Independents Day: the Manchester indie restaurants and bars reopening this 4th July
- Written by Louise Rhind-Tutt
- Last updated 4 years ago
- Food & Drink
Restaurants and bars are allowed to reopen on 4th July, providing they adhere to COVID Secure guidelines and have the appropriate measures in place.
Not every venue is ready to start opening yet – and indeed many diners do not feel ready to start making bookings – but if you do, why not make it for one of Greater Manchester’s independents, who need your support more than ever following a turbulent few months?
These (mostly) independent Manchester restaurants covering everything from street food to Michelin starred dining are all opening their doors this weekend, with safety measures in place and reduced capacity – and advance booking is essential for most venues.
Or if you’d rather the restaurant came to you, check out the meal kits available for delivery in Greater Manchester and beyond.
Mana
Ancoats restaurant Mana, which was last year awarded the city’s first Michelin star in over 40 years, will be opening its doors again on 4th July – but bookings for the next few weeks are going fast.
Tables will be spaced a minimum of 1.5 metres apart, and the restaurant will no longer be using its lounge area. All staff members will be wearing face masks, and waiters will no longer be topping up your drink.
They will also be using laminated drinks menus or a QR code to scan and view on your mobile. The food menu has also been adapted.
White Hart at Lydgate
This country pub has introduced a new dining concept for opening on 4th: The Brass Monkey Brasserie, taking up residence in the Oak Room and Pavilion, which are normally used for weddings.
The menu will include new dishes inspired by owner Charles Brierley’s travels around India, Nepal and Tibet, such as Punjabi lamb kofta, South Indian crab cakes and Gorkha chicken and cardamom curry. There is also a new pizza section.
The rear garden now has 20 tables spread out to provide a mix of individual ‘bubbles’ and ‘two household bubbles’, and the pub will be launching its new app for customers to order drinks and pizzas in the pub and garden.
Almost Famous
Almost Famous Great Northern will be back from 4th July, with the NQ site to follow a few weeks later – and bookings are essential.
Founder Beau Myers is offering a stripped back menu: “Having been cooking burgers at home during lockdown – stripping it back to basics with awesome meat, amazing brioche, melty cheese, creamy smacky sauces, simple builds and the best quality ingredients, cooked perfect and juicy every time, I’ve been remembering what Almost Famous was all about,” he says.
The new pared back menu includes the Phoenix 2.0 – a double cheeseburger with JD maple smoked streaky bacon, shoestring onions, Frazzles, fresh chillies, bacon mayo, redneck bbq and bacon ketchup.
Hatch
Food, drink and retail neighbourhood Hatch is set to reopen its doors on Saturday, with a digital ordering system allowing street food fans to enjoy a sociable, contact-free outdoor dining experience.
Dining will be table service only, with a new capacity limit. Each trader’s menu will be browsable via phones and QR codes on the tables, and guests can order and pay for food and drinks using the Hatch Good Eats web page.
Current traders include:
- Grandad’s Sausages: Bury-based Grandad’s Sausages have been bringing artisan bangers to the people for over 50 years.
- Rey del Cerdo: Hatch’s taco and tequila bar.
- KBOM: Brazilian and Portuguese flavours at this vibrant soul food destination
- Abeja Tapas Bar: the smallest tapas bar in Manchester
- Fuku: real Asian Street food
- Mezze: a father/daughter team bringing their passion for Cyprian food to Hatch
- Herbivorous: vegan street food specialist
- Clubhouse: a new Tiki dive bar
- Veggie Deli: innovative vegan wraps and loaded salad boxes
- Parmogeddon: A parmo is fried chicken covered in creamy béchamel, topped with a serious helping of cheese and shoved under the grill until melted and gooey
- Takk: Hatch’s artisan espresso bar
- Ol: Hatch’s onsite nano-brewery and beer bar.
Elnecot
The Ancoats indie is opening from 10am this Saturday for bottomless brunch, with a new menu to be revealed soon.
To guarantee a table this weekend, you’ll need to book in advance.
Vero Moderno
This much-loved Italian restaurant in Salford’s Chapel Gardens is now taking bookings from 4th July, with new distancing measures in place.
Call 0161 637 1160 or email [email protected] to book.
Greens
The Didsbury institution opened by TV chef Simon Rimmer in 1990 has been serving diners superb vegetarian food for 30 years – and they’re back open this weekend, with inside and outside dining.
Due to enforced limits on capacity, they will ask for credit card details as security on all bookings to avoid no shows and late cancellations, and Friday and Saturday evenings will see a new three course dinner menu priced at £27.
Tampopo
Manchester’s original independent pan Asian brand is reopening all of their restaurants and food kiosk on Saturday 4th July including Albert Square, Trafford Centre, Corn Exchange and Piccadilly Gardens.
They’re launching a new menu following a visit to Bali and the team’s recent inspiring food mission to Malaysia, and though they’re open for walk-ins, booking is advised.
Edinburgh Castle
The new Ancoats pub is reopening on Saturday, with tables for up to two hours for up to six people. You will also need to book a table for drinks.
The new menu includes an aged wagyu burger, confit lamb shoulder, sugar cured venison and hasselback potato with beurre noisette.
Seven Bro7hers
The Salford Taproom, Middlewood Locks and Ancoats beer houses will reopen on 4th July – but there’ll be no more drinking stood at the bar. All sites will be table service only with screens to divide the longer tables at Middlewood Locks and Ancoats, and customers will order through an app.
Limited food menus will be available at the Middlewood Locks and will be available for take-away. In Ancoats there will be no food for the initial re-opening.
However, drinkers will be able to enjoy a pint in the sunshine at Middlewood Locks, with plans to offer outdoor seating in Ancoats.
Zouk
The Indian restaurant is opening on 4th July from 4pm everyday, but all tables must be booked in advance. Slots are 1.5 hours, and guests can select an indoor table or an outside table in the shisha lounge.
Guests will use their phones to order and pay for their food at the table, and they’ve also installed a decontamination booth that uses ultrasonic technology to generate a dry mist of disinfectant on entry.
Mamucium
The double AA rosette winning restaurant in Hotel Indigo will reopen on 4th, with limited reservations available.
The classic menu includes Lancashire onion soup, Manchester Smoke House salmon, Great North Pie Co pies and locally reared steaks, while a 3-2-1 menu will be available to order from 4:30pm to 7:30pm each day: 3 courses for 2 people with a glass of wine for £19.95pp, 3 courses for £17.95pp, or 2 courses for £12.95pp.
Yuzu
The small Japanese restaurant on Faulkner Street is opening its doors at midday on 4th July, but because of its size it is encouraging customers to order takeaway instead of dining in.
The menu includes chicken and prawn katsu, yakitori skewers, and the most incredible deep-fried kara-age chicken thighs.
Albert’s Schloss
Everyone’s favourite Bavarian beerhouse is now taking bookings from the 4th of July, with updated cleanliness and santisation processes. In line with Government guidelines, bookings must be made up of no more than two households.
Food includes some new rustic and simple Bavarian-inspired dishes.
Cane & Grain
The NQ joint is reopening on 4th for all your rum, ribs, bourbon and beer needs, but bookings will be limited to begin with.
It also happens to be their sixth birthday.
Cottonopolis
The Newton Street restaurant and bar is reopening on Saturday, with new menus for brunch and evening.
They’re also offering bookable late night tables for drinks.
Rudy’s
The top Neapolitan pizza spots in Ancoats and Peter Street are now taking bookings for dining in from Saturday. A credit card is required to secure your booking but will not be charged.
Or if you’d rather not head out, you can get their pizzas delivered – or try a meal kit to make your own, which can be delivered nationwide.
Common
The NQ favourite is back open from Saturday, but it’s advance bookings only ([email protected]) and you’ll need their app for ordering.
Brunch is dead for now, and Nell’s Pizza will be the food offering: 16” New York style pizza whole and by the slice.
The Oast House
It’s usually rammed at this outdoor Spinningfields drinking and dining spot, but now you’ll be able to actually get a seat since they’re taking reservations for the first time.
There’ll be more space between tables, and mobile contactless ordering to your table.
The Botanist
Alderley Edge will be opening its door this weekend, with Deansgate and MediaCityUK to follow later in the month.
There’ll be contactless ordering, and you can reserve a table.
Crazy Pedro’s
The late-night pizza and tequila joints on Bridge Street and NQ will be opening this Saturday.
There’s no need to book, but they’ll be making sure people are seated safely with limited capacity.
Dakota
Dakota’s Grill restaurant and bar will open from the 4th with a menu of classic light bites, grills, seafood and desserts. Guests are welcome to dine in The Grill, the Bar or the brand-new Terrace at Dakota.
The recently developed terrace offers an al fresco space to enjoy Dakota’s wine and champagne selection, as well as dining.
20 Stories
Not an indie but certainly one of the city’s favourites (and one which donated at least 200 free meals per week to the NHS during the pandemic), Manchester’s highest restaurant is now taking bookings from 4th July in line with government guidelines.
The layout has been adjusted to allow for distancing, the food offering has been simplified, and menus can be viewed electronically with contactless payment.
Tib St Tavern
Tib Street Tavern has undergone a complete refresh with new floors, fresh paint and is now configured with social distancing a priority.
It’s table service only when they open on 4th, and booths can be booked for a maximum of six people from up to two households. Call to book on 0161 834 1600 or online.
Jasmine Grill
The much-loved Middle Eastern restaurant is back open from this Saturday, offering Lebanese classics, including a vegan menu, plus a small bar.
Don Giovanni
The classic independently owned Italian, a firm favourite since it opened in 1984, is back open on 4th.
Bookings for this weekend being snapped up fast, but you might still be able to get a table for Sunday.
Corn Exchange
Banyan, Berlin-inspired Doner Haus, authentic, family-run Italian restaurant Salvi’s and pan-Asian Tampopo are all opening on 4th, with new measures in place, while Mowgli and Cosy Club will follow on the 6th and 8th July respectively.
Other Corn Exchange venues such as Gino’s, Pho, Pizza Express, Vapiano, Wahaca and Zizzi are then set to reopen to the public from mid-July onwards.
Mano a Bocca
This Sale restaurant specialising in traditional Romana pizzas has rejigged the restaurant, and will be reopening from Saturday at 12 noon.
There will be contactless payment, and you’ll need to email them to reserve a table.
Bhaji Pala
This fully vegan Indian restaurant in Gatley has won over diners from all across town, and it will be back open on 4th.
Breakfast service will be discontinued until further notice, but you can book in for lunch and dinner.
Piccolino
Piccolino Caffe Grande in Manchester, and Piccolino Didsbury, Hale, Alderley Edge, Bramhall, Knutsford and Chester, are all reopening on 4th.
New alfresco dining spaces inspired by Italy’s piazzas will be available in a number of the restaurants, and diners are encouraged to book in advance.
Vertigo
It’s won us over with its inventive vegan cookery, and although Vertigo isn’t open for dining in yet, the Cross Street branch is doing takeaway and delivery.
The First Street branch will be taking bookings from 17th July.
The Ivy
It’s not an indie, far from it, but The Ivy has proved to be a popular addition to Manchester’s dining scene – and they also prepared 3,000 meals a week during the pandemic for the North West ambulance service from their kitchen in the heart of Spinningfields.
The glamorous restaurant will be back open on 4th with options including the Ivy Brasserie and Ivy Asia on the second floor, whilst The Roof Garden offers views across Spinningfields.
Signature Steakhouse
The new steakhouse at Trafford Hall is back open this weekend, offering top quality steaks from award winning Farmison’s butchers.
They’re offering a free glass of bubbly to all guests who dine this weekend as a welcome back gift.
All Star Lanes
You won’t be able to bowl until 1st August, but in the meantime the popular Great Northern venue is open for karaoke, restaurant and bar reservations from 4th July.
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