Manchester’s beloved fried chicken shack and the home of “birds, booze, and beats” has got some pretty tasty treats on its festive menu this year.
With the festive season right around the corner, and Christmas set to be here before we know it, plenty of Manchester’s independent bars and eateries are gearing up for what is always one of the busiest times of the year in the foodie calendar by giving their menus a seasonal re-vamp to add some limited-edition dishes.
Yard & Coop – which sits on Edge Street in the heart of the Northern Quarter – may be popular all year round and raved-about by both locals and city centre visitors alike, but it’s festive food offering is sure to get people talking more than ever.
The “home of Buttermilk chicken” has completely transformed its menu this Christmas.
One of the stand-out festive menu additions this year has to be the ‘Boxing Day Burger’, which, as the name suggests, pays a worthy homage to the unofficial national day of leftovers by giving “Boxing day vibes in a bun”. The burger combines fried chicken thighs dunked in a rich ‘butter chicken’ curry sauce, with lime pickle, pomegranate, mango, and mint yoghurt in a toasted brioche.
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The £14.50 burger is then topped with the also-new sprout bhajis, and served with sweet potato fries and curry-salted parsnip crisps.
Yard & Coop’s festive food offering is sure to get people talking more than ever / Credit: Instagram (@yardandcoop)
Another headline-grabbing festive dish has to be the ‘Winner Winner Christmas Dinner’ platter, which is buttermilk fried chicken breast with cheesy mash, pulled chicken and sage stuffing, two Yorkshire puddings, parsnip crisps, sticky marmalade chipolatas, and creamed shredded sprouts with chestnuts, all served with Yard & Coops original recipe cranberry ketchup and lashings of delicious gravy.
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Some of the other festive treats on the menu to tuck into include the ‘Festive Negroni Wings’ served with cranberry ketchup and zesty orange, and the ‘Sprout Bhajis’ topped with lime pickle, orange dressing, pomegranate seeds, and a mint yoghurt drizzle.
The “home of Buttermilk chicken” has completely transformed its menu this Christmas / Credit: Instagram (@yardandcoop)
If you’ve never grabbed a bite at Yard & Coop before, then all the restaurant’s chicken is farm-to-fork within 48 hours, and is then coated in buttermilk and tossed in its secret recipe crumb to keep it crispy.
The menu “celebrates the whole bird”, from individual cuts with home made sauces, to epic burgers, and quirky large plates.
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Yard & Coop is also getting into the spirit by serving up a handful of festive street food dishes from its own stall down at Manchester Christmas Markets.
Didsbury favourite Rustik has confirmed its will sadly be closing this month
Danny Jones
West Didsbury favourite Rustik has sadly announced it will be closing for food after a decade at the end of this month.
The beloved Burton cafe and bar has been a staple of the tight-knit foodie neighbourhood since 2015, but now the independent Irish eatery has confirmed that the business will be shutting down permanently in less than a fortnight.
Confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, 17 September, the casual Manc restaurant and hangout informed their loyal followers of the unfortunate news.
Unsurprisingly, their social media has been awash with condolences, collective sadness and support for the local institution.
Posting across all of their accounts, Rustik wrote: “After an unforgettable 10 years on Burton Road, the time has come to close our doors. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come — never in a million years did we imagine Rustik would grow into what it became.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every single one of you who walked through our doors and supported us along the way. We poured everything we had — our time, our energy, our lives into making Rustik a space for everyone. And what a ride it’s been.
“From the chaotic, beautiful brunch shifts to late nights dancing on tables to ‘Wagon Wheel’, pushing through the challenges of COVID and helping our community with meals during hard times— we’ve done it all, together.
“To our amazing staff, past and present: thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and the love you brought every single day. You helped build something truly special, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
“To the incredible musicians who filled our space with life — keep doing what you do. The noise complaints? 100% worth the unforgettable nights.”
The team go on to detail that the official closing date is Tuesday, 30 September, reiterating that it is “business running as usual until then” and urging fans to “come down, grab your last Rustik fix, and raise a glass with us one final time.”
Signing off with an emotional farewell, they add: “Lastly, a message close to our hearts: please support your local cafes, bars, and independents. Hospitality is tough right now, and they need your support more than ever.
“Thank you for the most incredible decade of our lives. It’s over and out from us.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted to see Rustik go and know how much it meant not only to the Burton Road community, but also to the Didsbury community, Chorlton and many other Greater Manchester natives.
A ‘saucy’ new Korean fried chicken restaurant is opening in the Gay Village
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new Korean fried chicken restaurant and cocktail bar is set to open on Canal Street this week.
CLUK is promising some big deals and amazing giveaways to celebrate its launch in Manchester, including free food and prize draws.
The newcomer in the heart of the city will specialise in Korean-style crispy fried chicken, but also warming ramen bowls, and salt & pepper classics.
Signature dishes will include Korean cheese-powder fried chicken, and Cheese Volcano Chicken.
CLUK will also serve dishes like kimchi cheese loaded fries, salt & pepper chicken, and huge sharing platters.
You can customise your Korean fried chicken order by size, choosing between wings and boneless and picking a flavour out of honey garlic, sweet and spicy, honey mustard, and honey and sour.
They promise it’ll all be ‘saucy, crunchy, and seriously addictive’.
That’s all washed down with ice-cold beers and creative cocktails, like martinis, spritzes and sours.
CLUK is now open in the Gay Village in ManchesterA spread of CLUK dishesInside CLUK ManchesterFried chicken with Korean cheese powderInside CLUK Manchester
The CLUK team are hoping to create a fun late-night dining option for this buzzing corner of the city centre.
To celebrate its launch on Thursday 18 September, CLUK have announced a whole heap of promotions.
This includes free chicken bao for the first 50 guests to visit during the first five days.
Over the two week launch period, visitors can spin the wheel whenever you spend £12 – spend £24 and spin twice.
And there are big prizes available – the top prize is a £100 gift card or £50 cash, with other prizes including free drinks, food and a £3 voucher as a consolation prize.
Plus, anyone who buys a gift card and tops it up with £100 will receive a free beer or cider.
When those two weeks are up, CLUK will run a £1,000 prize draw.
Emily Sergeant -
24th November 2021 
