New restaurants and bars opening in Manchester in September in 2026

A new specialty coffee shop, bringing a daytime offering to Didsbury’s cosy The Wild Alderman pub. They keep it simple, with excellent coffee by York’s Harmony Coffee Roasters, and bakes and pastries from Didsbury favourite La Chouquette. Owner Jake has previously worked at the likes of Siop Shop and Something More Productive, so expect some seriously well-poured brews, perfect to sip on as you stroll around Fletcher Moss.

Part of the thriving, hidden-away street of independents that is Deansgate Mews is Amò by Salvi’s. The little sister to Salvi’s classy Italian eateries, Amò offers a more spontaneous, cosmopolitan option. There’s a lunch menu that changes daily for a genuinely reasonable £10, fresh deli sandwiches, a two-for-£10 spritz offer and a Sunday lunch too. Plus you can pick up some authentic Italian grocery bits for home. Ciao, indeed.

Another new opening to satiate the current appetite for open-fire cooking in the city, Arcadian opens up in what was Didsbury’s Hispi restaurant. The 74-cover restaurant also features a private dining room for up to 12 guests, while the menu spans snacks and small plates through to larger cuts, seafood and desserts, with fire central to the way each dish is prepared.

In what was previously the much-missed Cantaloupe restaurant on Stockport’s Great Underbank is Bar Caput, a new concept from the same great minds. It celebrates all things Roman (think more fritti and extra-thin tonda romana pizza, rather than togas and sandals). It’s a casual affair, where walk-ins are welcome and encouraged. And if you do have room for gelato, you should absolutely have some.

Bar Dos is the second bar (geddit?) from Ben Reilly and Fran Cruse, a ‘tearaway younger sibling’ to Stray, the Mackie Mayor spot which landed an astonishing half way up the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars list in 2025. This time, music gets a bigger look-in. Expect DJs at weekends and playlists curated by the likes of Space Afrika, Chunky, Private Joy and Konnie Kon, alongside Stray residents Rhod Parry and Stu Richards. It joins Proloco and the forthcoming new home of OSMA in a cluster of exciting new Great Ancoats Street openings.

A new healthy food and drinks spot is opening on Deansgate this month, with build-your-own salad bowls, matcha, smoothies and fresh wellness shots all on the menu. There will also be fresh juices, smoothies, cold brew coffee and matcha, alongside functional ‘wellness boosts’ including adaptogenic powders. For opening day, the first 100 people through the doors will get a complimentary Glowwa Collagen shot added to their drink. Your new post-gym ritual has landed.

The Counter is the latest project from Open Restaurant Group, led by Sam and Emma Morgan alongside executive chef Andrew Sheridan, and it’s being pitched as somewhere that can move from breakfast meetings and long lunches into late-night dinners and cocktails. Four metre high elm trees will sit in the middle of the restaurant as a focal point of the swanky John Dalton Street spot.

Dahlia is the new two-floor restaurant, bar and late-night venue opening in the Northern Quarter (formerly the home of Pie & Ale, for geographic reference). At its centre is Barbacoa Cósmica, an open-fire kitchen inspired by Latin American and southern US barbecue, serving fire-cooked plates, fresh tortillas and char-breads. The music programme is being curated by Maribou State’s Jonjo Williams and Rich Reason, with Gilles Peterson, Quantic, Jamz Supernova and DJ Die among the first names confirmed.

Widely considered one of the best Neopolitan pizzas you can enjoy in the city – chef legend Marco Pierre White has said it’s the best he’s ever had – Forbici has opened up in the Trafford Centre. It joins a bolstered foodie offering in their Orient food hall, with the likes of Jerk Junction, Blanchflower, Bunsik and more as a delicious alternative to your post-shopping burger and fries. They keep it super simple: quality flour, tomatoes and toppings. And with all that marble, you could actually be in Naples.

To mark their 25th birthday, Gaucho Manchester have had a serious glow-up. The Latin American restaurant is as impressive as ever, with a smart new bar area and an exclusive new smoked steak dish – featuring more than a bit of drama – available only at the Manchester site. Decor-wise, warm timber, marble, muted natural shades and subtle gold detailing create a polished but comfortable feel. A gorgeously classy establishment with a fresh new lease of life.

Opening in the former Gusto Italian site on Lloyd Street in the city centre comes Gigi, an Italian ‘grill room’. A Grade II-listed building that was originally the City Library and Registrar’s office, the project is being headed up by a top team of creative hospitality professionals from Want Studios. In the kitchen, Sam Astley Dean is crafting the menu, known for his exceptional pasta dishes. We’re really excited about this one.

Meaning ‘heart’ in Greek, this new spot in House of Social is serving up fabulous Mediterranean dishes designed for big tables and communal eating. Proper gyros from the spit, huge prawns with Aleppo pepper and cultured butter, great hummus and smooth, cooling tzatziki. Heavenly stuff.

Maison Cafe brings a touch of Paris to the glorious Corn Exchange, with fresh pastries from cult bakery Half Dozen Other, including croissants, pain au chocolat and cruffins. Pair them with AllPress Espresso coffee or one of Maison’s iced matchas, topped with cold foam and available in flavours from ube and blueberry to crème brûlée.

Set in the imposing mill on Pollard Street East, Nest Collective is loads of things. You can grab some excellent coffee, and then hang around for one of its many happenings to occur, from sound baths and DJ sets to creative meet-ups. Less a venue, more a state of mind.

The Medlock, a new 401-room Radisson Blu hotel, has opened in East Manchester’s Medlock Square, moments from Co-op Live and the Etihad Stadium. The hotel includes British brasserie Three Rivers, café and wine bar Blend, a 24-hour Technogym fitness studio and a two-storey Penthouse Suite with private rooftop garden. Interiors reference the area’s industrial heritage, while rooms feature Manchester artwork, GRIND coffee machines and locally inspired touches including Vimto bonbons.

With a Reggie’s already part of the village furniture in Hale, their smart new spot in Altrincham will be bringing great coffee, superlative pastries, healthy yoghurt and acai bowls, wraps, bagels – all the good stuff, basically.

From chef Sam Grainger (of Madre, Medlock Canteen and Belzan fame) comes his own culinary paean to the cuisine of Southeast Asia. Found on the 14th floor of the Treehouse Hotel – alongside new bars The Hideout and The Nest – the stunning view is somehow upstaged by the plates, which pivot on made-from-scratch curry pastes and carefully sourced ingredients. From red prawn toast to aged ribeye with seven spice, this is a thrilling menu in a thrilling location.