This week in Manchester, we’ve plenty of new food and drink spots to get you excited about.
From the sausage roll-steak bake pie hybrid that’s got the whole city talking, to a gorgeous new Italian restaurant from one of the city’s longest-standing restauranteurs, there’s lots to look forward to.
Keep reading to discover our top food and drink picks in Manchester for the week.
Potter’s Pies has its first pop-up in Ancoats this weekend selling these absolute beauties / Image: Potter’s Pies
A pie combining sausage rolls and steak bakes
The mum and son pie-making duo behind newcomer Potters Pies has already hit on a winner ahead of their first market pop-up in Ancoats this weekend.
Since sharing the picture of their steak bake-sausage roll hybrid pie to Instagram, Manchester’s interest has certainly been piqued – so we expect there’s going to be quite the queue for these bad boys on Saturday.
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They do make other pies though, too – including a very special cheese and onion creation by the late Alan Potter, credited with “pretty much starting the whole thing off”. Now made by Grandma Potter to a closely guarded recipe, these will be available alongside the much-talked-about sausage roll hybrid this weekend. Get down early to avoid disappointment.
Find Potter’s Pies at Ancoats pop-up this Saturday 28th September at its new home on Cutting Room Square.
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Vincenzo Trattoria is a little-known Italian gem right in the centre of Manchester / Image: Vincenzo Trattoria
A gorgeous new Italian restaurant from the Dom’s Taverna team
Vincenzo Trattoria initially opened at the start of 2020, but in a year (and then some) beset with issues for the hospitality industry, it’s spent more of its time closed than open – and battled off a takeover bid from competitor Salvi’s in the process.
Named after the owner’s late father, it comes from the same team behind the popular (and now sadly closed) Dom’s Taverna restaurant on Deansgate – a haven for quality southern Italian cuisine in the city.
On the menu here you’ll find a good selection of classic mains like saltimbocca alongside classic pizza and pasta dishes. Everything is made fresh to order, and we recommend you try the special spicy sausage which Dom makes himself in house.
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Find Vincenzo at 34 St Ann St, Manchester M2 7LE.
Ancoats favourites the Hip Hop Chip Shop have now got a stand down at the Etihad / Image: Hip Hop Chip Shop
A host of new independent street food traders at the Etihad
Whether you’re red or you’re blue, we hope we can all agree that it’s a joy to see local independents replacing chain brands over at the Etihad.
Man City is now working with seven local street food traders and four independent brewers, meaning you can now enjoy some tasty bevs from the likes of Beatnikz Republic, Seven Brothers, Track and Runaway down at this end of town on matchdays.
Find them serving at the Etihad stadium on Ashton New Rd, Manchester M11 3FF on match days.
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Kong’s Chicken Shop stopped us all in our tracks with their fried chicken roast, but they do so much more – and the menu’s getting even bigger / Image: Lous.brews
A new home for the creators of Manchester’s favourite fried chicken dinners
Kong’s Chicken Shop has revealed it will be taking over the kitchen at Foundation Coffee House there for at least the next few months, opening its doors from this Thursday 26 August. Of course, they don’t just do roast dinners – they first made their name cooking up chicken burgers, so it seems appropriate they’re launching at their new home on national burger day.
There is lots to look forward to here over the coming weeks, with rumours of a new ice cream menu currently doing the rounds amidst promises of new dishes on the way. Watch this space.
Find Kong’s Chicken Shop at 11 Portland St, Manchester M1 3HU from Thursday 26, then Wednesday to Sunday 5-10 pm every week.
The new bottomless brunch deal at Delhi House Cafe in the Corn Exchange is not to be missed / Image: Delhi House Cafe
A new Indian bottomless brunch with unlimited mango mimosas
Delhi House Cafe in the Corn Exchange is the place to be if you’re planning on brunching bottomless this weekend.
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Think chicken tikka with fluffy homemade naan and chips, bottomless mimosas, paneer wraps and rose sangrias. Think two courses and as many drinks as you can neck in ninety minutes for just £31.95. This is the new bottomless brunch deal that’s got Manchester by storm this week.
Available Thursday to Sunday, walk ins are welcome but booking is recommended. We expect it’s going to be busy this weekend. Fortunately, they have a lot of seats inside.
Find Delhi House Cafe at Unit 10, The Corn Exchange, Manchester M4 3TR.
Five fantastic freebies and offers for the 2025 Manchester Half marathon
Danny Jones
It’s nearly time: not just for the Manchester Half but, more importantly, the freebies and offers you can get for running it.
Let’s be honest, not everyone loves running for literal miles just for the sake of it; a lot of people need motivation, and besides an inspiring cause, you’d be surprised how many people will get out of bed for something as simple as free stuff.
You might be one of them – you are here reading this, after all.
There’s no long-winded preamble or intro needed to set this up, so let’s just crack on. Here are five brilliant freebies you can get with a 2025 Manchester Half Marathon medal.
What freebies you can get with a Manchester Half finisher’s medal
Now, you’ll be glad to know that most of these are completely gratis, but we thought we’d mention some others that stuck out to us as well.
1. Free fizz on The Refuge
First up, how about some free fizz? Well, that’s exactly what you can get this Sunday, 12 October, if you’ve just run the 2025 Manchester Half-marathon.
Participants can head to The Refuge inside the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel after the race to claim a well-earned glass of prosecco – available to the first 100 finishers on a first-come, first-served basis.
2. Complimentary food and drink at Circolo Popolare
Next up, it doesn’t get much better than a free pizza and a cold one; that’s what Circolo Popolare in Gary Neville’s stunning St. Michael’s building are offering.
Just show your medal and enjoy a free margherita pizza plus your choice of either an ice-cold beer or a refreshing virgin cocktail. Prego!
3. You’ve got to be quick to get House of Social’s freebie
Speaking of free drinks, the first 50 runners who use the last of their energy to dash over to House of Social this Sunday and enjoy a pint on the house.
All you have to do is present your medal when ordering to snap up a beer at absolutely no cost. So we’ll see you there, basically.
Self-explanatory, really. The student favourite that used to be the old Footage pub on Oxford Road is offering up a limited amount of free pints to runners, just make sure you show your medal at the bar.
To be honest, even if it wasn’t free, we’d still probably spend a good few hours here sinking affordable pints because it is absolute VIBES at this gaff.
Last but not least, if you’re looking for a lovely carby reward in the city centre, you’re obviously spoilt for choice, but Italiana Fifty Five are offering a free starter when booking and presenting your 2025 finisher’s medal upon arrival.
Available at all Greater Manchester locations, the Italian eatery formerly known as Cibo always delivers good offers, and race day for the MCR Half is no different.
🏃♀️ Running the MCR Half this Sunday?
Celebrate your finish line moment at Italiana Fifty-Five, Manchester 🇮🇹
Show us your medal and enjoy a FREE starter with your meal! 🍝✨
Oh yeah, it might not be a freebie per se, but as one of the busiest post-marathon celebration spots anywhere in Greater Manchester, The Wharf is obviously getting involved beforehand as well.
This year, the canalside Castlefield favourite is serving up sausage and bacon butties from 10-11:30am before the usual Sunday roast service kicks in as normal from 12pm. Now we’ve just got to pray for good beer garden weather.
We hope you get to make the most of these freebies and others Manchester Half offers after your race is run, because let’s be honest, running 13.1 miles (21 and a bit kilometres for you metric heads) is a fair bit of effort, so you deserve a treat.
It goes without saying that there’s probably plenty more SWAG to be snapped up in and around the city that we’ve missed, so make sure to let your fellow runners know about them down in the comments.
Finally, if you’re still feeling uncertain about anything to do with the race itself, you can find our full Manchester Half Marathon guide down below.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/press shot (supplied)
Food & Drink
Bar Posie – 10 Tib Lane team to open new cocktail bar in former Manchester sandwich shop
Daisy Jackson
The team behind Manchester’s 10 Tib Lane restaurant are opening a brand-new cocktail bar in a former sandwich shop.
They have announced that Bar Posie will be opening next month in the old Philpotts unit in Bruntwood SciTech’s Bloc building, right off Market Street.
The brand-new bar for the city centre will be serving cocktails, small plates and bar snacks, at the foot of Bruntwood SciTech’s Bloc building (also home to the Reset by Form pilates studio).
Bar Posie will be doing an aperitvo and oyster happy hour every Tuesday to Sunday between 12pm and 4pm, with £8 aperitivo and oysters for a quid.
It’s all coming from the 10 Tib Lane team, which opened in the old Bock Biere site back in 2021, transforming the space into a cosy multi-storey restaurant with seasonal sharing dishes.
This week, Bar Posie has shared a sneak peek of its menu, which will feature quality plates like confit chicken and wild mushroom croquettes, pork belly skewers, and a bitter leaf salad with buttermilk dressing.
As for drinks, expect cocktails like a cacao nib negroni, a classic vodka martini, and ‘La Isla’, a blend of Aperol, almond, Takamaka koko, mango and melon soda and acid.
Small plates and snacks from Bar PosiePork belly skewers from Bar PosieA glimpse of the cocktails at Bar Posie
That’s alongside conventional and natural wines, craft beer, and plenty of coffee.
The space itself will be split into a mix of cosy booth seating, bar seats, and al fresco dining across two levels, with the cocktail bar at the very heart of everything.
Sophie Robson, co-owner of Bar Posie said: “Our opening date is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to share all that Posie has to offer.
“This menu is the culmination of decades of passion and experience and we’re really proud of it. The cocktail collection is full of exciting drinks and flavours that are unique to Posie.
“The experimental side of things will be complemented by classic cocktails perfected by our team, as well as great wine, beer and some cracking small plates. We can’t wait to open the doors and welcome Manchester to Bar Posie.”
Bar Posie will open in Bruntwood SciTech’s Bloc building on Tuesday 4 November.
Georgina Pellant -
24th August 2021 
