One Eight Six: new restaurant with live music to open in Didsbury

The brand already has a bar in Deansgate and now wants to take over a building formerly used by Zizzi and a steak restaurant.
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A new restaurant with live music is set to open in Didsbury later this year.

One Eight Six – which already has a bar in Manchester city centre – is planning to open a new branch at the former CAU steak restaurant in Wilmslow Road.

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The cocktail bar in Deansgate, which was set up by singer Dean Mac as a live music venue, is currently closed following a dramatic fire on New Year’s Eve.

But the new branch in Didsbury will primarily be a restaurant with live music and entertainment remaining a ‘big part’ of the brand, a licensing panel heard.

It comes after neighbours objected to an application by the company for a late night live music and alcohol licence at the premises until 2am on weekends.

However, the company reduced its request according to the recommendation of licensing officers leading to some residents withdrawing their objections.

700 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury in September 2021. Credit: Google. 700 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury in September 2021. Credit: Google.
700 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury in September 2021. Credit: Google.

What’s been said about it?

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Operations manager Michael Hutchinson told the licensing panel on Monday (March 14) that the restaurant wants to become ‘part of the local community’.

He said: “The venue in Didsbury is very much tailored to that local community and the surrounding suburbs.

“We signed a 10-year lease on the property so we’re there for the long-term and hope to be part of that community for a long time.”

The application, which originally requested opening hours of 10am to 2.30am on Fridays and Saturdays, was reduced as requested by residents in the area.

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The request to extend the alcohol licence was scrapped, allowing the premises to serve drinks until 1am, while music would only be permitted until 12.30am.

The premises licence will end an hour earlier throughout the rest of the week.

Councillors granted the new licence according to the amended application.

What did the building used to be?

Hutchinson told the licensing sub committee hearing panel that the company considered residents’ concerns carefully before reducing the requested hours.

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He said: “Hopefully that’s allayed a lot of the concerns that people had.

“It seemed as though the majority of concerns that people had were with the extra hours for the alcohol licence.

“So if that puts people’s minds at rest, then great.”

The building at 700 Wilmslow Road, which was last used by the CAU steak restaurant and has previously been a Zizzi, is currently being refurbished.

The company hopes the new restaurant will be open later this year.

The bar in Deansgate which suffered a devastating fire on New Year’s Eve is also undergoing a refurbishment with plans to also reopen later this year.

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