Maya, the new three-storey bar and restaurant from the team behind Isabel Mayfair, will officially open at the end of March, within Leven Manchester.

Situated at the bustling intersection of Chorlton Street and Canal Street, Maya will be housed within a 20^th-century warehouse building that holds a storied past in Manchester’s nightlife history books. Maya will be a refreshingly dynamic all-day dining experience, taking guests from noon until the small hours across all three of its levels, each one telling its own story.

At ground level, there will be a brasserie space that welcomes sweeping daylight and the familiar cobbles of Canal Street. It will present a modern-European style menu of brasserie classics in a bright, lightly toned and open space.

Set below, the main dining room will be a distinct departure from the brasserie above. A sumptuously hued, alluring interior is the setting for a drinking and dining experience centred around an ingredient-led, hyper-seasonal and regularly changing menu. The culinary experience throughout is being crafted by Mancunian head chef Gabe Lea, who cut his teeth at Michelin-starred establishments like Le Manoir and The French at The Midland Hotel.

Maya will take the three remaining floors in Leven’s landmark building, and will be partnering with the hotel to launch an in-room brasserie dining concept in the near future, further enhancing the hotels F&B offering, which currently centres around the lobby bar serving coffee, creative and classic cocktails and tempting snacks.

The Maya brand is the creation of Scottie Bhattarai, CEO of Isabel Mayfair and its sister brands. Previously, Bhattarai led restaurant brands in the Soho House stable, as well as Petersham Nurseries to Michelin-starred recognition.

“Myself and the Leven team are delighted to be joined by Maya in our iconic, heritage building here in Manchester’s Village neighbourhood,” says Joshua Senior, CEO & co-founder, Leven. “The opening will offer our guests and locals alike a brand new dining experience – whether that be a canal-side lunch for two, or an all-night-long celebration with friends – MAYA’s unique spaces will mean guests can enjoy things on their terms, a perfect fit with our ethos here at Leven. Our forthcoming in-room dining collaboration will further elevate the food and drink offering at Leven and we’re excited to share more details on that soon.”

Scottie Bhattarai adds: “The term ‘iconic’ is often overused, but the location of Maya can truly claim the label. As we eagerly anticipate its spring opening, we aim to write a fresh new chapter for the city’s vibrant and wonderful hospitality scene.

“The team’s ongoing work over the past 18 months is to be applauded; the care and craft that has gone into ensuring every part of what will make Maya unique is something that I am incredibly proud of.”

As the final preparations unfold and the countdown to opening is on, the restaurant and bar is now in the process of installing the interiors that have been designed to celebrate and complement the industrial stature of the original building. Luxurious, bespoke-designed furniture and finishes, handcrafted by artisans in Portugal, will be juxtaposed alongside disco-era inspired neon installations to add surprise. Taking centre stage in the main dining room is an oval fluted destination bar topped with exquisite Calacatta Oro marble and crowned by a golden gantry to take advantage of the tall ceiling heights in this space. Further below the main dining room will be a secluded and hidden lounge bar.

The overarching concept, which leads the restaurant and bar’s approach, is what MAYA will call “dinner plus”; where the dining experience seamlessly evolves into exclusive late-night entertainment, with a roster of DJs all week providing the soundtrack to elegantly hedonistic nights.