Food & Drink

Six cult Manchester restaurants beat stiff competition to scoop coveted Deliveroo awards

All massively well-deserved honours.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 21st February 2024

Six of Manchester’s cult-favourite restaurants have beat out stiff UK-wide competition to scoop prestigious awards.

It’s official… the results of the 2024 Deliveroo Restaurant Awards are in, and six of our city’s most-popular and best-loved eateries have been announced as claiming coveted prizes, after the food delivery service’s loyal customers voted with their hearts – and stomachs – for their favourite local establishments. 

Deliveroo‘s annual Restaurant Awards honour the best independent food businesses across the UK and Ireland, with everything from local burger joints, to neighbourhood sushi restaurants, and all the dishes, cuisines, and flavours in-between celebrated.

Slap & Pickle, Double Zero Pizzeria, and Mughli are among the local restaurants in Manchester that fought off competitors across the North and Midlands to take a title.

Six cult Manchester restaurants have scooped prestigious Deliveroo awards / Credit: The Manc Group

Gourmet burger restaurant, Slap & Pickle, takes home the top regional gong as ‘Independent Restaurant of the Year North of England & Midlands 2024’ after fans casted their votes online to help decide the winners.

Then, a further five restaurants were recognised in the region’s best cuisine awards – with winners including Burgerism for ‘Best Burger & American’, and Unagi Street Food & Sushi for ‘Best Japanese’.

A total of 60 honours were up for grabs in this year’s Awards.

Over 66,000 votes were cast by hungry Deliveroo users over a two-week period to crown all the cuisine-led winners, from ‘Best Thai’ and ‘Best Burger’, to ‘Best Pizza’, ‘Best Chicken’, and beyond.

Each local eatery beat stiff competition to clinch their coveted titles / Credit: The Manc Group

James Tabor, who is owner of Slap & Pickle – which is based in Manchester city centre street food hall, Society – called his businesses’ win an “incredible start” to the year, and said he is “absolutely thrilled” to take the 2024 title.

He added: “We’ve been proudly serving our burgers to communities across the North since 2018, and we are grateful for our loyal customers and partners – like Deliveroo – who have helped us on our journey, so this win and recognition means the world.

“As we continue to expand and seek new adventures across the UK, you never know where we’ll be popping up next.”

The Manchester winners in the Deliveroo Restaurant Awards 2024 are: 

Slap & Pickle, Double Zero, and Mughli are among the Manchester winners / Credit: The Manc Group

As all the 2024 winners were announced today, Deliveroo’s founder and CEO, Will Shu, commented: “I say it every year, but the standard of finalists and winners for this year’s Restaurant Awards has been incredible, and i’ve had the pleasure of meeting a number of restaurant owners to hear about their stories, food, and the positive impact they’ve had on their local communities.

“We are proud to partner with such an brilliant array of dedicated restaurants to deliver food from around the world to doorsteps across the UK and Ireland.

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“A huge well done to all of this year’s winners.”

Featured Image – The Manc Group

Food & Drink

Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade

An iconic ready-to-drink favourite has launched back into the UK – oh yes, Breezer is back. 

First launched in the 1990s, Breezers – then pitched as an ‘alcopop’ – were a staple on dancefloors and at barbecues right across the UK. 

And now Bacardi has decided to bring these delicious, fruity, easy-drinking bottles back to British shores. 

There are three new flavours to try as Breezers return to your fridges – Zesty Orange, Zingy Lime, and Crisp Watermelon.

And Breezer launched back into Manchester last night with a suitably memorable party, turning a spot in the Northern Quarter into a corner shop. 

The ‘local Cornerbop’ was stacked with your usual essentials, plus shelf after shelf of these colourful glass ready-to-drink bottles. 

Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade
Inside the Breezer ‘Cornerbop’ corner shop in Manchester
Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade
Breezer is back, in three new flavours

The Breezer relaunch party saw Tarsza and Rennie Peters spinning nostalgic anthems with a modern twist at a pop-up party in a corner shop.

Steve Young, business unit director for Bacardi in the UK & Ireland, said: “We know there is a lot of love for Breezer in the UK, and we are confident a new generation of consumers will fall in love with the new Breezer.

“RTDs are booming, however, the Flavoured Alcoholic Beverages category could do with a bit more excitement. By bringing back Breezer we’re definitely putting the fruity taste into FAB.”

The iconic ready-to-drink classic is back – and better than ever. 

Follow @breezer on Instagram for more.

18+, please drink responsibly.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Food & Drink

£1.8m revamp of Ancoats pub The Shamrock is FINALLY set to begin

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The historic Ancoats pub The Shamrock will finally undergo a £1.8m revamp. Credit: Supplied

At long last, work to revamp The Shamrock pub in Ancoats is about to begin – and they’re calling on locals to rename the historic boozer.

The Shamrock, on Bengal Street, was taken over by Joseph Holt brewery in 2019 but has been firmly sealed shut ever since, with the pandemic halting its revamp.

But now the family-owned brewery is ready to get to work on the pub, with a £1.8m revamp kicking off very soon.

The Shamrock, which dates back to 1808, will be transformed from an Irish pub into a Joseph Holt’s venue.

Back in the turn of the 19th century, it was a popular watering hole for the Irish and Italian communities who moved to the industrial neighbourhood.

Obviously, Ancoats has gone through some pretty major changes in the years since, and is now one of the city’s trendiest and foodiest suburbs, filled with flats, bars, coffee shops and more.

It’s because of this that the Joseph Holt team felt like The Shamrock was due a new name for its new chapter, and are asking the public to help rename the pub, with a shortlist of five names drawn up.

The options on the table for when the pub reopens include The Victoria Arms (as a nod to the flats and accommodation across the road); The Fleet (the name of a former neighbouring pub); and The Linen Arms, reflecting the city’s cotton trade.

The historic Ancoats pub The Shamrock will finally undergo a £1.8m revamp. Credit: Supplied
The historic Ancoats pub The Shamrock will finally undergo a £1.8m revamp. Credit: Supplied

The other choices for the public to vote on are The Spinners Rest, after the mill workers who lived in historic Ancoats; and Queen Adelaide, after another former pub around the corner on the main Ancoats Road.

Richard Kershaw, CEO of Joseph Holt, said: “As a family business with deep roots in the area, our pubs are very much at the very heart of the communities where they are located.

“With the moving forward of long-awaited refurbishment of The Shamrock – and with it a new name – we wanted our customers to feel part of the journey.

“So we brainstormed names for the pub that would respect the past and the local area while also looking to the future. Now we’re letting the people who matter most to us, our customers, decide which one to use.”

You can place your vote on the new name for The Shamrock pub HERE. One participant who picks the winning name will receive free drinks vouchers.

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Featured image: Supplied

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