This March, there are plenty of great Manchester restaurant and dining deals to get stuck into if you’re eating out on a budget (which, let’s be honest, most of us are).
Given that it’s such a tough time for hospitality, quite a few of the city’s bars, restaurants and cafes have decided to extend their food deals after seeing a huge upturn in business during January.
Whilst there are still great offers, we’re going to keep promoting them – and fortunately for us, there are some awesome set menus, lunch deals and general discounts going around.
From 50% off at Chakalaka, Firehouse and NQ favourite Trof, to £1 tacos, massive £2 hot dogs and lunch deals with a drink from £10, there are loads of great dining deals to get stuck into in Manchester this March.
Keep reading to discover the best Manchester restaurant deals, discounts and offers to try this month.
50% off food – Manchester March dining deals
The Bunny Chow. / Image: Chakalaka
Image: Chakalaka
Chakalaka
What is it: Brightly coloured South African bar and kitchen in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
The offer: 50% off food.
T&Cs: Applies to mains only, all day Monday-Wednesday.
The Firehouse
What is it: Buzzing venue on the cusp of Ancoats serving wild spirits, chargrilled chicken and some of the fluffiest pittas in the city.
The offer: 50% off pittas, stracciatella, hummus and kalamata tapenades, plus all bottles of wine and sparkling.
T&Cs: Available Wednesdays only with a booking.
Pen and Pencil
What is it: New York-influenced all day kitchen serving imaginative menus, as well as craft beers & cocktails.
The offer: 50% off all food
T&Cs: Available Mondays only when you pre-book a table.
Trof
What is it: A dandyish den of indulgence in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Famed for brunching and daily food specials, Sunday roasts and classic cocktails.
The offer: 50% off food.
T&Cs: Available Tuesdays only.
Wood
What is it: MasterChef Simon Wood’s high-end restaurant down at First Street, perfect for a pre-theatre treat.
The offer: 50% off cheese and wine at Homage.
T&Cs: Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings.
More Manchester March dining deals
Image: Trof
Image: Trof
Almost Famous
What is it: Legendary burger bar serving the original ‘dirty burgers’ as well as loaded fries and wings.
The offer: £10 on selected burgers and fries.
T&Cs: Weekdays between 12-4pm.
A Taste of Honey
What is it: Adorable little neighbourhood deli and cafe on Burton Road.
The offer: Living lunch deal. £3.50 breakfast / £5 lunch menu.
T&Cs: Available during set hours only.
Bab
What is it: Casual venue with an industrial vibe, prepping meze and fancy kebabs with homemade sauces and marinades.
The offer: Two courses and bottomless drinks for £40 per person.
T&Cs: Available Fridays only from 3-10pm.
Bundobust
What is it: Indian vegetarian street food and craft beer hall with its very own Manchester brewery.
The offer: Two dishes for £9, including okra fries, bhajis, and tarka dhal and rice.
T&Cs: Available at lunch time only.
The Blues Kitchen
What is it: Dedicated blues bar serving hickory-smoked comfort food, plus regular live music and DJs.
The offer: Selected dishes with a soft drink for a tenner.
T&Cs: Available weekdays only until 3.30pm.
Cibo
What is it: Modern cafe/restaurant and prosecco bar, for Italian pizzas, grill dishes and sharing plates.
The offer: Two courses for £15.99 and three courses for £19.99.
T&Cs: Every Sunday – Friday from 5-7pm.
Cottonopolis
What is it: Lively destination for Asian-inspired menus in a warehouse-style venue with a full bar.
The offer: Two dishes and a side for £13.
T&Cs: Available during lunch only, Monday – Friday 12-3pm.
Crazy Pedros
What is it: Part-time pizza parlour and mezcal / tequila party bar serving New York pizzas by the slice and the pie.
The offer: £12 pizza, £2.50 slices, two cocktails for £12.
T&Cs: Available 5 – 9pm, Saturday – Friday.
Edinburgh Castle
What is it: Another classic pub reborn – cosy vibes and pies downstairs, fancy small plates upstairs.
The offer: Two courses for £30 or three courses for £35.
T&Cs: Available Wednesday – Thursday 5-6.30pm and Friday and Saturday 12-3pm & 5-6.30pm.
El Capo
What is it: Mexican and Latin American dishes, plus tequila menu, in a casual, bare-brick space with a tiled bar.
The offer: Tacos from £1.
T&Cs: Monday – Thursday from 5pm.
Image: The Firehouse
Image: The Firehouse
Habas
What is it: Middle Eastern-inspired dishes and cocktails in a comfy, relaxed space.
The offer: Three dishes and a drink for £15.
T&Cs: Tuesday – Saturday 12-5pm.
La Bandera
What is it: Market-fresh, classic Spanish cuisine in airy, contemporary space with yellow booths and banquettes.
The offer: Three mini tapas dishes and a soft drink for £15.
T&Cs: Sunday – Thursday 4-7pm.
The Marble Arch
What is it: Traditional boozer with its own and guest beers, plus food including cheeseboards.
The offer: 25% off starters, mains and desserts.
T&Cs: Available 12-4pm, Monday – Friday.
NAM
What is it: Cool, laid-back Vietnamese restaurant, bar and music venue based in Ancoats.
The offer: Any Pho and a Tiger beer for £12.
T&Cs: Available Thursdays only.
Nell’s
What is it: NYC inspired pizza parlour with locations in the city centre and Chorlton.
The offer: 14-inch pizza for £7.77.
T&Cs: Available weekdays only from 12-4pm.
Ramona
What is it:
The offer: £1.23 Margherita Slices and £6 margarita cocktails.
T&Cs: Available 4-7pm Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with a booking.
Salt Dog Slims
What is it: Late night dive bar hidden on a Manchester back street serving fat, delicious hot dogs.
What is it: Outdoor kitchen and bar in Trafford Park with great live music events.
The offer: £5 breakfast sandwich and a coffee. Burger, fries and a soft drink for £6.50.
T&Cs: Sandwich and coffee deal available Monday – Friday before 12pm. Burger lunch deal 12-3pm weekdays only.
Society
What is it: Manchester food and beer hall doling out global street foods, plus rafts of craft beer and cocktails.
The offer: £10 lunch deal.
T&Cs: Monday – Thursday and Sunday 12-3pm. Offers unique to individual traders.
Yard and Coop
What is it: Spacious NQ joint offering specialty fried chicken, sides and cocktails amid funky, barnyard-chic decor.
The offer: Main, side and a soda for £10.
T&Cs: Available Sunday – Thursday 12-4pm.
Feature image – Chakalaka / Trof / Salt Dog Slims
City Centre
Comedy nights, run clubs, and resident parties – why The Castings is Manchester’s most social city centre neighbourhood
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is a city full of opportunity – and The Castings is the perfect place to live to experience all it has to offer.
As the bustling hub of the north – and, arguably, the UK’s ‘second’ city, depending on who you ask – Manchester has firmly cemented itself as being somewhere people of all walks of life want to live, thanks to the wealth of live music,sport, nightlife, and so much more.
And for those who want to get amongst it, one of Manchester’s newest city centre neighbourhoods, The Castings, has a social life built right in, ready for residents to make the most of.
Currently rated number one on HomeViews, it has been voted by its residents as the best place to live in the city.
And it recently celebrated its first birthday too, in one of the ways it knows best, of course – with a free party for all residents.
A glimpse into life at The Castings’ stunning lifestyle-led apartments / Credit: The Manc Group
If you were unfamiliar withThe Castings until now, it’s a stunning community made up of 352 apartments to rent in Piccadilly East.
With its range of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom homes, The Castings’ design-led spaces are inspired by industrial shapes, flowing forms, and molten textures.
As well as its stunning apartments, the lifestyle-led development also features a fitness studio, high-spec gym, games room, private dining spaces, a co-working hub, and a 21st-floor rooftop terrace with panoramic views of Manchester.
The Castings is one of Manchester’s most social city centre neighbourhoods / Credit: The Castings
It sits in the heart of Piccadilly East is a neighbourhood often touted as Manchester’s next-generation, and named by The Sunday Times as one ofthe UK’s best places to live and The Castings has been ‘bringing new life’ to this up-and-coming area near Manchester Piccadilly stationever since it launched it last summer.
Even though Piccadilly East – which is conveniently-adjacent to Ancoats, New Islington, and the Northern Quarter – is already home to some of Manchester’s most popular food, drink, and liveentertainment venues, residents at The Castings don’t even need to leave the comfort of their own community to get involved with a wide variety of events and make some new friends along the way.
In just the year since the first residents moved into The Castings, it has hosted everything from live comedy nights to regular yoga and fitness sessions, run clubs, and seasonal resident ‘socials’.
One of the biggest highlights in The Castings’ social calendar so far has to be the recent ‘Spring Social’, which helped welcome the new season in style, complete with an ice cream van, DJs, big Jenga, and lots and lots of pizza, making it a ‘standout’ moment of the year.
If The Castings sounds like somewhere you’d love to live, then the final few apartments are still remaining, and you can head online to book a viewing now.
Featured Image – The Castings (supplied) / The Manc Group
City Centre
The ‘ultimate’ free-to-attend sandwich festival is coming to Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
An event dubbed ‘the world’s greatest sandwich festival’ is coming to central Manchester, and if there’s one thing you need to know about us, it’s that we love things between bread.
Consider us already there.
Following a hugely successful showcase at Camden Town Brewery down in the capital, the butty bonanza known as ‘Sarnie Party’ is making its way from down in London all the way up to Manchester for the very first time.
Better still, it’s coming to the beloved city centre neighbourhood and ever-growing hospitality district that is Kampus next month, and it’s completely FREE entry.
Sarnie Party is the lovechild of seasoned festival curator Molly Hutchinson and Allie Behr of Hot Sauce Society, who have decided to bring together their passions and expertise once again in another ode to the most versatile and almost universally eaten foodstuff: sandwiches.
Promising “big energy, good vibes and full bellies”, it’s already supported by some of the most recognisable brands you’ll find in Britain, including Heinz, Deliveroo, Kraken rum and more.
All of the above will be featuring at the inaugural Manc sandwich festival in some fashion, but most excitingly, some of Greater Manchester’s best and most beloved sarnie artisans will be taking part.
In addition to the usual suspects like Bada Bing and Rack, Pollen, Madre, and OSMA will also be serving up sandwich specials, as well as Liverpool favourite Derek’s, and The Big Deal’s ‘Bodega’ from Norwich.
Each vendor will be building a unique, never-before-seen (or eaten) sandwich for the 2025 festival, looking to best impress the locals.
And you best believe we know a good butty around here…
Guests can also expect more food and drink specials from existing on-site Kampus businesses, plus an outdoor bar with cocktails from Kraken and Tito’s Vodka, as well as a selection of ice-cold beers.
While admission to Kampus costs nothing, these indie traders are, of course, hoping to cover their costs, so sandwiches will be able to be purchased via tokens.
A single token will cost you £8, or you can buy a three-token Sarnie Party bundle for just £22; let’s be honest, you’re not going to stop at just one, are you?
More importantly, it’s worth reminding you that the stocks won’t last forever, and once these creations are gone, they’re gone, so you’d better make quick work of this scran-fest.
Local radio station, Reform, will also be serving as the resident DJs and entertainers for the day, meaning you’ll have plenty of time and reason to try and burn off all those carby calories – before inevitably consuming more, of course.
Credit: Supplied
Speaking ahead of the festival, Kampus’ general manager, Harriet Downey, said: “We’re looking forward to bringing Sarnie Party to Manchester and hosting so many sandwich lovers in our garden neighbourhood.
“We’re lucky to have some of the best independent food and drink brands in the city here at Kampus, and it’s exciting to have them joined by so many other great operators to celebrate all things sandwich!”
As for the organisers themselves, they have a simple mantra for you to follow: “Come hungry. Leave happy.” Love that.
Spread across a full weekend, Sarnie Party MCR takes place on 12-13 September, with day one getting underway from 4-10pm, and Sunday running from 11am-9pm. We’ll see you there.
And if this doesn’t quite satisfy your food and drink festival cravings, then you’ll be glad to hear that there’s another event dedicated entirely to pina coladas happening here in town, also.
Georgina Pellant -
2nd March 2023 
