New British restaurant to open inside former Freemasons Hall in October

Bridge Street is on its way to becoming another destination for food lovers.

Randall & Aubin opened there in May. Now another restaurant is to open just down the road next month.

Masons Restaurant Bar will open for business on October 20 following a VIP bash at the Grade II listed Manchester Hall, the transformed former Freemasons Hall, the evening before.

The name refers to the building’s unique history as the home of the freemasons in Manchester. But the restaurant will be neither private nor secretive.

The food at Masons will have a nod to the traditional – but brought up to date –  with playful, modern interpretations of traditional British flavours.

All ingredients will be carefully sourced from across the British Isles including Connemara organic Irish salmon from Ireland and Dukesmoor steaks from Wales.

The full a la carte menu will be revealed next month.

While the interior features a few touches of Freemasons’ iconography, the green colours of the design scheme have been chosen to help create a welcoming, light and informal club atmosphere.

The restaurant area will offer lots of different dining settings catering for everything from breakfast planning meetings, entertaining clients at lunch or taking out your special someone on a date.

A private dining booth complete with Freemasons-inspired motifs seating up to four people continues the playful take on the club theme.

Masons will open at 8am for breakfast with diners promised a hearty, yet elegant, start to the day.

“Our menu has been many months in the planning,” says director Deepa Parekh, “and we can’t wait to surprise and delight our first guests with our traditional menu with a twist.

“Enjoying fantastic food shouldn’t be intimidating and Masons’ ethos will be to combine attention to every single detail in our cooking with the friendliest and best possible personal service. We don’t want it to feel like a stuffy venue, but a place to unwind and relax with friends and colleagues in the heart of the city.”