Housed in an old MOT garage on Swan Street, Firehouse is now OPEN, and they’re serving up the very best woodfired chicken imaginable, wild spirit cocktails and loads more – all inspired by summers in California and Ibiza.
Firehouse is located right next to Ramona, who opened their doors during lockdown and started serving up Detroit-style pizza to throngs of hunger Mancunians. Well, Ramona has now moved further around the back and into it’s own outside tipi, making way for the huge space that is Firehouse.
With a menu of slow woodfire cooked chicken and a selection of creative small plates, Firehouse offers up a completely new and different way of eating, a concept that invites you to sit down and stay for a few hours, eating, drinking and soaking up the good vibes.
The food itself is “everything elevated” – taking simple, basic dishes and using only the greatest local, fresh ingredients – and preparing it slowly and with panache.
The chicken for example is sourced from the excellent Packington Free Range near Staffordshire, where it is marinated for 24 hours in a unique peri spice, cooked and then finished on their massive wood fire – giving it that super-smoky taste that reminds us all of summer BBQs in the back garden.
There’s an impressive menu of accompanying side plates on offer too, from Olive & Blush Tomato Tapenade, to Stracciatella – the bit from the inside of burrata (in other words – the best bit!).
There’s also a range of salads and vegetables for the side – all of which adhere to the strict – farm to fork principles that Firehouse stick to throughout the menu.
The ‘elevation’ of Firehouse continues with their ‘Wild Spirits Bar‘, taking in independent international spirits from Mexico, Brazil, Cuba and Nicaragua, turning them into some truly delicious cocktails – each one hand-made and prepared in-house sometimes over the course of three days!
It’s at this point that I should mention the Pisco Colada – a frozen cocktail that’ll blow your socks off – made using a toasted coconut pisco, Wray & Nephew rum, pineapple, horchata (a Mexican rice drink), lime, demerara sugars and Angostura.
It’s easily one of the best cocktails you’ll ever have in your life, but beware – it’s also loopy juice – so you won’t need to drink too many of them before you’re up and dancing.
And there’ll definitely be plenty of dancing, with DJs and Live Music on in Firehouse and Ramona ALL THE TIME – once the sun goes down, this place gets pretty rowdy and a LOT of fun!
Firehouse is open every Thursday – Sunday, Noon – Midnight
