Award winning team to open third restaurant in Manchester

The team behind one of Manchester’s most popular restaurants has announced plans to open a third venture in the city.

The owners of the award winning tapas restaurant El Gato Negro are planning to open a Middle Eastern restaurant in Brown Street.

The announcement comes just months Simon Shaw, the man behind El Gato Negro, opened Canto in the Ancoats area of the city.

Mill Hill Developments has taken out a lease on a venue in Brown Street, in the basement of the former Reform Club.

The firm said it will will open a new restaurant ‘designed and run on a similar basis to El Gato Negro but with an eastern Mediterranean style cuisine.

Simon Shaw said: “I love Syrian and Middle Eastern food. When I lived in London I used to eat in a lot of Persian places.

“I think there’s a huge gap for that here.”

He added: “We are pleased to announce that we will be opening our long-awaited third restaurant on Brown Street, this summer.

“Drawing heavily on my travels through the Middle East, diners can expect authentic flavours inspired by the various regions.”

The new design will use the building’s original features including exposed brick walls, steel beams and stone floors.

Reclaimed materials ‘sympathetic to the historic building’ will also be used to decorate the space along with ‘high quality furniture combining contemporary and classic features’.

The seating plan will be able to accommodate more than 200 diners.

Simon Shaw moved El Gato Negro from his native West Yorkshire, to King Street in 2015 and it is now one of the city’s most popular restaurants.