These guys are operating on a different level. There’s Erst, then there’s everywhere else.

It’s an all-new Australasia for Manchester, thanks to a recent fit-out that transforms this subterranean venue into something brighter, breezier and more suited to the Pacific Rim theme.

The true-to-the-source West African recipes at Roots mean bold flavours and dishes that expand your tastebuds in all the best ways.

Sunday lunch at Tartuffe is special. It combines the comfort and heft of your childhood roast dinners with the skill and swagger of a pre-Knorr Marco Pierre White.

MIF25: Festival Square is back for Manchester International Festival 2025, taking over the outside space at Aviva Studios. As you’ve come to expect from the peerless MIF crew, it’s all about live music, culture and the time-honoured urge to party.

Underbank has DJs, disco balls, photobooths and plenty of space to dance. It’s nailed the right kind of energy and has plenty more to promise once that rooftop opens.

My Nawaab has been a part of Levenshulme lore for many, many years. The name might have changed a few times, but the spirit remains the same: a wildly successful South Asian banquet hall.

Sister Ray is exactly what an independent bar should be. Unorthodox and original, without feeling the need to shout about it. All very commendable, all very Liverpool.

In celebration of World Cocktail Month, MGallery Hotel Collection is partnering with French lifestyle brand, Maison Sarah Lavoine to launch a limited-edition collection of stunning cocktail glassware, featuring three unique designs that combine bold colours with elegant patterns, combining the art of character, curiosity and creativity.

The three cocktails will be served in the glassware in The Municipal Hotel & Spa in Liverpool, the only MGallery hotel in the UK, from 13 May until 31 August.

Manchester’s most joyous summer celebration is back. From Friday 22 to Sunday 24 August 2025, Festa Italiana returns to Cathedral Gardens for its eighth edition.

The Little Sri Lankan is currently running monthly supper clubs at Miru Mill in Stockport and Prestwich’s The Goods In, selling chutneys and basically bossing the more interesting end of Manchester’s independent food culture.

Upcoming Supper Clubs:

• Thursday 29th May, Miru Mill, Stockport
• Wednesday 11th June, Grounded Mcr, Levenshulme
• Wednesday 18th June, The Goods In, Prestwich
• Thursday 26th June, Miru Mill, Stockport
• Friday 27th June, Miru Mill, Stockport

Society welcomes El Piloto, a family-run Mexican street food concept, as its newest independent trader starting 2 June 2025. Founded by Lukas Tilzey in 2022, El Piloto has grown from a part-time project in Congleton into a thriving business known for vibrant, homemade Mexican dishes. That means hand-pressed tacos, quesadillas, corn ribs, dirty fries, and new creations like loaded churros. El Piloto joins a solid lineup of global street food vendors including Slap and Pickle, Yoki Social, Noi Quattro, and Manzoku.