The owner of Ancoats bar and restaurant Elnecot is set to open the first stand-alone Dokes Pizzeria in Prestwich next month. Chef Michael Clay already has a Dokes in the Society foodhall on Barbirolli Square.
The new pizza spot, on Bury New Road, will be in the unit previously occupied by the Basil + Lily cafe and wine bar, and will seat 35. It will be open all day, for lunch and dinner, and with brunch happening at the weekend too.
Inside, the site has been designed by Phaus, the architects behind smart Manchester venues like Erst in Ancoats and Escape To Freight Island.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Clay said: “We’ve chosen Prestwich because it seems to be a great community. We thought we could bring something different to the area too, and there are a lot of operators doing exciting stuff out there at the minute.
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“We just want to start getting a nice following in Prestwich and see what we can do with a proper restaurant, because it’ll be a different ballgame to just having a small unit in a food hall.”
He added that with flexible working becoming more of an option for people, it means that neighbourhood restaurants should start becoming more and more important to communities outside the city centre.
“We’re lucky in Ancoats that there is a neighbourhood feel, but the city centre has taken a dip over the last couple of years,” he went on. “We were particularly looking for a suburb for this restaurant. Not only is it better value for money, it does seem that people are spending more time in their local communities at the moment.”
Like Elnecot, the new restaurant will feature a natural wine list from Buon Vino in Lancashire, and Shindigger on tap. Pizza toppings will focus on local producers and seasonal produce, while other menu items at Society currently include chicken wings, and Welsh wagyu meatballs.
“Our pizza is a little different,” he goes on. “It’s not Neapolitan for starters, I just prefer a crispier pizza, so ours are electric baked for three or four minutes, we use flour from Northumberland, charcuterie from Wales, British cheeses, and we make our dough with extra virgin rapeseed oil, which I don’t think anyone else does.”
It’s set to open around the end of April.
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