Exclusive: Liverpool’s Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant Maray to finally launch in Manchester

Maray, Liverpool’s independent restaurant group based on Middle Eastern cooking, has finally confirmed plans to open in Manchester. 

There have been rumours of expansion in the North West for some time. The new site will be the team’s first outside its hometown and will launch in summer 2022 at Bruntwood Works’ Union building on Brazennose Street, not far from Albert Square and Deansgate.  

The restaurant will also be Maray’s largest site so far – there are now three in Liverpool, including one on Albert Dock – and features a wraparound terrace “perfect for sipping those delicious cocktails on a warm summer’s evening.”

Maray’s managing director James Bates said: “Opening a restaurant in Manchester has long been an ambition of ours and we have combed the four corners of the city to find somewhere we felt was just right.

“We’re so excited to get going at Union, we love the area and feel like we’re going to be right in the middle of it all, in a city with a huge reputation for loving restaurants, nights out and a good drink”. 

Charlotte Wild, from Bruntwood Works, said Maray is one of the “most exciting operators in the North West” and added: “We are delighted that Maray will be opening its doors for the first time in Manchester.

“It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to facilitate Maray’s expansion. We’re looking forward to welcoming them to Union, where alongside Ditto Coffee, they’ll add another fantastic independent name to the building.” 

Maray was founded in 2014 by James Bates, Tom White and Dom Jones. The concept was originally inspired by the owners’ experiences in the Le Marais district of Paris, an area influenced by Middle Eastern food and with plenty of buzzing cocktail bars.

Maray has never gone supersonic, although it was reviewed very positively by the Observer in 2016, and a buzz has been steadily growing for almost a decade now. Leeds is probably calling out for a branch and would likely be a comfortably follow.

Dishes on the Manchester restaurant menu will mirror those 35 miles away in Liverpool, with the ever-popular “disco cauliflower” – served whole and doused in chermoula, harissa, tahini, and yoghurt and sprinkled with pomegranate, almonds and fresh herbs – buttermilk fried chicken and cured trout all involved. Maray was built on mezze, sharing plates and bold vegetarian options, a style which will no doubt be welcome in Manchester.

Cocktails are also a major focus of the group. There’s a margarita bolstered with Turkish apple tea and sumac salt, a house G&T made with beetroot infused gin, and “The Secret Handshake”, which is made with Havana 7, fig liquor, Lillet Blanc, and plums. It’s good.

Read more industry news here