Food & Drink

New street food hall and taproom Society MCR opens in Barbirolli Square

Pizzas, burgers, Indian street food and pan-Asian dishes are all on the menu - along with dozens of different beers.

The Manc The Manc - 20th May 2021

A new multipurpose drink and dining venue with a taproom, cocktail bar, street food kitchens and DJ sets will fling open its doors in Manchester city centre this week.

Society MCR – an 8,000 sq ft hub based in Baribrolli Square near Manchester Central Complex – will welcome its first guests today (May 20) from 10am.

The 350-capacity food and drink space will be home to a mouth-watering selection of independent traders including:

  • Dokes Pizzeria: A stone-baked pizza site from the founders of Cutting Room Square favourite Elnecot
  • Slap & Pickle: Banging burgers, vegan patties and loaded fries that first rose to popularity in Leeds (and have resulted in the diner expanding to four locations).
  • Chaat Cart: Authentic South Indian street food named Street Food Vendor of the Year in the Manchester Food and Drink Awards 2017
  • Manzoku Street Food: Pan-Asian specialists whipping up favourites such as Chicken Katsu Curry, Char Sui Pulled Pork Buns, and Korean Fried Chicken Wings
Dokes Pizzeria will be serving stone-baked slices / Image: Society MCR
Slap & Pickle’s wildly popular burgers are coming to Manchester / Image: Society MCR
Pan-Asian dishes will be on the menu at Society MCR courtesy of Manzoku / Image: Society MCR

Also settling into Society MCR is Vocation taproom.

One of the fastest-growing craft breweries in the UK with sites already in Hebden Bridge and Leeds, Vocation’s new site is expectedly diverse – boasting over two-dozen different types of beer to choose from.

ADVERTISEMENT

As Society MCR turns into a post-work venue when the lights go down, a lineup of resident DJs spearheaded by Manchester party favourites Regal Disco will spin tunes throughout the evening.

Society MCR opens on May 20 / Image: Society MCR

Co-founder of Society MCR Nick Gregory stated: “We’re very excited to finally open the doors to this iconic venue and look forward to welcoming guests throughout the day, evenings and weekends at Society.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We’ve got an incredible line up that will showcase local food operators as well as our 2021 events programme that will be dedicated to highlighting independent artists from Manchester’s thriving music scene. 

“It’s so important to us to create a destination that showcases the very best of Manchester, and Society will be just that.”

Learn more about Manchester’s new multipurpose venue online.

Food & Drink

Gary Neville lines up Michelin star chef for his Stock Exchange Hotel restaurant

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Gary Neville has announced the Niall Keating will open Tender in the Stock Exchange Hotel's restaurant space

Gary Neville has announced a new restaurant within his five-star Stock Exchange Hotel, which will open almost a year after the previous eatery announced its shock closure.

The magnificent dining room at the heart of the hotel was previously home to Tom Kerridge’s The Bull & Bear, which closed at the end of 2022.

It was then replaced by Stock Market Grill, a restaurant by the award-winning Schofield brothers (who operate officially the best bar in the UK) – but that was open for only a matter of months.

Thankfully, the Manchester United legend and property mogul now has grand plans for the Stock Exchange’s restaurant offering, roping in two-time Michelin star chef Niall Keating.

Niall will be launching Tender this summer, a luxury dining experience ‘named after the tender care put into crafting each dish’.

There’ll be gourmet food for everyday dining within the hotel’s historic dining room, which will undergo a renovation before Tender’s launch.

Its menu will offer weekday brasserie lunches, a la carte dinners, afternoon teas, Sunday roasts, a chef’s table and a special tasting menu.

The Stock Exchange Hotel is home to one of Manchester's most beautiful restaurant spaces. Credit: The Manc Group
The Stock Exchange Hotel is home to one of Manchester’s most beautiful restaurant spaces. Credit: The Manc Group
The Stock Exchange Hotel is home to one of Manchester's most beautiful restaurant spaces. Credit: The Manc Group
The Stock Exchange Hotel is home to one of Manchester’s most beautiful restaurant spaces. Credit: The Manc Group

Niall Keating at just 33 years old has already earned two Michelin stars, making him one of the youngest two-time Michelin star chefs in the UK.

His CV has included stints in kitchens at the best restaurants in the world, including Restaurant Sat Bains and Benu in San Francisco (a three Michelin-star spot).

He then headed to The Dining Room at Whatley Manor Hotel, where he earned his first star in 2017 and a second in 2019, as well as a prestigious Green Star in 2021 which recognises sustainability practices.

Speaking about today’s announcement, Gary Neville, owner of Stock Exchange Hotel, said: “We couldn’t be happier to be partnering with Niall Keating for Tender and bringing his culinary expertise to the hotel.

“His vision to create versatile and accessible dining options is exactly what we’ve been looking for, to allow everyone visiting Tender to find the right experience for them.”

Niall Keating added: “From when I first walked through the doors of the hotel into the dining room, I knew this was the place for me and that we could create something really special.

“I immediately felt connected to both Gary and General Manager, Tracy Harrison, and I knew what I wanted to create at the hotel and restaurant. I want a space that feels vibrant, warm and energetic, that brings to life the history of the stock exchange roots of the hotel, while providing an upscale and comfortable brasserie dining experience.

“In addition to the main dining room, we will also be opening ‘The Bank’, which is a beautiful private space for up to 12 guests, where we will be providing a truly exceptional dining experience.”

Gary added: “We will also shortly be announcing a series of events and live music experiences, including a weekly music plan, within Tender, that will really bring the venue to life, making it the heart of Stock Exchange Hotel.”

Tender restaurant at the Stock Exchange Hotel will officially open on 5 June.

Its opening hours will be Wednesday to Saturday, midday to 10pm, and Sundays midday to 7.30pm.

Read more

Featured image: Supplied

Food & Drink

Inside Popeyes as fried chicken restaurant opens its first Manchester drive-thru

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Popeyes is ready to open its first-ever Greater Manchester drive-thru restaurant, where you can pick up its legendary Louisiana-style fried chicken and shakes.

To celebrate its launch, Popeyes will be giving away free chicken sandwiches for a year to the first people in the queue – and when it launched at Piccadilly Gardens, someone waited outside for 16 hours.

People really love this chicken…

In the blink of an eye, the colourful orange and blue building has taken shape on Bury New Road, where hungry diners can pick up meals in the drive-thru or order ahead for curbside collection.

Customers dining in can order through a QR code or touch-screens, before sitting down at one of the many orange booths to tuck into trays piled high with sandwiches, tenders, mac and cheese, and more.

There are 72 indoors plus an outside dining area, dual-ordering lanes, and designated bays for pre-orders.

Popeyes is famed for its viral ‘shatter crunch’-coated fried chicken, its Southern US biscuits and gravy, and its brekkie menu where British classics are given a New Orleans twist.

Inside Greater Manchester's new Popeyes drive-thru
Inside Greater Manchester's new Popeyes drive-thru
Inside Greater Manchester's new Popeyes drive-thru
Inside Greater Manchester’s new Popeyes drive-thru

The doors and lanes to the new chicken shop will officially open on Friday 26 April at 11am.

The first three people queueing both on foot and in cars will win free chicken sandwiches for a year, and the first 25 in both queues will get a free chicken sandwich and exclusive merch.

This new Popeyes marks the brand’s 11th opening in 2024, and 47th since launching in the UK in 2021.

You’ll find it at 288-292 unit Bury New Rd, M7 2YJ, right next to the McDonald’s and Tim Horton’s on the border of Prestwich.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

More Food & Drink

Tom Barnes with the team outside Skof, a new restaurant opening in Manchester in May. Credit: Supplied

Eats

Skof, Manchester’s most hotly-anticipated restaurant, confirms opening date and menu prices

free popeyes fried chicken sandwiches manchester drive-thru opening date

Bury

Popeyes is giving away FREE chicken sandwiches to celebrate the opening of their second Manchester site

Sacha Lord calls Kala the best Sunday roast he's had in ages

City Centre

Sacha Lord hails Manchester restaurant for serving up ‘the best Sunday roast’ he’s had ‘in ages’

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches