New in Food: Water Lane Boathouse, GRUB and more

If you're anything like us, you'll sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of new restaurant and bar openings in Leeds, 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 Leeds, Liverpool or Manchester? Let us know – send the details to jess@theskinny.co.uk.

Waterside drinking and Nordic-inspired nosh in Leeds and Yorkshire

Having already proven their worth with lauded Leeds venues Belgrave Music Hall and Headrow House, Ash Kollakowski, Simon Stevens and development chef Ben Davy are at it again with Water Lane Boathouse, a new food and drink destination housed in an old shipment warehouse in the historic Canal Wharf area. Set across two floors with an outdoor area that boasts incredible views of the canal, Small Victories have been taken on board for a menu of sourdough pizzas (made from a custom-made pizza oven flown in from Italy, no less), sandwiches and salads, while the bar will be busy serving up craft beer, natural wines and gin. Open now, Canal Wharf

[Norse, photo: Andrew Benge]

Originally housed in Harrogate's Baltzersen's cafe, Nordic-influenced restaurant Norse now has its very own digs on Swan Road. Here it's less about hygge (don't even get us started) and more about refined, elegant cooking that celebrates the fresh flavours of Scandinavia, with small plates such as hasselback potatoes with Keen's Cheddar and truffle or charred mackerel with chicory, pickled rhubarb and roe scraps. Find out what else is on the menu with our preview here. Open now, Swan Road

A concept bar whose concept renews on a quarterly basis, The Hedonist Project has been busy reinventing itself for the last 18 months as everything from a surf-themed rum shack to an alpine ski lodge. Now, though, it's time to revist to a trusted favourite with the return of Old Tom's Gin Bar, this time partnering with Bulldog Gin, Fever Tree tonics and Denham jeanmakers. Opens 11 May, Lower Briggate

The long-awaited new venture from the Friends of Ham stable, the opening of Ham and Friends is within our sights! Due to open its doors at the end of May, it's billing itself as a wine bar, restaurant, wine shop, food hall and cheese room, meaning that much like its original sister venue, we're pretty confident it'll be ticking all the right boxes. Thumbs up. Opens end of Apr, Grand Arcade

Liverpool

With his crowdfunded bistros, Burnt Truffle and Hispi, now well settled into their local neighbourhoods, it seems Gary Usher – also behind Sticky Walnut, which was opened in 2011 on a shoestring budget – is at it again, making his first foray into a city centre with Wreckfish. Set for an empty site in Liverpool’s Ropewalks district, Usher hosted pop-up events in the venue to test the waters back in February (we went, we ate, we liked), and after many a thumbs-up has now launched a crowdfunding campaign – the largest Kickstarter campaign for a UK restaurant, no less. Pledge here, and in the meantime, you can watch a documentary about Usher's journey, in which he shares, pretty frankly, his thoughts on success and happiness, and how the two are intrinsically linked. Due to open in September, Slater and Seel Street

Cuban street food slingers FINCA have launched their first full restaurant in an outdoor space at Constellations, bringing a taste of Havana to the Baltic Triangle. Their cubanos, croquettas and sweet potato fries are all now favourites among Liverpudlians, who've had a taste with FINCA's previous residencies at the Botanical Gin Garden and The Merchant, along with street food events across the North. They'll also be curating a series of unique outdoor food events throughout the summer – keep those eyes peeled on @FincaLpool for more deets. Open now, Greenland Street  

American-style BBQ joint Red Dog Saloon opens its first Northern venue this May, adding to a collection of existing restaurants in London, Southampton and Nottingham. Expect the full spread of Southern American fare like burgers, wings, loaded fries, potato skins, pit beans, mac and cheese and more, plus combo meals to make sure you get your full feed of beefy BBQ dishes. Opens 6 May, Bold Street

Manchester

Street food bash GRUB has outgrown its home at Alphabet Brewery and, in very exciting news, is upgrading to a new pad at the historic Mayfield site, which opens to the public for the first time in over 30 years this May. The new events space will welcome GRUB as directors of the weekly street food fair at the Mayfield, which will welcome local favourites like Holy Crab, Yakumama, The Otto-Men and What's Your Beef along with traders from across the country. Opens Fri 19 May, Baring Street

But that doesn't mean Alphabet will be left alone and empty, for they're seizing the opportunity to throw their very own weekly Brew Tap & Food Yard, each week promising street food from Almost Famous and three other rotating guest traders. Pair that with Alphabet's signature beers on tap, and beats by DJ Pasta Paul and guests, and it seems the party spirit's living on well. From 6 May (every Sat thereafter), North Western Street

The Northwest’s only Masterchef winner Simon Wood has announced he'll be opening a restaurant in restaurant. Wood – named as such for obvious reasons, but also taking inspiration from nature through natural wood and "wood-inspired" features throughout – will open in the First Street complex this summer, serving up seasonal produce from an open kitchen with tasting, a la carte and lounge menus all available to order from. Opening date TBC, Jack Rosenthal Street

WTF is poké? Well, it's a traditional Hawaiian dish comprising sliced, raw fish and various odds and ends like sushi rice, quinoa and veg – essentially feeding our prevalent obsession with all things bowl-based (buddha bowls, grain bowls, burrito bowls, rice bowls, fucking smoothie bowls...). And now Manchester's in on the action with its very first cafe dedicated to it, with the Northern Quarter's Oké Poké. Here you can either order from a menu of speciality bowls, or construct your own bowl or burrito by choosing your base, fish, add-ons, sauce and toppings. Open now, Church Street

Beastro, the collaborative venture from Richard Brown, James Taylor and wife Heather that won Allied London's year-long street food competition at The Kitchens, has finally opened its triumphant doors! And it's looking good. Sourcing the best ingredients the Northwest has to offer (including produce from Manchester Veg People and Bobby's Bangers) the all-day space serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner, meaning you can nip in at breakfast for a bacon butty to take on the go, before returning in the evening for a more relaxed sit-down dinner. As the name suggests, meat is key here, with standout dishes like pigs' cheeks, Cheshire lamb rump and obvs loads of steak, but there's also the likes of cods' cheeks, Scottish seabass and Lancashire leek crumble for those after something less beastly. Great wine list, too, just to top it all off. Open now, Irwell Square (Leftbank)

A one-stop shop for pool, ping pong and beer pong, Roxy Ball Room has now opened up in Manchester, joining existing sites in Leeds, Liverpool, Huddersfield and Nottingham. On the menu you'll find burgers, flatbreads and pizzas, along with starters and sharers like dough balls and peri peri chicken skewers. Opens 3 May, Deansgate