New in Food: Alabama's, Trove, Italian Club & more

In our monthly round-up of new food and drink venues in Liverpool and Manchester, there are plenty of options for weekend indulgence (Alabama's, Mary & Archie, The Italian Club Bakery) – and the beginnings of a tiffin box trend (you heard it here first).

Feature by News Team | 07 Mar 2016

If you're anything like us, you'll sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of new restaurant and bar openings in Liverpool and Manchester. To help you conquer this feeling – and hopefully give you some new ideas for Sunday brunch – we're going to be rounding up the best new openings across the region every month, from craft beer bars to coffee places, to street food pop-ups and fancy restaurants. Opening a new food and drink venue in Liverpool or Manchester? Let us know – send the details to hiya@theskinny.co.uk.

New cafés in Liverpool

The Italian Club Bakery

Liverpool institution The Italian Club has opened another offshoot, The Italian Club Bakery, just off Bold Street. Joining the little Italian empire (there's already the Italian Club Restaurant, Italian Club Fish...), The Italian Club Bakery specialises in celebration cakes, fine breads and sweet pastries, including the 'thousand-layer' millefoglie (that's a custard slice. But a really nice one.) 22 Newington, Liverpool

New cafés in Manchester

Alabama's All American Eatery

Opening 8 March in the Northern Quarter, Alabama’s All American Eatery has been setting Twitter tongues a-wagging with its decadent-looking pile-ups of waffles and ice cream, French toast and sticky buns (and that's just the dessert menu – try finding room for one of those after your New Orleans étouffée, based on the classic crawfish dish). The homely sounding menu is offset by a refreshingly breezy take on American diner decor; think light mustard yellows and pastels, rather than those traditional heavy leather/dark red interiors. 10 Newton St, Manchester

Mary & Archie Chorlton

West Didsbury favourite Mary & Archie has opened a new premises in Chorlton. If you're looking for a hangover-ridding Saturday brunch in the suburbs and want to try somewhere new, look no further: they mix up the usual (poached eggs and avocado, full English breakfasts) with something a little spicier (quesadillas, seabass curry), and if you can't face more than picking at things, there's a meze board promising 'Mary's secret-recipe spicy ketchup'. 111 Manchester Rd

Trove at Altrincham Market

Levenshulme’s artisan bakery and cafe Trove opens a new spot at Altrincham Market on 11 March. Expect the same high standard of bread, cakes and patries, and great coffee, all served from a pretty stall on the market lower level. Greenwood St, Altrincham  

New restaurants in Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room

Are tiffin boxes the new food trend? Recently we've seen 'Indian street kitchen' Scene open up in Spinningfields, offering a tiffin box delivery service so you can get traditional Indian cooking sent straight to your desk; Liverpool's Mowgli has enjoyed such success with its small-plates concept that it was able to open a Manchester branch last year, and Leeds' wildly loved Bundobust looks set to launch in Manchester this spring. Now, Cheadle's Indian Street Kitchen has opened up a second establishment in Manchester, in the First Street development (neighbouring HOME). The grazing menu offers 'warm' and 'cool' options, from wok-friend cauliflower to yoghurt-filled puri, and all tiffin dishes are served with chutney and lentil stew. Isabella Banks St, First St, Manchester

El Gato Negro

High-end tapas joint El Gato Negro is the most recent foodie addition to King Street, which, having primarily been a shopping area, has of late been filling up with restaurants and bars (Quill, King Street Tavern) to offer respite to the retail-hungry. The Manchester branch of this Ripponden-born restaurant opened to great fanfare at the end of February, with early visitors salivating over its simple but beautifully prepared dishes, from morcilla scotch eggs to white onion and artichoke and, of course, Padrón peppers – plus a good wine and sherry list. 52 King St, Manchester

http://theskinny.co.uk/food