One of the city’s most popular bars is welcoming the return of its Aperol terrace this summer, and will also giving away hundreds of free drinks to celebrate.
With summer now officially here, and much of the UK set to see soaring temperatures over the next couple of weeks, Spinningfields sun trap The Oast House has decided to revive its much-loved Aperol-themed terrace, and is aiming to transport city visitors from the hustle and bustle of Manchester, to the serenity of an authentic Italian square.
With views overlooking the Spinningfields centre, fans of the Italian tipple can expect the new Piazza Aperol to be home to ample pavement café-style seating, and a double-tier Aperol Spritz Bar too.
It’ll be decorated with orange trees, Fiat 500s in Aperol’s iconic orange, swing seats, and art deco streetlights.
Piazza Aperol will be taking over The Oast House from Wednesday 13 – Sunday 24 July / Credit: The Oast House
Piazza Aperol will be taking over The Oast House from Wednesday 13 – Sunday 24 July, and the venue promises it will truly come to life the moment the working day ends and the evening begins to provide people with the perfect place to grab an impromptu Aperol Spritz with friends.
Speaking ahead of the terrace’s grand opening, Danny Leach – General Manager of The Oast House – added: “Following the success of last year’s Aperol Spritz & Spiaggia – which truly helped visitors make the most of British summer time come rain or shine – we are thrilled to welcome back Aperol with its Piazza-style experience.
“Our customers love making the most of the longer summer evenings and now with Piazza Aperol, we can spritz up their visit with some Italian fun.”
Piazza Aperol will be be home to ample pavement café-style seating, and a double-tier Aperol Spritz Bar / Credit: The Oast House
And, if sipping on an Aperol Spritz in the sunshine wasn’t the perfect summer plan already as it is, then how does a free one sound?
To celebrate the opening of Piazza Aperol and to usher-in the upcoming heatwave, The Oast House has announced that it will be giving the first 200 customers a free Aperol Spritz from 5pm on Friday 15 July.
While walk-ins will be accepted, advanced booking is advised via the Oast House website.
Featured Image – The Oast House
Eats
Lively Irish pub Nancy Spains set to open in Manchester for the first time
Daisy Jackson
An Irish bar famed for its live music is heading up to Manchester for the first time, and is promising £2.50 pints to lure us in.
Nancy Spains will be venturing out of London for the first time promising to bring the ‘ultimate traditional Irish pub experience’ to the Northern Quarter.
If you were to ask what the hottest trend in hospitality is right now the answer would, apparently, be Guinness. We’re drowning in the stuff.
This latest opening is more about Murphy’s, another Irish stout, than Guinness (they actually won’t serve Guinness at all) but the craic will be much the same.
Nancy Spains is actually set to open almost directly opposite the aforementioned Salmon of Knowledge, taking over the former Corner Boy unit on Stevenson Square in the heart of Manchester.
To celebrate its opening, the pub will be serving its first 5000 pints of Murphy’s for just £2.50, so that it can show off the atmosphere that’s established it as ‘one of London’s favourite pubs’.
They’re promising an array of Irish whiskeys behind the bar, live music performances, and a lively late-night setting.
Nancy Spains was set up by three brothers who travelled all over their home county of rural Kerry researching Irish pubs, before launching two venues down in London.
They want it to balance a traditional pub with the vibrancy of the city.
Peter O’Halloran, co-founder of Nancy Spains commented, “We’re so excited to be launching in Manchester, bringing Nancy Spains to the heart of the Northern Quarter.
“After the success of our two venues in London, it was only right to bring Nancy Spains’ infectious spirit and Irish pride to Manchester. Slainte!”
Nancy Spains will open its first Manchester pub on Saturday 15 March at 21 Hilton Street.
Lucky Mama’s – The Italian restaurant serving pasta in a dough bowl and ‘pregnant’ pizzas
Daisy Jackson
Lucky Mama’s is a local sensation, thanks to its slightly whacky but delicious Italian creations like pasta served in a bowl made of pizza dough and its latest offering, a ‘pregnant’ pizza.
What on Earth is a pregnant pizza, you ask? Firstly we should stress this is a nickname we’ve bestowed upon the dish, rather than Lucky Mama’s chosen branding.
But essentially it’s a helping of fresh pasta that’s folded into the bubble crust of the pizza, like a half-calzone.
Lucky Mama’s started life when founders Mamadou Dhiam and Gaby Santos set up a trailer in their backyard in Eccles in the depths of lockdown.
But thanks to a formidably loyal following that’s spread the word of Lucky Mama’s far and wide, it now has two pretty pink restaurants in Greater Manchester.
Back in 2022, they threw open the doors to their Chorlton restaurant, before returning back to home turf for spot number two in Monton in 2024.
The recipes are fresh and pretty authentically Italian up until the last step, when they throw a curveball by loading their pasta into unconventional vessels.
‘Pregnant’ pizzas at Lucky Mama’sTraditional Roman pizzasLucky Mama’s pink restaurant in Chorlton
Their pasta pizza bowls are what they’re best known for and they fly out of the kitchen – this is where pizza dough is placed around a metal bowl before being baked in an oven.
Then it’s piled high with freshly made pasta, with popular flavours like cacio e pepe, mushroom alfredo, and rasta pasta.
Pasta is available in a regular ceramic bowl too.
You’ll find Lucky Mama’s at 565 Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton; and 217 Monton Road in Eccles.
Emily Sergeant -
8th July 2022 
