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.
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.
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.
Inside Manchester’s new padel club with a Pot Kettle Black cafe and courtside cocktail bar
Daisy Jackson
Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the world, and it’s really picking up speed in Manchester now too with another city centre club opening this month.
The Pollen Club is a little different to the others, in that it’s fully undercover and protected from Manchester’s less-than-favourable weather.
And another thing that makes it a must-visit is the cafe attached to it – a third site for the beloved Pot Kettle Black.
The Pollen Club and Pot Kettle Black have both taken over a prominent city centre spot just off Deansgate, at the foot of the recently-opened Treehouse Hotel.
There are two state-of-the-art padel courts inside, with a mezzanine terrace for enjoy Pot Kettle Black’s offerings.
In summer, there are plans to launch a bar downstairs too, where you can sip spritzes courtside from loungers and swing seats.
The exciting new Manchester padel club will host pop up events, DJ takeovers and an extended evening food offering.
Pot Kettle Black are part of the new padel clubInside Manchester’s new padel club, The Pollen ClubPot Kettle Black are part of the new padel club
And even if you’re not heading inside The Pollen Club, Pot Kettle Black has a grab-and-go hatch facing onto Blackfriars Street, making their delicious coffees, sandwiches and pastries (from their own bakery Half Dozen Other) even more accessible.
Commenting on the opening of the new site, Pot Kettle Black co-owner, Mark Flanagan said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have opened our third Pot Kettle Black site at The Padel Club. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team.
“After ten years in the city we’ve been enjoying seeing some familiar faces stopping by for a coffee and we can’t wait to get started on our programme of summer events!”
Insomnia Cookies is giving away FREE cookies to anyone with these two names
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s late-night sweet treat spot Insomnia Cookies is dishing out freebies this week… but there’s a catch.
You have to be called one of two specific names to get one.
With the long bank holiday weekend upon us, those in-the-know will also have noticed that this Sunday isn’t just Easter Sunday, it also happens to be 4/20… and that means Insomnia Cookies is back with its ‘blazing’ £4.20 deal, giving you the chance to bag a box of four warm cookies while saving nearly £7 at the same time.
But even better still, if you happen to have either the first or middle name ‘Mary’ or ‘Jane’, then you can also get yourself a warm tasty cookie for free.
To mark both 4/20, and celebrate the launch of its newest strain of mouthwatering cookie, the Mary Jane, anyone called Mary or Jane can pop into either of Insomnia Cookies’ two Manchester city centre sites – Cross Street and University Green – show their valid ID with their name on, and walk alway with a cookie free of charge.
If you want to try the new Mary Jane cookie, then this limited-edition special is made up of a cookies n cream dough base, packed with rainbow sprinkles.
The freebie deal has been running all week, and you have up until 3am on Monday 21 April to take advantage of it.
Customers will be limited to one free cookie per day.
Insomnia Cookies is giving away free cookies to anyone with these two names / Credit: Insomnia Cookies UK
If you aren’t lucky enough to be called one of those two names though, then thankfully you can still make some great savings on a classic four-pack of cookies over the spring bank holiday weekend, and for every four-pack sold, £1 will be donated to Groundwork – a charity helping make Manchester greener for nature and for local people.
“We’re calling for Marys and Janes to join us to live the high life with free cookies all week,” commented Millie Ralston, Head of Marketing at Insomnia Cookies.
Danny Jones -
23rd June 2024 
