It’s been one heck of a long year, but December is finally here.
As England’s second national lockdown has now come to an end, and the country has returned to the three tiered regional system – with Greater Manchester under Tier 3 restrictions – there’s never been a more worthy time to treat yourself to a takeaway.
And what better way to do so than with a festive-themed feast too?
With everything from chippys and pizza parlours, to Indians, burger joints and health food kitchens, there’s plenty of beloved independent and Manchester-based eateries across the region that are #StillServingMCR on Deliveroo and embracing everything the festive season has to offer with some limited edition Christmas specials.
We’ve rounded up a few of the best to get stuck into this weekend.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
BIRD
Salford
ADVERTISEMENT
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIQ0gcmMaVv/
BIRD is London’s original fried chicken and waffles joint.
Founded in Shoreditch in 2014, after having perfected the art of frying, BIRD has now brought its rave reviews and knock-out house recipes right here to Manchester.
As well as helping yourself to the main menu, if you’re after a Christmas treat, The Christmas Burger is a BIRD-style turkey escalope on a bed of roquette and mayonnaise, stacked with sage and onion stuffing, pigs in blankets and topped with cranberry sauce.
ADVERTISEMENT
If a festive burger feast sounds like it’s right up your street this weekend, BIRD is #StillServingMCR across Greater Manchester.
You can view menus and place your order via Deliveroo here.
___
Crazy Pedro’s
Northern Quarter
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHIMyggB4I1/
Manchester’s cult-favourite “part time pizza parlour” Crazy Pedro’s truly is embracing the festive season with everything it’s got this year, having introduced the Lockdown 2.0: Nightmare Before Christmas pizza earlier last month, which features none other than pigs in blankets, pepperoni, fresh chillies and burrata.
ADVERTISEMENT
Need we say more?
If you fancy feasting on festive pizza this Christmas, Crazy Pedro’s is #StillServingMCR at a number of locations across Manchester.
You can view menus and place your order via Deliveroo here.
___
Fosters Fish and Chips
Didsbury
ADVERTISEMENT
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIGSeR2A6OA/
Fosters Fish and Chips – based at Anchors in West Didsbury – aims to “reclaim the nation’s favourite dish” and bring it into the 21st century, with an unmissable batter made from entirely-natural ingredients (and a very-secret something too).
There’s an impressive six ‘Christmas Specials’ to tuck into this month.
With everything from Battered Pigs in Blankets and Stuffing Balls, to the Battered Turkey Burger with Cranberry Gravy, Breaded Camembert and Deep Fried Christmas Pudding, you really can’t go wrong if you’re looking for a festive feast.
If you like the sounds of your classic chippy tea with a festive twist this weekend, Fosters Fish and Chips is #StillServingMCR at a number of locations in Greater Manchester.
You can view menus and place your order via Deliveroo here.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
KBK
Ancoats
KBK / Deliveroo
Renowned health food kitchen KBK has the perfect balance of keeping healthy and still tasting bloody great at the same time, and you can tuck into everything from wraps, kebabs and tacos, to salads and a selection of jam-packed box meals.
There’s also two Christmas specials on the menu – Pigs in Blankets, and the KBK Christmas Wrap.
So, if you fancy your food a little on the healthier side but no less festive this Christmas, then KBK is #StillServingMCR at a number of locations across Manchester.
ADVERTISEMENT
You can view menus and place your order via Deliveroo here.
___
Rudy’s
Ancoats & Peter Street
Rudy’s / Deliveroo
How does a festive take on award-winning Neapolitan pizza sound?
Believing Neapolitan pizza to be the best in the world, Rudy’s dough is made fresh daily using Caputo 00 flour – which has been left to ferment for at least 24 hours – alongside the best quality ingredients imported twice a week from Naples, including San Marzano tomatoes grown on fields next to Mount Vesuvius, and Fior di Latte mozzarella.
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s the best of the best.
And there’s a Rudy’s Christmas Special too – a pumpkin cream base pizza, topped with bufala mozzarella, rosemary roasted potatoes, sage roasted brussel sprouts and diced pancetta – so, if your taste buds fancy a festive trip to Napoli this weekend, Rudy’s is #StillServingMCR at a number of locations across Manchester.
You can view menus and place your order via Deliveroo here.
___
Bundobust
Northern Quarter
ADVERTISEMENT
https://www.instagram.com/p/CH0K8UQABY5/
Bundobust is well-known for its wide array of authentically-flavoured Indian street food.
As fresh and vibrant as on the streets that created them, Bundobust’s dishes are designed to be shared, and it’s recommend that you tuck into two/three per person.
The festive specials this year include Sprout Bhajis, the traditional Festive Curry making a return, and a new sweet addition to the menu in the form of the Mince Pie Paratha – a flaky flatbread filled with spiced dried fruit, citrus, and coconut.
Christmas Combo Meals are also available.
Has the traditional taste of India got your tongue tingling? Bundobust is #StillServingMCR across Manchester this Christmas.
ADVERTISEMENT
You can view menus and place your order via Deliveroo here.
___
The Chippy on Burton Road
West Didsbury
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIP5ywRgzv9/
The Chippy On Burton Road is a traditional chippy with a modern Manchester twist.
Not only is its cod and haddock MSC certified, but the sausages are made by award-winning butchers Axon of Didsbury, the pies are produced by award-winning Bowen of Chorley, and the eatery fries all its food using sunflower oil instead of palm oil – which is far lower in saturates and ethically sourced – and uses either compostable or recyclable packaging where possible.
ADVERTISEMENT
The menu is chocked full with festive specials too, featuring everything from turkey goujons and stuffing balls, to brie & cranberry parcels and a ‘Pig in a Duvet’.
It also stocks a wide range of soft drinks and alcohol that is made in Manchester.
Chippy tea with a splash of festive flavour sound like the one? The Chippy on Burton Road is #StillServingMCR at a number of locations across Greater Manchester.
You can view menus and place your order via Deliveroo here.
___
ADVERTISEMENT
Wholesome Junkies
Ancoats
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIAjTi4AFZd/
Wholesome Junkies is no doubt a beloved hotspot for foodies here in Manchester, and is known around the country for its 100% vegan junk food.
Yes, you heard that right – everything on the wide-ranging menu is plant based.
The festive offerings this year include the Festive Burger – a chargrilled 1/4 pounder with cheese, bacon rashers, crispy stuffing patty, charred sprouts, cranberry sauce, festive mayo and onion gravy in a toasted brioche bun – and the extra-special sides of Festive Fries and Festive Tots come loaded with festive salt, onion gravy, charred sprouts, festive mayo, cranberry chutney, crispy shallots and bacon bits too.
If it’s a plant based party you’re after this weekend, Wholesome Junkies is #StillServingMCR at a number of locations across Greater Manchester.
ADVERTISEMENT
You can view menus and place your order via Deliveroo here.
___
Don Giovanni
Oxford Street
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is Manchester’s oldest independently-owned Italian restaurant and it has been proudly serving the city for over 36 years.
The classic, all-year-round menu sure is a thing of beauty in itself, but the festive offerings this year include Suprema di Pollo, Crostata di Salmone, and a range of other mouth-watering treats, with the standout by far being the Tacchino Arrosto – an Italian take on a roast turkey dinner, with potatoes, carrots and pigs in blankets, served with gravy and cranberry jam.
ADVERTISEMENT
If it’s an Italian take on Christmas you’re in the mood for this weekend, Don Giovanni is #StillServingMCR at a number of locations across Manchester.
You can view menus and place your order via Deliveroo here.
___
That’s not all either.
If we’re going to give a shoutout to all the places with festive feasts on the menu this month, then we may as well save you some pennies too while we’re at it, so we’ve organised a £10 off Deliveroo discount code for our audience of loyal Mancunians.
New Deliveroo customers can get £10 off their first order – using the code “MANC10” – when spending over £15 at restaurants in Manchester.
The offer is valid from now until 6th December 2020.
___
The Manc Group has partnered with Deliveroo to help local restaurants deliver during lockdown as part of our #StillServingMCR campaign.
Working alongside Deliveroo, The Manc will ensure all restaurants on the service will get the amplification they need across our social platforms. We’ll update our one million-strong audience on your latest updates and deals and we’ll create conversations with the masses about our favourite scran from your menus.
Basically, we will champion you, and we will go above and beyond to do it.
The lost but still much-loved Greater Manchester food and drink spots that Mancs miss the most
Danny Jones
Unfortunately, these days, it feels as if we read about another place closing across the Manchester boroughs almost every week at this point – in fact, many of you might find out about those very closures right here on The Manc.
But, like anyone, we often just sit thinking back on some of our favourite bars, restaurants, takeaways and more that have sadly closed over the years.
10 of the most missed restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs in and around Manchester
1. Danish Food Centre
Starting off with the one we saw the most in the comments is the Danish Food Centre on the shopfront of the Royal Exchange on Cross Street, before sadly closing during the mid-1980s.
Exactly what it sounds like, this old Scandinavian spot first opened back in 1965 and was even known for a traditional sarnie known as ‘The Danwich’, as well as an interior lounge dubbed ‘Copenhagen Corner’.
That being said, many people used to nip here on their dinner break, to meet friends for lunch and a brew, or even to buy things to take home. It was eventually shut down by the Danish government, and we still envy those who got to experience it; still, without the original, we’d never have the likes of KRO Bar.
2. Horts/Ronnie’s Cafe Bar
Another one that popped up plenty in the long list of replies was Horts that used to sit on St. Ann’s Square and the attached Ronnie’s.
The former was more of a wine bar and the latter your standard cafe, but together, they were an ideal city centre favourite that served locals day and night.
By the late 80s, both had sadly disappeared, but people still reminisce about “the grand piano sat under a gorgeous glass dome” and how much they “loved the comfy leather Chesterfield sofas.”
Also up there in the trio of most-mentioned places below the post was the legendary Dutch Pancake House – no, not the one that rears its head at the Manchester Christmas, but at least you can still look forward to your annual fix.
The one we’re talking about was the busy corner of Elisabeth House (now 1 St Peter’s Square), which served a giant menu of sweet and savoury pancakes.
We lost it in the 2000s after developers bought the building, and lots of people are still angry about it.
Number four is Blinkers French and Bistro, which held that border between Salford and Manchester, and was owned by Cheshire-based millionaire, Selwyn Demmy.
The Wilmslow-born businessman may have been known for his famous ‘Hunter’s Moon’ in Wilmslow, but he was also the man behind the bar, restaurant and club which used to be on King Street West.
Before that, it was called the Le Phonographe, and it’s also not to be confused with the modern-day Blinker Bar now serving up top-notch cocktails over on Spring Gardens. By all accounts, it was a real ‘if you know, you know’ kind of gaff…
Next up is the old Grinch bar and grill, which used to be on Chapel Walks just off Cross St, and sadly closed back in 2016 after more than two decades.
More than a few Mancs said they “loved” either visiting and/or working here back in the day, and another cited that “their fried chicken was amazing”.
There’s plenty still open around there these days – including the likes of 10 Tib Lane, New Wave Ramen and the ever-reliable Town Hall Tavern – but evidently, there’s still plenty that really miss it. These days, it’s a pretty good Korean place called Annyeong.
6. Dry Bar/’Dry201′
This next one is a location that does still exist and is technically still a very busy bar most evenings, weekends and sunny afternoons if you can get a seat in the window.
However, many will argue that nothing quite compares to the old Dry Bar, a.k.a. Dry201/’FAC 201′, over in the Northern Quarter.
Nowadays, it’s home to the new and improved Freemount, which moved from its previous venue on Oldham Street; nevertheless, countless people still recall the watering hole in “the original format” as one of the best bars in town.
Their social presence still exists. (Credit: Dry Bar via Facebook)
7. UCP
One we’ve heard tales of now and again over the years, but still slightly wince whenever we hear the full name. In case you’re unaware, UCP is an abbreviation of United Cattle Products, which was the name of a company that had a big presence here in Greater Manchester.
To be fair, it was a pretty familiar brand across the region and the North as a whole, but their flagship four-storey shop over at Market Street/Pall Mall was the go-to place for lots of meat products.
We’ll say it, one of the main things people would go there to seek out was that word that still makes lots of people squirm: tripe – but remember, for generations this was a very common ingredient in various meals and for some, still is.
8. Croma
Ok, this one is more of a recent one that we’re sure lots of you still remember like it was yesterday, because in relative terms to most of this list, it kind of was.
Croma in Manchester city centre shut in 2022 after the pandemic, their Didsbury restaurant closed by March 2023, and the Chorlton site followed suit just last year.
However, we still maintain we’ve had some of our best pizza nights in these places.
For our/your penultimate pick, a fair few people noted Henry’s, which also lay claim to being Manchester’s ‘first’ cafe bar back in the day – that, of course, is still up for debate.
The group behind this brand opened up a venue in our city centre back in 1986, near Parsonage Gardens, but only made it to 2007 despite remaining fairly popular for a long time.
It went on to be replaced by another chain in Revolution; however, they are also closing locations all across the UK. Gutting.
It was arguably better known in London, such as in Mayfair. (Credit: Ewan Munro via Flickr)
10. Cornerhouse
Last but not least, the legacy of the Cornerhouse cinema needs no explanation, really, but there’s a lot to be said for the lasting love lots of people had for their memories made in there and the joint bar next door, quite literally spitting distance away.
Still sitting like a bittersweet reminder on the (you guessed it) corner leading up to Oxford Road Station and Whitworth Street, the theatre itself is home to little more than gig posters and an ever-changing rotation of murals these days.
However, you will be glad to know that the bar and visual arts centre across the road is still Manchester Metropolitan’s Arts, Culture and Media Hub, so it’s still alive in some fashion.
We (well, I*) couldn’t wrap up this round-up without paying tribute to one of the best places this city has ever seen, let alone just NQ.
It might not be right at the top of your dream revival list, but we’re sure plenty of you will agree that, for a period of time, CBR+B was the place to be.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Dry Bar (via Facebook)
Eats
The ‘secret’ cash-and-carry near Piccadilly that’s selling amazing Italian food for less than the supermarkets
Daisy Jackson
We all know the pain of finally settling on what you want to eat for dinner, only to Google a recipe and discover a list of ingredients that your local Tesco definitely won’t have in stock.
‘Where the f*** am I going to get guanciale from at this hour?’, you think.
Well, just a stone’s throw from Manchester Piccadilly, you’ll find a cash-and-carry that’s an Aladdin’s cave of Italian food – and a damn sight cheaper than a supermarket, too.
Amato is a name you might recognise, with their grey vans regularly trundling around Greater Manchester delivering top Italian produce to all your favourite restaurants.
But you don’t need a wholesale membership to take advantage of their massive range of pastas, sauces, drinks, meat, cheese, and just about everything else you can think of – or to make the most of the prices either.
Amato has given up a small section of its 20,000 sq ft warehouse to be a retail space, where you can pick up everything from fresh filled pasta to truffle oil.
There’s also a selection of produce from beyond Italy, like Kewpie mayonnaise and gochujang.
Part of the huge warehouse operates as a retail spaceBob Amato started the business more than 30 years ago
And they’ve honoured the prices given to wholesale clients too, with smaller retail sizing, meaning you can pick up affordable produce without needing to bulk-buy (or lug home a 25kg bag of flour).
The business was launched by Bob and Deloras Amato more than 30 years ago, getting top Italian ingredients to chefs across the North West.
But the retail side has really taken off since the Covid pandemic, Bob explains.
“It’s a bit of a secret place,” he says, “As we don’t tend to advertise it too much.”
It all began (as so many local businesses did) back in 2020.
He says: “During the pandemic, as we’re a wholesaler, we realised there was a big demand for flour, which we had plenty of. People were crying out for flour and we had absolutely tonnes of it in 25kg sacks.
A whole range of little pasta – or pastinaOne of two aisles dedicated to Italian pastaPasta shapes you won’t find in a supermarket
“So we got some of our staff to come in and to repackage it in smaller packages that we could sell to retail customers.
“From that, people weren’t allowed to go out and they wanted to make pizzas and pasta, so they wanted tomatoes and mozzarella and pepperoni and other products.”
As a customer now, you can pick up things like tinned San Marzano tomatoes, harvested in the foothills of Mount Vesuvius; fresh burrata from Puglia (or frozen, if you want it to have a slightly longer shelf life); and traditionally-cured meats like guanciale, speck, and prosciutto.
Essentially, there’s everything you need to make a hearty Italian feast from scratch, or you can grab a bag of homemade pesto and pasta, made fresh on site, from the fridges for an easier dinner.
Bob and his team are encyclopaedias of information about the food produced all the way across Italy, knowing the back story of every one of their 1,500+ products.
Cured meat including guancialeTrays of cannoli You can also pick up fresh filled pasta at Amato
He tells us about why pasta shapes get their name, like Schiaffoni, which loosely translates as ‘slaps’ because of the sound they make when they plop onto the plate.
Bob also explains the reason that Scamorza comes in a snowman-like shape, with the cheese being strung up by its ‘neck’ to dry and age.
He chats us through all the different flours, and why you would use which in your pizzas; why good tinned tomatoes are worth seeking out (cheap ones are like ‘bullets’); and that you should always bring your burrata up to room temperature.
Even as we’re checking out with our armfuls of pasta, the staff member serving us is passing on tips for a perfect amatriciana sauce.
Amato is open from 7am daily (except Sundays), and if you’re stuck on what to make for dinner, pay Bob and his team a visit.
Emily Sergeant -
4th December 2020 
