Eats

Inside Sides, Manchester’s new fried chicken restaurant backed by The Sidemen

The Sidemen's viral fried chicken business is here.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 24th November 2023

Sides, the already-viral chicken shop launched by YouTubers The Sidemen, is ready to open its doors in Manchester.

The restaurant’s rapid expansion started down in London last weekend, with mile-long queues to get a taste of its double-coated crispy fried chicken.

Then The Sidemen were asked to stay away from their own Sides launch in Merry Hill, with the local council fearing they’d attract a 10,000-strong crowd.

But now their first Manchester Sides chicken shop is ready to open, taking up a unit within the Manchester Arndale.

Sides is joining the collection of food and drink outlets in Halle Place, where their neighbours will include Barburrito, Archie’s and PizzaLuxe.

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The menu is centred around double coated Nashville tenders, which are tossed 120 times (no more, no less) and if you’re into your wings their seven signature sauces are the perfect addition.

Chicken burgers at Sides in Manchester
Chicken burgers at Sides in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Chicken tenders at Sides in Manchester
Chicken tenders at Sides in Manchester
Chicken and waffles
Chicken and waffles

Sides has also teased that a special guest may be taking a break from streaming to serve up a treat on launch day, but our lips are sealed on that front…

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We’ve had a nosey around Sides today and found a futuristic space, with black and white tiles and neon blue signs.

On the side of your chicken tenders you can grab dips including buttermilk ranch, classic BBQ, and chipotle (or you can dunk it in your milkshake if you’re that way inclined… see our video below)

Prices are reasonable too – portions of classic chicken tenders start from £3.49, or £5.49 for loaded or Nashville tenders.

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Wings range from £2.49 to £12.99, burgers are between £7.99 and £8.49, and chicken and waffles costs £8.99.

Then there are sides including waffle fries, mac n cheese bites, BBQ beans, chilli poppers, and halloumi sticks, all £3.99.

Sides will officially open its doors in the Manchester Arndale on Saturday 25 November.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Manchester’s smash burger and ice cream legends Big Licks launch huge crowdfunding effort

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Big Licks, the Manchester restaurant that’s found the ‘sweet spot’ between amazing burgers and delicious desserts, is sailing through a huge crowdfunding campaign. 

The restaurant, which has an eye-catching location down on Liverpool Road as well as two sites in Scotland, has already raised a whopping £135,000 for its expansion dreams. 

It’s now pushing to hit £150,000 so that it can open new restaurants and franchises across the UK. 

Big Licks was first launched by two teenagers in 2009 as a takeaway – it’s now gone on to be a rapidly expanding name bringing in £3m in sales and more than 400,000 customers in the last 12 months alone. 

On their menu you’ll find incredible smash burgers (with up to four patties in each bun) made with free-range grass-fed beef that they source directly from farm, or buttermilk chicken topped with their signature ranch sauce. 

There’s also an impressive menu of house-churned ice cream made with quality local ingredients, and cakes, cheesecakes and brownies all baked in house daily. 

All that is alongside fried chicken, loaded fries, and other mouth-watering sides. 

Manchester’s smash burger and ice cream legends Big Licks launch huge crowdfunding effort
Manchester’s smash burger and ice cream legends Big Licks launch huge crowdfunding effort

Next on the agenda for Big Licks is expansion across the country, offering up the chance to become a shareholder in this bright young business. 

They want to use the money raised to prepare the business for franchising, with a target to open 18 restaurants by 2027.

Then any extra money raised will be used to open more company-owned restaurants.

And there are rewards on offer for those who choose to invest in Big Licks. 

If you invest £100, you’ll get a Big Licks White Card which gets you 10% off in store, as well as owning a share of the business. 

Then the rewards continue with other things like free burgers and shakes all the way to merch and much bigger discounts. 

Co-founder Anees Ahmed said: “It is clear that the potential is great.”

He added: “We believe one of the key ingredients to a successful restaurant is creating a hangout spot, a vibe. That will always be our aim when you come to Big Licks.”

The businessman then said: “We won’t compromise on quality. We will always keep sourcing within head office. This means we keep producing our own ice cream using locally sourced organic milk and the finest Italian flavours.

“We’ve found that sweet spot. The combination of sweet desserts and smashing burgers that opens up audience’s doors, covering off every craving. 

“We want you to be part of the journey and become a shareholder in Big Licks.” 

You can find out more about the Big Licks crowdfunder through Crowdcube here. 

Big Licks Crowdcube from Big Licks on Vimeo.

*Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. 

Eats

Electrik Bar in Chorlton is giving away 100 FREE frankfurters to celebrate their latest kitchen collab

Danny Jones Danny Jones Electrik Bar in Chorlton giving away 100 free frankfurters hot dogs

We all love a freebie, so we thought we’d spread the good word of the scran lords by letting you know that Electrik over in Chorlton is giving away 100 free frankfurters to celebrate their newest menu takeover.

The popular neighbourhood bar and kitchen on Wilbraham Road in the South Manchester suburb has had a couple of different foodie collaborations over the past couple of years, with local residents Paramogeddon and Four Side Vegan Pizza being the most recent, but now they’re doing hot dogs.

Welcoming their latest vendors Tisch Und Teller, Electrik will be giving away a total of 100 free frankfurters to the first century of people there this evening.

Guess we’re taking a trip to Chorlton for tea.

Bringing a taste of Berlin, Bavaria, Frankfurt and more (with a Manc twist, of course) to the popular pub for the Thursday launch party, all you need to do is order a drink upon arrival to get your hands on a free frankfurter sandwiched between a lovely fluffy roll.

Who doesn’t love a hot dog? Especially when they’re giving them away.

As for Tisch Und Teller (TuT), they’ve been serving up German-inspired favourites from the likes of The Shakespeare in Manchester city centre and Nip and Tipple in Whalley Range since September last year, including some very impressive brunches and Sunday roasts.

But the brand just keeps gaining more traction and now they’re setting up shop in Electrik, we’re sure the word will continue to spread – and fast.

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Better still, as advertised on the promo poster, not only will TuT now be serving up their delicious food from Electrik every Thursday-Sunday for the foreseeable but the launch party will also live music by local legend and DJing veteran, Abigail Ward of Ghost Assembly.

Free food, pints and top tunes – what more could you ask for on a random weeknight?

The offer will be available from 6pm tonight and, once again, you have to be among the first 100 people to buy a pint to be eligible for a free frankfurter.

Race you there.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Electrik/Tisch Und Teller

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