The Manchester Christmas Markets are back for 2025, filling the streets with food stalls, festive bars, and all manner of market stalls selling gifts.
There’s loads of new stuff to explore this year, including the markets’ return to Albert Square for the first time in years.
And our first port of call – as usual – has been to suss out this year’s food and drink offering, which includes loads of exciting new traders for the season.
We’ve rounded up 10 phenomenal new food and drink traders at this year’s Manchester Christmas Markets – but there are loads of returning favourites worth your time too.
Waffle Kart are back on King Street with their famous Chinese waffle sandwiches (don’t knock it til you’ve tried it, they are DIVINE), Flat Baker have returned to Piccadilly Gardens with their Brazilian-inspired pastries and desserts, and Oi Dumpling are back slinging out handmade dumplings aplenty too.
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So without further ado, here are 10 food and drink traders you need to try at the Manchester Christmas Markets 2025.
Great North Pie Co.
Food trader Great North Pie Co. at the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc Group
Our piggy little food prayers have been answered – you can finally get your hands on proper British pies at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
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Great North Pie Co. have been a staple at the markets for years, but it’s always been with pies you take home to heat for your tea.
For the first time this year they’ve got an actual pie and mash bar, serving their award-winning bakes on a bed of fluffy mashed potato, with lashings of steaming hot onion gravy.
Piccadilly Gardens
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Hong Kong French Toast
Here’s a Manchester Christmas Market food trader we can all raise a toast to (… geddit?).
This new trader is Hong Kong French Toast, and you’ll find them serving adorable little trays of traditional French toast.
Thick, fluffy white bread is layered with fillings like peanut butter, Nutella, and pistachio cream, before being dipped in egg batter and deep-fried.
They’re then topped with things like condensed milk and miniature pats of butter for the ultimate indulgence that’s worth being on the naughty list for.
Rita’s Reign is one of the new food traders at the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc Group
Known for serving the city with hearty and gigantic Afro-Caribbean rice boxes, Rita’s Reign has expanded its reign even further – to the Manchester Christmas Markets food offering.
This beloved local street food favourite now has a festive-themed sister site right in front of the Town Hall, with festive fusion boxes of Jollof rice and homemade purple slaw.
Expect boneless Jerk chicken, curry goat, and vegan bowls, all served with that sunny Rita’s Reign service.
Loaded roast potatoes at Roastie HausAustrian goulash in a bread bowlCredit: The Manc Group
What could be more winter warmer comfort food than a stew (specifically, an Austrian goulash) served in a bowl made out of bread?
The team at Roastie Haus have got that, as well as loaded roast potatoes served with a big tub of gravy alongside.
You can have your spuds loaded with pigs in blankets, stuffing, onion gravy and lingonberry sauce, or with cauliflower and broccoli cheese plus golden breadcrumbs.
Piccadilly Gardens
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Misu Tiramisu
Misu Tiramisu at the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc Group
It’s not often that you come across stop-you-in-your-tracks branding at the Manchester Christmas Markets, but these adorable miniature trays of tiramisu did just that.
Misu Tiramisu is selling nine different flavours of individual Italian puds, from familiar flavours like classic, pistachio, and lemon, to festive editions including gingerbread, black forest, and chocolate orange.
Remember that tiramisu drawer from Onda that went incredibly viral? Imagine a miniature one and this is that stall.
This one kind of does what is says on the tin, and is one of two different loaded hash brown food stalls at this year’s Manchester Christmas Markets.
Look out for this silver Airstream on Albert Square and you’ll find portions of crispy hash browns loaded with all manner of toppings.
There’s the truffle, with crispy onions, truffle mayo and cranberry sauce; a Katsu hash with chicken goujons and curry sauce; and a salt and pepper, to name a few.
Albert Square
Niwa Yakitori
Who’d have thought you’d see the day where you could get an iced matcha at the Manchester Christmas Markets?
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And not just any matcha – matcha from one of the city’s finest Japanese green tea experts.
Niwa Yakitori (who have a cafe in the Northern Quarter that transforms into an intimate Japanese grill restaurant in the evenings) are here at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
As well as ceremonial-grade matcha and hojicha, they’re doing proper yakitori grill skewers too.
Piccadilly Gardens
Gorgeous Cheesecakes
This is Gorgeous Cheesecakes, and if you haven’t guessed it, they’re serving gorgeous cheesecakes.
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This build-your-own pudding bar is brand-new at the Manchester Christmas Markets, but you might recognise them from Selfridges and various other spots around the North West.
Pop over to see Matilda at Piccadilly Gardens and you can pick your base, cheesecake filling and toppings, whether you fancy a pistachio-loaded tub or a pot dripping in Biscoff.
Piccadilly Gardens
Pasta Claus
Pasta, from a cheese wheel, in the middle of Piccadilly Gardens. Whatever next?!
Pasta Claus is an Italian food trader at the Manchester Christmas Markets slinging out carby, cheesy classics like carbonara, cacio e pepe, and a pesto burrata number.
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There’s even thick-cut slices of Lasagne too, with layers of beef ragù, bèchamel sauce and lashings of parm.
Mini French toast
These mini French toasts are part of the new Albert Square Christmas markets in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Once you get over the jarring contrast of a pastel pink Eiffel tower standing in front of the Manchester Town Hall clock tower, you might notice that this stand has a sweet treat worth your attention.
This place is selling miniature boxes of French toast bites, topped with flavour combinations like pistachio and white chocolate, creme Anglaise, and Nutella and strawberry.
Imagine traditional Austrian Kaiserschmarrn (scrambled pancakes) but with a bit more hun.
Albert Square
10 of the best food traders at the Manchester Christmas Markets 2025
Great North Pie Co., Piccadilly Gardens
Hong Kong French Toast, King Street
Rita’s Reign, Albert Square
Roastie Haus, Piccadilly Gardens
Misu Tiramisu, Piccadilly Gardens
Loaded Hash Browns, Albert Square
Niwa Yakitori, Piccadilly Gardens
Gorgeous Cheesecakes, Piccadilly Gardens
Pasta Claus, Piccadilly Gardens
Mini French Toast, Albert Square
Featured image: The Manc Group
Feature
Coffee Rules: The Greek-born cafe that’s gone on to become a beloved Greater Manchester brand
Danny Jones
It’s rare that you find a place in an already saturated food and drink scene like Greater Manchester’s that genuinely comes across like a local community cornerstone, but that’s exactly what we got when we visited Coffee Rules in Salford.
We went for a brew, one of those viral iced coffee we’ve seen on socials, and maybe a nice bite to eat – but we left with much more and the impression that these lot are onto something big.
Opened in Arta back in their home country (also up in the northwest, by the way), they’ve never struggled to get queues out the door, and it’s no different here. This one is run by two siblings, 23-year-old Thomas and his younger brother Marios, 30, who have been smashing it since 2023.
Since launching their growing UK brand in the likes of The Meadows neighbourhood – one of two they have in the city of Salford alone, the other being Swinton – they’ve brought the lines with them. With authentic Greek food and drink like this, it’s not hard to see why.
They’ve now expanded to more than eight sites total, including one still keeping their own local reputation alive over in Athens, and this looks to be just the beginning.
Having not only spread across the ten boroughs but further out into the region with their Liverpool locations as well as a Yorkshire stronghold up in Sheffield, there’s more to come from Coffee Rules, both in terms of premises and their plans to take on the rest of the brunch game and beyond.
Suburban Mancs may have already seen the regular midday and weekend crowds that pack out their Chorlton venue, the Rusholme one is often filled with fresh-faced uni students in need of their caffeine fix, and it’s an increasingly similar story for those based in Bolton.
Or maybe you’re one of the many people based in Manchester city centre, who nip to their quiet, tucked-away corner of Ancoats for a fresh bake or even to have your eye caught by some of their merch with that modern mythological-inspired logo.
Whichever one happens to be closest to you, you’ll have the same satisfying experience, from sipping on speciality coffee and the scran, to the service and all-around atmosphere.
They’re also about to start hosting board game nights over at their Salford site, where they’ll be making the most of their large terrace with plenty of seating, which also has the added bonus of a retracted pergola – perfect for sunny days or simply sheltering from the Manc rain.
One thing we also noticed was just how many locals not only popped in throughout our time there, but the sheer number that had chosen to start their day at this particular spot.
There’s a regular Greek crowd, of course, but there’s also the native Salfordian and those currently residing in and around the up-and-coming area, who were pulling up in the large car park and taking a pew, or even those just looking for quick and top-quality grab-and-go stuff.
In fact, it’s one of the quickest venues we’ve seen fill up that fast in a hot, Med minute.
Speaking of, whether it be one of their superb Spanish lattes, or the equally sweet, sultry and viral ‘Freddo Cappuccino’, or their traditional spanakopita, not to mention their many Mediterranean pastry variations, there’s a big call for pretty much everything on the menu.
We could go on at length in listing what impressed us about just this one Coffee Rules branch, and we’ve made many trips to their Chorlton one in the past already, but it’s probably best that we just urge you to give it a try sometime soon. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.
This is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the UK, and it’s no wonder they keep pulling in plaudits and invites to bigger and better industry within the industry as time goes on events over the past few years.
Oh, and one more thing, there’s plenty of savoury stuff that you’ll likely fall in love with, but we highly reccommend ordering the red velvet. Wow…
One of the biggest and best new beer gardens in Manchester drops just in time for the World Cup
Danny Jones
You heard us right: what could very well be Manchester’s favourite new beer garden has just landed over in St John’s, and all can envision is non-stop sun, suds and sporting action all summer long.
This, my friends, is ‘The Green’.
Capturing a kind of mix between the simple combo of wide open space, booze and hopefully sun on the Stevenson Square we all know and love, with a bit of the Boxpark fanfare that will make it perfect come World Cup, we’re big fans of what they’ve put together here.
It’s also worth noting that this place is significantly bigger than you’ll find in most corners of central Manchester, complete with plenty of room to perch, from the rows of deckchairs to even tiered step seating that runs along the edge.
There’s new artificial turf laid down, complete with fresh wooden borders, lamp lighting, big benches perfect for squeezing plenty of mates on each side, as well as a decent number of small parasols. There are even QR codes to save time ordering at the bar.
Speaking of, the bar is already full up and running with a very solid lineup of summery drinks, for beers and fruity ciders to Aperol and plenty more. You are paying the expected St John’s prices, but when the rays hit just right, the footy’s on and you’re with your mates, you won’t hear us complaining.
Not just batch stuff being proud from the tap either – they’ve got cocktails, creative twists on frozen margs and lots of other stuff still in the pipeline.
But understandably, the instant start of the show is that large screen, which has already got us dreaming of the World Cup and tournament season year in year out, for that matter. And when we say large, we really mean it…
Just picture the scenes…
The lawn itself is plenty long, and the massive monitor is high up enough on the old studio wall that not a single soul will be missing a second of that action.
Be it the footy, Wimbledon, F1, rugby – whatever the discipline happens to be, we can’t wait to find any excuse to watch it all here (weather permitting). Only a short distance from Deansgate, Spinningfields, Castlefield and more, we feel like this spot is about to blow up.
You’ll also be glad to know that while you can’t take food and drink from other venues around the beer garden itself, they’ve got a food lineup all of their own coming very soon, centring around Manchester locals and regional indies. That’s what we like to hear.
It’s just what that Grape Street area needed, and regardless of whatever potential seasonal shifts it might need to make, we hope it stays here for a very long time. Good vibes all-round.
Daisy Jackson -
13th November 2025 
