Picture the scene: the weekend has arrived, it’s already raining in Manchester and you’re skint; but your mates want to go out and you’ve never been good with FOMO.
We’ve all been there, but one of the best parts about this amazing city and its working-class roots is that there’s always somewhere for the average Joe to grab a bite to eat on the cheap.
And for our money, it doesn’t get much more budget-friendly than Bunny Jackson’s.
Located on Jack Rosenthal Street just off First Street, Bunny Jackson’s, Bunny J’s, Bunny’s—whatever you wanna call it, quite possibly offers the cheapest item on any menu anywhere in town: the 20p wing.
Tequila wings to knock your socks offA fiery but affordable feast Credit: Bunny Jackson’s (via Instagram)
Those delicious bloody wings
This is what the late-night favourite has built its reputation on over the years: as many cheap and delicious chicken wings as you think you could possibly devour at pennies a pop.
Believe it or not, back in the old days it used to be just 10p for a plain chicken wing, but then came Covid and all the rest of it. After all, these lot still have to make money.
Nevertheless, this neon-lit, polaroid and graffiti-filled dive bar is still undoubtedly the best wing spot in Manchester, not to mention the perfect place to enjoy all your favourite rock and pop-punk bangers.
The current menu is still littered with affordable flavours from classic BBQ and buffalo, to Jack Daniel’s smoked honey and mustard or the Sailor Jerry spiced sesame wings — all of which you get for 45p or under. Yes, you read that right. Unreal, isn’t it?
Then comes the seasonal specials like the chip-shop curry sauce one we tried a couple of months back or, our personal favourite, the lip-smacking honey and garlic that has effectively become a mainstay it’s now so popular amongst punters. They always adding new ones so keep an eye out.
Chip Shop CurryHoney and GarlicGarlic and ParmesanCredit: Bunny Jackson’s
And, of course, we can’t forget about their legendary ‘Hotter Than the Sun’ wing, which is seriously no joke. We pride ourselves on being able to handle our heat but this thing is ridiculous. That’s why a glass of milk stands pride of place on the menu at £2.
Beers and full bellies on a budget
What’s more insane is that this is the most expensive chicken wing on the menu at the hefty price tag of—wait for it—55p. Again, not a typo.
When you can order 10 flaming hot wings and still only pay just over a fiver. It’s easy to see why people order bucket loads of all different flavours like it’s their last meal on earth.
In all seriousness, even if you fancy a healthy portion of cauliflower wings (£4), animal fries that are so dirty we always struggle to finish the whole thing (also £4), or a big juice burger with more fries on the side than you really need for less than a tenner, it’s pretty hard to break the bank at Bunny Jackson’s.
‘The Mother Clucker’ lives up to its nameWings, filthy animal fries, fried pickles and a double cheeseburger. What more could you ask for?Credit: Bunny Jackson’s
The food doesn’t stop there either. There’s grilled cheese and soup, onion rings, fried pickles and chicken dippers for those who don’t do bones; we might as well just give you the menu at this point.
They like a party at Bunny J’s
Even the booze selection is reasonably priced, with pints and plenty more from £5 – pretty much the going rate these days – and a happy hour from 10-11pm when you can get a pint, a glass of wine, a can or seltzer or a cheeky shot for just £3.
Beyond just the food and drink, there’s pool and beer pong tables as well as live music on the regular. They were one of the many venues included in this year’s Neighbourhood line-up.
The self-styled dive bar’s reputation is so strong that just a few months ago, Mancs busy eating Bunny’s barely batted an eye when Olivia Rodrigo decided to pop and do a surprise gig.
Literally sold out the 02 Apollo the same night. As you do.
In fact, the Bunny’s brand has gotten so big now that back in May 2021 they opened up their underground sister site Junior Jackson’s on Oldham Street in Northern Quarter, serving up plenty of beer, shots, sliders, hot dogs and lots of loud music – also until 3am.
As if that wasn’t enough, the success of both venues left them with little choice other than to open up a third location this summer, the Wing Wagon, taking their trademark chicken on the road to feed the Manc masses.
You can find it parked just off the back of First Street a stone’s through from the OG site itself.
The door to Junior’s basementThe party spirit of Bunny’s is just as big in Northern QuarterThe Wing WagonCredit: Bunny Jackson’s
Ran by absolute legends
At a time when we’re all trying to scrimp and save wherever we can, it’s still important that people still have a place to go eat some solid scran and have a belter of a night out.
We refuse to let the misery surrounding the impending winter rule us – we still on plan having a good time wherever we can and we hope you can too.
One of the parts we love about Bunny’s the most is the people that run it: they’re some of the friendliest staff you’ll find behind any bar in Britain, let alone in Manchester.
Credit: Bunny Jackson’s
If it often looks like they’re having a better time than you, they probably are. With the tunes blaring, beer flowing and shots always on the cards, why wouldn’t they?
Whether you want some wings, a pint, a group photo to remember the night you don’t remember or buy a shirt that reads ‘I LOVE BJs’, they do it all with an effortless charm that only their close-knit and ever so slightly tipsy brigade can pull of.
So don’t let endless doom-scrolling through stuff about the economy spoil it for you: get yourself a pint, have a dance and much on a stupid amount of wings for practically pennies.
We love you, Bunny’s and we thank you for your service, tough times or not. Never change.
A bottomless brunch with unlimited lager is launching in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A bottomless brunch with unlimited pints of lager will be launching in Manchester this month.
Forget the mimosas and warm prosecco and lacklustre portions of French toast – this new bottomless offering is all about proper pints and hefty focaccia sandwiches.
The Lager, Lager, Lager bottomless brunch is the newest fixture in the Trading Route’s roster, taking place in the lagerhouse at St John’s every Saturday.
It’s designed to be Manchester’s first bottomless tailored to those who love, tall, foamy pints of the good stuff.
Every punter will get 60 minutes of unlimited, freshly-poured foamy pints, as well as a choice of the restaurant’s focaccia sandwiches, made in-house every single day.
DJs will be spinning classic house and disco tunes as you tuck into your pints and butties.
Jamie Scahill, Trading Route Co-Founder said: “Lager, Lager, Lager isn’t an underworld event, it’s for everyone who loves a freshly poured foamy pint to come down and enjoy.
“Whether you were born slippy or not, the fun is to leave slippy, having revelled in great beer, food and company.”
A bottomless brunch with unlimited lager is launching in Manchester
Trading Route opened last year, specialising in perfectly-poured pints of Manchester Union, as well as rotisserie chicken and huge sandwiches.
As well as Lager, Lager, Lager’s launch, over the bank holiday weekend there’ll be a happy hour which will include £4.80 pints, cocktails at £8.50 and a carafe of wine for £12.50 on Thursday 21 August.
Funkademia will then take over the venue from 5pm on Friday 22 August.
Lager, Lager, Lager will begin on Saturday 23 August and will run every Saturday from 12pm until 5pm.
The Trading Route bottomless lager brunch costs £28, and you can book your spot HERE.
The ‘ultimate’ free-to-attend sandwich festival is coming to Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
An event dubbed ‘the world’s greatest sandwich festival’ is coming to central Manchester, and if there’s one thing you need to know about us, it’s that we love things between bread.
Consider us already there.
Following a hugely successful showcase at Camden Town Brewery down in the capital, the butty bonanza known as ‘Sarnie Party’ is making its way from down in London all the way up to Manchester for the very first time.
Better still, it’s coming to the beloved city centre neighbourhood and ever-growing hospitality district that is Kampus next month, and it’s completely FREE entry.
Sarnie Party is the lovechild of seasoned festival curator Molly Hutchinson and Allie Behr of Hot Sauce Society, who have decided to bring together their passions and expertise once again in another ode to the most versatile and almost universally eaten foodstuff: sandwiches.
Promising “big energy, good vibes and full bellies”, it’s already supported by some of the most recognisable brands you’ll find in Britain, including Heinz, Deliveroo, Kraken rum and more.
All of the above will be featuring at the inaugural Manc sandwich festival in some fashion, but most excitingly, some of Greater Manchester’s best and most beloved sarnie artisans will be taking part.
In addition to the usual suspects like Bada Bing and Rack, Pollen, Madre, and OSMA will also be serving up sandwich specials, as well as Liverpool favourite Derek’s, and The Big Deal’s ‘Bodega’ from Norwich.
Each vendor will be building a unique, never-before-seen (or eaten) sandwich for the 2025 festival, looking to best impress the locals.
And you best believe we know a good butty around here…
Guests can also expect more food and drink specials from existing on-site Kampus businesses, plus an outdoor bar with cocktails from Kraken and Tito’s Vodka, as well as a selection of ice-cold beers.
While admission to Kampus costs nothing, these indie traders are, of course, hoping to cover their costs, so sandwiches will be able to be purchased via tokens.
A single token will cost you £8, or you can buy a three-token Sarnie Party bundle for just £22; let’s be honest, you’re not going to stop at just one, are you?
More importantly, it’s worth reminding you that the stocks won’t last forever, and once these creations are gone, they’re gone, so you’d better make quick work of this scran-fest.
Local radio station, Reform, will also be serving as the resident DJs and entertainers for the day, meaning you’ll have plenty of time and reason to try and burn off all those carby calories – before inevitably consuming more, of course.
Credit: Supplied
Speaking ahead of the festival, Kampus’ general manager, Harriet Downey, said: “We’re looking forward to bringing Sarnie Party to Manchester and hosting so many sandwich lovers in our garden neighbourhood.
“We’re lucky to have some of the best independent food and drink brands in the city here at Kampus, and it’s exciting to have them joined by so many other great operators to celebrate all things sandwich!”
As for the organisers themselves, they have a simple mantra for you to follow: “Come hungry. Leave happy.” Love that.
Spread across a full weekend, Sarnie Party MCR takes place on 12-13 September, with day one getting underway from 4-10pm, and Sunday running from 11am-9pm. We’ll see you there.
And if this doesn’t quite satisfy your food and drink festival cravings, then you’ll be glad to hear that there’s another event dedicated entirely to pina coladas happening here in town, also.
Danny Jones -
8th October 2022 
