A hidden sake bar in a car park in Manchester? Of course there is.

If you're looking for peace and quiet in the sunshine, Suzume is a great shout

One thing I love about Manchester is that there is always something creative and unexpected happening. I’ve lived here since the late 90s and it’s always been like that but it’s really ramped up in these booming recent years.

I think there are a lot of parallels with New York. Not just the red brick - and now glittering skyscraper - aesthetic. Both cities have a huge creative scene, huge LGBT+ scene, all kinds of trades going on, from construction to hospitality to marketing to finance.  Lots of migration to both makes for a varied demographic and this, of course, feeds into the food and drink landscape.

Manchester is a busy, buzzy city befitting of the now done-to-death worker bee symbol. I’ve tried to fall in love with another city many times - I didn’t ever see myself living here most of my life - but the only city that has come close for me is NYC. If I left Manchester for anywhere, that’s probably where I’d go.

This is not the door you are looking for but if you see this, you’re close. Credit: Kel Is Eating

In the past few years in Manchester, I’ve watched theatre in a car park, played a gig at a community football ground, become immersed in art in both massive purpose-built venues and out on the streets of the city, and I’ve eaten almost every kind of food imaginable. Even though I have written about food and drink for a living for the past half a decade and so been fortunate enough to experience more of it than most people do every week, I still feel overwhelmed about how much is out there that I haven’t yet tried, and excited by the possibilities of the new. I don’t think anyone could ever be bored in Manchester. 

The hidden sake bar Suzume is near Half Dozen Other bakery. Credit: Kel Is Eating

And on that note, this weekend I went for the first time to the haven of tranquillity that is Suzume, a pop-up sake bar on a car park on the edge of town. I knew about this place - named after the Japanese word for sparrow - but it was the first time I’d been. We stumbled across it sort of by accident. We’d been at the Voice ESEA event at GRUB enjoying some rainbow-coloured dumplings and other East and South East Asian food and culture. Heading back home, we saw a sign for a sake bar and realised this must be the new venture from Ukiyo Republic aka the people behind much-lauded restaurant The Sparrows. It was an unusually sunny day and we were enjoying being outdoors so much we thought why not pull up a pew here? This weekend, I suggest you follow in our footsteps.

Bottles of sake on display at secret sake bar Suzume in Manchester. Credit: Kel Is Eating

This is a temporary pop-up around the back of The Sparrows. The restaurant is hard enough to find if you’ve not been before which makes its back car park location even more off the beaten track. Now more people are heading here to stock up on colourful artisan pastries from Half Dozen Other, which has its massive new bakery here. This area is developing rapidly but still has that sense of having to be “in the know” to experience all the good stuff. That’s very much in tune with my stereo. I’m a sucker for a backstage pass or a sneak preview.

Koimari sake in Manchester. Credit: Kel Is Eating

I was absolutely charmed by this tiny Japanese garden sanctuary. I love the incongruity and irony of building a little peaceful garden on a bleak tarmac car park like a reversal of that Joni Mitchell song (On a paved parking lot / we put up a sake bar). There’s room for maybe 11 people sitting on the wooden up-cycled furniture surrounded by sprawling tomato plants, pretty trinkets and vintage bottles. 

Suzume is a surprising find. Credit: Kel Is Eating

The ceremony of sake pouring was explained to us by our gracious host - you should pour each other’s sake rather than your own - and we obeyed with reverence for this age-old tradition. The menu has over 30 different types of this beguiling alcoholic fermented rice drink. The impossibly pretty vessels, chilled, elegant, fruity sake and pretty surroundings made for a calming, unusual experience while the city whizzed and whirred around us. 

Gorgeous vessels for pouring and drinking sake at Suzume. Credit: Kel Is Eating

As complete sake naifs we took the advice of the in-house expert and tried Koimari sake junmai ginjo made from yamada-nishiki - the king of sake rice. We were told that sake is made from rice that has been milled or polished down to its starchy core, removing some of the exterior to get a more appealing flavour after fermentation. Junmai means ‘just rice and water’ and junmai ginjo is a category of sake which requires the rice used to be polished down to 40% removal and 60% remaining. If you want to learn more, there’s a really helpful sake article on Decanter or you can head down and ask lots of questions to the team. Look out for their sake-tasting events too.

The food and drink menu at Suzume. Credit: Kel Is Eating

You can order those lovey alpine cheese and charcuterie boards, or even a bowl of spätzle from the Sparrows to your table out there so it’s a good chance to try the food if you haven’t already. And if you’re not into sake, there is beer and wine (including Japanese koshu wine) on the menu.

I was so pleased to visit this gorgeous little bar. Credit: Kel Is Eating

The pop-up won’t be here forever as it’s only a temporary measure until the sake bar proper opens in an arch down the road. It’s only open Friday-Sunday too, so grab the chance to try it while you can. This weekend looks like it’s going to be scorchio again. I reckon you should go on an adventure to Suzume and let me know what you think. 

---

I’ve been trying out the audio features on Substack and giving paid subs an audio version of some posts. Below is one for this article for free subscribers too.