The grill Room and cocktail bar is being launched by Jamie Barber, founder of Villandry and Hush Mayfair, and Ed Standring, who bought it through their Cherry Equity Partners Limited investment fund, with one million pounds being invested in the project.
Located in the historic former City library on Deansgate, which was built 1878, GiGi Gusto Griglia is inspired by the ‘glamour, energy and style of Italy’s golden age’.
The kitchen will be led by Manchester chef Sam Astley-Dean, formerly of Onda and Lina Stores, who will oversee a menu cooked in the restaurant’s open kitchen and grill room. Dishes will be cooked over flame and will include steak Florentine; prawns; lamb chops, and rare breed cuts, alongside antipasti, spuntini, fresh pasta, and pizzette.
The menu is built for sharing, with dishes designed to feel familiar. “It is proper cooking, served generously and without fuss,” says Astley-Dean.
The restaurant will also be home to a central Negroni bar called Bar Eleganza that will specialise in the classic Italian cocktail as well as in Martinis and Sgroppinos. Eleganza will have a classic baby grand piano transporting guests to a 1950s classic Italian hotel bar.
“I wanted, quite selfishly, to build a restaurant I want to go to, somewhere I can sip a proper Negroni, share handmade pasta and pizzette, listen to great music and finish with a well-rested piece of rare-breed steak,” says Barber.
“From the kitchen to the piano, bar to the DJs and management, every part of GiGi is designed around the pleasure of eating, drinking and staying out. That’s why we’ve spent the last year working with the best talent in Manchester to create something truly special alongside beautiful interior design from the well renowned Russell Sage who bring timeless, classic and lavish finishes.
“We have huge respect for where Gusto came from and the people who grew up with it. GiGi is the next step on. More glamorous, more ambitious, and a proper night out.”
GiGi Gusto Griglia will open in late September 2026.