Tequila cocktails and long drinks are on the rise. The Margarita has already earned its spot as a classic on cocktail menus and now there’s a new cocktail to try; the Patrón Paloma, which is much simpler, refreshing and just as Mexican.
One of those bars is Ducie Street Warehouse which is serving classic Paloma cocktail made with Patrón Reposado Tequila alongside a menu of tacos throughout the week.
Ducie Street Warehouse’s classic Patrón Paloma, available until 30 August
Gethin Jones, Beverage Director at Ducie Street, has been working behind Manchester bars for 14 years and has noticed the increased buzz around the Paloma cocktail.
He said: “As the Margarita is now an established classic, drinkers are after the next tequila cocktail and the Paloma has all the characteristics to be just that: refreshing, light and flavoursome, it is perfect for summer. Plus, its fizzy element makes it a great alternative to the trendy spritz cocktails.”
“We have been seeing a rising interest in the Paloma cocktail and, more generally, in long drinks. People are starting to understand Tequila better, appreciating its quality and mixability and therefore looking for new ways to drink the Agave spirit.
He continues: “The Paloma is a refreshing and vibrant cocktail and can be simply made and enjoyed at home too, but as such it requires good quality ingredients, starting from Tequila. Patrón Reposado is a perfect base as it conveys the mellowly and herbaceous character that blends perfectly with the taste of the grapefruit, lime juice and the agave syrup.”
The Paloma is a simple yet versatile cocktail which can be adjusted to suit your tastes and mood.
Gethin says: “The simplicity of this cocktail equally allows a lot of creativity, you can refine and cater it to your taste. For example, in summer you can add fruity elements and notes by simply infusing your Patrón Paloma with strawberries or raspberries without need to cut down or readjust any other element of the recipe. This is perfect for any social gathering requiring pre-batching.”
Gethin has shared with us their classic Patrón Paloma recipe, so if after visiting bars during the Patrón Paloma Week, if you’d like to try your hand at making the drink at home, you can get the ingredients delivered to your door through the Patrón Pantry on the UK Amazon Store.
Ducie Street Warehouse’s classic Patrón Paloma
Ingredients:
50ml PATRÓN Reposado Tequila 40ml freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice 10ml fresh lime juice 10ml agave syrup Soda water to top A pinch of sea salt
Method:
Fill a highball glass with ice. Combine all ingredients apart from soda into a shaker, shake with ice and strain into the glass. Top with soda water and garnish with a pink grapefruit slice.
Patrón Paloma Week is taking place from 23 to 30 August.
The UK’s first Patrón Paloma Week has officially started and bars across the city centre are getting involved making their own versions of the Mexican cocktail.
The Paloma, which if you haven’t already tried it is a refreshing mix of tequila, agave, pink grapefruit juice, lime and soda, is thought to have originated in the town of Tequila (obviously) in the state of Jalisco in Mexico. Don Javier Delgado Corona, the owner of a local bar called La Capilla is most often credited with its creation.
Bars in Manchester have created their own special menus, serving the classic Patrón Paloma alongside their own innovative twists. Some of them are even offering complimentary food pairings (we’re talking tacos and pizza slices) on selected nights.
Patrón Paloma Week runs from 23 to 30 August and here’s a run down of all the bars involved and the drinks you can try across the city.
Escape to Freight Island
Freight Island’s Patrón Paloma Week cocktail
Until 30 August, the Freight Island bar will be serving an exotic twist on the Patrón Paloma called ‘La Columba’. It is made with Patrón Reposado tequila, Aperol, passionfruit syrup, pineapple juice and pink grapefruit soda. Super fruity and perfect for sipping in the sun.
Cottonopolis Food & Liquor
Cottonopolis will pair Japanese and Mexican flavours
Cottonopolis is joining the Patron Paloma week celebrations, pairing their Japanese inspired menu to the classic Mexican cocktail. They will be serving fresh sushi alongside a signature Hacienda Paloma made with Patrón Reposado tequila, bitter liqueur, Maraschino, mezcal, lime juice and pink grapefruit soda.
Plus, on Tuesday between 5 and 7pm you’ll get two free tacos with your Paloma.
Ducie Street Warehouse
Tacos and Palomas at Ducie Street Warehouse
Sticking firmly to the Mexican theme, Ducie Street Warehouse will be serving tacos during throughout the week with the classic Patrón Paloma cocktail – Patrón Reposado tequila, freshly squeezed pink grapefruit, fresh lime juice, agave syrup, soda water and a pinch of sea salt.
This Wednesday between 5 and 7pm, order a Paloma and get a complimentary Mexican Pulled pork taco too.
Liquor and Burn
The White Fruit and Chilli Paloma and Liquor and Burn
Liquor and Burn have come up with a fiery concoction for their Patrón Paloma Week cocktail. Their White Fruit and Chilli Paloma features Patrón Reposado tequila, peach liqueur, pear Liqueur, pink grapefruit juice, lime Juice, soda water and a pinch of red chilli flakes.
Get any snack from the Liquor and Burn menu for free when you order their Paloma special between 5 and 7pm on Thursday.
Motley
The newly-opened cocktail bar on Deansgate, Motley has created a special summery menu with three fresh takes on the classic Patrón Paloma. All made with Patrón Reposado tequila there’s the Blood Orange Paloma with Martini fiero, the Rhubarb Paloma with bitter liqueur and the Grapefruit Micheloma with Schofferhoffer beer.
There’s also a free taco for Paloma drinkers at Motley this Friday between 5 and 7pm. Choose from a fish taco or a beef taco.
El Capo
La Tucita Paloma from El Capo with Midori
El Capo certainly knows its way around a bottle of tequila and this week is serving four variations on the Patrón Paloma including a simple mix of Patrón tequila and fresh pink grapefruit juice; La Tucita with Melon liqueur, grapefruit juice and soda; Summer Breeze with St Germain elderflower liqueur, Pamplemousse liqueur and soda; and the Lone Ranger with sparkling brut rosé and fresh lemon juice.
On Saturday at El Capo between 5 and 7pm, when you order a Patrón Paloma, you’ll get TWO free tacos to enjoy.
Crazy Pedros
Crazy Pedro’s will be pairing pizzas and Palomas
Tequila and pizza is already a classic combo at Crazy Pedro’s in the form of margaritas, and so for Patrón Paloma Week, Pedro’s take on the Patrón Paloma is being paired with pizza across both their sites. Their Patrón Paloma twist is made with Patrón Reposado tequila, El Bandarra Al Fresco aperitif, lemongrass, lime and Ting grapefruit soda.
On Bank Holiday Monday, enjoy free slices of their Gringos pizza (topped with spiced pulled pork, peppers, jalapeños, sweetcorn, tortilla Chips, sour Cream) when you order their Patrón Paloma special.
The Washhouse
The Washhouse has three Palomas to try
Laundrette-disguised speakeasy, Washhouse has created three unique cocktails for Paloma Week using Patrón Reposado tequila. There’s a Paloma with coriander syrup; the Palroni with sweet red vermouth and Palmpelle liqueur; and the Frozen Patrón Paloma with grapefruit, basil and tonic sorbet.
Patrón Paloma Week is taking place from 23 to 30 August.
Touted as ‘the official cocktail of summer 2021’ by The Sunday Times, the Paloma is quickly becoming a popular fixture on cocktail menus across the UK.
A refreshing mix of tequila and grapefruit soda, the Paloma is thought to have come from the iconic town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Until not long ago, this cocktail was little known outside of Mexico, but that’s all about to change.
Now, Patrón Tequila is celebrating this zesty drink with the inaugural Patrón Paloma week which will take place in Manchester and London from 23 to 30 August.
Paloma week will feature bespoke cocktails and complimentary food at selected venues across Manchester
As well as the bespoke Patrón Palomas, there will also be complimentary food at some of the venues on selected dates.
How to make a Patrón Paloma
The Patrón Paloma
As well as trying it at bars across the city, if you’d like to make the Patrón Paloma at home, we’ve got a couple of the classic recipes below for you to try out.
You can get the ingredients delivered to your door through the Patrón Pantry Amazon Store. There are also videos showing you how to make them.
Patrón Paloma
50ml PATRÓN Reposado tequila 150ml Grapefruit soda A pinch of salt Grapefruit slice for garnish Salt rim (optional)
Method
Combine ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass and stir. Garnish with a grapefruit slice, and salt rim if desired. Recipe, tips and ingredients here.
Patrón Paloma and Juice
50ml PATRÓN Reposado tequila 30ml Freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice 15ml Lime juice 10ml Agave syrup 30ml Premium soda water Pink grapefruit wedge for garnish Half salt rimmed glass with pink salt
Method
Combine all ingredients apart from soda, shake and strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with soda water and garnish with the grapefruit wedge.
Patrón Paloma Week is taking place from 23 to 30 August.
Two new restaurant and bar concepts have opened in burgeoning city centre neighbourhood, Kampus.
Restaurant Tine and wine bar Le Social have taken over the Bungalow which, if you haven’t been down to Kampus yet, is a building on stilts across from Canal Street. This collaboration is the latest in a series of residences taking place in the Kampus Bungalow, which has previously hosted pop ups from Isca Wines and Summer Beer Thing.
Both Tine and Le Social will occupy the space throughout August and September, Le Social operating the bar outside and Tine running the restaurant upstairs in the Bungalow itself.
Le Social has an impressive selection of organic and natural wines, beers, spirits and non-alcoholic options. They also have a bar snack menu including nibbles like Manchego cheese, olives, mini saucissons and spiced mixed nuts.
Le Social at Kampus
This will be the first time Le Social has had a full bar set up. Started during lockdown while owner Jerome was put on furlough from his job as an alcohol sales rep, Le Social has been operated out of one of the containers at Pollard Yard.
Throughout August and September, Jerome has curated a series of events planned throughout his stay, including DJS, street food takeovers and brunch events. When we were down there were three performers roaming the space, including a leotard-clad hula hoop dancer.
Le Social is open from 4-10 on Thursday and Friday and 12 till late on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information visit Le Social’s Instagram page.
Jerome from Le Social with Josh and James from Tine
Tine was first set up by chefs Josh and James as a pop up in Blossom Street Social in February 2020.
Josh said: “We set up Tine as we thought Manchester has a big lack of local Mancunian chef run restaurants, so we got together with the focus on finding the best products in the UK and some from Ireland. I’m from an Irish family and James has Irish heritage also which relates to our name. In English it means the tip of a fork or deer antler and in Irish means a fire or blaze as we intend to cook on wood embers in a really refined way.
“We set up tine in February 2020, two weeks before Covid hit, which obviously hurt us massively in every aspect and worked around government restrictions as a pop up at blossom street social wine bar until November 2020. We’re now at Kampus trying to restart our brand and hopefully get one step closer to opening a permanent restaurant.”
The opening week menu at Tine
Josh has been chef for 10 years, training with Michelin-starred Simon Rogan. He worked at Where The Light Gets In in Stockport before becoming Senior Sous Chef at Mana for the first year. James has worked as a chef for 15 years, notably working as Aiden Byrne’s Senior Sous Chef for 6 years at Manchester House.
The multi-course menu will change based on the produce available. When we visited the first course was an oyster sat on top of a wild plum. A perfect mouthful, it was salty-sweet and as fresh as anything.
Oyster and wild plum
Fermented potato bread
Dayboat Ikejime Sea Bass
Next, we had Dayboat Ikejime Sea Bass which had been brought up from Cornwall, having only been caught the day before. The fish was lightly cured and served on top of a creamy smoked yolk which formed the sauce of the dish, and topped with fresh orange tomatoes and lemon rind.
The meat course was Hogget loin, two thick slices of lamb with perfectly crisped fat and juicy pink middle. Hogget is a lamb that has been aged for a year or two which means that the meat has a fuller flavour than that of lamb but not as strong as mutton. It was served with a rich pumpkin seed stew and a side of fermented potato bread (a nod to the pair’s Irish heritage).
Dessert was green strawberry which had been pickled (so it tasted almost like lychee) and served with a walnut parfait and frozen Eccles cake.
Hogget loin with pumpkin seed stew
Finally, we had cheese to finish – a soft Connage cheese, topped with thin slices of fresh pear and served in a crisp cracker cup.
The menu is as refined as you’d expect from a pair with these credentials and each dish isn’t quite like anything I’ve eaten before.
Tine is open Thursday to Sunday until the end of September. To book visit: tinemcr.com.
Late night ramen joint CBRB and Chorlton cocktail bar Henry C have come together to announce a brand new restaurant and bar concept – a French-style bistro in the old Bock Biere Cafe site.
Ten Tib Lane is a three-storey restaurant and bar which aims to ‘push the boundaries of Manchester’s food and drink scene’.
The venue looks casual and cosy with a muted colour palette, dark wood floors, terracotta walls, a tiled bar, leather seats and rich velvet booths.
10 Tib Lane
The EATMCR team were chatting other day about the distinct lack of French restaurants in Manchester. While French gastronomy is renowned the world over and was even added to the UNESCO list of “intangible cultural heritage” in 2010, it seems to have fallen out of favour with UK restaurants who are favouring other cuisines over the traditional French cookery.
That’s not to say there aren’t some great independent French restaurants in Manchester like 63 Degrees in the Northern Quarter and Man Bites Frog in Chorlton. However, when you compare it to the number of Italian, Spanish or even Japanese restaurants in the city, the French are lagging far behind.
An absolute Francophile myself, I think this is a real shame, so I’m excited to see a venue bringing a fresh and forward-thinking take on the cuisine. The food and drink menus at 10 Tib Lane will be constantly evolving, with a focus on seasonal, homegrown and locally sourced ingredients.
The menu at 10 Tib Lane
There will be small plates such as lamb rump, braised broad beans, saffron aioli and rosti; a ‘Club Sandwich’ made with chicken, truffle, smoked bacon and celeriac; and carefully thought out vegetarian options like potato and chive financier, ginger, sweet potato aligot.
The chef behind the menu is Alex Shaw of Volta, who has previously been awarded Chef of the Year by the Manchester Food and Drink Festival and Restaurant of the Year at the City Life awards.
Iberico Pork
Bread and Whey Butter
The ‘Club Sandwich’
For drinks, there is a refined cocktail menu, including both well known drinks and more progressive additions.
Examples include the understated Whisky and Soda, which consists of milk washed Chivas 12y whisky, Chivas Mizanura blend whisky, burnt caramel vanilla and citric acid.
There’s also Le Mastrou which has Lilliet Blanc vermouth, Cacao Blanc liqueur and olive oil-washed Plymouth gin – a technique which consists of infusing (or “fat-washing”) gin with olive oil. It looks and feels like a martini, but it’s light, chocolatey and sweet.
Unfortunately the news of the new opening was coupled with the announcement that CBRB will be ‘laying low’ for a bit. The team has decided to take a break due to the increasing pressure from Covid guidelines and the test and trace system.
A post on CBRB’s Instagram read: “The toll the past couple of weeks has taken on our team is immeasurable. The uncertainty caused by test and trace, combined with behind the scenes issues of a struggling supply chain and goods shortages nationwide… you get the picture.”
Talking about the launch, Ben Gretton, who launched CBRB in 2018, said: “We wanted to create a high end experience, but without any of the stuffiness that usually comes with that. We want to be a place people come for a nice bottle of wine and a few oysters after an afternoon of shopping, as much as for a special date night or anniversary spot or just a place for a few afternoon cocktails and a couple of light plates. It really is a place for everyone and we’ve worked hard to create a relaxed vibe that isn’t trying too hard, it’s just a cool place to be.”
Sophie Robson, co-owner of Chorlton’s Henry C, added: “We’ve been customers in each other venues for years and have total respect for how we approach the industry, so when we saw the venue and the opportunity it gave us, it was a no brainer to do it together. We all believe in honest service, incredible food and drink and that’s what 10 Tib Lane is about.”
Ten Tib Lane opens on Thursday 29 July. To book a table visit 10tiblane.com and stay up to date by following their Instagram here.
A brand new cricket competition – The Hundred – is coming to Manchester, with four home games scheduled at Emirates Old Trafford over the next few weeks.
The matches, which will be hosted on 25 and 28 July and 5 and 10 August, will also have a full programme of entertainment, food and drink for visitors to enjoy.
The Hundred is a new, shorter, more fast-paced format of cricket where only 100 balls are bowled for each team. Each game lasts less than three hours, as opposed to Test cricket matches which can last three, four or even five days.
This competition will see the Manchester Originals compete against seven other teams from across the country in men’s and women’s competitions.
For the matches at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester will take on Birmingham Phoenix on 25 July, Northern Superchargers on 28 July, Southern Brave on 5 August and London Spirit on 10 August. There will be women’s and men’s fixtures at all events.
At each event there will be a live set from a different band. BBC 6 Music has collaborated on the line up which includes Wigan band The Lathums for the first event, followed by The Orielles, Porij and, finally, Everything Everything. The matches will all be hosted by BBC Radio Manchester DJ Roesh.
Now, the food. We’ve teamed up with Manchester Originals to curate the line up of independent food traders who will be dishing up the goods at each of the four events.
There’ll be burgers from Solita, gourmet bangers from Grandad’s Sausages and hot salt beef bagels, burgers and fries from Triple B.
Crunched Tacos will also be there for the last three fixtures, serving their hard shell tacos. And A Few Scoops will be there serving their alcohol-infused ice cream, sorbets and ice pops from their baby pink tuk tuk.
Overall, it looks set to be a pretty cracking day out. Outdoors, watching some sport, some live music and digging into some delicious food. Lovely.
Tickets for Manchester Originals home fixtures available here.
I don’t know if it’s because we’re all severely holiday deficient at the moment but wandering around Manchester in this weather (if you squint ever so slightly), we could just be abroad.
And what’s the best holiday activity? Correct. Eating and drinking everything in sight.
So let’s go. Here are some of our favourite things to get in Manchester in the sun – including some suggestions from you lot.
Ice cream
Ok, first up in this heat, it’s got to be ice cream. And for somewhere as notoriously rainy as Manchester, we’ve got a pretty great selection of places to get a few scoops of the cold stuff.
Serving at both their Ducie Street and Hatch sites, Gooey‘s cereal milk soft serve is the perfect heatwave snack. It’s like a 99 from your local ice cream van with an added dose of nostalgia. It’s made by local ice cream maker Rogue Ice Cream and is quite frankly, delicious.
Also doing soft serve at the moment are Siop Shop who have been dolloping maple soft serve onto their donuts at their Tib Street shop. Lovely.
Across the road, the newly opened Lazy Sundae on Tib Street serves a range of scoops inspired by their owners travels including Mango Mochi, Matca and Earl Grey Biscoff. There’s also bubble tea, soufflé pancakes and pineapple bao buns filled with milk tea ice cream.
Talking of ice cream sandwiches, Nell’s has got their own version, made using Cheshire Farm Ice Cream sandwiched between Nell’s signature cookies. Choose from salted caramel, cookies and cream, red velvet and vegan chocolate. Find them at Common and The Beagle.
Also on that ice cream sandwich hype are Sicilian NQ serve scoops of classic Italian gelato wedged inside a sweet brioche bun. Flavours include pistachio, chocolate, stracciatella, vanilla, strawberry and more.
For more classic Italian gelato, head over to Taste It on Blackfriars Road in Salford run by Italian husband and wife team Simona and Gianfranco. The flavours change daily and include Bronte Pistachio DOP, Ricotta and Pears, and Espresso, as well as a range of vegan gelato and sorbet.
In my opinion, the key to food in the sun is that when you close your eyes, you need to feel like you’re abroad. You need to trick your taste buds into believing you’re in Italy, Spain, Mexico or whichever cuisine/destination you choose.
The Fritto Misto from Salvi’s is just made for eating in the sun; a mix of battered calamari, prawns and courgette, served in a paper cone. While we’re at it, we’ll take one of their loaded apertivo boards which come with three types of mozzarella, cured meats, olives and bread. And an Aperol Spritz with that, thanks.
The Italians just absolutely kill it when it comes to food in the sunshine though don’t they? A Neapolitan pizza from Rudy’s, freshly-made pasta dishes from Belzan Pasta Kitchen at Freight Island or arancini from T’arricrii at Hatch – you can’t really go far wrong.
Another favourite among you lot was of course tapas. Specifically at an outdoor table at Bar San Juan in Chorlton or Porta in Salford – both stellar places to sit in the sun and nibble and drink to your heart’s content.
I don’t know about you, but if there’s one food the sun makes me crave, it’s seafood. All this week I’ve just been dreaming of sitting out on that terrace at Oystercatcher with half a dozen oysters and a glass of something cold. Absolute heaven.
Of course, they’ve got lots of other great seafood and fish dishes too, with a weekly changing seasonal menu. At the moment, there’s dishes like Moules Frites, Black Sea Bream and a seafood platter featuring sea bream, red tiger praws, mussels and squid.
Straddling the ice cream and iced coffee divide is the affogato, and you won’t find many better in Manchester than Rudy’s. Their version is a scoop of vanilla ice cream from Ginger’s Comfort Emporium with a shot of hot Italian Kimbo espresso poured over. You can also add a shot of Amaretto. Naughty.
Ginger’s also do their own version of an affogato at their ice cream bar on the first floor of Afflecks.
We also love the Vietnamese iced coffee from both Ca Phe Viet and Pho Cue – dark roasted coffee with condensed milk and topped up with ice. It’s rich, sweet and ice cold. While you’re at it, Vietnamese food is perfect for this weather.
Margaritas
We asked you what drinks you crave in the sun, and the responses were heavily in favour of Margaritas – classic margs, frozen margs, spicy margs, all the margs.
One of our favourites has to be the margaritas from Picos in Mackie Mayor. We went the other day and tried their new Passion Fruit Margarita – fruity, sharp and with a healthy dose of tequila, it’s sunshine in a glass.
Other firm favourites are the frozen Margaritas from Crazy Pedros. The classic is made with El Jimador tequila, Giffard Triple Sec and Supasawa or you can choose from a range of flavours: strawberry; peach and passion fruit; pineapple and pomegranate; watermelon and pink guava; and lychee and grapefruit.
Passionfruit margaritas from Picos in Mackie Mayor
At Ramona, which feels made for this weather, the margaritas have been catching our eye in a big way. They have a happy hour too. Every Thursday & Friday, all their Margaritas are a fiver.
We also spotted the Frozen Marg of the month at Southside Tequila Joint in Withington, a blue lemon sour margarita which comes served in a large glass, complete with a glow stick and Refresher bar – obviously.
With all of the above, obviously make sure you get the respective tacos or pizza from whichever place you’re ordering from. Those margs are strong stuff.
There’s nothing like a crisp, refreshing pint on a hot day. Sometimes, any pint will do, but here are some beers/places to go that we think are particularly great on a hot day.
At the moment, there’s probably nowhere better to have a drink in Manchester in the sun than Stevenson Square. You’ve got outdoor seating from Flok, Eastern Bloc, Hula and more. All primed and ready to pull your pints.
There are too many great beers and breweries to mention but here a couple of beers we’d recommend. From Seven Brothers brewery, there’s the Sabro IPA, which they describe as a “tidal wave of coconut and citrus flavours” and from Cloudwater, their classic pale ale called How Wonderful, it’s bright, juicy and a corker of a beer for a sunny day.
Fell in Chorlton has a cracking selection of beers too, they can be bought from the shop to takeaway or you can sit and drink them on the tables outside. There’s a changing selection of beers available. My personal favourites for this weather are the raspberry sour beer and the Paddler, which is a lemon iced tea Radler; light, zesty and almost too drinkable.
Have a great weekend!
It was supposed to get rainy over the weekend but it now looks set to stay dry, so plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy some food and drink outdoors.
No time like the present though, eh? I’m parched, off to go find an ice cold Marg in the sun.
Manchester is set to get another city centre foodhall, this time from London operator, Boxpark.
As reported in Place North West magazine, the news was shared by Chief Executive of Allied London, Mike Ingall on LinkedIn, who says that they are close to agreeing a lease with Boxpark for the 30,000 sq ft Albert Shed complex in Manchester’s new St John’s neighbourhood.
Ingall said: “The deal is not done yet but we have shaken hands and that is good enough for me.”
Albert Shed – not to be confused with Albert’s Shed in Castlefield – is on the corner of Water Street and New Quay Street. This new part of town will also be home to MIF‘s The Factory which is currently under construction.
“First cut for our new Food Hall Warehouse!” – Mike Ingall on LinkedIn
If you haven’t heard of Boxpark before, their existing venues bring together street food, drinks and entertainment under one roof. The first site opened in Shoreditch in 2011 and has been followed by two further openings in Croydon in 2016 and Wembley in 2018.
Set in the heart of their respective boroughs, each one promises a unique experience, and so you would hope that the Manchester site will offer something that’s unique and personal to the city.
Similar to Hatch which opened in Manchester in 2017, the Boxpark sites so far have all been constructed out of repurposed shipping containers.
The new opening is part of a larger expansion for Boxpark which has created Instagram handles for sites in Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol and other locations around London.
There’s no confirmed date for the opening of Boxpark Manchester just yet, but according to Ingall the aim is to open by June 2022.
That’s all we know for now but we’ll keep you updated as more is announced.
It’s finally happening. Restrictions are lifting, social distancing is ending and dancing is back on the cards.
To celebrate, Manchester’s clubs and bars are planning some big (and long) parties throughout reopening week.
Here are some of the parties you can still book tickets for.
Hula
Hula Tiki is throwing a 12-hour party from 5pm to 5am on Monday 19 July with DJ Gareth Brooks. Tickets are free but they’re selling fast. To grab one click here.
Hula Tiki is throwing a 12-hour party
Hidden
Hidden has been busy making improvements to the club while its been closed and they’ve now reopened their doors at the earliest possible opportunity (midnight on Sunday 18 July). They’ve got day and night parties every day of reopening week. Book tickets here.
Reopening on Friday 23 July, Joshua Brooks has been undergoing a £200,000 revamp to get it ready for opening. The reopening weekender will feature sets from the likes of Darius Syrossian and DJ Mark Knight. Tickets have sold out for the Friday night but there are still some remaining tickets for the event on Saturday here.
Joshua Brooks is reopening on Friday
4nd Street
42s has planned a full week reopening week programme, kicking off with the reopening week party on Monday, followed by the return of some of its regular nights – Blowout, Amplified, Skint, Urban Legends and Dirty Dancefloor. Book here.
Venue is reopening as a club from 19 July after having operated as a ‘night pub’ recently. There will be two reopening parties on Monday and Tuesday, Red Wednesday with ‘indie, disco and good vibes’, requested night on Thursday and indie floor fillers on Friday. Tickets and information for reopening week here.
They opened last week with their seated sessions, but Mint Lounge will soon be able to reopen fully on Monday 19 July with their Levelz Lockdown Liftoff event. Funkademia will also return on Saturday 24 July. Book via Skiddle.
South is throwing a 30-hour reopening party, kicking off at one minute past midnight on Monday 19 July and running until 6am in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Tickets can be bought for either the first or second half of the night here.
Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) is returning to the city this autumn and today it has announced the first wave of events as part of the 2021 programme.
The independently-run event which was postponed last year due to the pandemic will run from 16 to 27 September.
Director of MFDF, Alexa Stratton Powell said: “We are absolutely delighted to be bringing the Festival back this year. Postponing in 2020 was hugely disappointing – a tough decision but the right one of course.
“We set up the Festival, a small group of people, to champion independent food and drink businesses. We’re still a very small team but we are just as committed as ever, particularly now as we face a whole new chapter for hospitality, to showcasing the very best that our amazing city has to offer. This year we’re looking forward to celebrating our brilliant hospitality industry and bringing people together for some cracking food and drink!”
The Festival Hub on Cathedral Gardens
The Festival Hub will once again be located on Cathedral Gardens and will be the centre of the event, with street food, bars, live music, an artisan market and takeover events hosted by various Manchester restaurants and operators.
The Hub is free to enter with bookable tables and some saved for walk ins. Most of the available tables have already been booked now but there is still some limited availability alongside walk in spaces.
There is also a range of fringe events at venues across the city which takes place throughout the festival.
Here’s everything they’ve announced so far.
The Festival Hub
The Bull & Bear Hub Takeover
Tom Kerridge’s restaurant, The Bull & Bear will be taking over the MFDF Festival Hub for a special supper club, serving a three-course ‘pub grub’ menu. Of course, it’s a pub menu from a two Michelin starred chef so this won’t be the food from your average boozer.
The Bull and Bear in the Stock Exchange Hotel
Diners will enjoy a started of potted Loch Duart salmon with apple jelly and cucumber chutney, braised beef and blue cheese pie with English mustard mash and Seven Brothers ale gravy for main, and to finish it’s banana custard with dates, pistachio and honeycomb. A vegetarian option will be available too.
The event will take place on Monday 20 September. Tickets cost £55 per person and can be booked here.
Manchester’s Biggest Chippy Tea
For the Festival Chippy Tea takeover, the Hub will be filled with five different restaurants, chippies and traders, all cooking up their take on the classic fish and chips.
Dessert will be provided by A Few Scoops who will serve alcoholic ice cream from their custom built tuk tuk.
This event takes place on Wednesday 22 September and is free to enter but there are a limited number of tables available to pre book here.
JJ’s Vish and Chips
Schlosstoberfest
An early Oktoberfest celebration, Albert’s Schloss will bring Munich to Manchester with their Schlosstoberfest takeover.
The MFDF street kitchen will be serving Bavarian street food throughout the evening. There’ll be bratwurst, pretzels, lederhosen and plenty of beer. Plus, there’ll be a full programme of live entertainment that Schloss is so good at.
Schlosstoberfest is taking place on Thursday 23 September at the Festival Hub and is free to enter.
There’ll be pretzel and bratwursts a plenty at Schlosstoberfest
Street Food & Bars
From Thursday to Sunday for the two weeks of the festival, there will be a changing selection of street food traders.
Also that weekend, there will be a trailer at the Hub with a different restaurant or chef cooking in it each day including Evuna, Jackie Kearney and Tast.
There will be a changing selection of street food traders across two long weekends
Eat Well Mcr will have their own trailer from 24 to 26 September with a different restaurant partner each day cooking the menu. Profits raised from the kitchen, including a £1 donation added to orders, will go to Eat Well to support the work they do feeding vulnerable people in Greater Manchester.
There will be three bars at the Festival Hub; a Manchester Beer Bar serving a range of regional beers and ciders; the Franklin and Sons bar with a range of creative gin and tonics; and the Truly Hard Seltzer Bar serving alcoholic sparkling water in flavours like Wild Berry and Black Cherry.
The Manchester Beer Bar
MFDF Artisan Market
Across both weekends, there will be an artisan market at the Festival Hub, open from midday until 7pm.
There will be two separate line ups featuring independent food and drink producers from across the region.
More Festival Fringe events will be announced closer to the time but here’s what’s announced so far.
MFDF Wine and Fizz Fest
Halle St Peter’s
Taking place at Halle St Peters on Blossom Street in Ancoats, the Wine and Fizz Fest will see some of the region’s most exciting independent wine retailers and brands come together for three tasting sessions on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 September.
Tickets cost £12.50 and will allow visitors to taste their way through dozens of wines from across the globe from retailers like Decent Drop, Grape to Grain, Le Social, and Cork of North. UKiYO Republic will also be there showcasing their range of Japanese sake.
As well as tasting the wines, guests will also be able to buy bottles at the event to take home.
As the official partners of the festival, Just Eat is offering 20% off between Thursday 16 September and Monday 27 September.
There’s 20% off Roomzzz Aparthotel at the Corn Exchange throughout the festival too if you want to make a weekend of it.
The Manchester Food and Drink Festival is on from 16 to 27 September. More events will be announced in the lead up to the event.
To view the full programme and book tickets, visit their website or download the app on the App Store here or Google Play Store here.
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