Chester-based tapas bar Porta has opened its latest branch in the former premises of TV chef Simon Rimmer’s well-known West Didsbury venue Greens, the veteran vegetarian restaurant which closed down earlier this year with debts of about £600,000.

Founded by brothers Joe & Ben Wright, Porta also has branches in Altrincham and Salford, and wins praise in the 2024 Harden’s guide for its “authentic” food and atmosphere – “you feel like you’re in Madrid or Barcelona”.

Greens opened on Lapwing Lane in 1990 and was a “longstanding favourite – still great after all these years”, according to our guide. Simon closed it in January to concentrate on its newer, bigger offshoot in Sale, but that too closed down in September when the company went into administration.

A report to the administrators this month by company restructuring specialists Begbies Traynor noted that the West Didsbury site had traded well and been profitable – but “sales projections for Greens Sale were over-ambitious, and it took too long to adjust cost base to actual turnover. Opening at the start of the financial crisis, cost of living spike and increased mortgage interest rates were contributing factors.“

The company’s debts include an estimated £458,873 in unpaid VAT and PAYE. Royal Bank of Scotland is also owed £13,164 while trade creditors are owed an estimated £75,000. Consumer creditors who paid for restaurant vouchers and gift cards are owed around £35,790.