps expect a bottle green and white colour palette with lots of stripes, curved booth seating, and lots of plants but probably not a swimming pool surrounded by palm trees. There’s no word on what the food will be like yet but we’re hoping for an LA-style Mexican vibe. The big launch party is appropriately enough on 4 July.
20 Shaw’s Rd, Altrincham WA14 1QU
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