Rola Wala’s legendary naan rolls and rice bowls are finally available in Manchester, as the Indian street food brand prepares to open on Deansgate.
Leeds’ cult favourite takeaway will open the doors to its first site in our city at last on Thursday 9 November.
And to celebrate, Rola Wala is footing the bill for everyone’s lunch on its opening day. No catch.
Between 11am and 3pm on Thursday, the much-loved restaurant will be handing out free lunches from its menu, which includes foot-long naan rolls, rice bowls, and naan tacos.
They’ll even give out black cards, giving you free naan rolls for an entire year, to the first five people in the queue.
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The build-your-own concept allows customers to choose their filling (from butter chicken curry, Rola’s chicken tikka, Nagaland slow-cooked pulled lamb, sweet potato saag and chickpea masala) then add in salads, pickles and sauces.
Sides include masala fries, poppadom chips, and more naans.
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Rola Wala, which literally translates to ‘man that rolls’ in Hindi, has taken over the old Players site in Manchester city centre, wedged in next to KFC.
Founded by Mark Wright (no, not that one) as a street food stall in London, it quickly expanded to open its first restaurant in Leeds‘ Trinity Kitchen that same year.
Click or swipe through the gallery below to see inside Rola Wala Manchester
Pulled lamb naan wraps inside Rola WalaA chickpea masala rice bowl from Rola WalaRola Wala offers build-your-own lunchesFounder Mark Wright outside Rola Wala ManchesterPoppadom crisps from Rola Wala Naan wrap and rice bowl at Rola WalaCredit: The Manc Group
The brand’s ‘buy-one-give-one’ incentive means that they donate one meal to a hungry child in the developing world for every naan roll sold – so far, that’s totally 850,000 meals delivered by Rola Wala.
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Rola Wala will have late-night opening hours until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as selling food through Deliveroo.
Meals start from just £5.95 and the majority come in at less than 500 calories.
Rola Wala even has Hollywood credentials, appearing in Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper.
Rita Ora and Saturday Kitchen dubbed it ‘London’s Best Wrap’, and it even made a cameo appearance on Jamie Oliver’s Friday Night Feasts.
To claim your free lunch, simply head to Rola Wala on Deansgate in Manchester between 11am and 3pm on Thursday 9 November. As long you’re in the queue by 3pm, you’ll get one.
Legendary Manchester burger joint Almost Famous announces shock closure
Daisy Jackson
One of Manchester’s best-loved burger joints Almost Famous has announced its shock closure after more than a decade in town.
Originally launching in the Northern Quarter, Almost Famous led the way in the UK’s burger revolution, serving up huge stacks of patties and toppings.
Famed for their inventive creations, the burger joint went on to launch sites across the north, including in Leeds.
But today, in news that will surely shock the city, Almost Famous has announced it’s closing for good.
They said that the current economic climate has ‘proven too challenging for us to overcome’, with the business left with ‘lingering debt’ and rising costs.
They said that their top priority now is helping all those who work for the business to find new roles.
Beau Myers, co-founder of Almost Famous, said: “It is with broken hearts that today, 27th January 2025, we announce the closure of all Almost Famous venues across Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds.
“The current economic climate has proven too challenging for us to overcome, with lingering debt from Covid and rising costs across every aspect of the business. Despite our best efforts, we are no longer able to continue.
“For over 13 years, we’ve had the privilege of working alongside some of the most talented and passionate people in hospitality. We will do everything we can to support you during this transition.
“If anyone in the hospitality industry has job opportunities, we kindly ask you to reach out to us at [email protected] – helping our team find new roles is our top priority right now.
“To everyone who’s been part of our story – thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
The Manchester restaurant serving ‘Tipsy Tapas’ with bottomless sangria
Daisy Jackson
Did you know there’s a restaurant in Manchester that does a bottomless ‘Tipsy Tapas’ menu every week?
That means you can pair your tapas dishes with endless helpings of sangria, alongside a number of other boozy delights.
The Tipsy Tapas menu at Canto, the modern Mediterranean sister site to award-winning El Gato Negro, includes three tapas dishes and unlimited mix-and-match drinks.
For your 90 minute booking in the beautiful Ancoats restaurant, you can tuck into bottomless pitchers of sangria, Aperol spritz, limoncello spritz, or peach bellini.
And if cocktails aren’t your thing, the Tipsy Tapas deal also includes Victoria Malaga lager, house wine, and fizz.
For £40 per person, you also get three delicious tapas dishes each, from their traditional Portuguese petiscos to meat to fish.
You’ll find tapas favourites like padron peppers, patatas bravas, and fried calamari with lemon aioli, plus a whole host of other small places from across the Mediterranean.
You can get bottomless sangria with the Canto Tipsy Tapas menuCanto has a menu of Mediterranean small platesSalt cod croquettes on the Tipsy Tapas menuCredit: The Manc Group
Other menu highlights include spiced lamb Merguez meatballs, chargrilled Peri Peri chicken, and salt cod fritters.
And for a more substantial bite, there are even pregos included in the deal – beef steak sandwiches in rustic bread with caramelised onion and rocket.
Vegetarians aren’t hard-done-by either with veggie dishes including classic Catalan bread with fresh tomato; caramelised cauliflower, with lentil stew and Italian caponata; hispi cabbage with parsnip puree and blue cheese vinaigrette; and butternut squash with curried cavolo nero.
The Tipsy Tapas menu gives you the option to have two savoury plates and a dessert too, with sweet dishes like almond tart with marscapone mousse, pastel de nata, tiramisu, and vegan chocolate tart with miso and caramel ice cream.
Costing £40 per person, the Canto Tipsy Tapas deal runs every Friday and Saturday between 12pm and 4pm.
Daisy Jackson -
7th November 2023 
