Eats

A festival showing off some of the North West’s best street food coming to Circle Square

Here's hoping for lots of sun for immaculate vibes.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 23rd June 2024

Summer’s finally here and we’re pretty much permanently dreaming of sitting in the sun, cheersing drinks with mates and munching on endless scran, which is why we’re so buzzing to hear that there’s a big street food festival coming to Manchester’s Circle Square.

Taking over the thriving city centre district this week, Food.Fest will be showcasing some of the best and most beloved street food brands Greater Manchester and the North West have to offer.

Kicking off at noon on Thursday, 27 June on the main square along Oxford Road, this is going to be the perfect place to go and grab something for dinner (yes, we mean lunch) or turn that penultimate day of the working week into a good excuse for an early dart.

With pizzas, burgers, baos and more on offer from a great lineup of familiar street food traders you know and love, we’re about to eat a serious amount of calories.

street food festival
circle square festival
street food manchester
Circle Square is set to welcome a summery street food festival to Manchester (Credit: Supplied)

So who’s taking part in Food.Fest then? Well, for starters, you’ve got Prestwich‘s prized Triple B X Eat New York, a big favourite of ours and always queuing around the block when it lands at the Christmas Markets, who will be offering their infamous smashed burgers and mouth-watering bagels.

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Next up is Macclesfield’s Neapolitan-style pizza expert Tommy’s Pizza, who’ll be firing up their pizza oven and serving slice after slice of their incredible creations dripping in flavour.

In at number three, you’ve got Little Bao Boy, who have already grown a great following in the area by operating out of their home at North Taproom on Circle Square itself, but you’d be mad not to take a bao at Food.Fest – especially as they’ll be dishing up their signature Chicken and Gravy Baos.

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Last but by no means least, you’ve got the masters of top-flight Asian street food, Hello Oriental, who’ll be opening their doors to create a special grab-and-go offering for the event with a selection of menu favourites and must-tries.

little bao boy manchester
triple b eat new york
Credit: The Manc Eats

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If you aren’t already salivating at the thought of this street food festival then we simply can’t be friends, sorry, those are the rules.

In all seriousness, we highly recommend you popping along later this week and making the most of this event – we’ll handle all the praying for good weather on our end.

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Once again, Food.Fest will be taking place at Circle Square from 12-4pm on Thursday, 27 June. Catch you there.

Credit: Supplied

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Supplied

Eats

Popular outdoor dining event returns to MediaCity waterfront this summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Greater Manchester’s popular outdoor dining concept is back again this summer, and there’s a proper tasty lineup of traders.

Kargo on the Docks, which is MediaCity‘s al fresco dining pop-up, has taken over the waterfront and gardens once again with a fresh wave of local food traders and stunning artwork by Salford-based creatives, all as the sun shines down on Salford Quays this summer.

A handful of Greater Manchester‘s most popular independents have set themselves up Quayside inside those signature re-imagined shipping containers.

Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours including Caribbean, Lebanese, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Pan-Asian dishes.

Loads of local indie food vendors have taken over the Salford Quays waterfront for the summer / Credit: Supplied

Afro Shack – the sister brand to Kargo.MKT favourite House of Habesha – will be serving fusion food combining East African flavours with indulgent American fast food, while new kids on the block Wok Bros will deliver sizzling, wok-tossed Pan-Asian street food and 100% halal dishes inspired by authentic flavours and fresh ingredients.

Iconic Jamaican dishes will also be on offer from Sunrise Caribbean, while Quiero Tacos will bring slow-cooked Birria tacos, cheesy quesadillas, and vibrant rice bowls packed with the spirit of Mexico.

Last but not least, Mediterranean food lovers can expect juicy lamb koftas, golden halloumi, and richly spiced chicken shawarma from Habibs.

Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours / Credit: Mark Waugh (via Supplied)

As well as the tasty food on offer, as mentioned, Kargo on the Docks also features a range of artwork and installations from local independent talent – with each container adorned with murals from creatives including Fernandes Makes, Kelly Ma, and Caroline Daly, bringing a feel-good summer vibe to the MediaCity Gardens.

Visitors can also enjoy an art trail display through the gardens, featuring structures designed by, A Studio Called Jane, Luke Passey, and Tasha Whittle.

There will also be a range of pop-up events hosted at the venue throughout the summer, with more announcements to be made very soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

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Kargo on the Docks is now back at MediaCity from today (9 May) and will be open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm-9pm throughout the summer.

Featured Image – Mark Waugh (via Supplied)

Eats

I went all the way to Paris to test out Big Mamma ahead of Manchester’s most exciting new restaurant opening

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Libertino in Paris

Hospitality heavyweights Big Mamma Group are finally heading to Manchester, opening a Circolo Popolare Italian restaurant in the city centre – so we nipped over to Paris to see exactly what’s in store for us.

In the 10 years since launching their very first restaurant, East Mamma in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, the group have spread their wings wide.

There are Big Mamma Group restaurants, under several different names, all over Europe – and although they all belong to the same family, each one is treated like a total individual.

Some have maximalist, kitsch interiors with animal print furniture, gilded ceilings and retro prints of men in Y-fronts; others are more traditional trattorias with exposed brick, terracotta floors and crisp white tablecloths.

These interiors are fun, which is so refreshing in an industry which sometimes takes itself a bit too seriously.

On our tour of Big Mamma restaurants in Paris I came across delightful details like a loo wallpapered in pictures of Rod Stewart, a cocktail menu designed like a retro football sticker book, and an ice cream parlour built into an old train station carriage.

Every corner is packed with whimsy and wonder and there’s a whole team dedicated to sourcing these little touches from antiques fairs, second-hand shops and independent makers, stashing them all in an Aladdin’s Cave of a warehouse. Each restaurant even has its own crockery pattern.

East Mamma, one of Big Mamma's Paris restaurants
East Mamma, one of Big Mamma’s Paris restaurants
No Entry cocktail bar
No Entry cocktail bar
A Big Mamma speakeasy
A Big Mamma speakeasy
Pink Mamma
Pink Mamma
La Felicita food hall
La Felicita food hall
La Felicita food hall
La Felicita food hall

So yes, the interiors in Manchester will be similarly interesting and lavish.

Big Mamma Group has already confirmed that the huge two-storey Circolo Popolare trattoria will be inspired by a Sardinian Festa, meaning cosy alcoves, more than 8000 bottles of vintage booze, and a vast room inspired by an overgrown Mediterranean courtyard.

As it takes shape in Gary Neville’s £400m St Michael’s development, they’ll be moving in big sharing tables, antique trinkets, reels of twinkling lights and even an Italian wishing well ahead of the big launch next month.

But not enough of us are talking about the food yet – this is a restaurant group that sources its produce from 160 different Italian artisans to ensure that everything you’re eating as authentic and delicious as possible.

Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma

While the menus shift between restaurants you can expect hearty bowls of handmade pasta laced with truffle or tomato or cheese, crispy-soft pizzas layered in creative sauce bases (like zucchini cream or black truffle cream, along with their classic San Marzano DOP tomato sauce), and per iniziare starters like giant burrata balls, melt-in-the-mouth croquettes, and slivers of cured meats – all prepared in an open kitchen run by Campanian-born Alfonso Esposito.

And a show-stopper for Manchester will be an outrageous six-inch lemon meringue pie, with a wibbly wobbly tower of Italian meringue on top.

Circolo Popolare will officially open its doors on 6 June – and before then, there’ll be a very limited soft launch where you can snag yourself 50% off your bill. Sign up HERE, with bookings live on Monday 12 May.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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