Food & Drink
The five Greater Manchester pubs which have been voted among the ‘best in the UK’
Did your local make the cut?
A number of Greater Manchester boozers have been named as some of the best in the UK by voters in the Greater British Booze Off.
The competition, run by The Daily Star across a period of three months, asks readers to nominate their favourite watering holes under ten different categories, such as live music pubs, live sport pubs and the most unusual pubs.
And, low and behold, a massive number of pubs here in Greater Manchester were crowned as the winners in several categories, including a number of runner-up places. For example…
Best Pub (Overall), second place: The Bear’s Paw, Hindley, Wigan.
Google Maps
The Bear’s Paw in Hindley, Wigan, came in at second place in the category: Best Pub (Overall).
The boozer survived lockdown against the odds thanks to its new landlords Nathan and Matty. The pair have been described by their regulars as taking the pub from strength to strength and are a ‘formidable asset’ to the venue and wider industry in uncertain times.
One happy customer told the Daily Star that the landlords are ‘absolutely loved’ by locals and that they’re built a ‘fantastic’ rapport despite their short time at the Wigan establishment.
Best Live Sport Pub, first place: The Beehive Inn, Whitefield, Bury.
@tracybell63 / Instagram
Despite Manchester’s fierce blue and red rivalry, The Beehive Inn has become renown for housing both City and United fans without any trouble.
Rather than becoming a place for booze-fuelled scraps, this pub has established itself as a place of friendly banter welcoming to both sides of Manchester.
Visitors immediately recognise how proud of the city the pub is with the symbolic worker bee graffiti adorning the exterior.
The symbol came to particular prominence as a sign of solidarity after the Manchester Arena terror attack, and the Beehive’s garden pays tribute to the twenty-two victims who lost their lives.
Best Live Music Pub, first place: The Snug, Atherton, Wigan.
@thesnugatherton / Instagram
Despite the pandemic hitting live music venues hard, The Snug in Atherton, Wigan, managed to continue providing local music with its online ‘Snug Sessions.’
Landlady Rachel told the Daily Star that while it had been a ‘tough few months’ during lockdown, the struggle was worth it because of the ‘great little community.’
And what makes the venue even more special is the fact that it’s nestled away in a hidden location, as one TripAdvisor reviewer found when he unexpectedly stumbled upon the place.
Hindleylad wrote: “Great little place hidden away down an alley off market street. Charming look and feel. Helpful genuine staff. Good coffee – and I’m fussy – fresh cooked food and homemade cakes. Recommended.”
Best Live Music Pub, second place: The Boulevard, Wigan.
Google Maps
This hidden rock music gem has hosted countless bands and live acts over the years, and acts as a ‘second home’ to many Wigan locals.
It’s only fitting that the town that birthed iconic punk band The Buzzcocks should make it onto the Great British Booze Off list of definitive music venues, isn’t it?
Most Unusual Pub, first place: Why Not? Cafe Bar, Worsley.
@whynot_cafebar / Instagram
Just one look at the exterior of this quirky boozer demonstrates why the Why Not? cafe bar in Worsley was crowned as the most unique and unusual pub in the UK.
The building looks more like a terraced house than anything else, but the owners have decked it out in an abundance of twinkling fairy lights and retro booze memorabilia to give it that special pub vibe.
Located in the Worsley area of Salford, it is a wonderful alternative to city-centre bars of Manchester.
You can check out the full list of Great British Booze Off winners and runners up here.
Food & Drink
Popular Italian launches new menu with fresh cheesy pesto pasta and king prawns
If you’re in search of an authentic Italian dining experience in Manchester, look no further than Italiana Fifty Five
A popular Italian restaurant in Manchester has launched a new A La Carte menu.
Italiana Fifty Five has added some appetising new dishes to its menu to expand its offering this spring.
Diners can sample the newly added seasonal items and its authentic classic Italian favourites at all three of its Manchester sites – at the Great Northern, Liverpool Road and Didsbury.
The new A La Carte dishes include Gamberoni Grigliata which is tiger prawns cooked in garlic, butter, lemon and fresh chilli and served with toasted altamura bread for £13.95.
Also new to the menu is the Zoupa which is a hearty seafood soup with king scallops, king prawns, and muscles for £13.95.
Brand new appetisers include the Insalata Tricolore with avocado, beef tomato and buffalo mozzarella for £9.50, and the Bruschetta Speciale made with toasted sourdough bread and buffalo mozzarella spread, roasted heritage cherry tomatoes, garlic, onion, fresh basil and pesto for £9.75.
And if that’s not enough to entice you, diners can also tuck in to the new risotto and pasta dishes, including Risotto Zafferano which is a saffron risotto with parsley, garlic, onion and pecorino cheese for £14.95.
And the Trofie ala Pesto made with trofie pasta in homemade pesto sauce, finished with buffalo mozzarella for £14.95.
Complete your visit on a sweet note and indulge in one of Italiana Fifty Five’s best-loved desserts such as the Tiramisu or panna cotta.
To find out more or book a table at Italiana Fifty Five, click HERE.
Food & Drink
Restaurant famed for ‘cheese wheel pasta’ and ‘towering lasagnas’ looking to come to Manchester
A taste of la dolce vita could be coming to Manchester
The ‘OTT’ group famous for its pasta served in a wheel of cheese and 10-level lasagnas is reportedly looking to open a new Italian restaurant in Manchester city centre.
French-based Big Mamma Group, which owns over-the-top Italian restaurants in London – Gloria, Carlotta, Jacuzzi, Ave Mario and Circolo Popolare – will open a new venue in Gary Neville’s under-construction St Michael’s development off Deansgate.
Its restaurants are known for their flamboyant, retro interiors, resembling vintage maximalism Italian eateries, as well as US-style red sauce joints.
The regularly changing menus feature a variety of Italian classics, including fettuccine alfredo al tartufo, spaghetti with meatballs, a famous ’10 level’ lasagne and carbonara served in a huge cheese wheel.
The Manchester restaurant will be the first UK venue to be located outside of London and will – sit alongside the also announced Japanese-Peruvian restaurant Chotto Matte, also to be built at St Michael’s.
The move follows a host of other operators in the capital choosing to open new sites in Manchester.
Soon to arrive in the city will be the likes of Caravan, Flat Iron, Soho House and Blacklock.
Big Mamma – which was founded in 2013 by French entrepreneurs Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux – has more than 20 restaurants across Europe including Paris, Monaco, Milan, Madrid and Berlin.
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Food & Drink
High-end Japanese restaurant MUSU offering 30% off in March
Take advantage of vibrant Japanese dining experience
High-end Japanese restaurant MUSU is offering 30% off in March for customers who sign up to its new free rewards programme.
The contemporary Japanese eatery, nestled in the heart of the city centre on Bridge Street, is launching its own membership rewards programme.
The scheme is free to join and will give members 30% off their food bill throughout March upon signing up.
Rewards customers can enjoy discounted prices on menus including the Omakase – the theatrical, educational sushi experience which is served individually to diners at the restaurant’s six–seat omakase counter.
This also includes the full Land of the Rising Sun tasting menus, which take in a range of cooking styles from all over Japan, devised by chef-patron Mike Shaw.
Then from April, members of the programme will be able to take advantage of a series of other rewards, including 30% off any food bill when dining at lunch time, 10% off when dining at dinner on any menu, and a 10% discount on private hire and private dining.
The restaurant has a closed-off area for its private dining experience for guests to enjoy, which is regularly used by celebrities and food critics alike.
On top of this, members celebrating their birthdays at MUSU will receive a complimentary drink, and every reward programme member will be entered into a monthly prize draw to win a 12-course Land of the Rising Sun experience, complete with wine pairings.
You can get early access to the restaurant’s special events, like its live tuna cutting experience, where a whole bluefin tuna is carved in front of diners, while its expert sushi chefs talk you through the provenance of the fish and the skills displayed in this ancient craft.
You can sign up to MUSU’s free rewards scheme, HERE.
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