Kendals Manchester relaunches champagne bar with new look and new menu

The fizz corks are popping again over at Kendals on Deansgate – the historic department store has relaunched its champagne bar.

The 3rd floor bar, formerly Tom’s Champagne Bar, is back in business and rebranded as Kendals Champagne Bar, with a range of fizz, cocktails and all-day dining.

It has been closed for the past ten months because of uncertainty over the store’s future and threat of closure.  But after the high profile Save Kendals campaign was won in December, store bosses are now keen to celebrate moving forwards with the next stage of the shop’s evolution.

The bar reopened with a new seating area featuring glam chaise longue chairs as part of ongoing investment in the House of Fraser store. And there are plans to extend it further in the weeks ahead too.

There’s a new cocktails menu including a host of Manchester-themed beverages, including The Mancunian – a vodka, pineapple and champagne concoction with a yellow and black bee theme (£9), the Kendals Classic with gin, prosecco, cranberry and lime (£9), and to complete the Manc line-up you can also sup our I Love MCR strawberry jam gin with tonic (£7).

You can get two different champagnes by the glass, Veuve Lorinet Brut for £8 a glass or £40 a bottle, or Laurent Perrier for £11 a glass or £60 a bottle.  If you fancy celebrating in style you can also buy bottles of Tattinger (£75) or Laurent Perrier Rose (£85).

There’s a small plates and light bites menu including open sandwiches priced from £5.95 and a tantalising antipasti sharer board for £15 – you can choose from a meat, vegetarian or vegan option too. For those with a sweet tooth, there’s a daily changing selection of baked goodies, include loaf cake for £3.60 a slice, as well as a range of hot and cold beverages.

Kendals manager Anne Latham said: “Everyone knows we went through a tough time last year, but we’re very much back, we’re here and open for business.  Reinstating the champagne bar is an important part of that as people have been constantly asking us when it is reopening.

“This is just the start of the model store programme from House of Fraser, a long term investment strategy to reinvent the stores.”

After the huge outpouring of support for Kendals and its staff in Manchester when it was first announced it was at risk of closure last year, Anne said it was now time for celebration as the store moves forward on its next phase.

She said: “The feelings have now turned from sadness to excitement.  There’s so much to look forward to now.”

The launch of Kendals Champagne Bar comes as the old sixth floor restaurant closes in the store as part of another major redevelopment, with news to be announced soon.

Kendals Champagne Bar is open every day in store from 11am to 6.30pm