Following a soft launch last weekend, the spectacular waterside bar and restaurant is now fully open
It’s been some five years in the making but The Alchemist finally opened for business in MediaCity this week.
Likened to a spaceship, the £1.2m landmark development sits on the bridge crossing Dock 9 between The Lowry and the BBC (known as ‘The Bund’) and is the only Alchemist to have a fully operational outdoor bar.
Jointly conceived by Artez Group construction specialists and local architects Reid - commissioned by landowners Peel Holdings - the bold structure features eye-catching gold panelling on the roof and walls, a ‘poetic connection’ to the Alchemist’s signature metallic branding. An angular blackened steel and bronze bar connects the interior to the enclosed outdoor terrace, which will offer panoramic views across the water to the Imperial War Museum on the opposite bank.
Since this is Manchester, and alfresco dining isn’t always practical, there’s plenty of glass too: meaning guests can take in the waterside views from inside. At night, low-level perimeter lighting will give the effect that the building is ‘floating’ over the dock. Oo-er.
Exterior:
Covering 4,900 sq ft of space, the venue has 96 covers and will create up to 60 jobs. Open from morning ‘til night, seven days a week, it’ll offer the full range of Alchemist menus: from breakfast, lunch and dinner to the ‘molecular’ cocktails the brand has become renowned for - including classics such as the Smokey Old Fashioned and new additions like the Battenberg (you won't be sipping them through straws mind, the Alchemist recently banned them for environmental reasons).
Simon Potts, Managing Director, said: “This will be our eleventh Alchemist in the UK and a significant one for the brand. This particular building has a unique and visionary design aesthetic as befitting our location, and the team are really looking forward to welcoming everyone who works and lives in this vibrant waterside community.”
Interior:
The Alchemist, The Bund, MediaCity, M50 3AB - Mon-Wed 9am-12pm, Thurs 9am-1am, Fri 9am-2am, Sat 10am-2am, Sun 10am-11pm
