Manchester has played host to some extraordinary restaurants and bars over the years, but sadly not all have stayed the course. Here we take a look at some of the amazing fine dining experiences and intriguing bistros that caused a stir during their time in Manchester, but are no longer a part of the city scene.
We've taken a look back on the MEN's archives from 20 years ago, with the assistance of former CityLife food photographer Phil Taylor. Phil was tasked with heading out to capture all the new openings as well as classic dining experiences for the restaurant reviews in our what's on section, and as such captured an extraordinary time in the city.
Phil, 61, from Bolton, recalls "an optimistic time" as we celebrated the Millennium in the region and a raft of fine dining openings across the city. He says: "It was a very optimistic time back then, we were coming to the tail end of the Madchester years, the Commonwealth Games were going on.
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"Manchester was on the up, Harvey Nicks and The Lowry Hotel had just opened, and it was an extraordinary time on the restaurant scene. It's ten years since I assisted with the food and drink column and I don't think I've eaten properly since, although I have put plenty of weight on over the years and ended up diabetic."
Here we take a look back at some of the old favourites that sadly did not stand the test of time, with Phil's photos giving us a window into the past. Let us know in the comments which restaurants you miss the most from Manchester's dining scene.
Lounge Ten
Famed for it's very, very raunchy murals on the wall, and even more raunchy door knobs (imagine what they were themed around), Lounge Ten was unlike anything else we'd seen in Manchester before, or have seen since come to think of it. The restaurant was the brainchild of Francis Carroll, who had previously brought the similarly game-changing venue Reform to the city, and entrepreneur Phil Yeates.
As well as the murals, it was known for its seriously dark, opulent interiors with bright red throne style seats, black table cloths and rich purple and red velvets. The Tib Lane restaurant opened in 2001 and fast became known as one of the city's top celebhaunts - with famous guests including Victoria and David Beckham and Wayne and Coleen Rooney who would head there without fail each year for birthdays and anniversaries.
Photographer Phil remembers that being tasked with taking photos of the interior was tricky. He says: "It was very, very raunchy. I don't know if the MEN ever used the pictures of the interior, we had some where there were assorted creatures and the picture editor had to put black squares on everybody's face! We pixelated to anonymise some of the creatures on them."
Sadly the restaurant was to close in 2013, having "encountered unforeseen licensing issues". They promised us it "would not be the end for Lounge Ten", although that was literally the last we ever heard from them.
The building would go on to become a number of different restaurants over the years, and is currently winning rave reviews as the fine dining small plates restaurant 10 Tib Lane.
Le Mont
Sitting at the very top of the giant glass Urbis structure, Le Mont was the first restaurant to try to make a success of the simply stunning space with amazing views of the city. It opened in 2002 amid a blaze of publicity, with the modern French cuisine of acclaimed chef Robert Kisby seen as the perfect fine dining match for the spectacular location.
Despite winning plenty of awards though, the restaurant was to close just five years later. Operators SMG said the closure came because they continued to trade at a loss and it "became uneconomic to keep Le Mont open".
While it was undoubtedly one of the most stunning locations in the city, finding how to get to it was among the mountains it had to climb as a business.
Photographer Phil recalls: "It was an absolutely amazing space, but the big problem with Le Mont was that part of the design of Urbis meant nobody could find the bloody entrance. It was designed to look like it had no doors so it was almost a secret entrance."
For those who did find their way inside, it was a spectacular reward. But again, the design meant that there were always squabbles over who got the very best table at the top.
Phil recalls: "They had a table right at the top of the building, and everyone wanted it because it had magnificent views over Cathedral Square. There was always such a squabble that eventually they said no one was having it."
After Le Mont closed, the venue would go on to become another fine dining restaurant, Rabbit in the Moon, from Michelin-starred chef Michael O'Hare and GG Hospitality - the company co-owned by ex Manchester United stars Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs. The "space-aged Asian" was perhaps a little too ahead of its time though, and O'Hare's ambitions to win a Michelin Star for Manchester failed to come to fruition.
O'Hare left in 2018, and the restaurant continued on as The Rabbit. But the operators struggled to make the figures add up and said "the trading figures do not justify keeping the operation open" when it was eventually closed in November 2018.
Since then it has been used as a hospitality space for private events.
Shimla Pinks
Long before Ed Sheeran graced Dishoom, there was another fine dining Indian restaurant just around the corner that was literally THE place to be for the city's celebrities and movers and shakers.
Shimla Pinks, just off Bridge Street, was an extraordinary, sophisticated space in the 90s and early noughties that was in high demand for its modern twist on Indian culinary classics.
Famed for its colour-changing LED wall, at the time it was unlike anything else in the city, based in a unit in the old Crown Square. When plans were made to redevelop the area (as part of what we now see today at Spinningfields) Shimla Pinks signed a lease for a new premises on the development.
But annoyingly, it never happened. And so the Shimla Pinks we knew and loved closed for good in 2010 and the city was deprived of one of its favourite ever Indian restaurants.
The area where it once sat went on to become the popular Neighbourhood bar and restaurant, and most recently has become transformed to becomg BLVD bar.
Harpers
There were few restaurants in Manchester with such strong footballing connections than Harpers. The restaurant on Ridgefield, just off King Street, was opened back in April 1985 by Felix Moreno, who was famously persuaded to Manchester by his pal George Best to open up his Slack Alice venture.
Felix and his business partner Eugenio Fernandez decided to open Harpers as a tapas style restaurant using their wealth of Spanish expertise, while they were also both still running the Oscars club owned by Best and Malcom Wagner.
Harpers went on to be THE place to be for footballers like George Best, Denis Law, Bryan Robson, and Kevin Keegan as well as TV and soap stars. Visiting superstars were often spotted there while the class of '92 stars like David Beckham were regulars all throughout the 90s and early noughties.
The walls were adorned with footballing memorabilia, including paintings of Becks, Bestie and world footballing greats - many of whom had dined there like Johan Cruyff.
In 2008, Felix decided to retire, and Eugenio would carry on with the business until 2012 when it was to close for good. The site on Ridgefield has continued to be a restaurant though, reopening as Spanish tapas bar La Bandera in 2014.
It has also continued on in the footballing tradition - with famous players to have dined there in recent years including David Silva, Juan Mata and Jesus Navas.
The Moss Nook
Opened in 1973 by Pauline and Derek Harrison, The Moss Nook was for decades known as one of Manchester's finest restaurants, with its menu of acclaimed French cuisine.
It was known for a formal, Edwardian interior with a rather plush garden where you could dine in the Summer months. And being so close to Manchester Airport, you could be sure to spot a fair few planes flying over too.
Sadly, the restaurant closed down in 2011 and has remained empty every since. Now, the site on Ringway Road is subject to controversial plans to be knocked down and turned into a high rise hotel instead.
Plans to demolish the empty Moss Nook building and build a three-storey hotel with 33 rooms in its place were recommended for approval by Manchester council at the end of last year. Planning officers said the proposals were acceptable after Newpark Group agreed to change their scheme having originally sought permission for a four-storey hotel and a roof garden.
The Market
Known as the Northern Quarter's longest-established restaurant, The Market was one of the most famous fine dining spots in the city during its 34 year reign. Even more impressive that it did so well at a time when there were few other drinking and dining spots in what is now a burgeoning restaurant and bar area of the city.
Fans of the bistro were devastated when in 2015 the owners announced it was to close for good. In a statement they said: "This restaurant was one of the oldest and most well known independent restaurants in Manchester.
"Set in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, it was the original and we believe the finest eating experience in the area." They blamed increased running costs and the "fickle" dining scene for the closure.
It was known for its traditional bistro-style interior, and wealth of eclectic memorabilia dotted all around the walls.
Since The Market closed its doors, the area all around it on High Street and Edge Street has exploded with independent bars and restaurants. And the Market site has also gone on to become another acclaimed restaurant, the Parisian style 63 Degrees.
Juniper, Altrincham
For years, Juniper was the only Greater Manchester establishment to hold a Michelin Star. Eleven years to be precise.
And when it closed in 2010 Manchester would be left in the Michelin wilderness for another nine years until Mana in Ancoats claimed the culinary world's highest honour in 2019.
The fine dining venue on The Downs in Altrincham was famously host to the mercurial genius of chef Paul Kitching, with his extraordinary dishes like cornflake milk and spaghetti puree.
It had just 35 covers inside, allowing guests to enjoy the intimate theatrics of Kitching's cuisine that would include a 25-course taster menu with courses like sunflower seeds, pizza topping without the base and a plate with just a smiley ketchup face. Photographer Phil recalls: "He did all sorts of silly stuff, and I remember we got him brandishing a big knife in one picture, and drinking a bottle of buttercup syrup in another. "
When Paul and partner Katie O'Brien announced they would be leaving the restaurant in 2008, it left a town and fine dining fans bereft. The restaurant was to live on very briefly under the stewardship of acclaimed chef Michael Riemenschneider, but when it failed to retain its Michelin Star it was closed in February 2009.
Paul, meanwhile, went on to set up the acclaimed 21212 restaurant in Edinburgh where he won the Michelin Star in 2010 and has held it ever since.
Marco Pierre White's River Room
When The Lowry Hotel opened its doors on the banks of the River Irwell in 2001, it would in many ways be the catalyst for change across the region. It was the first five star hotel in Salford, and brought with it a new level of luxury that would inspire the hotel boom in the years that followed.
And with the opening of the Rocco Forte hotel, came the opening of a stylish new restaurant concept too. Celebrity chef Marco Pierre White was the man at the helm to launch the original River Room venue inside the hotel on its first floor space overlooking the River Irwell.
Photographer Phil says: "I remember one of the first jobs I did for CityLife was the opening of The Lowry Hotel. It was very important as the first five star hotel in Salford, and for what it meant for the whole hospitality scene really.
"If you worked at The Lowry Hotel in that opening era, you were in high demand. You'd often find them popping up all across the fine dining scene in the region at one time or another."
While Marco's tenure at the helm would come to an end after the first few years of the hotel, the restaurant itself would go on to become one of the region's most acclaimed and long-standing hospitality spaces. It is now The River Restaurant with two AA Rosettes to its name.
Opus One
Following hot on the heels of The Lowry Hotel opening in Salford, Manchester was to get its own five star hotel in the form of the Radisson Edwardian back in 2004 on Peter Street. Taking shape inside the shell of the former Free Trade Hall, it was to be a hugely significant opening in the city centre and has gone on to host countless superstars and world leaders in the super luxe setting.
As for its dining offering? Well it all started with Opus One - a gloriously glamorous (and very dark) space created at the front of the building, using the historic grandeur of the past with opulent modern interiors.
For photographer Phil, the interiors posed their own challenges though. He says: "It had ridiculous red and yellow fluorescent lighting, it was reminiscent of a photographer's dark room. It was very very dark and lit entirely by red and yellow lighting.
"I remember photographing some food and it was so dark it was ridiculous. I had to take the dishes outside in the end to get some light."
No such problems these days - in recent times the restaurant space has been transformed into the very light and white Peter Street Kitchen. The cuisine boasts a small plates fusion of Japanese and Mexican food.
Kosmos Taverna
Something of an icon of Wilmslow Road - the Kosmos Taverna had been a hit for decades with a wide range of customers. The much-loved venue was known as one of Manchester's best Greek restaurants for over 40 years.
It retained a traditional decor and menu, and was popular with both students and parents at its prime location in Fallowfield.
But loyal customers were left devastated when it was revealed that the restaurant was to close for good at the end of last year. Owners blamed lockdown restrictions and continuing uncertainty for the closure.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News at the time, owner Loulla Astin, said she could not afford to keep going in the current climate.
"The last two years with Covid 19 and all the restrictions, the business has dropped dramatically and I had to introduce money from my [savings] to keep the business afloat", she said.
“I was getting stressed with sleepless nights, it was my health or the Kosmos. It’s sad, you know, closing. It’s been 40 years now and it’s been very successful."
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