Eats

The Egyptian Room – Greater Manchester’s grandest new food hall has just opened in Oldham

The old town hall has been transformed.

Daisy Jackson - 6th November 2024

One of Greater Manchester’s grandest spaces has been reborn as a food hall and bar, with six traders inside.

This part of Oldham’s Old Town Hall, now with an ultra-modern new extension standing alongside its historic porticoed frontage, is now home to the 150-capacity space.

The old Egyptian Room’s original features, like its beautiful ceramic tiled walls and pillars, and its arched windows, have been perfectly preserved.

And now there are green leather booths and large tables sprawled around the space too.

The new food hall, The Egyptian Room, has traders serving everything from pizza and pasta to noodles and gyros.

Ply Pizza are here serving heaped bowls of pasta, including beef shin parpadelle and carbonara, plus their signature pizzas like the pistachio pesto topped with a gooey burrata.

TukTuk has a menu full of Cambodian goodness like light bite street food items, sharing platters, spicy noodles and stir fries.

TukTuk Cambodian food at The Egyptian Room. Credit: The Manc Group

Seacoles is a new name, a Caribbean trader serving tacos and ‘splits’ (which are fried dumplings stuffed with fillings like Cajun spiced stripped beef steak and jerk chicken), and huge plates of curry and rice and peas.

Then there’s The Last Stop, with smash burgers, gyros and loaded fries, and Wings of Power, where there are crispy-coated wings, tenders and burgers.

Arooj Shah, leader of Oldham Council, said: “The old town hall, what The Egyptian Room is part of and this whole complex here, was a really derelict, unloved building.

Pizzas by Ply at The Egyptian Room. Credit: The Manc Group

Seacoles Caribbean food at The Egyptian Room. Credit: The Manc Group — Pizzas by Ply at The Egyptian Room. Credit: The Manc Group

“Jim [McMahon MP] had a vision for this whole building and the one thing Jim and I do share is our passion for Oldham’s heritage buildings and he had a vision to make use of something that was unloved and derelict for a long time.

“The importance of that was not just the history and the contribution of what happened in these buildings before us but actually as a nod to say that even in the most difficult of times, because it’s been hard the last 14 years, it’s a nod to say how much we value our residents.

“How even in the most difficult times, this inspiration and the ambition of our partners is a nod to every single one of our residents and communities, no matter who you are or what your upbringing is.”

The Egyptian Room is open now in Oldham town centre.

Featured image: The Manc Group