A new fried chicken restaurant backed by The Sidemen is set to open within the Manchester Arndale – and soon.
Sides is taking shape in the heart of the shopping centre and will officially open its doors this weekend.
This will be the second Sides location outside London – last week, the launch of the Dalston branch triggered mile-long queues.
Some fans of the YouTube group, which includes KSI, Miniminter, and Zerkaa, even camped out for two nights to be the first to get their hands on the double-coated crispy fried chicken.
Demand to get inside Sides has been so great, The Sidemen were politely advised to stay away from their Merry Hill opening due to concerns that 10,000 people might show up.
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The Sidemen-backed Sides in Manchester Arndale will take over a 1400 square foot space, serving up a new and improved menu of freshly-fried chicken in a variety of flavours, shakes and side.
The chicken shop will have space for around 40 diners at a time, and will create 35 new local jobs.
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Sides has also amassed a massive social media following and now boasts engagement 40 times greater than its closest competitors.
The Sidemen themselves have more than 130 million combined subscribers, plus even more followers across their other social media channels.
Robin Mehta, Sides CEO, said of the new opening: “Manchester has been a location we have wanted to come to for a while now so we are delighted to welcome the city to the Sides community. We like to say that people will come for the hype, but come back for the food, and we feel as if this will be no different at the Arndale branch.
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“If you think this brand is only about the Sidemen, you should get down and try the delicious, new and improved menu of freshly cooked, double coated crispy chicken, waffle fries, shakes and side dishes.
“Everyone at Sides is delighted with the growth of the company and we can’t wait to start serving up our flavourful fried chicken to the people of Manchester.”
Sides at Manchester Arndale will open its doors on Saturday 25 November at 11am.
Inside Manchester’s new padel club with a Pot Kettle Black cafe and courtside cocktail bar
Daisy Jackson
Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the world, and it’s really picking up speed in Manchester now too with another city centre club opening this month.
The Pollen Club is a little different to the others, in that it’s fully undercover and protected from Manchester’s less-than-favourable weather.
And another thing that makes it a must-visit is the cafe attached to it – a third site for the beloved Pot Kettle Black.
The Pollen Club and Pot Kettle Black have both taken over a prominent city centre spot just off Deansgate, at the foot of the recently-opened Treehouse Hotel.
There are two state-of-the-art padel courts inside, with a mezzanine terrace for enjoy Pot Kettle Black’s offerings.
In summer, there are plans to launch a bar downstairs too, where you can sip spritzes courtside from loungers and swing seats.
The exciting new Manchester padel club will host pop up events, DJ takeovers and an extended evening food offering.
Pot Kettle Black are part of the new padel clubInside Manchester’s new padel club, The Pollen ClubPot Kettle Black are part of the new padel club
And even if you’re not heading inside The Pollen Club, Pot Kettle Black has a grab-and-go hatch facing onto Blackfriars Street, making their delicious coffees, sandwiches and pastries (from their own bakery Half Dozen Other) even more accessible.
Commenting on the opening of the new site, Pot Kettle Black co-owner, Mark Flanagan said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have opened our third Pot Kettle Black site at The Padel Club. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team.
“After ten years in the city we’ve been enjoying seeing some familiar faces stopping by for a coffee and we can’t wait to get started on our programme of summer events!”
Insomnia Cookies is giving away FREE cookies to anyone with these two names
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s late-night sweet treat spot Insomnia Cookies is dishing out freebies this week… but there’s a catch.
You have to be called one of two specific names to get one.
With the long bank holiday weekend upon us, those in-the-know will also have noticed that this Sunday isn’t just Easter Sunday, it also happens to be 4/20… and that means Insomnia Cookies is back with its ‘blazing’ £4.20 deal, giving you the chance to bag a box of four warm cookies while saving nearly £7 at the same time.
But even better still, if you happen to have either the first or middle name ‘Mary’ or ‘Jane’, then you can also get yourself a warm tasty cookie for free.
To mark both 4/20, and celebrate the launch of its newest strain of mouthwatering cookie, the Mary Jane, anyone called Mary or Jane can pop into either of Insomnia Cookies’ two Manchester city centre sites – Cross Street and University Green – show their valid ID with their name on, and walk alway with a cookie free of charge.
If you want to try the new Mary Jane cookie, then this limited-edition special is made up of a cookies n cream dough base, packed with rainbow sprinkles.
The freebie deal has been running all week, and you have up until 3am on Monday 21 April to take advantage of it.
Customers will be limited to one free cookie per day.
Insomnia Cookies is giving away free cookies to anyone with these two names / Credit: Insomnia Cookies UK
If you aren’t lucky enough to be called one of those two names though, then thankfully you can still make some great savings on a classic four-pack of cookies over the spring bank holiday weekend, and for every four-pack sold, £1 will be donated to Groundwork – a charity helping make Manchester greener for nature and for local people.
“We’re calling for Marys and Janes to join us to live the high life with free cookies all week,” commented Millie Ralston, Head of Marketing at Insomnia Cookies.
Daisy Jackson -
23rd November 2023 
