Restaurant critic Jay Rayner has paid a visit to the Stockport Pyramid, now transformed into the Royal Nawaab Indian restaurant – and he LOVED it.
The acclaimed writer dined at the huge new opening for his weekly column in the Financial Times, deeming it ‘a little overwhelming’ but a ‘classy rebuttal’ of the much-maligned buffet.
The transformation of the landmark Stockport Pyramid into a multi-million-pound, multi-storey restaurant has been one of the most talked-about openings in Greater Manchester history.
Inside now, this bizarre spectacle is home to an all-you-can-eat, 400-capacity Indian buffet as well as several lavish banquet halls.
And despite being so vast, and having such a wide array of curries and grills to choose from, Royal Nawaab has been fully booked for weeks in advance.
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The city has, quite possibly, never seen anything like it.
So it was only a matter of time before it caught the attention of the national press, starting with Jay Rayner, who featured Royal Nawaab in his most recent restaurant review.
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Of the Stockport Pyramid itself, he said: “The Stockport Pyramid is another former temple to mammon, with its own restaurant-friendly grandeur.
The transformed interior of the Stockport PyramidRows of curries at Royal Nawaab’s all-you-can-eat buffet
“If you live in Greater Manchester or have ever joined the M60 at Junction 1, you will know it: a steel-blue glass cathedral, which squats in the light industrial landscape like some cartoon version of an alien spaceship.”
Rayner added that he was ‘fully clocked’ by the manager inside, so it wasn’t exactly a completely anonymous or authentic review experience – but even so, he was impressed by the £29.99 per person offering inside, which gets you access to more than 100 dishes and a ‘startling array’ of curries.
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Jay Rayner raved particularly about the panipuri (‘a perfect, bursting mouthful’), the deep-fried masala fish (‘especially good’) and the lamb and lentil haleem (‘extraordinary’).
Jay Rayner has published a rave review of Royal Nawaab at Stockport Pyramid
“It’s a little overwhelming,” he wrote of the experience at Royal Nawaab, adding: “One solution is to seek out dishes you know and like.”
He then said: “I’ve sneered at the idea of buffets in the past, called them the place where good taste goes to die, and many of them are. But the Royal Nawaab is a classy rebuttal….
“It really is a remarkable operation. The risk of waste is subtly managed by a gentle request not to take more than you can eat, and it’s nudged along by the use of small plates. Return as often as you like. Just have some self-respect.”
You can read Jay Rayner’s full review of Royal Nawaab HERE.
Free Glastonbury-themed festivals with pizza, tequila, and big screens to take place in Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Glastonbury weekend is upon us, and to celebrate the UK’s biggest music festival in all its glory, Nell’s is hosting its own festivals instead.
Hundreds of thousands of people will be making the trek to the fields of Worthy Farm next weekend, as Glastonbury 2025 headliners Olivia Rodrigo, Neil Young, and The 1975 bring the tunes, alongside a list of other talented names too big to even begin starting to reel off – as is always the case with Glastonbury, there’s something for everyone.
But for those of us not lucky enough to have bagged tickets to what is undeniably the biggest event in the British music calendar, not to worry, as Nell’s is where it’s at here in Greater Manchester.
The beloved New York-style pizza specialists – which now has four sites across the region – is turning two of its most popular restaurants into festival hubs next weekend, bringing all the spirit of Glastonbury to Kampus and Altrincham.
Manchester‘s thriving canalside neighbourhood Kampus will become home to the aptly-named Kampus Fest, while over in the Trafford town of Altrincham, Alty Fest will be in full force.
Nell’s is hosting its own FREE Glastonbury-themed festivals at Kampus and in Altrincham / Credit: Supplied
At Kampus, the gardens will be transformed into a city centre festival site for a free three-day party featuring big screens live streaming the full Glastonbury festival throughout, plus a pop-up market, face painting and hair tinsel stations, an outdoor tequila and margarita bar, happy hours, and of course, lots and lots of Nell’s pizza.
Altrincham is bringing you much of the same – the same big screens, the same tasty pizza slices, and the same happy hours, only over two days instead of three.
Family fun is also at the heart of both Kampus Fest and Alty Fest, so you can expect lots of crafting workshops and bunting making, accessory customisation stations, as well as all-day colouring sessions by Born to be Wild Child and Søstrene Grene.
Kampus Fest will take over the gardens at Kampus from Friday 27 – Sunday 29 June, while Alty Fest will take place at Nell’s Altrincham on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June.
Both are FREE to attend, so get yourselves down there quick.
Featured Image – Supplied
Eats
Viral Manchester bakery The Flat Baker to open its very first cafe
Daisy Jackson
Hugely popular Manchester bakery The Flat Baker has announced plans to open its very first cafe.
The Brazilian-French bakery has become legendary in the city for its flaky croissants and pistachio-based treats.
For the last few years, it’s been operating out of a hatch in Ancoats, with queues often snaking down Radium Street from early in the morning on weekends.
And now The Flat Baker has announced an exciting next chapter in their journey in Manchester – their very first bakery and cafe.
The team will be taking over a unit on the same street, which will have space to house their baking operations as well as a sitting area to serve brunch and hot food.
They’ve announced that they’ll be retaining their much-loved hatch but expanding to a second site in the heart of Ancoats.
They hope this will drastically reduce any waiting and queue times and allow even more people to sample these incredible bakes.
In a statement shared on Instagram, they wrote: “We have been keeping a secret from you. This corner of Ancoats will never be the same, because it will be our new bakery, cafe and brunch!
“We have been dreaming of it for years – we almost closed a deal with another two locations in the past few years, but it didn’t work out.
“We were about to leave the plan of the new shop aside, we were very frustrated of how things were not working the way we planned it to…
“But everything happens for a reason! Who knew the building next door was just waiting for us…
“The two-storey building has just the right space for our baking operations, plus a sitting area and a space to serve brunch and hot food.
“Don’t worry, we won’t let our tiny hatch go, we will keep both locations. This will allow us a faster service, avoid the waiting times and long queues.
“For now we just want to share this great achievement. Growing a small business when you see many other places shutting is such a challenge. But if you never stop dreaming and work hard for it, the sky is the limit! We can’t wait for the next chapter to come. Matt and Deb x”
The Flat Baker Cafe is expected to open in Ancoats this summer.
Daisy Jackson -
11th June 2025 
