Didsbury favourite Hispi set for new chapter as Gary Usher steps down

Didsbury favourite Hispi is set for a new chapter after founder Gary Usher announced he is handing over the neighbourhood bistro following a decade at the helm.

The Elite Bistros founder confirmed the restaurant will pass into the hands of Sam Morgan and chef Andrew Sheridan of Open Restaurant Group, bringing to a close his final venture in Manchester after ten years serving one of south Manchester’s best-loved dining rooms.

Announcing the news on Instagram, Usher reflected on Hispi’s journey since opening in 2016, describing it as “a beautiful neighbourhood local” and looking back on a decade that saw the restaurant feature regularly among the UK’s top 100 while becoming a dependable fixture for birthdays, celebrations and weeknight dinners alike.

He also paid tribute to the team behind the restaurant, saying he was proud not only of Hispi’s success but of the number of staff who had gone on to lead kitchens or open restaurants of their own.

Thanking Manchester for supporting his businesses, ideas and crowdfunding campaigns over the years, Usher said he was “chuffed” to hand the restaurant over to Morgan and Sheridan, adding that Didsbury was “in for a treat” under the new ownership.

Before the handover, diners have one final opportunity to visit Hispi in its current guise, with Usher encouraging guests to book before the restaurant closes on Sun 9 Aug ahead of the transition.

Details of the next chapter under Open Restaurant Group has yet to be revealed, but one of Didsbury’s defining neighbourhood bistros is preparing to enter a new era.

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