What is it?
A veritable feast of food vendors serving up incredible eats in a Victorian hall. Originally opened by Mayor Mackie in 1858 as a fresh produce market and then lying empty from 1974, the venue was reopened in 2017 after a fancy refurb (and clever reversal of its founders name). Since then, it’s become a wildly popular place for meeting mates and eating plates of whatever takes your fancy.
What kind of food will I find there?
OK, this is a big sentence to chew over but here goes, you can find: sizzling steak from Tender Cow; piquant tacos and margs from Pico's; sourdough pizza via Honest Crust; broths worth bathing in from New Wave Ramen; heavenly fried chicken from Mumma's; twisted Thai food from Chilli B; coffee and cake from Eagle St. Coffee; and craft beers and sodas from Blackjack Brewery. Preferably all eaten and drunk in that order.
What are the prices like?
Let's be honest here – not as cheap as we might hope but not horrendous enough to make your wallet sweat. Pad Thais range from £12 to £17, fried chicken burgers are around the £12 mark, pizzas will set you back just shy of £15 and pints are on the pricier side for Manchester. But you get what you pay for and all that and while you might be ambivalent about the prices the ambience is very nice indeed.
What’s worth visiting nearby?
You’re in the sweet spot between the end of the Northern Quarter and the start of Ancoats so you can pretty much do whatever the heck you want. If you’re looking for another pint, walk for under a minute to Smithfield Tavern (complete with a bar billiards table and dartboard) or characterful Belgian beer boozer Bar Fringe. Or, if you fancy dancing off your dinner, you’re super close to Stevenson Square – featuring boxy record shop and club Eastern Bloc and dance music hotspot – we promise it’s not even more food – Soup.
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