New York inspired independent bar and restaurant, Urban Cookhouse, is set to celebrate its first birthday in style with hip hop legends Fun Lovin’ Criminals getting the party started on Friday, April 15.

It’s £5 on the door at the 4,500 sq ft converted shipping warehouse in Princess Street, in the heart of the city, which offers an authentic taste of downtown Manhattan, to see the Scooby Snacks stars take to the decks.

Starting from 5pm with drink offers until 8pm, including two beers or two glasses of prosecco for £5 and bottles of wine or two cocktails for £10, the iconic FCL’s Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser and Frank Benbiri, will be banging out the tunes from 8pm. They will playing New York House and of course hip hop, including classic numbers from their Limelight club days, at the chic venue until 2am with our own VIVA Ems.

Urban Cookhouse, owned by Tim Coulston, has had a hugely successful first year and told VIVA he is now planning to expand with a further three sites.

“It’s been a fantastic first year and I’m delighted Urban Cookhouse has made its mark on Manchester’s restaurant and bar scene, especially when you consider there’s been nearly 30 new sites opened in the city centre within the last 12 months” said the 28-year-old entrepreneur, who also heads experiential catering company Violet Hospitality.

“We are an authentic taste of downtown Manhattan so we just wanted to do something brilliant to celebrate our first year and getting the Fun Lovin’ Criminal’s down is the icing on the cake. It’s going to be the party of the year!”

The 250-capacity loft-style site inspired him to create a cool, authentic New York destination, boasting an 85 cover casual dining area that offers brunch through to dinner, carry-out and corporate catering, with a mouth-watering menu of NYC delicacies, including its hallmark ‘Urban Legend’ burgers, as well as Freddy’s ribs, wings, dogs and disco fries.

With a late license (it is open until midnight weekdays and 2am Thursday through to Saturday), a trademark loft lounge and bar and extensive cocktail list, it’s a favourite destination for Manchester’s party-people including nearby offices, students and the city’s gay village.

“Urban Cookhouse’s location means we tap into different markets throughout the day which is one of the reasons for our success,” said Tim.

“And we’ve made some huge changes to the concept since opening to ensure we appeal to more people. We simplified the menu making the dining experience casual and on trend, and it’s gone down a storm – we actually made our milestone 10,000 urban legend burger a month ago!”

Now he is looking for a further three sites to open in 2016. “We’ve seen a few sites but nothing has stood out so far. We’d like to expand the Urban Cookhouse brand within the North West, and also develop some different bar concepts for Manchester.”

The New York rappers will be taking to the decks for the birthday party on Friday, April 15. For further information visit urbancookhouse.co.uk. Keep up to date with Tim on Twitter @TimCoulston.

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