For years and years, you could barely move at the Manchester Christmas Markets for swing grills filled with bratwurst and bars selling gluhwein, but the festive event’s food scene has changed somewhat of late.
As time has gone on, the markets have started to show off a lot more local talent, and now you can buy everything from dumplings to croissants to Brazilian stews to patatas bravas here.
It’s exactly what people have been calling for for years, with Mancs always complaining that the Christmas Markets were too repetitive or slamming ‘overpriced hot dogs’.
But last year, the council did exactly what people asked for and curated a more diverse list of traders, then got pelted with negative reviews for it. They can’t win…
Now it’s on to the more traditional fare. Here’s where you can still find a taste of a classic German Christmas market here in Manchester, along with prices…
The best traditional food at Manchester Christmas Markets 2023
Yorkshire pudding wrap
Yorkshire Pudding Wraps are always sell-out successes at the Christmas MarketsYorkshire Pudding Wraps are always sell-out successes at the Christmas Markets
It looks like the viral crazy of the Yorkshire pudding wrap is here to stay. Far from being a one-year wonder, the stalls selling these incredibly British concoctions are consistently the busiest at the markets every year.
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It’s basically a carvery dinner but instead of a plate you get a giant Yorkshire pudding.
Porky Pig are the most famous by far but there’s another stall selling the same in Cathedral Gardens.
Price: £8.50 from Porky Pig
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Bratwurst
A classic bratwurst at the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc GroupA classic bratwurst at the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc Group
It’s a uniquely Christmassy experience to accidentally make eye contact with someone while sinking your teeth into a bratwurst.
And while the swing grills that used to dominate the markets are dying out, you’ll still find yourself a sausage at most sites around town.
The classic is the one from the Witch House, home of the giant sausage statue, on New Cathedral Street, where you can also get a great warming currywurst.
There’s even a stall this year selling vegan bratwursts so plant-based elves can still enjoy a treat.
Price: £7.50 from The Witch House (£8 on Exchange Square, £7 on St Ann’s Square)
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Garlic potatoes
Garlic potatoes with mustard chickenGarlic potatoes with mustard chicken
You’ll smell them coming before you see them, and based on the queues every single lunchtime, the garlic potatoes are a fan favourite still.
It’s hard to imagine the markets without this stand on King Street, where absolutely massive pans of traditional French winter warmers are cooked up all day long.
You can go for garlic mushrooms, mustard chicken, or provencale chicken, served with either rice or garlic potatoes.
The potatoes are the correct choice…
Price: Mustard chicken with garlic potatoes, £7.50 for regular or £9.50 for large
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Hog roast
Hog roast sandwich with apple sauceHog roast sandwich with apple sauce
Is there a greater, more nostalgic butty than a hog roast roll, dripping in apple sauce? Nah, don’t think so.
The Pig & Barrel at the Winter Gardens (aka Piccadilly Gardens) keeps it simple, as it should be, and although it’s a little on the expensive side it’s a seriously filling lunch.
As traditional Christmas Markets food goes, this is up there.
Price, £9
Gluhwein
Gluhwein, or mulled wine, at the Manchester Christmas Markets 2023. Gluhwein, or mulled wine, at the Manchester Christmas Markets 2023.
Wasn’t sure anyone actually liked mulled wine in all seriousness, but judging by the number of navy blue Nutcracker mugs getting about town, warm spicy wine is still the drink of winter.
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You don’t have to look far to find yourself a mulled wine at the Manchester Christmas Markets – most bars are selling some variation of gluhwein, mulled cider, or hot toddy.
Nothing screams Christmas quite like a face full of clove-scented steam, does it?
Price: The cheapest is £5 from the Apres Ski Bar at Winter Gardens – most others £5.50 or £6
Dutch mini pancakes
Is it the satisfying way these tiny sweet treats are flipped over in their special pan, is it the way they blow icing sugar up your nose as you eat them, is it that one bite transports you straight to a snowy mountain?
Whatever it is that wins us all over with a good mini pancake (Poffertjes, to give them their proper name), we’re glad to see them back for another year.
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The best stall is over on New Cathedral Street, where pancakes start from £5 but go up in price as you add toppings.
The purpose of this happy hour spotting app has definitely been a topic of discussion between friends while over a few drinks on a night out, and now this idea has been brought to life.
Titled ‘Hoppy’, the all-new app shows you all the best happy hours in Manchester, even going as far as planning nights out for you and telling you what times each venue is hosting their exclusive offers.
Crazy Pedro’s are just one of the bars featured on this Happy Hour app.Trof is another venue that has a happy hour offering and has made its way onto the app.
Whether you’re after £6 margs at Ramona, two for one cocktails at Rewind or £4 draught pints and cider over at Arcane Bar, this app spells everything out for you plain and simple.
They even go as far as using their social media accounts to plan nights out in Manchester to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.
In a post on their Instagram, they plan out the ultimate Tuesday night in the Northern Quarter, making the most of the various happy hours in the neighbourhood.
The happy hour app stops off at multiple pubs and bars, including frequently visited watering holes like Wolf at the Door, Trof, Bay Horse Tavern and Smithfield Social, before ending the night at Crazy Pedro’s.
Sounds like all the ingredients for the perfect crawl, if you ask us.
Revolución de Cuba, has a huge marg menu, is another drinks spot on Hoppy.Mother Mary’s serves some seriously good Guinness alongside some savvy savings too.
Go on, tell us looking at those hasn’t made you thirsty…
Next time you go out for drinks, why not download this happy hour spotting app along for the ride with you, and you won’t only thank yourself but your bank account will too.
‘Hoppy’ is available on the App Store now for everyone to make the most of their next night out and make finding the best happy hours in Manchester even easier HERE.
See you at the pub – provided happy hour is still on, of course.
Manchester pub named among the very best beer gardens in the UK
Danny Jones
A Manchester favourite has just been named among the best beer gardens in the UK for 2025, and we couldn’t agree more, to be honest.
If anything, it should be even higher up.
We’re talking about the crown jewel of Castlefield, The Wharf, sitting pretty on the Bridgewater Canal and serving pints and superb pub grub for over a decade now.
A fair few of us here at The Manc spend a good chunk of our free time in here, so let’s just say we wholeheartedly approve this message.
If you know anything about the history of The Wharf, you’ll know it wasn’t always the gem Mancs have been piling into since 2012; formerly carrying the Jackson’s prefix in its name, the beloved canalside boozer has changed a fair bit since then, incorporating brilliant gastropub, excellent service and more.
These days, it even has a dedicated outdoor bar and cocktail hatch dubbed ‘The Moorings’, which garners massive queues all of its own when the sun comes out.
So it’s not much of a surprise then to hear that the family and dog-friendly watering hole located just outside the bustling city centre landed itself in the top five beer gardens in the UK
This is according to Big 7 Travel, who placed The Wharf fifth best out of a total of 30 different brilliant boozers across Britain – the only local entry to break into even the top 10.
As they put it: “Another example of how beer gardens don’t have to be confined to rural country pubs, The Wharf in Manchester shows that despite its city centre location, a beer garden can still be the selling point of the pub for numerous guests.”
In fact, while the inside of the pub with its cosy alcoves and small rooms is excellent, it’s the outdoor parts which really make this worth visiting. From its bustling outdoor terrace, vibrant outdoor areas which sometimes feature live music performances in the summer, right down to its own boules court, this pub in the Castlefield area of Manchester is a must-visit when you next find yourself in the city centre.”
As it happens, there were only two other local entries included on the list: Spinningfields’ The Oast House, which came in at number 11, and The Wharf’s neighbour on the other side of the canal, Dukes 92. Deansgate-Castlefield representing.
Trust us, we spend a lot of time studying this, although it has been made rather easier by this helpful new app. You can find out more down below, and as you can see, The Wharf is front and centre once again. How fitting, eh?
What’s your favourite beer garden in Greater Manchester?
Daisy Jackson -
26th November 2023 
