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 Cut and Craft are hosting a bottomless Boxing Day brunch this year
Danny Jones
This holiday season, The Cut and Craft are hosting an extra lavish take on their usual bottomless brunch on Boxing Day.
Suddenly, we’re looking forward to 26 December maybe even more than our mam’s Christmas dinner…
Yes, the much-loved steak and seafood restaurant is already well-known for one of the best bottomless brunches in Manchester, not to mention evening meals, but they always elevate things even further over the festive period.
Promising top ingredients, the best booze labels you could ask for, as well as stunning service in an even more stunning room, you can’t go wrong if you’re looking to make the most of your toasts this Boxing Day – and don’t worry, vegetarians: there are some great options for you, too.
Typically held over a long weekend, The Cut and Craft bank holiday bottomless brunch will be held for the last time this year on the final Friday of 2025. You couldn’t ask for more perfect timing than that.
The group have transformed the beautiful room in the heart of the city into what they’ve dubbed “a scene straight out of Miracle on 34th Street.
Adorned with grand wreaths, the reliable warmth of twinkling fairy lights, stockings hanging in front of the fire in ‘The Gossip Room’, plus Santa guarding the wine cellar, the only thing more inviting than the space is the menu.
Besides the usual 90 minutes of non-stop Moët & Chandon champagne, as well as DJs, live entertainment and dancers, the food offerings include flat iron steak and chips served on a hot stone with a grilled tomato and signature salt.
If you prefer something to steer away from the red meat/have already had plenty over Christmas, you can go for grilled seabass with Duchess potatoes, gremolata, hazelnut and cauliflower sauce, OR opt for the halloumi fajitas packed with roasted peppers and onions, guacamole, salsa and chive sour cream.
You can even load these up even further with the addition of free-range British chicken breast, rump steak (if you change your mind on the day), and even king prawns.
We’re almost drooling just thinking about all this – as are our mates from The Hoot after confirming the same promotion is available at their equally gorgeous sites over in Leeds.
Veggie options are Cut & Craft’s ‘Redefine Flank Steak & Chips’ (tender flank-style cut of plant-based steak), or spicy cauliflower wings, served with broad beans, English garden peas, buckwheat, baby gem, baby spinach, broccoli couscous, toasted cashews, pistachio crumb, and maple-mustard dressing.
Once again, all of this can be tweaked here and there by the exceptional waiting staff; for instance, if you’d rather wine than champers, you can always swap the bubbly for Whispering Angel Rosé, which will be served straight from their limitless fountain.
Guests who fancy visiting Cut and Craft for Boxing Day 2025 can choose between a bar table with unlimited Whispering Angel drinks only from just £55, or go all out with a restaurant table and a dish from the set brunch menu starting from £75.
The full Moët fizz upgrade package will set you back £100, if you’re really looking to indulge yourself this year, and who could blame you? It’s a long, old winter, after all.
If you’re interested in securing your seat at 38-42 Mosley St, bookings are available from 1pm onwards, and you can reserve your table right HERE.
Three Manchester pubs are officially serving some of the best Guinness in the UK
Daisy Jackson
Guinness has released the first edition of its Harp Guide, which has highlighted the best pubs around the UK to grab a pint of the black stuff – and three are here in Manchester.
The iconic Irish brewery has singled out just 35 British pubs that are serving worthy pints of Guinness stout.
Of the three in Manchester that made the list, one is a legendary Irish pub in the city centre, while the other two are neighbours out in the suburbs.
Up first is – unsurprisingly – Mulligans of Deansgate, an authentic Irish pub in the heart of Manchester city centre that’s been a popular watering hole for Mancs for more than a century, selling more than 13,000 pints a week.
The pub expanded last year and now has two spaces – its traditional, den-like ground floor, and its much larger live music space with vaulted ceilings upstairs.
Pádraig Brady, owner of Mulligans, said: “Being recognised in the inaugural Guinness Harp Guide is a real privilege.
“It’s no secret that every pub gets the same kegs of Guinness delivered, but what makes the difference is everything that happens after that.
“The right equipment, correct cellar procedures and conditions, staff who know how to pour it perfectly, the atmosphere, the daily live music – it all matters. We’ve always focused on doing things consistently, and being the sole Manchester city centre pub in the guide is testament to that consistency.”
Mulligans in Manchester is in the Guinness Harp Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
Next in the Harp Guide is Kennedy’s in Didsbury, a pub which has only been open since August following the success of its original location in Altrincham.
The pub recently welcomed Yard & Coop into its kitchens too, so you can get a traditional Irish spice bag with your Guinness.
Kennedy’s said: “We are super excited to announce that we, amongst 34 other bars across GB, have been selected for the Offical Guinness Harp Guide 2026.
“Not only is this an exceptional achievement within the Guinness community, but it’s an accolade that represents everything we work towards here at Kennedy’s Irish Bar.
“The Guinness Harp Guide celebrates those few bars that capture the warmth, character, and vibrancy that makes enjoying a Guinness so special, and of course, those that serve beautiful Guinness’.”
Completing the list is The Station pub, also in Didsbury, a cosy local favourite and key stop on the legendary Didsbury Dozen pub crawl.
This popular Irish pub has sports, live music three nights a week and a serious love of Guinness – and now it’s officially one of Britain’s best spots to drink it.
These are officially the spots to head if you’re a discerning Guinness fan.
Daisy Jackson -
26th November 2023 
