Prawns, beef, salt and pepper tofu or chicken boxes are £7.50 served up generously with a side of chips.
Each option oozes with sticky goodness – try their Asian Tacos stuffed with beef, fresh salad, pickled slaw, toasted sesame, crispy shallots smacked between a soft toasted flatbread.
The local business is located inside the Arndale food market, as well as in the kitchens at Black Dog in the Northern Quarter.
The best Indian street food in Manchester – hands down.
ADVERTISEMENT
Vegan, veggie and sure to warm you from the inside out – Bundobust is one of Manchester’s prize restaurants.
There’s an express lunch menu of two dishes for £8.50, including the classic Bundo Chaat, a street snack of broken samosa pastry and puffed rice, peas, onion, pomegranate, and tomato in tamarind chutney.
The tarka dhal is one of the most warming, filling and hearty pots of food you’ll find outside your nan’s kitchen.
Found on the edge of Piccadilly Gardens, the interiors are simple but cool – a perfect place to impress for less on a first date.
Manchester’s best curry house is tucked down a little side street in the Northern Quarter.
ADVERTISEMENT
Delicious and very affordable, This n’ That will become everyone’s new favourite lunch place – if it isn’t already.
All the food is homemade and prepared using fresh whole spices with curry options changing daily.
Their menu works as follows – rice and three veg is £4.50, rice with one meat and two veg is £5 and rice with two meat and one veg is £6.
A fresh, homemade, bursting with flavour, steaming pot of curry almost spilling over – that could be your lunch every day.
Head to the Northern Quarter armed with a map – its location down an alley full of bins might throw you off, but once you find it, you’ll never forget it.
The Arndale food market will satisfy any craving you throw at it, no matter how niche.
In recent years the market has welcomed some of Manchester’s most exciting and talented chefs – so quality is a given.
ADVERTISEMENT
Our list promises affordability to and the Arndale food market deserves a place on this list.
Stalls including Wholesome Junkies (the vegan equivalent of dirty burger), Viet Shack, Piazza (pasta with burrata on top), Market Point and many more are class lunch spots and won’t put you out of pocket.
Whether it’s mid-shop, mid-hangover or just mid-day the Arndale market is sure to sort you out.
Finger licking chicken wings for 20 to 50 pence – a Bunny bargain.
The First Street restaurant is home to the ultimate hot wing challenge, just ask your server and see if you can handle the heat.
For those who can’t, not to worry a glass of milk is helpfully placed on the menu.
The menu boasts some juicy burgers and bar snacks such as Jalapeno Poppers – we were intrigued to – they’re crispy coated, fried jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese.
Get down and dirty with these unbeatable prices but wash your hands before you return to the office.
ADVERTISEMENT
Go Falafel
Deansgate, Piccadilly, Rusholme
Credit: Facebook (Go Falafel) We love the build-your-own aspect
The falafel lover’s failsafe when it comes to a decently priced wrap.
We love the build-your-own aspect to this popular lunch spot and who can’t appreciate a customised falafel wrap.
Or if falafel doesn’t float your boat, grab a vine leaf or some tabouleh and top it off with a fresh juice or smoothie.
Health is wealth and it comes cheap at Go Falafel.
Food & Drink
Manchester pub chain providing lifeline for dementia sufferers with vital support sessions
Danny Jones
A regional pub chain is being rightly praised for providing regular and vital support sessions to those suffering from dementia at two beloved Manchester locations.
The brand in question is Joseph Holt Brewery, which was founded behind an old pub on Oak Street in the Northern Quarter back in 1849, and has gone on to become an instantly recognisable British name.
Serving patrons for the best part of two centuries, their watering holes have always served as important meeting places and community hubs, but one of their current local initiatives is one of the most heartwarming we’ve come across of late.
Dubbed the ‘Get Together Group’, these dementia support sessions, which are now being pioneered at two of their Greater Manchester pubs, are truly setting an example for the kind of grassroots work and outreach that publicans do.
Put simply, the Get Together Group hold sessions for those diagnosed with dementia, and indeed, members of families affected by the disease to meet, discuss and support one another.
Currently being hosted at The Goat’s Gate in Whitefield and The Woodthorpe in Prestwich – both beloved Joseph Holt boozers – the idea was started by Sonia Schofield, 53, who now runs the sessions with a band of dedicated volunteers.
“People just seem to love the warm atmosphere and general sense of community,” says Sonia. “There’s free tea, coffee, and biscuits, along with bingo, a raffle, and some fabulous singers who come along to entertain the group.
“Word has spread that this is such a lively and welcoming space that even people without a direct connection to dementia regularly come along – which is so lovely. It also adds to a sense of community, helps break down stigma around dementia and makes the group feel warm, inclusive, and caring.”
Having worked as part of the brewery for more than three and a half decades since joining as an 18-year-old, this became a passion project of hers after her beloved grandmother, Pam, who had raised her from the age of six, developed dementia in her late sixties.
As is sadly the case for many, it soon became clear that support for those struggling with dementia is unfortunately rather limited, with Royal Voluntary Service figures stating that more than a third of people even just caring for loved ones with dementia receive little or no support following diagnosis.
Goat’s GateThe WoodthorpeHere’s hoping it comes to more pubsWith 125 other establishments, this could be the start of something special. (Credit: CAMRA/Joseph Holt/The Manc Group)
Believed to be the first sessions of their kind held in a pub, the reception to the regular work done by Get Together has meant that it isn’t just people living with the condition directly that now attend: people throughout the local areas are turning to the bi-weekly meet-ups for connection and social interaction.
Sonia goes on to note that because “the atmosphere in a pub is far less formal than, say, a healthcare or community centre setting, this helps reduce anxiety and makes interaction feel more natural.
“Holding a support group in an everyday community venue also shows that people living with dementia are valued members of the community, not defined only by their diagnosis. Just seeing this group of people together is so uplifting.”
Joseph Holt‘s director of pubs, Mark Norbury, said of the scheme: “We are a family business with very strong roots in the communities where our pubs are located. The Get Together Club perfectly reflects Joseph Holt’s values – our pubs are about much more than simply serving drinks. They are welcoming spaces where people can come together, socialise, build friendships, and support one another.
“We are incredibly proud of what Sonia and her fellow volunteers have achieved: creating a vital source of support for those who need it, while also providing a warm, uplifting environment where everyone feels welcome.” Hear, hear.
Joseph Holt continues to extend that homegrown, family-run and community-driven ethos across their pubs, and we sincerely hope we get to more stuff like this popping up at their various wonderful sites across the boroughs.
Featured Images — Supplied (via Joseph Holt Brewery)/The Manc
Food & Drink
Manchester Arndale’s Summer Scran Fest returns with the best foodie deals all month long
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Arndale’s Summer Scran Fest is back, and there’s some absolute foodie bargains to be had right across the shopping centre throughout the month.
Looking for the best foodie deals in Manchester city centre this summer?
Summer Scran Fest is back, bringing a month-long celebration of tasty food, refreshing drinks, and unbeatable offers over at Manchester Arndale.
It’s the Arndale’s annual food and drink festival, giving visitors exclusive access to limited-time offers, with a mix of high-street favourites, local foodie hotspots, and even leisure experiences taking part, meaning eating out in the city centre is more affordable ever – whether you’re here for lunch, fuelling a family day out, or just popping in for a mid-shop treat.
Running right through until 31 August, there’ll be discounts across 30+ restaurants, cafes, kiosks and leisure venues, all under one roof.
Manchester Arndale’s Summer Scran Fest has returned with the best foodie deals all month long / Credit: The Manc Group
This year’s lineup includes a balance of Manchester’s most-loved chains and local indies.
Think household names like McDonald’s, Krispy Kreme, and Subway taking part, alongside local gems like Archie’s, Michael’s Coffee House, and Coffee Break, as well as the Arndale’s newest residents like Wingstop and Joe & the Juice joining in the fun this year too.
Shoppers can expect everything from buy one get one free deals, up to 25% off menus, kids eat free promotions, and more exciting ways to save.
No matter whether you’re craving burgers, pizza, milkshakes, matcha, or something in between, Summer Scran Fest has your cravings (and your bank balance) covered.
As mentioned though, ‘scran’ might be in the name, but it’s not just foodie offers you can look forward to this month, as there’s also deals on at leisure venues too – including mini golf and burger combos, free drinks with gaming sessions, and plenty more to keep everyone entertained.
Dolly Busby -
19th November 2021 
