There’s a brand-new “Polynesian paradise” tiki bar that’s just opened up in the heart of the Northern Quarter.
It may now officially be autumn, with the temperatures dropping by the day, but Lono Cove has decided to bring its summer spirit right here to Manchester after having been “redefining the way we socialise” since opening its first site in Chester in 2018, and after being voted the number one bar in the nearby city too.
The immersive tropical escape, where “amazing cocktails are just part of the story”, has settled and opened doors on Thomas Street.
The underground venue – which has taken over the old Apotheca unit – has been completely refurbished and kitted out with slick contemporary finishes, resort-style decor, and enough greenery and tropical flourishes to make you forget all about the typical Manchester rain that’s bound to pay us a visit.
Award-winning Lono Cove has decided to bring its summer spirit right here to Manchester / Credit: Facebook (Lono Cove)
Boasting an “expertly-crafted menu of cocktails and premium spirits”, and widely-celebrated for its drinks and service, Lono Cove has become a firm favourite for locals and tourists alike in Chester.
It’s hoped that Mancunians and visitors to the city will take it to their heart in the same way.
There’s two floors of tropical cocktails, with the ground floor full of comfortable booths and two stunning birdcages – which cater for groups of up to six people – and the basement featuring a stunning floral décor, a DJ, and a drinks offering that’ll get the party started.
The bar boats an “expertly-crafted menu of cocktails and premium spirits” and is celebrated for its drinks and service / Credit: Facebook (Lono Cove)
It’s the perfect place for private parties, cocktail masterclasses, and more.
Fancy a sneak peak of some of the cocktails on the menu? Well, there’s a range of tiki classics, including the always-dependable ‘ZOMBIE Mojito’, and a special sharing cocktail known as the ‘Treasure Chest’, which is full of Polynesian flavours – passionfruit, pineapple, and vanilla.
Lono Cove | 14 Thomas Street, Manchester, M4 1DH
Featured Image – Lono Cove
Food & Drink
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 -
13th October 2021 
