New Ancoats restaurant The Counter House reveals launch date

It’s Manchester’s fastest growing neighbourhood for bars and restaurants, and Ancoats will welcome yet another newcomer next month with the launch of The Counter House.

Panacea bar founder Joe Akka is behind the new independent all-day bar and restaurant which will open on Cutting Room Square in Ancoats on 30th November.

Joe and business partners have invested £700,000 in creating the hip new venue, which will have a focus on “health-led” dishes and comfort food.

“Ancoats has been at the forefront of our minds for sometime and, in particular this location,” said Joe.

“The Ice Plant building and its central Cutting Room Square position was the ideal fit for The Counter House. We were initially drawn to Ancoats following the extensive residential and commercial growth of the district. When the Ice Plant unit became available, we just knew it was the perfect site for the Counter House project.

“We see the venture as a long-term investment in the area and look forward to The Counter House becoming an integral brand in the continual expansion of Ancoats as a thriving food hotspot.”

It will join newly-launched ventures in Ancoats of recent months including Portuguese Canto, Italian Sugo, and the most recent launch – premium fine dining restaurant Mana.

The Counter House will serve 62 covers within its 2,000 square footage, offering artisan- influenced, health-led dishes alongside comfort food and established classics available all day from 8am Monday – Friday and 9am at the weekends.

The Ice Plant building is managed by developers northerngroup, and director Sarah Snape said: “northerngroup would like to offer The Counter House a warm welcome to the Ancoats neighbourhood. The Ice Plant is the perfect choice for The Counter House, which will be a very welcome addition to this prime location, overlooking the Cutting Room Square.

“Being at the forefront of the Ancoats regeneration for more than 10 years now, we have always believed in the potential of the area; it is refreshing to see this now reinforced by the increase in development and new businesses. The investment within the area is certainly keeping momentum and it really has become the place to be.”

Joe and his investors from Behind the Counter have plans to take The Counter House concept to other cities across the UK after launching in Manchester.

Bar entrepreneur Joe announced in August that his plans for flamboyant new restaurant venture, Fable, inside Manchester Hall were being shelved – blaming “insurmountable building challenges and persistent delays”.

He is said to be looking for a new venue within Manchester to bring the £3m pan-Asian restaurant concept to life.