Food & Drink

The new BBQ restaurant beneath a Manchester railway arch where meat is cooked very, VERY slowly

A little bit of Texas in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 21st August 2026

There’s a new BBQ spot beneath a railway arch in Manchester, and it’s cooking its meat very, very slowly.

Sandy’s Smokeshed has just opened in Castlefield, where Sam – and his smoker, Angela – are serving up serious Texas-style BBQ, with queues already stretching out the door.

The idea is simple: take great cuts of meat, cover them generously in seasoning, put them in the smoker and give them all the time they need.

That means beef shin smoked over oak and cherry for 10 hours, eight-hour smoked beef chuck and the Boston Butt, alongside brisket, short ribs, chicken and plenty more.

Sam has always been a fan of BBQ, but decided to take things rather more seriously when he bought the enormous smoker now sitting underneath the arch. It’s a serious piece of kit, cooking the meat from all directions and producing the kind of results where everything practically collapses in your hand.

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And the location only adds to the atmosphere. While you’re eating, trains rattle overhead, giving the place an appropriately industrial Manchester soundtrack.

Sandy's Smokeshed is beneath the arches in Castlefield
Sandy’s Smokeshed is beneath the arches in Castlefield
Owner Sam seasoning his pulled pork
Owner Sam seasoning his pulled pork
Juicy, pull-apart chicken
Juicy, pull-apart chicken

The BBQ comes with plenty of proper sides, too, including pit beans and slaw, plus garlic BBQ sauce for pouring over the top.

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There are also some particularly good sandwiches, made with Holy Grain sourdough from next door and filled with pulled pork, steak, or braised ox shin.

Sandy’s Smokeshed kicked things off last weekend with a free food, BYOB feast, and judging by the queues, word has travelled quickly.

It’s open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am – but only until they sell out.

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Vegetarians, look away now. Everyone else, you’ll want to get there early.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Food & Drink

‘A very special day’ – Northern Quarter institution The Trof added to Michelin Guide

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The Trof owners Jamie Pickles and Matt Nellany

Just months after relaunching as a classic pub and dining room, Northern Quarter icon The Trof has been added to the prestigious Michelin Guide.

The long-standing Manchester bar has always been a firm favourite locally for after-work drinks, brunches, and Sunday roasts, but underwent something of a transformation back in April.

Now rebranded from simply ‘Trof’ to ‘The Trof’, the pub has a new, refined menu of British pub classics showcasing top local produce, under the steer of Matt Nellany and Jamie Pickles, of Stow fame.

The pair’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed – just months after its relaunch, The Trof has already landed a spot in the Michelin Guide.

The guide described it as a ‘welcoming’ and ‘no-nonsense’ spot that’s perfect for a lot of things, whether it’s a pint downstairs in the bar or a full meal upstairs in the dining room.

The Trof now joins a list of Manchester’s finest restaurants, including Michelin-starred Skof and Mana, Bib Gourmand-rated spots like El Gato Negro and The Sparrows, plus a raft of other brilliant food spots.

Sharing the achievement, The Trof said: “To think that our little pub on the corner of the Northern Quarter has made it in to the Michelin Guide – makes today a very special day!

“This one’s for the whole team. Up The Trof.”

Downstairs in a refurbished The Trof
Downstairs in a refurbished The Trof
The Trof's new dining room
The Trof’s new dining room

And adding to that, co-owner Matt Nellany told us: “Trof has been a huge part of my life for almost a decade. I worked here as a manager and General Manager before Jamie and I took ownership, so while the venue has evolved, it has always felt incredibly personal to us.

“We’ve always tried to build on the strong foundations that made Trof such an institution, but earlier this year we made the bold decision to take it in a new direction as a heritage pub and dining room.

“It wasn’t a change we made lightly. Trof was already thriving, but we had a clear vision for what it could become and felt compelled to take that next step. While the transformation may have happened over the last few months, the work and ambition behind it have been building for the best part of five years.

“Seeing the response from our guests has been incredibly rewarding and has made the risk worthwhile.

Pie and steak at The Trof in Manchester
Pie and steak at The Trof in Manchester
A cherry and pistachio Bakewell pudding
A cherry and pistachio Bakewell pudding

“Whether people have joined us for a pint and a scotch egg, dinner in the dining room, or a Sunday roast, the support we’ve received has meant the world to us. It’s a project we’re immensely proud of, and it’s really special to see both long-time regulars and new visitors embracing this next chapter of Trof.”

The Michelin Guide said: “From its name alone, you could guess that there’s a no-nonsense approach to this red-brick pub in the city’s bustling Northern Quarter.

“Run by the same team as Stow, it’s a welcoming spot where the ground-floor pub is ideal for a pint and a snack, while the upstairs dining room is the setting for mightily appealing British dishes that come with full-force flavour.

“Ox cheek pie with mash and an intense beef sauce is typical of the kind of hearty cooking to expect. As the chef-owner is from the Peak District, expect some version of a Bakewell tart on the menu too.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Food & Drink

A fancy new pizzeria has opened in Manchester serving posh pizzas and seasonal sharing plates

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall Proloco opens in Manchester next week

If you’ve ever wanted a pizza with smoked eel on, then you’re in luck.

Introducing Proloco, the brand spanking new restaurant from chef Richard Carver, founder of Honest Crust Sourdough Pizza, and Dan Hope, co-founder of Manchester club Rainy Heart.

Located in One Port Street over in Ancoats, this isn’t your bog standard pizzeria – this is lavish.

Here you’ll find a weekly rotating selection of 18-inch pizzas and sharing plates all made with the very best local produce imaginable.

Forget your bog standard pepperoni slice, on the menu here you’ll find a porchetta pizza with shishito peppers and Cornish kern, a charred greens pizza with sugar snap peas and anchovies, and our personal favourite – a smoked eel pie with lemon basil and pine nuts.

There’s also a tomato butter pie, which features slithers of butter in place of your usual mozzarella.

And if you just can’t decide, you can have your pizza as a half-and-half of flavours.

Sharing plates include tomatoes with lardo, roasted beetroot and a crispy egg with mortadella and fennel.

A half-and-half pizza
A half-and-half pizza
Beautiful interiors of Proloco
Beautiful interiors of Proloco
The butter pie pizza
The butter pie pizza
Small plates, wine, and £7 negroni
Small plates, wine, and £7 negroni
Proloco opens on Great Ancoats Street in August
Proloco opens on Great Ancoats Street in August
Scoops of homemade gelato
Scoops of homemade gelato
Proloco's open kitchen
Proloco’s open kitchen
The eel pizza at Proloco
The eel pizza at Proloco

A real selling point, though, is the £7 negroni alongside a selection of honest wine and carefully chosen beer from local suppliers as well as an aperitivo list.

The interior is simple, but beautiful – a colour palette of butter yellow, blue, and huge burgundy speakers to match the chairs that invite you to sit at long banquet-worthy tables or in front of the many windows.

Richard will be calling on his longstanding relationships with producers across the North West (and beyond) for his ingredients, from flour grown and milled in the Lake District, vegetables from Cinderwood Market Garden and Organic North, artisanal charcuterie and cheeses from Somerset, and the best tomatoes and oil from Italy.

He said: “Proloco is about cooking food I genuinely love with the best people and produce around me.

“I want it to feel effortless – warm, a little bit fun, and always worth coming back to.”

Proloco will officially open its doors on Great Ancoats Street on Wednesday 26 August.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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