There’s a new Christmas destination worth your time in Manchester this winter – and it’s a very different offering to the traditional Manchester Christmas Markets.
This brand-new winter venue will include a 200-capacity heated tent, bars serving flaming mulled wines, and will have a food and drink offering that features some of our city’s top independent businesses.
Christmas at St John’s will be operated by GRUB – and if you love to spend your spare time in a market setting, you’ll already know you couldn’t be in more trustworthy hands than this.
The GRUB team, champions of independent food and drink in Manchester, will be teaming up with St John’s on this lively winter hideaway.
At the centre of everything will be a Feuerzangenbowle bar, serving flaming mulled wines, with pop-ups from resident favourites like Trading Route and Stables Tavern as well as Good Wines and Verdant brewery.
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Expect a revolving door of the region’s most exciting chefs and traders, serving unique festive dishes you won’t find anywhere else.
There’ll be eight rotating street food traders across the month-long event. Some of the names taking part include Soots (the Altrincham Market plant-based pasta kitchen that recently opened its first restaurant in the Northern Quarter); BAB with gormet kebabs; and Akin Club serving Middle Eastern small plates.
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Soots. Credit: The Manc GroupKnight’s BBQ. Credit: SuppliedJim’s Table. Credit: SuppliedSome of the traders taking part in Christmas at St John’s, an alternative Christmas Market in Manchester
There’ll also be a Jims Table x Good Wines small plates and wine pairing collab, plus Knights BBQ with Jamaican flavours, and Yorkshire legends Spud & Bros with poutine too.
This alternative Christmas Market will have you tucking into open-fire cooking, hand-rolled pasta, tandoor dishes, nostalgic Christmas comfort food, and GRUB’s take on classic bratwursts.
Christmas at St John’s is promising to be a ‘celebration of creativity, quality and culture that brings together everything Manchester does best: independent food, crafted drinks and a sense of community you won’t find anywhere else’.
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You’ll even be able to reserve and collect your Christmas tree from here, right in the centre of town.
There’ll be live entertainment all season, like Matty White’s festive food quiz, comedy nights, alternative choirs, and more.
How Christmas at St John’s could look. Credit: Supplied
It will all take place with a cosy 200-capacity heated tent and 60-metre custom-built event space.
Bailey, GRUB’s Director, says: “We’ve pulled out all the stops for this one. Calling on our trusted partners from years of delivering street food events across Manchester, we’re creating something truly unique this Christmas.
“You won’t find these offerings anywhere else. Christmas at St. John’s is all about good food, proper drinks and creating special Christmas memories.
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“It’s also a taste of what’s to come as we work with Allied London to bring GRUB’s flagship home to life at Grape Street next year.”
Christmas at St John’s will run from Thursday 20 November until Sunday 21 December and will be open from Wednesday to Sunday every week.
Authentic pizza restaurant Proloco to open inside luxury Manchester apartment building
Lydia Mastrolonardo
A new modern pizza restaurant is coming to town – say hello to Proloco.
Opening inside One Port Street in the city centre, Proloco is set to have a seasonal menu and a weekly rotating selection of sharing plates, gelato made in-house daily, and pizzas crafted with ingredients from local suppliers across the North West, as well as the best quality tomatoes and oil imported from Italy – naturally. Have we said all of your buzz words yet?
Sharing a chef with Honest Crust Sourdough Pizza too, it’s guaranteed to be good.
Priding themselves on fantastic food, unfussy drinks, outstanding hospitality, and a love for music – which is at the heart of everything – Proloco will be a welcomed addition to the city.
Some of the seasonal dishes currently available include succulent grilled lamb chops with anchoïade, salt-baked beetroot with ricotta and dill, and radicchio agrodolce with stracciatella.
CGIs of Proloco, set to open in Manchester city centre / Credit: Supplied
The main event – being their selection of 18-inch pizzas, of course – includes one with porchetta, whipped potato, and fennel pie, charred seasonal greens with anchovy pie and a tomato butter pie with marjoram.
Finally, the question on everyone’s lips – the drinks list. You can expect honest wines, locally sourced quality beer, aperitivi, and the star of the show, their £7 Negronis. No, we can’t wait either.
“Proloco is about cooking food I genuinely love with the best people and produce around me,” commented co-founder, Richard Carver. “I want it to feel effortless – warm, a little bit fun, and always worth coming back to.”
Manchester’s food scene truly does just keep getting better and better.
You can sign up for Proloco’s soft launch information at www.proloco.uk, or follow their progress at @proloco.mcr.
Featured Image – Supplied
Eats
Viral Christmas Markets trader to open Manchester’s first tiramisu cafe
Daisy Jackson
Manchester is set to get its first tiramisu cafe, after viral Christmas Markets trader Misu Tiramisu has secured a bricks-and-mortar location.
The local business was one of the most popular operators at this year’s festive event, thanks to its miniature tiramisu ‘drawers’.
The individually portioned and colourfully packaged desserts quickly became one of town’s top puddings, and owners Aleem and Aishah went on to launch a stand inside the Manchester Arndale too.
And now they’re branching out again with their first tiramisu cafe, over in Stretford.
You’ll find all their delicious flavours of handmade tiramisu, including classic, pistachio, Biscoff, mango, and lemon – plus a whole host of new varieties for the cafe.
Misu Tiramisu will be creating new flavours like strawberry matcha, white hazelnut, and ‘intenso’.
The desserts will be served alongside speciality Italian coffee, plus focaccia sandwiches and pastries.
The new cafe will feature an open counter where customers can see the tiramisu being made.
Misu Tiramisu owners Aleem and Aishah spent a year refining the recipe for their tiramisus after a trip to Milan, first launching with their first market stall in Sale.
Misu Tiramisu at the Manchester Christmas MarketsMisu Tiramisu will open a cafe in Stretford
Aleem, Co-founder of Misu Tiramisu, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be opening our first bricks and mortar cafe in Stretford town centre. It’s a big milestone for us, and we can’t wait to create a destination where people can sit down and really enjoy the experience of our range of freshly made tiramisu..
“More than anything, we want to build somewhere that brings people together and becomes a genuine part of the local community – see you soon, Stretford!”
Chris Houghton, Retail and Leisure Director from Bruntwood added: “The Misu Tiramisu cafe will be a great addition to Stretford town centre. The team’s unique offering adds a fresh and vibrant concept to the area and we can’t wait for everyone to try it and enjoy their great hospitality.”
Cllr Liz Patel, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration, said: “We are delighted that the Misu Tiramisu cafe has decided to open in the new-look Stretford town centre.
“The Council is committed to improving all our town centres. This will be a great addition to the shops and hospitality in the Stretford redevelopment.”
Misu Tiramiu will open its doors at Unit 6, The Mezzanine, 26 King Street, Stretford, Manchester, M32 8AE.
Daisy Jackson -
4th November 2025 
