GiGi Gusto Griglia has opened on Deansgate, bringing an Italian grill room and cocktail bar to the former Manchester City Library building. The landmark dates from 1878 and was previously home to Gusto Manchester. GiGi is a new concept for the site, created around open-fire cooking, cocktails and live entertainment.
The restaurant combines a menu led by chef Sam Astley-Dean with Bar Eleganza, a central bar and a programme of musicians and DJs. The launch follows a year of work with Manchester hospitality and creative teams, according to its creator, restaurateur Jamie Barber.
A new chapter for a Deansgate landmark
GiGi reworks the former restaurant site with its own identity and menu, while retaining the building’s established place on Deansgate. Its concept takes inspiration from Italian dining and the style of the country’s mid-century hotel bars, paired with a distinctly Manchester entertainment programme.
Barber, founder of Cherry Equity Partners, said the project was shaped around the experience of sharing food, having a drink and staying for the music. He said the team had spent the past year working with local talent to bring the restaurant, bar and entertainment offer together.
Open-fire cooking and a sharing menu
Astley-Dean leads the kitchen, drawing on experience at Onda and Lina Stores. The menu focuses on seasonal produce cooked over flame, with dishes including steak Florentine, rare-breed cuts, prawns, lamb chops, antipasti, spuntini, fresh pasta and pizzette.
The kitchen is open to the grill room, making cooking part of the restaurant’s setting. Astley-Dean said the menu was intended for sharing, with familiar dishes prepared using carefully selected produce and served generously.
The approach places the focus on classic Italian formats rather than a long list of separate dining concepts. Grilled meat, seafood, small plates and pasta give guests options for a full meal or a longer evening built around sharing.
Bar Eleganza brings drinks and music together
At the centre of the drinks offer is Bar Eleganza, which the restaurant describes as Manchester’s first ‘House of Negroni’. Its list includes Negronis, Martinis and Sgroppinos, alongside a selection of wines. Errant, the team behind Stray, developed the drinks list.
A baby grand piano provides a focal point for the bar, with live players and DJs contributing to the evening programme. The music draws on familiar songs and the atmosphere of Italian hotel bars from the 1950s and 1960s, according to the restaurant’s announcement.
A discreet entrance on Jackson’s Row leads to a speakeasy-style area, adding another element to the venue’s layout. Together, the bar, piano and late-night programme extend GiGi’s offer beyond a conventional restaurant visit.
Manchester teams shape the concept
GiGi was created by Barber, whose restaurant ventures have included Hush Mayfair and Villandry. WANT Studios supported the concept and entertainment programme, while Russell Sage Studio worked on the interiors.
The project brings together food, drinks, design and performance in a historic city-centre building. The offer is intended for both dinner and later evenings. For Deansgate, it adds a new destination shaped by Manchester’s hospitality talent and an Italian-inspired approach to dining out.