Sneak Peek: New Cane & Grain in the Northern Quarter

If you thought that founder of the Black Dog Ballroom Group Ross Mackenzie was done creating hit bars in Manchester then you’d be wrong. In fact, you’d be very wrong. He’s still so hot with ventures that his newest offering features not one but three bars. All in one site.

“…we want to be the best bar in the world.”

Opening later this month (July), rum, ribs, bourbon and beer are set to become Manchester’s new favourites. A collaberation between wet trade veterans Black Dog and The Liars Club; Cane and Grain is a three-floor fun house for carnivores and hedonists and stands just a couple of units away from famous skate shop NOTE in the Northern Quarter.

Our sneak peek tour of the bar-fest unearths real connections to shops such as NOTE and Cast with recycled parts of skateboards decorating bars and walls alike – a subtle nod towards the 80s hedonistic skate scene.

The first floor is a much more subtle affair. Think PDT and Little Branch in NYC, antique glassware, copper bar tops, homemade bitters and syrups, world class bartenders, sit down only – a relaxed hideaway.

Elsewhere, decorations are far from conservative. Squirrel light fittings are sure to divide opinion while the murky chintz of the middle floor transforms into a top-floor thatched roof Liars Club that can’t be described as anything but ‘Tiki’.

The Liars Club legend Lyndon Higginson comments; “There is a distinct lack of classic cocktail bars in Manchester and our first floor bar is going to fill that gap. We aren’t just aiming for the best bar in Manchester we want to be the best bar in the world.”

Infamous zombie cocktails will be available, alongside naughty, alcohol-infused salads and stacks of ribs. The food menu, which will be created by Dog Bowl chef Barry Gamble, will offer a selection of varieties of ribs and sides. But a £69 meat feast platter is something that is too intriguing to pass up on. Food is served on all three floors so you can change setting without even leaving the premises.

Ross Mackenzie, founder of the Black Dog Ballroom Group, comments; “This concept is something totally new for us and we are really looking forward to revealing it in the Northern Quarter where our Black Dog Ballroom success began. We have built a strong team around Lyndon and Barry and hope to offer spectacular food and drinks with something a bit different from that the NQ is used to.”

Cane & Grain will be open seven days a week from Midday until 2am, food will be served daily from midday.

Contact

Thomas Street, Manchester M4 1NA

@CaneAndGrain

caneandgrain.co.uk

Photography: Simon Rogerson