A luxury hot chocolate cafe is set to open in the city centre later this year, and will be the first of its kind in the North of England.
Knoops will sell 20 different flavours of the hot drink along with a variety of sweet treats and is expected to open its doors on Cross Street later this year — so you know where to go to get your sugar fix!
The expertly crafted hot chocolatier has chosen Manchester as its tenth site for its hot chocolate concept store, already having sites in Covent Garden, Chelsea, Brighton, and more. With its locations mainly concentrated in the South, Manchester’s Knoops will be the first Northern branch for the brand.
Situated on the corner of Cross Street and South King Street this fancy choccy heaven will be the perfect stop off for you to indulge while visiting the city centre. As well as a Manchester site, Knoops will be opening stores in Knightsbridge and Bath, as part of its strategy to ‘do for chocolate drinks what Starbucks did for coffee’.
We're heading north! 🎉 Our 10th store will be opening at 68 Cross Street in Manchester in April. Are you excited? 🍫
The bouji brand was founded by German-born Jens Knoop in Rye, East Sussex, in 2013 — and growing increasingly popular, it has since expanded with plans to open 100 new UK stores in the next five years.
A spokesperson for Knoops told Big Hospitality: “Seeing a new face light up as they discover our brand will never get old, and opening up in new locations across the UK is helping us to spread the message of Knoopology at a phenomenal rate.
“We’re creating a lasting impression in our current locations and already have many Mancunian fans of the brand from visits to other stores. Likewise, our products are already stocked in Harrods, so it’s fantastic to enhance our presence in Knightsbridge too.”
Menus at Knoops list the percentages of the chocolate, from 28% white to 44% milk all the way up to 70% dark and 100% extra dark — so plenty for all taste pallets!
Knoops
All of the varieties are available as hot chocolates, and six of which are also available as milkshakes. Visitors to Knoops can also enjoy iced chocolate — topped with either dairy or plant-based milks — and can customise their drinks with a plethora of toppings and dried spices such as nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon and Maldon sea salt.
Hot chocolate lovers will also be delighted to hear that handmade marshmallows and whipped cream are also on offer. As well as coffees, mochas and teas, the Knoops’ stores also stock baked goods including brownies, croissants, cake slices, cannoli, cupcakes and doughnuts, plus much more.
Pub chain Wetherspoons has announced it is hosting a 12-day celebration of all things ale — with pints costing as little as £2.15, starting this week.
The chain’s Real Ale Festival runs from Wednesday March 22nd to Sunday April 2nd, just in time for beer garden season. Exact prices will depend on where you live but the average cost is still expected to be below £3.
A range of 30 ales will be included in the deal, which is part of the pub chain’s real ale festival, from citrusy IPAs to deep dark rubies, available at extremely tempting prices across all of its pubs.
Some of those beers – 24 in total – will also have been brewed especially for the Wetherspoons event. Vegan and gluten free beers will also be on sale as part of the festival collection. Included in the selection of tipples will be offerings from leading British breweries as well as brewers in countries such as Switzerland, USA and Belgium.
Tim Hill / Flickr
Wetherspoon operations director, Martin Geoghegan said: “The festival is a great celebration of real ale. It will allow our pubs to showcase a selection of superb beers over a 12-day period, at great value for money prices.
“It will also give our customers the opportunity to enjoy a number of beers which have not previously been served in the pub, including those from overseas.”
The annual festival arrives as Spoons prices have risen by around 7.5 percent and a number of its venues have been put up for sale. Despite this, boss Tim Martin said that he remains ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the brand’s future.
Zouk is bringing back its epic bottomless buffet, available throughout the whole of Ramadan, consisting of their best-loved dishes — including a whole stuffed lamb.
Every evening starting from Thursday March 23rd, the colossal all-you-can-eat buffet will be open for everyone to feast on — the perfect way for families to celebrate Iftar and break their fast.
Guests will be greeted with a gift of stuffed dates on arrival plus fruit chaat, dates and water on the table. Once seated, customers can go up to the buffet and enjoy the daily selection of food which will include salads, starters, curries, lamb raan and a selection of accompaniments.
Zouk have created two sittings this year, so the Ramadan buffet is available for a longer period of time each evening — with a rotating menu in case you want to come back for more.
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There will be one sitting at Iftar with a second sitting an hour earlier or later, depending on BST. All you have to do is simply select the time that best suits you and your fellow diners when booking.
The Ramadan buffet is £25 per person for adults, £12.50 per child (under 12s) and free for children under five. Throughout the month, Zouk will also be supporting a number of local charities by donating both meals and money to help with the homelessness crisis across Manchester.
While walk-ins are welcome, it is advised to make a reservation to avoid disappointment. Get booked in here.
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A food hall in Manchester has been named as the best in the UK for its ‘exceptional’ food.
Mackie Mayor, based in the Northern Quarter, beat competition from London, Liverpool and Sheffield as it was voted best in the whole of the UK. Two other Greater Manchester food halls also made it to the top 10; Altrincham Market House and Society food hall, coming in fourth and eighth respectively.
Mackie Mayor scooped the top spot and was praised for the ‘exceptional’ food from its many food and drink operators, while second place went to Italian-inspired concept Eataly in London.
The news was announced by global travel site Big 7 Travel and hospitality specialists Enjoy Travel, who teamed up to find the best food halls in the UK. Venues were ranked on several factors including range of cuisines, selection of vendors, unique and special events and overall atmosphere.
@makiemayor / Instagram
Mackie Mayor food hall is located inside an 1858 Grade II-listed market building that was once Smithfield Market Hall. The site reopened as Mackie Mayor following a huge refurbishment in 2017.
The Swan Street plot was given a total revamp by the same team behind Altrincham Market — led by Nick Johnson — after lying empty for years. The team behind both food halls also run the Picturedrome food hall in Macclesfield.
Featuring a range of food and drink operators, all under its huge glass roof, Mackie Mayor holds the capacity for almost 500 people. The current line-up of vendors includes Tender Cow, Eagle Street Coffee, Honest Crust, Pico’s, New Wave Ramen, Mumma’s, Chilli B and BlackJack Brewtap.
@altymarket / Instagram
Taking top position above Eataly in London and Cutlery Works in Sheffield, the description for Mackie Mayor said it was ‘crammed full of top-notch food and drink vendors’ and one of Manchester’s ‘most popular spots’.
It added: “Honest Crust serves exceptional seasonal sourdough pizzas, FIN Fish Bar is beloved for its sustainable day-boat fish cooked whole over a chargrill and Baohouse serves up the steamiest little Taiwanese buns. At Tender Cow, punters can tuck into lesser-known cuts of beef from some of the best producers and farms in Britain. Groups of 10 or more people can book a table too.”
The other Manchester food hall making the top ten was Society, located in the long-vacated bar site next to Bridgewater Hall on Barbirolli Square, serving up a range of street food, craft beers and cocktails.
Current traders at the food hall include Chaat Cart, Yoki Social Table and Vocation brewery.