When Neon Tiger’s Ben Morris moved to Manchester two years ago, he craved the neighbourhood bars that he had found while living in Manhattan. Places like The Dead Rabbit which, despite its cluttered and homely interior, is frequently listed as one of the best bars in the world.
So with his brother Dan, who also happens to be managing director of Escape To Freight Island and Bart Murphy of Bunny Jacksons fame, they’ve made one, and called it Neon Tiger. On the site of the old Grindsmith’s coffee shop on Bridge Street, clad in striking mosaic tiles, this little tardis of a spot is about to become one of the city’s hottest tickets.
“Manchester feels a lot closer to the culture of New York, very open and liberal,” he told the M.E.N. “So we wanted to try and create some of that here. There are lots of places we’d go to, the neighbourhood places where people would really get to know you, with a local atmosphere and ethos, and they just want you to have the best experience.”
