Manchester

First look at Zaap Thai as popular Thai street food restaurant opens in Manchester

LOVE this place.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 24th June 2025

A Thai street food restaurant with sites all over the North has finally announced plans to come to Manchester for the first time.

Zaap Thai is famed for its authentic and affordable street food-inspired menu, served up in restaurants designed to mimic the bustling street food markets of Bangkok.

Expect colourful fairy lights, illuminated signs, graffiti art, enamel crockery and even seating booths built into tuk tuks.

Zaap Thai already has locations in cities including Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and Durham, but hasn’t made it into the North West before now.

It’s now set to open on Lincoln Square – where you’ll already find Maray – this June.

This new Zaap Thai location is set to be one its biggest venues to date, with 160 covers.

The expansive menu features 80 dishes from across Thailand, from street food small plates to big bowls of noodles and fiery curries.

Their menu highlights include chicken satay, crispy pork belly, stir-fries like Pad Ga Prao, and sweet dishes such as mango sticky rice and pandan custard pancakes.

That’s alongside Thai-inspired cocktails and mocktails, plus Thai lagers like Singha.

Ban Kaewkraikhot, founder and executive chef at Zaap said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing Zaap Thai to Manchester. 

Inside Zaap Thai Manchester

Noodles at Zaap Thai Manchester
Food at Zaap Thai Manchester
Seafood at Zaap Thai Manchester
The Moo Deng mural
The Moo Deng mural
Noodles at Zaap Thai Manchester
Stir fries at Zaap Thai
Inside the new Zaap Thai
Inside the new Zaap Thai
Inside the new Zaap Thai
Inside the new Zaap Thai

“This is a city with a rich and diverse hospitality scene, and we’re delighted to be joining that fantastic community.

“Our mission is to share our authentic flavours of native Thailand with the city – we want to transport guests to sunny South East Asia by providing an amazing and affordable menu where you can try something new each time.

“Our restaurant is inspired by the places we love back home and everyone is welcome. We can’t wait to bring the Zaap experience to Manchester!”

Zaap Thai Manchester will open on Lincoln Square in on Thursday 26 June, with free pad thais or curries to the first 100 people in the queue from midday.

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Featured image: Supplied

Manchester

Full list of road closures set to be in place as Manchester Day 2025 takes over the city

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester Day is back for 2025 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.

Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 26 July, and as always, it’s set to be ‘the day summer officially starts’ in the city centre – with a massive celebration of ‘all things Mancunian’ on the cards.

The theme of this year’s annual event is music, and it’s inspired by Manchester’s spectacular summer of sound, spearheaded by Oasis Live ’25 that recently concluded at Heaton Park.

The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.

Manchester Day is back with a ‘mammoth day’ of music-themed free fun / Credit: Manchester City Council

As always, activities will be taking place right across the city centre – from St Ann’s Square to Cathedral Gardens, and everywhere in between.

Organisers say there will be plenty of chances throughout the day for visitors, both young and old, to get stuck in, try their hand at making music and maybe even uncover a hidden musical talent they didn’t know they had.

But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.

The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.

Here’s everything you need to know.

A number of road closures and parking suspensions will be in place / Credit: Manchester City Council

Manchester Day 2025 – Road Closures

Saturday 26 July 

From 6am to 10​pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:

  • Deansgate (Victoria Street to John Dalton Street)
  • St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
  • Cross Street (Corporation Street to New Market Street)
  • St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
  • Market Street (Cross Street to Exchange Street)
  • Exchange Street (St Mary’s Gate to St Ann’s Square)
  • Cateaton Street (Deansgate to Exchange Square)
  • Victoria Street (Deansgate to Cathedral Approach)
  • Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street)
  • Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square)

From 10am to 2pm:

  • Deansgate (John Dalton Street to St John Street)
  • Peter Street (St James Street to Deansgate)
  • Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
  • Central Street (Southmill Street to Mount Street)
Manchester Day is back with a ‘mammoth day’ of music-themed FREE fun

All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 9pm on Friday 25 July to 9pm on Saturday 26 July.

The parking suspensions set to be in place are:

  • Deansgate (Victoria Street to St John Street) 
  • Peter Street (St James Street to Deansgate) 
  • Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
  • Central Street (Southmill Street to Mount Street) 
  • Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Jackson’s Row)
  • Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
  • George Street (Princess Street to Dickinson Street)
  • Victoria Street (Deansgate to Cathedral Approach)
  • St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
  • Cross Street (Corporation Street to New Market Street)
  • Cateaton Street (Deansgate to Exchange Square)
  • Market Street (Cross Street to St Mary’s Gate)
  • St Mary’s Gate (Market Street to Deansgate)
  • John Dalton Street (Cross Street to Deansgate)
  • King Street (Cross Street to Spring Gardens)
  • St James’s Square (King Street to South King Street)
  • St Mary’s Street (Southgate to Deansgate)
  • Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square)
  • Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street)
  • Southgate (King Street West to St Mary’s Street)

On the day, full traffic diversion signage will be in place across all areas affected by road closures, and the Council says it will do its best to ‘minimise’ their duration.

Manchester Day 2025 is taking over the city centre on Saturday 26 July, and will be kicking off at midday right through to 5pm.

Read more:

Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

Manchester

Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson A hot choc shake from Hotel Chocolat

Hotel Chocolat has today opened the doors to its first Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester, serving up shakes, hot chocolates, sundaes, and loads more.

Part cafe, part retail space, inside you’ll find everything from molten chocolate fountains to a full range of chocolate boxes, bars and hot chocolate powders.

The popular chocolatier has stores up and down the UK selling its ethically-sourced sweet treats, hitting a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.

They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is next.

There are exclusive-to-Manchester-sundaes in store, each one inspired by their most popular chocolates, like a Billionaire’s Shortbread and an Eton Mess.

You can also grab yourself a hot choc shake, with loads of flavours, milks and toppings to choose from.

Hotel Chocolat's new Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Hotel Chocolat’s new Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
The chocolate boxes at Hotel Chocolat
The chocolate boxes at Hotel Chocolat
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Mix-and-match hot chocolate selection boxes
Mix-and-match hot chocolate selection boxes
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Exclusive-to-Manchester ice cream sundaes
Exclusive-to-Manchester ice cream sundaes
Croissant with a molten chocolate pot
Croissant with a molten chocolate pot
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Inside the Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

The Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe also has pastries, which you can order with a side of melted chocolate for dipping and drizzling.

As part of the experience inside, there’s a wall of hot chocolate sachets, which you can mix and match to build your own selection box.

And all along the way there’ll be samples, and loads to learn about the chocolate industry.

The Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe has officially opened its doors today on Cross Street in Manchester city centre, just next to the new Joe & The Juice.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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