With everyone seemingly getting pinged to isolate by track and trace right now, it’s hard to keep on top of who’s open and who’s been forced to close again.
That said, we can pretty much assure you that all of these venues are raring to go this week and well worth a visit.
Notably, it seems like fried chicken is having a bit of a moment again – not that it ever went out of fashion (we all love good fried chicken, let’s be honest).
Chorlton welcomes a new spot called ZaxxFried opposite Morrison’s – run by a chap who’s reportedly spent his whole life watching his dad perfect the trade in Liverpool.
And in town, city centre favourite Kong’s Chicken Shop continues the hype from its new home on the waterside at KAMPUS (more on that later).
ADVERTISEMENT
MIF’s Festival Square has arrived in Cathedral Gardens with a huge roster of street food treats / Video: Eat Well MCR
Elsewhere, in non-chicken related news, down at Cathedral Gardens Manchester International Festival is now in full swing, with a host of street food traders in tow.
Working in partnership with Eat Well MCR, some of the region’s finest chefs are appearing here over the next fortnight – with the likes of Eddie Shepherd, Lorcán Kan (Things Palace / formerly WTLGI) and Joseph Otway (Higher Ground) all popping up with various delights.
ADVERTISEMENT
There’s also a new vegan spot to be discovered here, too.
Keep reading to discover more on that, as well as our other top picks for the week, below.
10p from every brew sold at Kim’s Kitchen goes to Venture Arts, a local charity helping people with learning disabilities reach their full potential through visual arts and culture / Image: Kim’s Kitchen
Proper Curry Goat at a real Hulme institution
Formerly known as Kim By The Sea, the newly revamped and rebranded Kim’s Kitchen is a must – whether you’re from Hulme or not.
ADVERTISEMENT
A real love letter to its residents and neighbouring community, the food here is a mix of pub grub, proper northern dishes and more exotic global flavours like curry goat which reflect the area’s cultural diversity.
Look up to spot the artistic soundproofing on its ceiling, designed to resemble a birds-eye view of the old Hulme Crescents, and stay for the event programming – which draws in local artists from neighbouring arts hub NIAMOS for a mix of musical and spoken word entertainment.
Kim’s Kitchen is open now. Find it at 49 Old Birley St, Hulme, M15 5RF.
One of the treats on offer from new spot Stellar vegan, available at MIF’s Festival Square / Image: Eatmcr
A new vegan pop-up at MIF’s Festival Square
Plant-based chef Dan Hope (of Firebird Hope) and Laura Oates are popping up at MIF with a new vegan offering called Stellar.
Founded by fellow chef Jason Andrew Wood, the new plant-based pop-up will be on Cathedral Gardens serving barbacoa sandwiches, falafel and mushroom burgers for just £8 – plus yuba sandos and fried tofu burgers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Find Stellar Vegan at MIF’s Festival Square on Cathedral Gardens until July 18.
New opening The Firehouse will feature a ‘wall of wine’ and wood-fired small plates / Image: Ramona
Detroit pizza in a former Warehouse depot
The team behind Detroit pizza spot Ramona is currently on track to complete the renovation of a former warehouse depot next door.
They’ll be moving their famed slices into the new unit this Thursday, ahead of planned second opening The Firehouse later this month – which will focus on wood-fired small plates and wild spirits like mezcal and cachaça.
The MOT station opens this Thursday 8 July – bookings being taken now via Ramona.
Kong’s ultimate chicken sandwich is served on a potato brioche with chipotle slaw, Kong’s chunky burger sauce, iceberg, pickles and a game-changing layer of crispy chicken skin crackling / Image: The Manc Eats
The fittest chicken sandwiches to grace the streets of Manchester
These hench chicken sandwiches from Kong’s Chicken Shop are the brainchild of CBRB bar manager Tom Potts and include an extra game-changing layer of fried chicken skin, or chicken ‘crackling’.
ADVERTISEMENT
Using chicken thigh for the ultimate sandwich, this is brined for three hours, rolled in a secret spice mix then double-dredged for a crispier texture.
Kong’s also does wings, available dry or wet, and tater tots – all perfect to help keep you going as you work your way through the craft beers, natural wines and cocktails available at KAMPUS as part of Common’s (A Kind Of) Summer Beer Thing.
Find Kong’s Chicken Shop at KAMPUS as part of (A Kind Of) Summer Beer Thing until 1st August.
Viral chicken shop Wingstop is opening inside the Manchester Arndale
Daisy Jackson
Wingstop, the chicken shop famed for its vast range of wing flavours and sauces, is opening another spot in Manchester city centre.
The brand will be taking over the old Yo Sushi site in the Manchester Arndale, which shut down just last month.
It’ll mean there’ll be two Wingstop locations within a few minutes’ walk of each other, with another takeaway already well-established on Piccadilly Gardens.
Wingstop UKI has found viral fame with people taste-testing its wide range of hand-sauced chicken wing flavours, ranging from garlic parmesan all the way up to the eye-watering ‘Atomic’.
As well as chicken wings, it serves delicious tenders and burgers, all cooked to order.
There are also a range of sides, including loaded fries, sweet potato fries, and cajun fried corn, plus dips like ranch, honey mustard, and blue cheese.
Wingstop is also famed for its thick milkshakes – which are a necessity if you order your chicken down the spicier end of the scale.
Established in Texas in 1994, Wingstop rose rapidly to become one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the US.
The brand launched in the UK market in 2018, and into Ireland last year, and now operates more than 85 locations.
Wingstop is opening in Manchester Arndale
Wingstop will be moving into the 5,928 sq ft unit upstairs in Manchester Arndale, just opposite Next.
Scott Linard, Portfolio Manager for M&G Real Estate, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Wingstop to our vibrant F&B offer; an addition we’re sure will resonate with our younger visitors.
“With the additions of popular restaurant chains like Wingstop, coupled with the arrival of new retailers such as Arc’teryx, Alo Yoga, Pro:Direct and Sephora, we are strategically creating a destination where people across the North West and beyond want to spend their time.”
Steve Gray, Head of European Retail Asset Management at Global Mutual, said: “Wingstop will join Manchester Arndale’s varied F&B mix, including Popeyes, Sides, Hotel Chocolat, Joe & The Juice and Café Nero.
“In-demand operators like this help create energy and momentum that allows the brands across the scheme to thrive, driving increased footfall, longer dwell times and a more compelling offer for visitors.”
The best cheese tasting party in the North is BACK at a new Manchester venue
Danny Jones
That’s right, one of the biggest and best cheese tasting nights in the entire land is returning to Greater Manchester at a brand new city centre venue.
Not to be over-the-top, but this isn’t just another experience sampling possibly the greatest foodstuff on Earth, it’s a fully-fledged cheese-lovers’ party.
Some of you may have come across Homage2Fromage before, but for anyone unaware of the Yorkshire-born event, it started out as a monthly cheese tasting club and went on to expand across the dairy-adoring North at large.
Relaunching here in Manchester for 2026, all you lactose-intolerant people better watch, because Home2Fromage is coming back with a vengeance and heading to the Northern Quarter. Here’s how it went down the last time we visited one in Leeds:
Leeds, Sheffield, Harrogate, Manchester and who knows where else next.
Posting up in a relatively recent addition to NQ‘s bar and restaurant scene, The Faraday – a pub on Lever St that replaces the old Seven Sins back in October – it looks set to be an ideal venue for the regular evening series.
Homage2Fromage will be making its Manc return this month, and better still, they’re holding a cheeky little giveaway to sweeten the pot.
As in the deal, we mean – not the inevitable bowls full of olives, chutney, oil and various other dips…
To welcome this celebration of all things cheese coming back to Manchester city centre, they’re giving away a bunch of free tickets: 20 pairs in total.
Worth over £50 a piece for each twin set of tickets, you’d be a fool not to at least throw your hat in the ring for this one.
As you can see, the competition closes this Thursday, 19 February, ahead of the full relaunch party next week (Wed, 25 Feb), and all you have to do to enter is fill out this super quick survey.
It really is as simple as that; a few quick words are all that stand between you and a potential mountain of cheese and more.
You can find all you need to know about the event right HERE, and in case you haven’t popped into The Faraday just yet, see more down below.
It’s still somewhat early days, but we can see ourselves spending a fair bit of time in this up-and-coming Manchester watering hole, especially when there’s cheese nights involved.
Georgina Pellant -
5th July 2021 
