A new bakery that serves fresh-out-the-oven cookies until 3am is ready to open in Manchester city centre.
Insomnia Cookies is opening its first ever UK site (and its second too, actually) here in our city, taking over a unit at the Royal Exchange on Cross Street.
Due to open early next week, you’ll find warm, chewy cookies, delicious freshly-made milkshakes, and ice cream sandwiches.
And to celebrate its launch, Insomnia Cookies will throw a grand opening party on Saturday 2 September, with free cookies handed out alongside merch.
The first person in the queue on the day will be given a year’s supply of cookies, too… race you.
The cookie company already has 240 sites across the USA but until now hasn’t ventured to this side of the pond.
A box of cookies at Insomnia Cookies. Credit: The Manc GroupA Biscoff deluxe cookie at Insomnia CookiesInsomnia Cookies at Royal Exchange, Cross Street, Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupInsomnia Cookies on Cross Street. Credit: The Manc Group
You can order warm cookies alongside ice-cold milk or even a pot of frosting for dunking in, with deliveries running until 3am with Deliveroo.
Insomnia Cookies is the brainchild of founder Seth Berkowitz, who dreamt up the idea while he was a college student looking for late-night snacks.
The Insomnia Cookies menu
Classic Chocolate Chunk: the signature Insomnia flavour – classic dough loaded with thick, melty chunks of chocolate.
Double Chocolate Chunk: even more indulgent, the Double Chocolate Chunk also boasts a chocolate-flavoured dough.
White Chocolate & Macadamia: sweet and nutty with thick chunks of white chocolate and whole macadamia nuts folded through the dough.
Cinnamon: the UK’s take on a US staple, the Snickerdoodle. Contrary to popular belief, Snickerdoodles have nothing to do with Snickers and are in fact just… cinnamon flavoured.
Sugar Cookie: another US classic, the humble Sugar Cookie is for the purists. Think of it as a palate cleanser between cookies.
Vegan Hazelnut Deluxe: filled to the brim with smooth, vegan-friendly hazelnut spread, this chunkier cookie means that vegans don’t have to be left out of a late-night indulge.
Triple Chocolate Chunk Deluxe: this big, buttery cookie has a triple helping of gooey chocolate chunks.
Classic With M&Ms: the iconic M&M meets the iconic Insomnia crispy-on-the-edges-but-soft-in-the-centre cookie dough. A match made in sugary heaven.
Ben Lacey, managing director at Insomnia Cookies UK, said: “It’s a massive milestone for us to be opening our first bakeries in the UK. Manchester is a city that knows what it means to be up all night, so it was a no-brainer for us as our first location.
“We’re excited to be bringing the authentic, cult-favourite taste of Insomnia Cookies to the UK – including all the classics, plus some delicious limited edition flavours to boot.
“Late-night dessert shops are big here, but there’s long been a gap in the market for warm, fresh cookies hand-delivered to your doorstep all day and late into the night.
“Whatever the reason you’re up late at night – whether you’re hosting a house party, headed out to see someone special, or even editing episodes of your grindset podcast – we’re on hand to satisfy your sweet tooth.”
Insomnia Cookies opens two Manchester sites – on Cross Street in the city centre and at University Green of Oxford Road – on 29 August, with deliveries available through Deliveroo.
The UK’s best kebab is coming to Manchester as legendary shawarma bar announces Deansgate site
Clementine Hall
A brand-new shawarma bar is set to open its doors in Manchester this summer.
If you’re ever across the Pennines over in sunny Leeds, then you will have most likely heard of SQEW – a modern Lebanese-inspired eatery that has established itself as a cult-favourite amongst locals.
And it’s not just those Yorkshire folk who think it’s great, SQEW has recently been scooping up the accolades including most recently, Deliveroo’s Best Kebab of 2025.
The rumour mill has been turning for quite some time now but luckily for us they are in fact true, SQEW will be bringing its bold, elevated take on the kebab to 75 Deansgate, taking over the former Rola Wala site.
Images: The Manc Group
From humble beginnings to national recognition, SQEW was founded in 2015 by passionate chef and founder Mitch Renshaw, who wanted to give the often-overlooked kebab the love it truly deserves.
What began as a single idea serving slow-cooked meats and house-made sauces quickly boomed into a local sensation, eventually landing a permanent home in 2021 on Leeds’ Boar Lane.
Customers can expect a menu rooted in Lebanese flavours with a modern twist, all served with good old fashioned northern hospitality.
Image: The Manc Group
Speaking about the expansion, Mitch Renshaw, Owner and Founder of SQEW, said: “Were absolutely thrilled to announce our move over the pennies. We’ve been searching for the perfect site since 2023, and when we came across 75 Deansgate we jumped at it. We have a few surprises up our sleeves for Manchester and can’t wait to reveal more.
Having spent the last few weeks in Manchester, I’m brimming ear to ear, the people, the culture, the operators, we just can’t wait to be part of it.”
The new site will feature an all-day shawarma bar concept with seating, takeaway, and delivery options – so you can get your SQEW fix however way you want it.
We’ll keep you updated with more details in the coming weeks, but you keep an eye on SQEW’s socials for more sneak peeks.
Bundobust and Madre announce bold new Indo-Mexican collaboration
Clementine Hall
Two of Manchester’s best-loved casual dining spots are joining forces for a limited-edition collaboration.
Bundobust and Madre will be teaming up this summer to create a menu inspired by two world-famous street food cultures – India, and Mexico.
The Indo-Mexican menu will feature dishes like ‘Naanchos’, and plenty of other Desi-flavoured Mexican dishes.
It’ll be mashing up iconic ingredients, techniques, and flavours, with a menu of brand new spice-packed dishes and cocktails combining Desi and Mexican influence.
So, what can we expect?
Mexican street food classics chimichanga and quesadillas get the Desi treatment, while Bundobust’s Indian street food favourites like chaat get a little Latino heat.
All paired with spicy summer-time cocktails, as a homage to Mexican drinking culture, plus the return of Bundobust Brewery’s new golden Cerveza, SANJA Mexican Lager.
We can’t think of a better place to spend our summer evenings to be quite honest.
On the menu there are crunchy Indo-Mexican ‘naanchos’, topped with salsa verde, crema, tamarind, onion, coriander, and a punchy pickle masala.
Madre and Bundobust are teaming upNaanchos, from the Bundobust x Madre menu
There’ll also be a ‘Tikkadilla’ – a corn tortilla packed with oyster mushrooms, red tikka sauce and Oaxaca cheese, with a side of desi birria sauce for dipping.
That’s alongside masala chimichanga, birria-ani, and corn chaat.
Then you can wash that down with a cashew colada, an avocado lassi, spicy mango margs and loads more.
The Indo-Mexican menu will be available at all Bundobust and Madre locations from Monday 14 July until Sunday 17 August 2025.
Daisy Jackson -
22nd August 2023 
