Acclaimed taco bar Madre to set up shop in Manchester this summer
Madre will be serving their traditional Asado-inspired tacos at Escape to Freight Island - the new outdoor food and entertainment complex at Mayfield Depot near Piccadilly.
Madre – an acclaimed supergroup of smash-hit taco brands – are setting up a brand new stall in Manchester this summer, owners have confirmed.
A combined venture from the teams at Mexican outlets Belzan and Breddos, Madre has proven enormously popular in Liverpool over the past two years.
Now, owners are taking their famous tacos down the M62 – pitching up at Piccadilly’s new food and festival space, Escape to Freight Island.
Madre / Instagram
Co-founder Sam Grainger said: “We can’t wait to get to Manchester, we’ve been waiting patiently and searching for the right space to come up and when we heard about Escape to Freight Island we just knew it was for us.
“The opportunity to work with this team is beyond exciting and it’s a great way for us to introduce ourselves to Manchester.
ADVERTISEMENT
“If you’d have asked me at the start of lockdown if I thought I’d be opening in Manchester in July then I’d have laughed!
“But here we are, the truck is loaded and the Mexican barbecues are ready to light!”
ADVERTISEMENT
Operating from a converted 1981 VW truck, Madre will be dishing out an authentic Mexican menu featuring dishes such as Pork Al Pastor, Carne Asada and Grilled Elote with fresh salsa.
The first Belzan and Breddos collaboration event in 2018 sold out in less than an hour, laying the foundations for Madre – which has moved from strength to strength ever since.
The move to Manchester represents the biggest step for the brand yet.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We spent our formative years in Manchester and it will be incredible to come back, get back stuck in to the city and experience this incredible new development,” said the owners.
Madre arrives at Depot Mayfield on 24 July, with the taco brand among the first traders to join Escape to Freight Island.
Table slots of three hours are available Thursday to Sunday from midday to midnight.
Over the last decade-plus, Grind has expanded right across London with 14 cafes, coffee shops and coffee trucks, as well as its own coffee roastery, but hasn’t yet ventured up north.
It’s also known for its at-home sustainable coffee products, including pods, is a growing presence in retail spaces, and is served on board British Airway flights, stocking Soho House, and collaborating with the likes of Baileys and BrewDog.
They’ll bring their extensive menu of speciality-grade coffee, seasonal food and cocktails to town, for everything from takeaway coffees to bottomless brunches.
Grind was founded back in 2011 when David Abrahamovitch turned his father’s old mobile phone store in Shoreditch into the first Grind cafe.
David says he has family connections to Manchester and has long been looking for the right site for Grind to expand here – then along came St Michael’s.
David Abrahamovitch, Grind founder and CEO said: “We’ve always said that if we were to do a big site outside of London, the first place we would go would be Manchester.
“My wife is Mancunian and her whole family live in Manchester, so I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years and I’ve always thought that a Grind would work well.
Grind is heading to Manchester for the first time. Credit: SuppliedGrind is heading to Manchester for the first time. Credit: Supplied
“We’ve looked at various locations over the years, but thanks to Gary (Neville) and the team at Relentless we think we’ve finally found the perfect home for Grind in St Michaels, in the heart of Manchester. We cannot wait to get open in the summer!”
Gary Neville, Director at Relentless Developments said: “The ambition for St Michael’s was to create a landmark that will become an economic driver for Manchester and bring together major names in a world-class, sustainable development.
“Attracting brands like Grind who have yet to set foot outside the capital is a massive achievement and testament to how hard we’ve been working to deliver our vision for the scheme and city as a whole.”
Grind will open this summer at St Michael’s in Manchester.
Irish Festival Village returns to Manchester with live music, fry-up pizzas and loads of Guinness
Daisy Jackson
A huge Irish Festival Village has returned to Manchester city centre today to kick off the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Over the coming 10 days, there’ll be live Irish music, street food, retail stalls and – of course – plenty of Guinness flowing.
The main event is now open at St Ann’s Square, where a gigantic marquee festooned in green, white and orange has been installed.
Inside here, the bar is being run by the O’Shea’s team, and the stage will host loads of live music and great craic.
Outside you’ll find Birchwood Pizza, who have got a menu of pizzas inspired by the Emerald Isle.
Pizzas include the What’s the Craic (a fry-up pizza with white pudding and Dubliner sausage) to The Black Stuff (black pudding, rosemary potato and streaky pudding).
The Irish Festival Village has opened as part of the wider Manchester Irish Festival celebrations across Greater Manchester.
The Irish Festival Village is back in ManchesterIrish pizzas at the Festival Village on St Ann’s SquareYou can shop Irish treats outside
There’ll also be a Saint Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday 16 March, which will weave its way from the Irish World Heritage Centre all the way onto Deansgate.
The parade will showcase and champion local groups and organisations such as GAA clubs, Irish dance classes, marching bands, and pipe bands, along with a strong representation of the 32 counties in Ireland.
And it handily winds up around King Street, just beside the Irish Festival Village.
The gathering spot will be open from Friday 7 March all the way through to St Patrick’s Day itself – find out more HERE.
The Manc -
23rd July 2020 
