Eats

Insomnia Cookies – the cult cookie bakery that’s open in Manchester until 3am

Fresh-out-the-oven cookies for everyone.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 22nd August 2023

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.

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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 at Royal Exchange, Cross Street, Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
A box of cookies at Insomnia Cookies. Credit: The Manc Group
Insomnia Cookies at Royal Exchange, Cross Street, Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
A Biscoff deluxe cookie at Insomnia Cookies
Warm cookies and a cookie shake inside the bakery.
Insomnia Cookies at Royal Exchange, Cross Street, Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Insomnia Cookies at Royal Exchange, Cross Street, Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Insomnia 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.

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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.

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“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.

You can read more on food and drink in Manchester here.

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Featured image – Insomnia Cookies

 

Eats

Manchester’s viral sandwich shop Ad Maiora is selling HUGE butties for only 9p through Deliveroo

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Ad Maiora in Manchester is selling 9p sandwiches this week through Deliveroo. Credit: The Manc Group

Ad Maiora, the Italian sandwich shop that’s loved by Manchester City stars (and everyone else who’s sunk their teeth into one), is selling butties for only 9p this week.

The local business is famed for its authentic sandwiches filled with quality imported Italian ingredients, and for its super-sized versions of its delicious lunches.

And this week only, you’ll be able to pick up a hefty sandwich, called the Scran-wich, for only 9 English pence.

The limited-edition Schiacciata will have nine different components and weighs in at a whopping 500g (though it’s nothing on their 1kg beast we’ve tried before…)

Owners and couple Enrico and Daniela have spent weeks developing the perfect balance of flavours.

Each ingredient is sourced in Italy but inspired by places and sayings from Manchester.

So you’ll find spicy ‘supersonic’ salami, nowt better N’duja, mozzarella ‘footballs’, sliced Haçienda heritage tomatoes, ‘r kid Italian wild rocket, 0161 olives, lashings of mad fer it mayonnaise, ‘buzzing bee’ basil leaves and ‘let’s ave it’ red onions – all sandwiched between fresh homemade Scran-worthy Schiacciata bread. 

The Scran-wich and its 9p sale have been created to celebrate Deliveroo’s ninth birthday, and there’ll be 300 available to order through Deliveroo.

The limited edition 9p ‘Scran-Wich’, available at Ad Maiora in Manchester through Deliveroo. Credit: Deliveroo/Dominic Lipinski
The limited edition 9p ‘Scran-Wich’, available at Ad Maiora in Manchester through Deliveroo. Credit: Deliveroo/Dominic Lipinski
Ad Maiora is one of Manchester's best sandwich shops and loved by celebs and locals
Ad Maiora is one of Manchester’s best sandwich shops and loved by celebs and locals

Enrico and Daniela, owners of Ad Maiora, said: “We’ve had so much support from the local community since we launched, so we were very excited when Deliveroo asked us to create a special Ad Maiora sandwich dedicated to the city of Manchester in celebration of their 9th birthday.

“We hope our customers love the limited-edition ‘Scran-wich’ – we’ve really enjoyed creating a sandwich that celebrates our city which makes this SUPER limited edition and special!”

Steffi Morel, Deliveroo city manager for Manchester, said: “It has been an absolute honour connecting Manc foodies to the best local restaurants at the click of a button for the last nine years.

“To celebrate, we’ve partnered with one of Manchester’s new local favourites, Ad Maiora, who’ve created the ultimate birthday ‘Scran-wich’, which pays homage to the city with every delicious bite! Deliveroo customers will need to be quick, as there are only 300 available!”

Ad Maiora’s Scran-wich is available for just 9p from Tuesday 30 April until Thursday 2 May through Deliveroo.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Medlock Canteen receives rave Guardian review from Jay Rayner just one month after opening

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Medlock Canteen, a new Manchester restaurant, has received a rave review in the Guardian just weeks after it opened.

National critic Jay Rayner has heaped praise upon the restaurant at Deansgate Square, describing it as ‘so special’.

The restaurant only opened its doors at the end of March, taking its inspiration from opposite sides of the pond – the laid-back style of American diners and the hospitality of Parisian bistros.

Rayner said it’s ‘a welcome haven for all’ and applauded its menu packed with ‘appealing, familiar dishes that are the best versions of themselves’.

Medlock Canteen comes from the team behind Madre (the Mexican restaurant at Kampus) and Belzan (one of Liverpool’s top restaurants).

But unlike those two restaurants, things are much simpler at their newest venture – this is a restaurant where you can order a fried egg with any meal, drink bottomless coffee, and even order the day’s ‘staff dinner’ for just a tenner.

Rayner dedicated almost an entire paragraph of his review to Medlock Canteen’s gravy (‘dark and sticky and deeply savoury’), which he said is so good you should just ‘order that and pour it over everything. Pour it over a friend’.

He also waxed lyrical about their rotisserie chicken (there are rows of the things rotating in the city’s first in-restaurant rotisserie chicken oven), of which he said: “It is everything those words promise and don’t always deliver. No special rubs or sauces. Just roast chicken, rested long enough for the meat to start shrugging itself off the bones. The skin is crisp and salty.”

Inside Medlock Canteen in Manchester, which just received a rave review in The Guardian
Inside Medlock Canteen in Manchester, which just received a rave review in The Guardian
Inside Medlock Canteen in Manchester, which just received a rave review in The Guardian. Credit: The Manc Group

Other dishes that were celebrated in the Guardian’s review of Medlock Canteen included a rhubarb pie, charcoal-grilled fish of the day, duck rillettes and pistachio frangipane tart.

The restaurant itself said there were ‘happy faces’ after the review was published over the weekend.

Medlock Canteen wrote on Instagram: “Manchester may be grey this Sunday, but let us tell you, there are a few happy faces both on and behind the scenes as we enjoy our morning brew, reading through the kind words of @jayrayner1 in the @guardian.

“Thanks go to our team and our guests for all the hard work, dedication, and pure passion that has made Medlock Canteen ‘a welcome haven for one and all.’

“Anyway, enough of that. Just another day. Just another ‘set of appealing, familiar dishes that are the best versions of themselves.’

“Caution: gravy jus may be thrown. Let Sunday service commence.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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