Eats

A mile-long margarita bar crawl is taking place in Manchester this week

Do do do do do, TEQUILA

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 17th February 2024

A mile-long bar crawl dedicated to margaritas is taking place in Manchester over the next week.

Tequila fans will be able to hop their way between bars that are putting on limited-edition cocktails and tequila-based specials.

There are 24 venues signed up to the week-long margarita crawl in Manchester alone, with a similar event happening across in Leeds.

Those taking part include Mexican restaurant Madre, gigantic food hall New Century, and subterranean cocktail bar The Daisy.

The Margarita Mile has been created by El Tequileño tequila and is a celebration for National Margarita Day on 22 February.

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El Tequileño, which is produced in the town of Tequila in Mexico, and Maldon Salt have been working with some of the city’s best bars to create perfect margaritas.

Special cocktails will be available for one week only, between 19 and 25 February,

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These include a whole flight of margs at New Century, where if you’re overwhelmed with choice you can throw a dice and let that choose your drink.

Fierce, a bar that specialises in craft beer, has come up with its own take on a Lagerita, using Mexican cerveza to create a longer, citrus drink.

Fierce bar in Manchester has done its own take on a Lagerita for the Margarita Mile
Fierce bar in Manchester has done its own take on a Lagerita for the Margarita Mile
Stray bar in Mackie Mayor has FOUR margarita specials running
Stray bar in Mackie Mayor has FOUR margarita specials running

There are mini events taking place across Manchester too, like The Daisy hosting Tony Salles, master distiller of El Tequileño, who will explain all about his tequila brand.

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And by sharing a picture of your marg while you’re out on the Margarita Mile around Manchester, you could win a goodie bag of treats from El Tequileño and Ten Locks Drinks.

Steffin Oghene, Global Ambassador for El Tequileño, who will be accompanying Tony Salles to the UK, says: “El Tequileño encourages everyone, from cocktail fans to tequila lovers to those who want to learn more about quality craft spirits, to get out on the mile to try a Margarita.

“We are super proud to be visiting Manchester, the city that created the Margarita Mile – we know that Manchester is a hotbed for creativity, with a wealth of music, arts and culture originating there, and now El Tequileño’s Margarita Mile is part of that cultural narrative.

“We look forward to meeting all Mancunians out on the mile!”

Please drink responsibly.

The Manchester bars taking place in the Margarita Mile

The map of the Margarita Mile in Manchester
The map of the Margarita Mile in Manchester
  • Madre, Kampus
  • Nell’s, Kampus
  • Ducie Street Warehouse
  • Tariff & Dale, Tariff Street
  • Public, Stevenson Square
  • Soup, Stevenson Square
  • Dusk Til Pawn and Noho, Stevenson Square
  • Smithfield Social, Thomas Street
  • Trof, Thomas Street,
  • Junior Jackson’s, Oldham Street
  • Kong’s, Oldham Street
  • Mean-Eyed Cat, Oldham Street
  • Almost Famous, Edge Street
  • Fierce, Thomas Street
  • Science and Industry, Thomas Street
  • Nightcap, Hilton Street
  • Wolf at the Door, Thomas Street
  • Liquor & Burn, High Street
  • The Daisy, Tib Street
  • The Bay Horse Tavern, Thomas Street
  • Common, Edge Street
  • Stray, Mackie Mayor
  • The New Cross, Cross Keys Street
  • New Century, Hanover Street

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Popular outdoor dining event returns to MediaCity waterfront this summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Greater Manchester’s popular outdoor dining concept is back again this summer, and there’s a proper tasty lineup of traders.

Kargo on the Docks, which is MediaCity‘s al fresco dining pop-up, has taken over the waterfront and gardens once again with a fresh wave of local food traders and stunning artwork by Salford-based creatives, all as the sun shines down on Salford Quays this summer.

A handful of Greater Manchester‘s most popular independents have set themselves up Quayside inside those signature re-imagined shipping containers.

Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours including Caribbean, Lebanese, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Pan-Asian dishes.

Loads of local indie food vendors have taken over the Salford Quays waterfront for the summer / Credit: Supplied

Afro Shack – the sister brand to Kargo.MKT favourite House of Habesha – will be serving fusion food combining East African flavours with indulgent American fast food, while new kids on the block Wok Bros will deliver sizzling, wok-tossed Pan-Asian street food and 100% halal dishes inspired by authentic flavours and fresh ingredients.

Iconic Jamaican dishes will also be on offer from Sunrise Caribbean, while Quiero Tacos will bring slow-cooked Birria tacos, cheesy quesadillas, and vibrant rice bowls packed with the spirit of Mexico.

Last but not least, Mediterranean food lovers can expect juicy lamb koftas, golden halloumi, and richly spiced chicken shawarma from Habibs.

Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours / Credit: Mark Waugh (via Supplied)

As well as the tasty food on offer, as mentioned, Kargo on the Docks also features a range of artwork and installations from local independent talent – with each container adorned with murals from creatives including Fernandes Makes, Kelly Ma, and Caroline Daly, bringing a feel-good summer vibe to the MediaCity Gardens.

Visitors can also enjoy an art trail display through the gardens, featuring structures designed by, A Studio Called Jane, Luke Passey, and Tasha Whittle.

There will also be a range of pop-up events hosted at the venue throughout the summer, with more announcements to be made very soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

Read more:

Kargo on the Docks is now back at MediaCity from today (9 May) and will be open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm-9pm throughout the summer.

Featured Image – Mark Waugh (via Supplied)

Eats

I went all the way to Paris to test out Big Mamma ahead of Manchester’s most exciting new restaurant opening

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Libertino in Paris

Hospitality heavyweights Big Mamma Group are finally heading to Manchester, opening a Circolo Popolare Italian restaurant in the city centre – so we nipped over to Paris to see exactly what’s in store for us.

In the 10 years since launching their very first restaurant, East Mamma in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, the group have spread their wings wide.

There are Big Mamma Group restaurants, under several different names, all over Europe – and although they all belong to the same family, each one is treated like a total individual.

Some have maximalist, kitsch interiors with animal print furniture, gilded ceilings and retro prints of men in Y-fronts; others are more traditional trattorias with exposed brick, terracotta floors and crisp white tablecloths.

These interiors are fun, which is so refreshing in an industry which sometimes takes itself a bit too seriously.

On our tour of Big Mamma restaurants in Paris I came across delightful details like a loo wallpapered in pictures of Rod Stewart, a cocktail menu designed like a retro football sticker book, and an ice cream parlour built into an old train station carriage.

Every corner is packed with whimsy and wonder and there’s a whole team dedicated to sourcing these little touches from antiques fairs, second-hand shops and independent makers, stashing them all in an Aladdin’s Cave of a warehouse. Each restaurant even has its own crockery pattern.

East Mamma, one of Big Mamma's Paris restaurants
East Mamma, one of Big Mamma’s Paris restaurants
No Entry cocktail bar
No Entry cocktail bar
A Big Mamma speakeasy
A Big Mamma speakeasy
Pink Mamma
Pink Mamma
La Felicita food hall
La Felicita food hall
La Felicita food hall
La Felicita food hall

So yes, the interiors in Manchester will be similarly interesting and lavish.

Big Mamma Group has already confirmed that the huge two-storey Circolo Popolare trattoria will be inspired by a Sardinian Festa, meaning cosy alcoves, more than 8000 bottles of vintage booze, and a vast room inspired by an overgrown Mediterranean courtyard.

As it takes shape in Gary Neville’s £400m St Michael’s development, they’ll be moving in big sharing tables, antique trinkets, reels of twinkling lights and even an Italian wishing well ahead of the big launch next month.

But not enough of us are talking about the food yet – this is a restaurant group that sources its produce from 160 different Italian artisans to ensure that everything you’re eating as authentic and delicious as possible.

Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma

While the menus shift between restaurants you can expect hearty bowls of handmade pasta laced with truffle or tomato or cheese, crispy-soft pizzas layered in creative sauce bases (like zucchini cream or black truffle cream, along with their classic San Marzano DOP tomato sauce), and per iniziare starters like giant burrata balls, melt-in-the-mouth croquettes, and slivers of cured meats – all prepared in an open kitchen run by Campanian-born Alfonso Esposito.

And a show-stopper for Manchester will be an outrageous six-inch lemon meringue pie, with a wibbly wobbly tower of Italian meringue on top.

Circolo Popolare will officially open its doors on 6 June – and before then, there’ll be a very limited soft launch where you can snag yourself 50% off your bill. Sign up HERE, with bookings live on Monday 12 May.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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