Eats

A new ‘first of its kind’ Indian drive-thru has opened in Greater Manchester

Selling Desi street food, chai and all-day breakfasts, Chaiwala's chilli chip butty is a must-try by all account

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 6th January 2023

A drive-thru Indian restaurant claiming to be the first of its kind in the UK has opened its doors in Greater Manchester this week.

Moving into a former petrol station forecourt on Manchester Road, new opening Chaiwala is bringing Bolton diners the ultimate convenience with a menu of Indian-inspired teas, street food and soft drinks to go.

With a selection of all-day breakfast options, street food dishes, rotis, desserts and hot and cold drinks, some menu favourites include the chilli chip butty, butter chicken wraps and Mumbai Mac ‘N’ Cheese.

The Desi Breakfast at Chaiwala. / Image: Chaiwala
Pani puri at Chaiwala. / Image: Chaiwala

Popular breakfast dishes on offer include the Sweet Bombay Toast, Aloo Paratha and Bun Omelette, whilst drinks-wise flavoured teas include a caramel chai, Garam chocolate and pink cha, plus cream-topped frappes and Karak coffee.

First founded on the streets of New Delhi in the 1920s, Chaiwala first began life as a small tea stall (hence the name) but today has 50 sites in the UK and even more abroad.

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The group already has sit-down eateries in Cheetham Hill, Old Trafford, Levenshulme, Oldham and Rochdale, as well as another restaurant on Deane Road in Bolton, but is bringing something new to the area with its drive-thru diner concept.

Read more: All the January Manchester restaurant deals, discounts and offers you need in 2023

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Opened in partnership with the convenience retailer EG Group, its co-founder told the Bolton News: “This is extremely exciting news for Bolton and the UK in general as this is the first time the Chaiiwala brand has been created as a drive-thru concept.

The chilli chip butty with masala chips tossed in chilli powder, onions, tomato, relish and cheese. / Image: Chaiwala
Image: Chaiwala

“This is a totally new experience for our valued customers and the first time they can experience our Indian street food in a drive-thru setting. This is the first time we have offered this concept and are delighted with the results.”

Read more: Manchester accent officially voted one of the ‘sexiest’ in the UK

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“Using this blueprint we are now actively searching for new drive-thru locations across the UK which will replicate the Bolton store model. We have built the Chaiiwala brand on a mixture of providing original Indian street food with the best customer service, with the aim of providing a unique experience.”

Feature image – Chaiwala

Eats

First Look: Fitzpatrick’s – Stockport’s new Irish Bar gets off to a stunning start

Danny Jones Danny Jones Fitzpatrick's new Irish bar and grill opening Stockport

Stockport has a brand new Irish bar as the growing Greater Manchester trend continues, with Fitzpatrick’s officially debuting to the public on Thursday, 19 June.

Taking over the former Bask site just outside the train station, Fitzpatrick’s is the borough’s answer to American sports bar meets an Irish pub and grill, with live music, a wide array of food and more.

Founded by the man who now shares his name with the already lively boozer, John Fitzpatrick – a.k.a. local producer, musician and DJ, Jon Fitz – the venue has big shoes to fill following its predecessor, but is already off to a very strong start.

We had the privilege of walking in on opening day, and the place was absolutely packed to the rafters from the off, and we didn’t even stay until the end. More fool us…

As you can see, it hasn’t taken them any time at all to get an atmosphere going; good weather on their inaugural day, but the free-flowing beer, classic pub food flying out of the kitchen, and musicians reeling off classic Irish folk music did most of the heavy lifting.

Plus, that beer garden and covered outdoor terrace area are pretty perfect in any weather, to be fair.

The scran on their maiden evening mainly consisted of pizza, chips and other easy-to-serve-up plates as they gradually ease into the first week or so of service, but with a full menu of burgers, pies, breakfasts and even Sunday roasts to come, we’re very excited to try the full gamut.

Regardless, the staff were pulling pints like pros, John himself had plenty of involvement greeting people and getting behind the bar, and the atmosphere was buzzing from minute one.

ln fact, that was arguably the best part about it all: there was that genuine feeling of a new community cornerstone being born, with the well-known Stopfordian reeling off names and recognising what seemed like almost every face that walked through the door.

You don’t get that everywhere.

A lay of the land at Fitzpatrick’s Stockport. (Credit: The Manc Eats)

Although this was their first proper day of trading, they had already gauged the kind of crowds they could expect by soft launching with friends and family last week.

That being said, as mentioned, there was a real tight-knit, community feel to the place, full of County kits, young families and older couples alike, all of whom seemed to be dovetailing together as if the pub had always been around.

SK is often dubbed one of those places where everyone kind of knows everyone, even despite how big the town is as a whole, and this definitely felt like proof of that perception.

There was even close-up magic from Stockport’s famous ‘Fingerless Magician’, Dean Lahan, who famously featured on Britain’s Got Talent and even featured for Team GB’s Para Ice Hockey squad.

Of course, there is some familiarity with the space having previously been Bask, but the location of the stage, a newly decked out bar and the large jumbo-tron style TV set-up for live sport in the centre of the room (providing prime viewing from virtually all angles) have made a big difference.

Based solely on the hordes of people that piled into the place the second the doors opened, we can’t wait to see what the gaff is like once it’s in so-called ‘full swing’. John and his team might just be on to something big here.

Speaking to The Manc, he said: “As a local lad, I wanted to put something into the space that reflects a lot of my history and culture. Music, food, sport and a great atmosphere are all things I love, so I wanted to reflect that in this gorgeous space.”

Open 4-11 from Tuesday to Thursday, 2pm until late on Fridays, and the same only from 1pm at weekends, we can imagine Stockport punters are about to be spending a lot of time in Fitzpatrick’s.

(Credit: The Manc Group)

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Featured Images – The Manc Group

Eats

Manchester bar announces huge giveaway of margaritas to celebrate first birthday

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Electric Shuffle has announced a margarita giveaway for its first birthday

A cocktail and shuffleboard bar in Manchester city centre is throwing a weekend-long party to celebrate its first birthday, and there are free cocktails up for grabs. 

Electric Shuffle is kindly offering to give all of us presents for its birthday, with an epic free margarita giveaway. 

That’s alongside an almighty party that includes resident DJs, live music performances, giveaways, exclusive offers, a cracking happy hour and a free photobooth. 

The Deansgate activity bar, which has 15 interactive high-tech shuffleboards to play, each one loaded with different game modes, is celebrating one year in the city centre between Friday 20 and Sunday 22 June. 

They’re throwing a three-day-long celebration, kicking off at 5pm on Friday with a giveaway of margaritas for the first 250 guests through the doors. 

Then there’ll be an Electric Shuffle birthday prize game, where each slide of the puck could unlock prizes like bar tabs, brunch tickets, branded merch, cocktails, pizzas and more. 

Singer-songwriter Luke McColl will be playing live during the evening, and you’ll be able to dive into a free photobooth all evening. 

Electric Shuffle Manchester
Electric Shuffle Manchester
Food and drink at the premium gaming bar
Food and drink at the premium gaming bar
Electric Shuffle Manchester turns one
Electric Shuffle Manchester turns one

Moving on to Saturday’s celebrations – expect happy hour deals all day long, like £4 pins and £7 Sarti Spritzes, complimentary shuffleboard hire (you need to pre-book HERE), a special late brunch session between 5pm and 7pm, and more prize giveaways. 

This part of the birthday party will be soundtracked by resident DJs and a live set from Elle Graham.

And if you thought that was the end of the party, you’re mistaken. 

On Sunday, Electric Shuffle will host free shuffleboard all day long.

All summer, there’ll be a Margs and Margs deal, where you can get two margarita cocktails and a margarita pizza for just £25.

Electric Shuffle’s first birthday celebrations take place between 20 and 22 June.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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