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.
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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.
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The offer: 50% off food.
T&Cs: Applies to mains only, all day Monday-Wednesday.
The Firehouse
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
One of the biggest and best new beer gardens in Manchester drops just in time for the World Cup
Danny Jones
You heard us right: what could very well be Manchester’s favourite new beer garden has just landed over in St John’s, and all can envision is non-stop sun, suds and sporting action all summer long.
This, my friends, is ‘The Green’.
Capturing a kind of mix between the simple combo of wide open space, booze and hopefully sun on the Stevenson Square we all know and love, with a bit of the Boxpark fanfare that will make it perfect come World Cup, we’re big fans of what they’ve put together here.
It’s also worth noting that this place is significantly bigger than you’ll find in most corners of central Manchester, complete with plenty of room to perch, from the rows of deckchairs to even tiered step seating that runs along the edge.
There’s new artificial turf laid down, complete with fresh wooden borders, lamp lighting, big benches perfect for squeezing plenty of mates on each side, as well as a decent number of small parasols. There are even QR codes to save time ordering at the bar.
Speaking of, the bar is already full up and running with a very solid lineup of summery drinks, for beers and fruity ciders to Aperol and plenty more. You are paying the expected St John’s prices, but when the rays hit just right, the footy’s on and you’re with your mates, you won’t hear us complaining.
Not just batch stuff being proud from the tap either – they’ve got cocktails, creative twists on frozen margs and lots of other stuff still in the pipeline.
But understandably, the instant start of the show is that large screen, which has already got us dreaming of the World Cup and tournament season year in year out, for that matter. And when we say large, we really mean it…
Just picture the scenes…
The lawn itself is plenty long, and the massive monitor is high up enough on the old studio wall that not a single soul will be missing a second of that action.
Be it the footy, Wimbledon, F1, rugby – whatever the discipline happens to be, we can’t wait to find any excuse to watch it all here (weather permitting). Only a short distance from Deansgate, Spinningfields, Castlefield and more, we feel like this spot is about to blow up.
You’ll also be glad to know that while you can’t take food and drink from other venues around the beer garden itself, they’ve got a food lineup all of their own coming very soon, centring around Manchester locals and regional indies. That’s what we like to hear.
It’s just what that Grape Street area needed, and regardless of whatever potential seasonal shifts it might need to make, we hope it stays here for a very long time. Good vibes all-round.
Stage and Radio issue defiant statement in response to concerning development plans
Danny Jones
Manchester centre bar, music venue, and nightlife institution, Stage and Radio, has shared an impassioned and defiant statement in the face of proposed plans to be built next to the venue.
And when we say next to, we mean next door – and by that we mean practically on their doorstep, not to mention that of other local businesses.
Situated within one of the city’s most important creative and cultural hubs, in the form of the Northern Quarter, the gig space, club and popular meeting place finds itself under serious threat.
Speaking in the accompanying caption, they said: “Comment below and we’ll DM you a link to take action (It’s also in our bio!).”
They go on to say, “We’re urgently asking for the public to support Stage & Radio by voicing concerns by 10th June 2026 about a future development going up within a few meters of the venue.”
Unsurprisingly, the post has been met with an outpouring of not only shared rage, frustration and confusion, but more importantly, they’ve received a huge amount of support in the comments, too.
Fellow Manc favourite nighttime venue, Hidden, added, “Sit tight @stageandradiomcr you’re not going anywhere; meanwhile, several people across multiple sites have simply written, ‘Stage and Radio 4 Life.”
New developments and residential ventures continue to pop up all over the city and surrounding regions, as they always will, and Manchester City Council has stressed that this latest development – an eight-storey residential block by This City – will not be under threat.
Leader of the Council Bev Craig said: “Music and arts venues like Stage and Radio are the soul of our Northern Quarter. Music is woven into the very fabric of Manchester, it’s part of what makes our city so great. It is not under threat on my watch.
“Across the country we are seeing too many venues close down, in Manchester we want to protect and nurture them. That’s why we have worked in partnership with the Music Venues Trust in recent months to provide almost £250,000 in grant funding to support small venues and operators in an increasingly difficult economic climate.
“This is a vital lifeline for many smaller grassroots businesses, and we know that without them there won’t be the next big star.
“Cities are always changing, especially when new affordable homes are being built, but let me be unequivocal – Stage and Radio is not under threat. They were here first, and our Agent of Change principle defends that.
“Any new development nearby will have the top level of sound proofing and the onus is on the council as the builder not the music venue. We are also working with the venue to consider what investment our This City housing company can make to the venue building to limit sound escaping.
“I’ve offered to meet with the venue operators personally to give my commitment that venues like theirs help create the artists of the future and make our music scene what it is today.”
As for Stage and Radio, we’ve had the pleasure of spending a fair few late nights there (not to mention well into the early hours of the next morning) over the years.
Releasing a direct statement to The Manc and Audio North, they told us: “We are deeply concerned about whether residential flats positioned directly beside an established grassroots music venue can realistically provide appropriate residential amenity and conditions suitable for long-term human habitation, while also protecting an existing venue from future conflict.”
S&R also noted these circumstances are not entirely unlike those that have jeopardised the future of fellow NQ neighbours and live music venue, Night and Day Cafe, in recent times.
The countdown is now ticking away for Stage and Radio – quite literally, as you can see by the banner now showing on the homepage of their website.
If you want to help save not just this venue but the culture, community and artistic scene it stands for, you can sign the protest petition and get involved in the fight right HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
2nd March 2023 
