Food & Drink

Manchester football stadiums sell the Premier League’s cheapest pints, study finds

Meanwhile, a beer will set you back over a fiver (£5.10) at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium whilst London Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium charge a steep £5.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 9th March 2023

Aside from the end result, there are many things that can make or break a match day. From the cost of a pint to quench your thirst to the mood of other fans around you, there are simply some stadiums that do it better than others – and apparently, Manchester is up there with the very best.

As much as Manchester United fans hate their owners, it’s possible the Glazers may have done one thing right: namely, selling the cheapest beers in the Premier League.

According to a new study by Betting.com, Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium offers the cheapest pints of beer in the whole of the Premier League with thirst-quenching pints costing football fans just £3 a pop.

But whilst reds fans might be feeling smug at the news, it’s good news for blues supporters too as Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium comes in a close second-cheapest with pints for home and away fans only costing an extra 40p more.

Old Trafford stadium came top of the table for cheap pints according to the new study. / Image: Commons Wikimedia

Third on the list is Leeds United’s Elland Road, where fans typically pay £3.60 for a pint, followed by Newcastle United’s St James’ Park and Nottingham Forest’s The City Ground.

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The most expensive pint in the Premier League, meanwhile, can be found at King Power Stadium, home to Leicester City, where a pint will set fans back a steep £5.10 a go.

As well as conducting research on the cheapest pints, Betting.com has also revealed the best and worst football stadiums in the UK based on online reviews, the cost of a match day pint, as well as food and atmosphere ratings.

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On top of this, they’ve also revealed the stadiums home to the most and least expensive tours for fans looking to walk in the footsteps of their heroes. 

With an average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5, matched only by Anfield (Liverpool F.C), and The City Ground, (Nottingham Forest), Tottenham Hotspur Stadium comes out on top as the best football stadium home to a Premier League club. 

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The Etihad Stadium came in a close second with pints for just £3.40. / Image: Commons Wikimedia

Spurs’ ground boasts 82% of its reviews being 5 star, tied with Craven Cottage (Fulham), and a 4 star rating by fans for its food, matched only by Amex Stadium, home to Brighton & Hove Albion.

In second place overall comes St. James’ Park, followed by Anfield in third, The City Ground in fourth and Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in fifth.

On the opposite end of the scale, London Stadium is revealed to be the worst stadium home to a Premier League club. The home of West Ham United, the stadium scores a measly 2.5 out of 5 for its atmosphere and charges fans a high price (£5) for a match day beer.

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Fans love to get a sneak peak behind the scenes of their team’s ground, but how much can a tour set you back? Stamford Bridge, home to Chelsea, is by far the most expensive stadium to see through the eyes of your heroes, costing £40 a head, followed by Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (£27) and Emirates Stadium (£27) in joint second place whilst Anfield (£25) comes in third.

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Meanwhile, King Power Stadium (Leicester City), Amex Stadium (Brighton & Hove Albion), Elland Road (Leeds United) and The City Ground (Nottingham Forest) have the cheapest tours on offer at £15 a head.

Feature image – Commons Wikimedia

Food & Drink

Archie’s has installed a bright pink train carriage at its original burger bar

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Archie's in Manchester

Archie’s has fully reopened the doors of its original diner in Manchester, installing a hot pink train carriage inside.

The beloved burger and shake bar has today unveiled a ‘subway station’ in the basement as part of the Oxford Road site’s £1m transformation.

Diners can now tuck in to their smashed burgers, wings and tater tots from their own train booth.

The bright pink addition to the site has been designed like a New York City subway car, down to the handrails and the train windows with a graffiti-covered wall behind them.

The Archie’s team have even created a fast food-inspired underground map, featuring stops like Milkshake Gardens, St Pancakes, and Scrannington Place.

There’s enough seating inside the train carriage for around 25 diners, plus extra room outside it, where banks of metal train station-style benches are arranged.

Archie’s subway car. Credit: The Manc Group
Inside Archie’s ‘underground subway station’ at its Manchester burger bar. Credit: The Manc Group
More seating in the new Archie’s basement. Credit: The Manc Group

The newly-revamped site also has new self-ordering screens at the entrance and a click-and-collect service.

The brand’s original site will be open from 11am (with its new breakfast offering on proud display) until 3am at the weekends.

Archie’s has become famed for its Instagram-friendly pink interiors since its launch in Manchester in 2010.

Archie's in Manchester
Archie’s original burger bar. Credit: The Manc Group
The upstairs seating at Archie’s. Credit: The Manc Group

Features at other sites include giant ball pits and swings, plus masses of neon slogans, mirrors and colourful booths.

It’s lured in more than its fair share of celebs over the years too, with visits from famous faces like Floyd Mayweather, NeYo, Rita Ora, The Game, Kevin Hart and Conor McGregor, many of whom have designed their own milkshakes for the menu (Conor McGregor’s The Mac Life is a mad mix of Wispa Gold, peanut Lion Bar, hazelnut sauce and blue sherbert, if you were wondering).

Archie’s now has diners and burger bars across the country, including five here in Manchester, plus sells its food on Deliveroo.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Food & Drink

There’s an apple crumble stall with unlimited custard under the Mancunian Way

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

A new food stall has opened underneath the Mancunian Way selling pots of apple and rhubarb crumble with unlimited custard.

Called Crumbled, it is one of three new food traders to have moved into Hatch street food village on Oxford Road – joined by Caroline Martin’s new Rio Mex taco joint, and Pakistani and Indian fusion spot Phukt.

Opened by Manchester-born fashion model Chloe Peers, the new crumble stall at Hatch offers two different types of crumbles with some eye-popping toppings including edible glitter, rose petals, Biscoff crumb and huge scoops of ice cream.

Customers can also opt to pay an additional £1 to enjoy unlimited custard refills, something that is well worth it when you find yourself halfway down the pot.

One of the newest additions to the street food lineup at the shipping container village, Crumbled neighbours a mouthwatering new Rio Mex taco joint from Michelin-trained chef Caroline Martins.

Having previously wowed Mancs with her fine-dining Sao Paulo Project menus at Blossom Street Social, not to mention starring in the north west heat of the BBC show Great British Menu, Martins is now also dabbling – eloquently, might we add – in the world of street food.

Tacos from RIO MEX. / Image: The Manc Eats
Chef Caroline Martins outside RIO MEX. / Image: The Manc Eats

Inspired by her passion for the food of her home country of Brazil, combined with the time she spent living in Texas, Rio Mex sees one of Manchester’s most exciting chefs reflecting two of her favourite cuisines.  

Must-try taco fillings include baja fish with biquinho pepper mayo and lime sour cream, ground pork al pastor with pineapple salsa, a five-hour chilli con carne with beef and black beans, and a melt-in-the-mouth barbacoa with cheddar sauce and house pickles.

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Speaking on her new opening at hatch Caroline Martins, owner of RIO-MEX, said: “I fell in love with Hatch back in 2022 when I visited for the first time – the whole vibe was awesome! It’s the home of diversity in Manchester and a place where you can get everything done in one place.

“You can pop in, get your nails done, buy a cool vintage vest, get a cocktail at Miami Ice and have some incredible street food for dinner. And now RIO-MEX is joining; we can’t wait for everyone to try our beautiful Brazilian-Mexican fusion menu.”  

Butter chicken burger from Phukt. / Image: The Manc Eats
Masala loaded fries at Phukt. / Image; The Manc Eats

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You’ll also find butter chicken burgers and loaded masala fries over at newcomer Phukt, which is serving up Pakistani and Indian fusion dishes.

Promising a ‘feast from the East’, think tandoori gyros and biryani burritos, plus chaats, salads, dirty burgers and more.

Feature image – The Manc Eats

Hatch, Manchester’s award-winning food, drink, and retail destination, has welcomed a number of fabulous new traders with a Brazilian-Mexican eatery from one of Manchester’s most acclaimed chefs and there’s also a brand new vintage retailer making a new home for itself within the Hatch community. 

Great British Menu’s Caroline Martins, who has worked in some of the world’s most highly-esteemed restaurants and was responsible for Manchester pop-up success story Sao Paulo Project, is bringing her brand new concept RIO-MEX to Hatch. RIO-MEX is a Brazilian-Mexican fusion street food project, and will be serving tacos, loaded nachos, churros and salgadinhos, which translates to ‘savoury nibbles’ and are often served at Brazilian pubs. Menu highlights include the Chilli Con Carne Taco, which takes five hours and the perfect blend of herbs and spices to prepare. 

The inspiration for RIO-MEX came from Caroline’s passion for the food of her home country of Brazil, combined with the time she spent living in Texas. Whilst there, Caroline developed a passion for fusion cooking and RIO-MEX was born –  a brand new concept for one of Manchester’s most exciting chefs reflecting two of her favourite cuisines.  

Caroline Martins, owner of RIO-MEX commented:

“I fell in love with Hatch back in 2022 when I visited for the first time – the whole vibe was awesome! It’s the home of diversity in Manchester and a place where you can get everything done in one place. You can pop in, get your nails done, buy a cool vintage vest, get a cocktail at Miami Ice and have some incredible street food for dinner. And now RIO-MEX is joining; we can’t wait for everyone to try our beautiful Brazilian-Mexican fusion menu.”  

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