A new Spanish-inspired bar and kitchen from the team behind the Manchester restaurant El Gato Negro Tapas will open at MediaCity in Salford on Friday 6 November 2026.

El Gatito is the latest concept from Mills Hill Development Limited (MHDL), the team behind El Gato Negro Tapas, Canto and Black Cat Club. MediaCity's own announcement, published on 19 October, describes it as a “relaxed neighbourhood bar and kitchen” and a laid-back evolution of chef Simon Shaw's El Gato Negro Tapas. The Manchester Evening News also reported the opening on 19 October and notes that the original restaurant on King Street has now been open for ten years.

It is at Unit B, Orange Tower, MediaCity, M50 2HF. A premises licence application filed with Salford City Council describes it as a Spanish tapas bar and restaurant and asks for opening hours of 10am to 12.30am every day. Check the venue for confirmed opening times.

At lunch, the menu centres on focaccias, served Monday to Friday from 11am to 4pm, to eat in or take away. The signature ‘Iberico Club’ layers jamón serrano, salchichón, chorizo, manchego, roasted peppers, tomato, lettuce and salsa verde, and there is a vegetarian option built around a Spanish tortilla. Small plates are served throughout the day.

In the evening, the highlights include slow-cooked beef short rib, Catalan chorizo, gambas pil pil and manchego churros, along with charcuterie boards for sharing. The drinks list covers wine, beer, spritzes, cocktails and sangria.

The venue has green booth seating, a palette of greens and cool blues, statement wine fridges and bifold doors that open onto a terrace.

Happy hour runs from 4pm to 6pm every day, with £5 pints and £5 sangria. There is also a three-for-£15 offer on selected dishes from 12pm to 4pm Monday to Friday and all day on Sundays.

Ahead of the opening, the team will hold a pop-up outside the site on Thursday 29 October, giving away coffees and bocatas from 11am to 2pm and a selection of para picar and sangria from 2pm to 4pm, on a first-come, first-served basis.

MHDL's operations director, Lucy Silcock, said the team wanted “somewhere people can use in different ways throughout the day”.

Sources: MediaCity UK, 19 October 2026; Manchester Evening News, 19 October 2026; Salford City Council, premises licence application notice. This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked by an editor against the sources above.