Kicking off a new season in the Northern Quarter, Rio-Mex has teamed up with Calcio! to deliver a South American fusion rivalling a Copa Libertadores classic. This Mexican-Brazilian crossover is as tasty as Chicarito getting on the end of an Anderson cross in the last days of Fergie’s United.
Calcio was already a footy fan’s idea of heaven, with screens on almost every wall and quality food coming out of the kitchen, but throw in some extra samba flair and things just get even better.
Born from the culinary brain of MasterChef and Great British Menu star, Caroline Martins, the Le Cordon Bleu graduate is now pulling the strings in the back of house and elevating cult classic street food with her fine dining expertise.
Making the switch from the previous scran providers, What’s Your Beef — who are now located over at Central Bay’s Kargo MKT in Salford Quays (where Rio-Mex is also a fan favourite) — Calcio has managed to sort an early transfer before the January window has even opened and they’re sure to prove themselves a popular signing.
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Let’s set the scene: It’s Saturday afternoon, your team is cruising to victory late in the game and a few pints in you’re feeling a bit peckish. Place the order. The full-time whistle blows and a platter of loaded nachos, their signature burrito, chilli con carne tacos and doce de leite-filled churros rock up to the table. Unparalleled matchday vibes. Oh, and obviously another pint.
If you’ve only got room for a snack though, Rio-Mex’s salgadinhos are a traditional savoury nibble to keep you going until full time. You’ll find them on just about any corner in Rio De Janeiro, these fried croquettes packed with flavourful meat, veg and cheese are covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried.
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We’ll say that again: Brazilian-style seasoned meats, veg, gooey cheese and just pure goodness covered in carbs and then deep-fried. Need we say more?
Credit: The Manc GroupCalcio! was already plenty of fun before Rio-Mex arrived — it’s just even better now.
And it doesn’t stop there either. If gaming is more up your street, you can battle it out on their retro games consoles and table football. Super Nintendo, Sega Megadrive, PS2 — they’ve got the lot. All you need to do is grab those mates whose parents let them win growing up and smoke them on Wii Sports.
Continuing the Italia ’90 theme, the shot selection is something straight off out of FIFA’s ‘Classic XI’. Keeping things classy on the touchline is ‘The Mancini’ (Limoncello); ever dependable in midfield is ‘The Keane’ (Baby Guinness) and if you’re looking to add that finishing touch, ‘The Chicharito’ (Tequila Silver/Gold) has you covered — and this is just a small taste of the Rio-Mex cocktail selection at Calcio.
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So whether it’s a fresh and authentic taco, a trusty old burrito, rustic Rio street bites, or just some proper good booze to make even the dryest of 0-0’s feel like a five-goal thriller, we highly recommend taking your tastebuds on a Brazilian-infused Tex-Mex trip with at Calcio!
We love this place and have spent a lot of time there since they opened last year — so much so that we invited down Andy Milne, a.k.a. the ‘World Cup Guy’ along for a pint.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Rio-Mex(via Instagram)
Eats
Beloved Manc butty shop Bada Bing set for a sensational return to the city centre
Danny Jones
Sandwich lovers rejoice because one of the finest butty shops to ever grace Manchester is returning: that’s right, Bada Bing is bada-back!
The Sopranos-inspired deli and sandwich shop that took its name from one of the central locations featured in the iconic US drama (yes, the strip club), was a huge success when it first opened in Manchester a few short years ago, so it was a huge blow when it closed in February 2022.
Starting out by serving sandwiches out of a window at The B Lounge pub on Paton Street near Piccadilly, before moving to a small kitchen on Radium Street and eventually setting up their stall inside Ancoats General Store, they would regularly have lines around the block every lunchtime.
These Italian-American sarnies were so popular you’d often struggle to get your claws on one – and believe us, they really are a two-handed task – as they’d sell out on what felt like most days. But now, whether you were a regular or someone who missed out, there is hope once again:
Announcing their sensational return to a new site over in the Northern Quarter, which will now mark the fourth premises they’ve popped up at, Bada Bing is back with a bang and, as you can, they dropped the news with one of the best reveal videos we’ve ever seen.
If you know, you know…
Set to take over 125 Oldham Street, owners Sam Gormally and Meg Lingenfelter haven’t yet graced us with an opening date but the new unit should hopefully be open sooner rather than later.
The duo, who previously worked at fellow NQ favourite Another Heart to Feed, came up with the concept during lockdown and it didn’t take long for the idea to take off, nor for them to earn their spot amongst the very best sandwich places in Manchester.
Seriously, these things were so big and unwieldy (in the best way possible) that they even used to come with eating instructions: both hands and the trademark Tony Soprano hunch recommended, though the slightly stained wife-beater, boxer shorts and open dressing gown look is optional.
From slices of provolone cheese, all the thinly sliced Italian meats you could think of and the closest thing to actual ‘gabagool‘ as you’ll find in Greater Manchester, the menu was fitting of being served up to the iconic characters that once sat outside Satriale’s and a big approving grin from the man himself.
Simply put, we cannot wait and we will certainly keep you posted when we find out exactly when Bada Bing confirms their official reopening date.
Burger King is giving away free burgers to new drivers today
Emily Sergeant
Burger King will be giving away burgers to drivers who have recently passed their tests for free of charge today.
In case it wasn’t on your radar, tomorrow (Thursday 24 July) is actually National Drive-Thru Day, and in a bid to properly celebrate this unofficial holiday, Burger King has decided to hand out a bunch of freebies to newbies today.
The fast food chain is asking all new drivers to “buckle up”, head on down to their nearest Burger King drive-thru, and help themselves to a free burger.
All newly-qualified drivers will be able to take their pick from either the Whopper or Chicken Royale without parting ways with a penny, and all they’ll need to do the claim their freebie is simply show off their learner’s ‘L Plates’ to the staff at their local Burger King restaurant.
/ Credit: Burger King UK (via Instagram) | Supplied
Hundreds of Burger King drive-thrus across the UK are taking part in the one-day promotion – including several across in Greater Manchester.
Although it might seem a little too good to be true, there’s a reason Burger King has chosen to dish out the freebies, and that’s because the company says it knows that one of the first activities newly-qualified drivers like do once they’ve passed their test is make a pit stop at a drive-thru with their mates to show off their new wheels and skills.
Sometimes though, navigating a drive-thru for the first time can be tricky, and this leaves new drivers feeling a bit like a rabbit in the headlights.
Luckily with this one-day Burger King offer, new drivers’ first drive-thru trip couldn’t be any easier.
The offer is available nationwide today (Wednesday 24 July) at Burger King drive-thru lanes only, while stock lasts, and newly qualified drivers must verbally mention “BK Plates” at the drive-thru lane to unlock their free burger.