A new street food offering has opened in Manchester, serving some of the city’s most outrageous loaded fries and hot dogs.
Diamond Dogs is hidden away in the courtyard of Green Arches – itself a hidden taproom – situated inside a graffiti-covered van.
There’s a surprisingly lengthy menu for a business who have carved a niche out of the humble hot dog, with various toppings, sides and fries on offer.
One of the biggest selling points is that every hot dog on the menu can be made totally vegan, from the classic Porky New Yorky to the fancier offerings.
So what exactly can you expect from Diamond Dogs?
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How do deep-fried black pudding bits, drizzled in curry ketchup and a dusting of curry powder, sound?
Das Deutsch – venison and pork bratwurst, sauerkraut, sweet German mustard and pretzels. Credit: The Manc GroupCurried black pudding bites. Credit: The Manc GroupCurrywurst from Diamond Dogs. Credit: The Manc Group
What about piping hot fries glued together with a double cheese blend, topped with crispy onions, blitzed beans, salsa, and chilli hot sauce?
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Or you could take it full Berlin street food-style, with proper currywurst and sauerkraut piled on top of skin-on fries.
Diamond Dogs have gone to the effort of making almost all the sauces on the menu from scratch, leading to one of the best dip-and-drizzle experiences in the city.
There’s the Pineapple Power hot sauce, which is slathered on the Shaka Aloha hot dog – a particular sandwich so messy, they have to serve it tightly-wrapped in foil to stop cheese running down your arms. Fans of a Hawaiian pizza will want to order this one.
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Fire fries at Diamond Dogs. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Green Arches. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Diamond Dogs van. Credit: The Manc Group
Another house sauce star is the House Kebabby Tomatah sauce, usually found drizzled over a lamb and beef kofta hot dog with fresh salsa.
On the side of every hot dog you’ll find a little pot of accessories, from salted pretzels to pork scratchings to pickles.
Diamond Dogs has parked itself proudly behind Green Arches, a relatively new addition to the city’s brilliant craft brewery and taproom scene.
The brewery taproom itself is nearly placed beneath one of the railway arches of the Green Quarter, and takes its green credentials seriously – the bar is almost entirely decorated in white and wood, but is covered in plants.
There are potted plants that are taller than most people and vines crawling up the curved walls.
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The green-tiled bar serves a brilliant range of flagship ales.
Diamond Dogs is open from 5.30pm to 9pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and until 10pm on Fridays. On the weekends it opens at 10.30am, closing at 10pm on Saturdays and 6pm on Sundays.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Eats
Manchester dessert hatch receives two-star review for ‘smiling too much’
Daisy Jackson
A dessert hatch in Manchester city centre has spoken out after receiving a two-star review – in which the main criticism was that they ‘smiled too much’.
Layr, a tiny tiramisu spot in Ancoats, has publicly addressed the review, which said the staff’s friendliness was ‘almost creepy’.
The reviewer wrote: “Came today, had alright tiramisu but the staff were smiling too much it was almost creepy. Also felt interrogated, just wanted to get my tiramisu and leave, don’t think ill be back.”
Layr – which was also the victim of ‘hostile hate messages’ earlier this year – has now shared a response to the new two-star review.
They’ve said that while they will always take feedback on board, they refuse to change ‘the warmth & smiles you’re greeted with’.
Layr posted: “We absolutely recognise, and know that every customer experience matters. We never want anyone to feel uncomfortable visiting us, and always take every bit of feedback on board.
“Smiling is just who we are. Layr was built to feel warm, welcoming, and to be a memorable part of your day, week or month. We all need that little pick-me-up no matter what.
“Our amazing team all work incredibly hard, GENUINELY enjoy meeting so many of you and hearing about your day.
“If being too friendly gets us two stars, we can live with that.
“We’ll always choose warmth, no matter what. Great tiramisu matters, so does good people and amazing energy.
“A message to our team. Please don’t stop smiling. Ever.”
Huge beer hall in ‘up-and-coming’ Manchester neighbourhood announces shock closure after two years
Daisy Jackson
A huge beer hall and rotisserie chicken restaurant that opened just two years ago in Manchester has announced its shock closure.
Trading Route was a joint venture between some of the city’s most established hospitality figures, including Trof, Manchester Union, and Wandering Palate.
The brilliant local business has described how difficult it has been to operate as the only independent business in St John’s, ‘an area that is still described as ‘up-and-coming”.
They said that not enough footfall has not come to the area to support what they were building, which – combined with rising costs in the industry – has made it too difficult to continue operating.
They added: “We’re proud of what we created at Trading Route and incredibly grateful to our customers and everyone who supported us over the past two years.
“To our team, we’re deeply sorry we couldn’t make it work for you. The friendships made over the past two years mean so much to us, and knowing the impact this closure has on you is especially hard.”
They then urged people to sign the petition to reduce VAT for hospitality, saying it could help to save your favourite places.
The Trading Route in Manchester has closed with immediate effectThe bar served great local beers and rotisserie chicken
Trading Route will close in Manchester with immediate effect.
Their full statement reads: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Trading Route with immediate effect.
“Rising costs and stagnant footfall have made the business increasingly difficult to sustain, with trading conditions particularly challenging over the previous three months.
“We spent our first 12 months operating amid ongoing construction in an area that is still described as “up-and-coming”. As the only independent business in the area, we needed footfall to grow to support what we were building. Unfortunately, that growth hasn’t materialised quickly enough.
“We’re proud of what we created at Trading Route and incredibly grateful to our customers and everyone who supported us over the past two years.
“To our team, we’re deeply sorry we couldn’t make it work for you. The friendships made over the past two years mean so much to us, and knowing the impact this closure has on you is especially hard.
“It’s too late for us, but you could help save your favourite places by signing the petition to reduce VAT for hospitality to 10%. Independent bars, restaurants and pubs need your support to keep their doors open.
Daisy Jackson -
17th February 2023 
