Money's Too Tight To Mention in Castlefield It's all change in Castlefield as the re-opening of Barca from the team behind Lammars was short lived. Despite an expensive stunning makeover, it's now been completely stripped amid rumours it's set to become a nightclub. Lava Cafe Bar has also closed down, whilst the controversial decision on whether to demolish Jacksons Wharf to make way for apartments has been delayed until March. ~ click here for Barca Manchester ~ 10th February 2011

Opus Closes Down Opus, the huge entertainment venue inside The Printworks has closed down after 10 years. Consisting of a nightclub, restaurant, bar and comedy lounge, it was a great concept and was especially popular for its student club nights. ~ click here for The Printworks Manchester ~ 10th February 2011

Bar Closures Galore 2011 looks to be an awful year for Manchester's bar trade with a whole host of closures already. The beautiful Bar De Reve and excellent Jacksons Warehouse in Piccadilly Basin have both bitten the dust, as have View and Spirit on Canal Street. Brannigans joins its boarded up neighbours, leaving Peter Street with just a handful of operating bars. Dulcimer and Charango in Chorlton have also folded. With rumours of more to follow, we're hoping the number of new openings outweighs the closures. 10th January 2011

Browns Back On Track Following Fire Following a fire in December, just days ahead of the planned launch of the plush bar and brasserie in the grand building vacated by Atheneum, Browns is back on track and is now set to open to the public on the 28th January 2011. Pride Of Manchester members with invites for the December launch should receive new invites for the Opening Party on 27th January. ~ click here for Browns Manchester ~ 5th January 2011

Other Manchester Bar News

Buckingham Bingo at Parrs Wood in Didsbury is set to become a Grosvenor Casino consisting of a gaming area, slots lounge, poker room, restaurant, bar area and a sports lounge. ~ 17th Feb 2011

Opus has closed down inside The Printworks. ~ 10th Feb 2011

Ithaca, the spectacular multi-million pound failure on John Dalton Street, is set to re-open in March as Vertigo bar and restaurant, keeping many of the expensive original features. ~ 10th Feb 2011

Bar de Reve has closed down in the Northern Quarter. The beautiful bar, backing on to Lammars, decided to cut its losses following a bad Christmas. A real shame as this was a great bar. ~ 7th Jan 2011

Dulcimer, the fantastic folk bar in Chorlton has closed down, together with its sister restaurant, Charango, presumably as a result of the debts from their brief flirtation with the ill-fated Ostara restaurant. ~ 6th Jan 2011

Simple have opened up a second outlet, Simple Bar & Grill, just around the corner from their Tib Street home, in the building formerly occupied by Bulb, at The Light apartments on Church Street. ~ 1st January 2011

Jacksons 1836 Warehouse, one of our favourite bars, has shut down. The ill-fated unit hidden by the canal behind Lammars, previously known as Moon Bar, was a fantastic neighbourhood bar but lacked the footfall required to make a success. ~ 1st Jan 2011

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