Lina Stores Manchester will open on Thursday, 17 April
Inside Lina Stores, which opens in Manchester City Centre this April (Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
Opening opposite the Manchester Opera House in the recently-refurbished Quoin building on Quay Street next week is Lina Stores, a brand new restaurant, deli and bar bringing the style, flavour and warmth of Italy to the North West of England.
The brand has already made a name for itself down in London where it has several sites, but its history stretches back many years. Trading in Soho for over 80 years, the name is taken from founder Lina, a formidable lady from Acqui Terme, whose love story with her lifelong partner, Emilio Crippa, laid the foundations for the beloved Italian delicatessen.
It was set up to offer the finest produce to hungry Londoners and homesick Italians, and since then the humble deli has been cared for by many generations of Italian families, continuing her legacy to this day.
Walk into one of their sites in the capital today and you can expect an assembly of delicious produce and goods, from homemade pasta, sandwiches and salads, along with traditional salumi and formaggi as well as other Italian culinary essentials, including coffee, biscotti, olive oil and much more.
The deli inside Lina Stores is stocked with a range of Italian products (Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
The seasonal menus in their restaurants are also inspired by the products in their delicatessens; with fresh pasta taking centre stage and authentic antipasti, secondi and dolci completing the experience.
It’s very much the same recipe at their new Manchester branch, which officially opens its doors on April 17 – their debut in the North of England.
The city centre site represents another first for Lina Stores in that it will be the great trifecta for the brand – it’s the first of its locations to feature a restaurant, deli, and bar all under one roof.
The seasonal menus in their restaurants are also inspired by the products in their delicatessens; with fresh pasta taking centre stage and authentic antipasti, secondi and dolci completing the experience(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
Featuring an all-day restaurant decked out in a mint green and off-white colour palette, and complemented by dark timbre and plush booths, it has been designed to take diners from morning to night.
There’s takeaway coffee and baked good for breakfast, homemade panini and healthy salads for lunch from the deli, then antipasti, fresh pasta, secondi and dolci for those wanting a little bit more.
Classic Italian cocktails and pours have been accounted for too and will be served up at Bar Lina, tucked away towards the back of the huge space.
The deli will also serve options like Fusilli with Artichoke, Truffle Mushroom and Semi-Secchi tomatoes and Tuna, Green Beans, Egg and Tropea Onion, as well as freshly made Focaccia panini(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
The deli has it’s own dedicated area with a counter stocked full of fresh sandwiches and Italian desserts, but on the shelves surrounding it, customers can pop in to grab some premium pantry items – from dried pasta in an array of varieties to tomato sauce, olives, and pesto, through to Prosecco and Limoncello, and bags of the finest coffee.
The deli will also serve options like Fusilli with Artichoke, Truffle Mushroom and Semi-Secchi tomatoes and Tuna, Green Beans, Egg and Tropea Onion, as well as freshly made Focaccia panini.
Drop by for a hot drink, Sicilian cannoli or slab of Tiramisu, or linger for a while in the open-plan restaurant space. Here, diners can see directly into the kitchen and watch the brigade put some of those pantry items to great use as they concoct all manner of Italian dishes.
Desserts can be bought directly from Lina Stores’ deli counter(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
There’s the burrata with extra virgin olive oil, which is a must-order, as well as focaccia with sea salt and rosemary, parmesan polenta, and Black Angus Beef Carpaccio with lemon, rocket and Grana Padano.
Pasta is taken very seriously here too. Its been hand made every day since 1944 with only flour, water, eggs and olive oil.
Whilst the menu will change seasonally, Italian specialities like Umbrian sausage have featured alongside linguine with crab, Amalfi lemons, plus pappardelle with lamb sausage ragu, chilli and Pecorino.
Lina Stores Manchester features a deli, restaurant and bar all under one roof(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
There’s also the ‘king of the pasta’ in the form of the Tagliolini al Tartufo. Made up of 30-egg yolk Tagliolini, alongside black truffle, butter and Parmigiano Reggiano, it’s said to be the best-selling pasta dish on the menu – and we can see why.
New options on the menu will include Roasted Jerusalem & Ricotta Tre Latte Ravioli topped with Pinenuts and Grana Padano.
Heartier secondi dishes meanwhile will include Saltimbocca Chicken with Prosciutto di Parma and Sage Agrodolce and Grilled Prawns with Datterini Tomatoes and Lemon.
There’s also the ‘king of the pasta’ in the form of the Tagliolini al Tartufo (R)(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
The last piece, Bar Lina, will soon be unveiled too. Tucked away at the back of the building, and with its own separate entrance, the bar has taken on a design reminiscent of Italy in the late 1960s and 1970s with a blend of dark red tones, velvet banquettes and mirrored walls.
Opening imminently, punters can expect a carefully selected playlist of Italian house and disco to soundtrack their drinking experience that will nod to the Italian tradition of aperitivo to the city. Think negronis made with fig liqueur, truffle vodka or coffee butter, or a Bloody Mary with the ripest of fresh Sicilian tomatoes.
Masha Rener, head chef of Lina Stores, said: “We are super excited and our first choice outside of London was Manchester. The concept is all under one roof and we’re looking forward to having three parts here.
Lina Stores opens in Manchester on April 17(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
“If you think about Lina Stores it’s not just a restaurant it’s a nod to Italy that spans regions to products, and the way of life and how we eat – it’s more like an overview of Italian culture.
“Our main thing is the homemade pasta and in Umbria where I’m from, it’s more pasta with eggs and then south it’s more wheat flour so more dried pasta like you see on the shelves, and they’re both reflected here.
“The city feels like a natural home for us considering the area’s rich history, vibrant culinary scene and lively nightlife. We’re looking forward to sharing our passion of great Italian food and produce with the Manchester community.”
Prawns with Datterini Tomatoes and Lemon(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
To celebrate, Lina Stores is offering a limited number of diners 50 percent off their restaurant food bill during its soft launch from Friday, 11 April until Wednesday, 16 April inclusive.
To be in with a chance of securing a table during the soft launch, customers can sign up here. Soft launch bookings are now live. The restaurant, deli and Bar Lina will open to the general public on Thursday, 17 April.
Lina Stores, 17 Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3HN.