Expect sausages, mash, live music and beer

New plans for the old Grafene site at 55 King Street have been revealed.

Work has now begun to transform the tricky venue from fine dining establishment into a real ale and live music venue called ‘Mash Tun’.

The beer-friendly food menu will have a whole section devoted to the classic sausage, mash and gravy

Grafene’s owners Paul Roden and his wife Kathryn are still listed as the businesses owners, but have now entered into a partnership with Adam Regan (formerly of Port Street’s Stage & Radio and Cutting Room Cafe in Ancoats) and brewer Scott Martin, in order to give the venue a new direction.  

After closing Grafene in January, Roden told Confidentials that they would still have some involvement with the new business, “which will be along the lines of a high quality gastropub food with live entertainment and real ale. So same interior, same high-end quality, but with a much broader offer which we think will better suit the scale of the unit and the Manchester market.”

Grafene Bar
The former fine dining venue is being transformed into a more relaxed gastropub

A brand new bar has been built along the length of the ground floor as part of the reconfigure layout, which will include a stage for live music until 3am at weekends.

Mash Tun will have 26 beer taps serving a range of their own beers as well as those from other local breweries including Cloudwater, Runaway and Beatnikz Republic.

The beer-friendly food menu will have a whole section devoted to the classic sausage, mash and gravy. Diners can mix-and-match from a selection of ten different types. Produce will come from local suppliers including The Butcher’s Quarter and Grindsmith coffee.

Adam Regan had been looking for the right venue for a while since his proposed Ancoats restaurant, Goose Fat & Wild Garlic, failed to get off the ground. While Martin recently launched Fundamentum Taproom & Kitchen at Piccadilly Place, which also houses an artisan bakery that will supply the bread for Mash Tun.

Mash Tun is due to open on the thoroughfare between King Street and Chapel Walks on April 19th.