THE COOKERS have been tested, the water and drinks taps have been tried out, now it is time for Denton’s new food hall to dazzle.
Hatters, at Civic Square on Market Street, opens its doors on Good Friday, April 3, after units which once housed things like the Crown Point Tavern and a gymnasium were transformed.
Some 18 months of construction and fit-out work will come to fruition when customers are welcomed into the site.
With four separate kitchens and two bars – and tests have been done to make sure they all operate as they should – it will be home to units from businesses like Ornella’s Kitchen, which is based on nearby Manchester Road.
Waffle Kart – a familiar name at Manchester’s Christmas Markets – will also feature, as will Casa Dario, which offers Spanish tapas with an Argentinean twist.
And they promise to offer dishes like slow cooked pork ribs paella, Iberico ham croquetas and Spanish black pudding and caramelise red pepper tortilla.
Owners Dario and Jess said: “We’re opening for our very first day, and we’ve been waiting a long time for this moment. We can’t wait for you to try our food!”
Burger business Curio, which has been a hit since setting up in Royton, will also be on site as more than 100 items will be available to order.
And if the optimism of Hatters’ founder Josh Berry is anything to go by, expect big things.
He said: “I’m not just saying it but all the food here is 10 out of 10.
“I genuinely do think people are going to be surprised in a very good way. I think we have one of the, if not the, best offerings of any food hall ever.”
“It’s a real passion project. We’ve just created something we wanted to go to, hopefully everybody else will be into it as much as we are.
“We want to create a vibe where people can just walk in and something is going on for them to enjoy.
“It’s in a perfect location and I really do hope it serves as a rising tide that lifts all ships.
“We want to encourage people to visit Denton and explore what is here and feel confident to open up in Denton and contribute to what it has to offer.”
Work to create the existing space has been so hectic, Josh as not even had time to think about the rooftop terrace, which he also has planning permission for.
Hatters Food and Drinks Hall has formed part of the multi-million pound Destination Denton scheme, which aims to transform the town after it secured almost £17 million of Levelling Up Funding.
£2 million is likely to be spent on improvements to Festival Hall to enable relocation of further council services and creation of a ‘neighbourhood hub.’
A further £1 million would go towards improving Denton Town Hall so it can be used more in future.
Significant improvements to the public realm around the town centre and Victoria Park are also planned.
A 700-metre ‘play trail’, from Crownpoint Shopping to Victoria Park, plus heritage boards in the latter, have also been put forward.
And as tests go, the dry run of the equipment showed everything is ready to go.
A spokesperson for Hatters said: “Last week we fired up the kitchens and turns on the taps for a couple of hours to make sure we’re good to go.”
Hatters opens at noon on Friday, April 3 and is open until midnight. It will serve from 11am until midnight on April 4 and 11am until 9pm on Easter Sunday before closing for Easter Monday.
Normal opening hours will be from Thursday until Sunday, but the hope is to open on Wednesdays ‘as soon we can.’