The best food and drink stalls at Manchester Christmas Markets 2022
Beautiful steamed dumplings and chimney cakes, plus Korean hotdogs, giant parmos, deep-fried Camembert bagels, carvery roast boxes from the Yorkshire wrap legends at Porky Pig and more
Gluhwein, Bavarian beer and big fat German bratwursts in numerous flavours have returned to Manchester today as the Christmas Markets officially open in the city centre.
Running from Thursday 10 November until Thursday 22 December, central Manchester is now a maze of charming wooden huts selling everything from classic wintry drinks, to cheese-filled and curried sausages, alongside some new additions that celebrate the best of the local street food scene.
From the likes of mulled wine and hot, boozy cider, to steaming mugs of Italian Vin Boule, Nordic Glocc and French Vin Chaud, cheeky hot Vimto (Rumto or Ginto), Manchester blob and more, as ever there’s plenty to get excited about.
Pork dumplings on rice with ginger at Oi Dumpling. / Image: The Manc Eats
Parmo butties at Parmogeddon. / Image: The Manc Eats
Some of the city’s restauranteurs are getting involved this year too, with the likes of Simon Shaw’s Habas setting up a Moroccan-inspired stall on King Street and Northern Quarter favourite Yard & Coop slinging out chicken trays on St Ann’s Square.
Elsewhere, you’ll find
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Keep reading to discover all of the best food and drink stalls at Manchester’s Christmas markets this year.
Piccadilly Gardens – Winter Gardens
Christmas parmos on chips and parmo butties from Parmogeddon. / Image: The Manc Eats
Crispy chocolate dumplings from Oi Dumpling. / Image: The Manc Eats
Bigger and better than ever this year, Piccadilly Gardens has once again been transformed into the market’s main festive hub for the season.
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Featuring a new giant Nordic-style double tipi and eye-catching WIndmilll bar, as well as three separate areas full of different food and drink stalls, highlights include new stalls from local favourites Parmageddon and Oi Dumplings.
Winter Gardens also sees the return of 2021 hit trader Panc Foods, who wowed vegans and meat eaters alike last year with their plant-based bratwursts and burgers, as well as the popular Korean hot dog stall and bagels from Prestwich favourites Triple B (including a fried camembert version with red onion chutney and stilton mayo).
With more stalls serving up pancakes, churros, and an array of winter tipples, you’ll find two huge bars serving continental and foreign ales, as well as a host of different mixers, cocktails, and all the beers, gluhwein and hot chocolates your heart desires.
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Fried Camembert burger from Triple B. / Image: The Manc Eats
Strawberry crumb and Biscoff chimney cake from Yum Yum. / Image: The Manc Eats
There’s also a huge Manchester Winter Ale House selling cask ales from local breweries like JW Lees, alongside hot drinks like boozy Vimto (made with gin or rum), and ‘Manchester’s legendary Hot Blobs’, which we’re told are a mix of sweet white wine, sugar, lemon, and hot water.
Old favourites the Pig and Barrel also make a welcome return to the Winter Gardens offering up their delicious pork barms and cosy seating area, whilst elsewhere you’ll find a new ‘dirty chicken’ stall, pancake house, ‘Rogue’ pizza bar, Japanese apres ski bar and a little Polish bakery selling cheesecake and apple pie.
St Ann’s Square and Exchange Street
Pies to enjoy at home from Great North Pie Co. / Image: The Manc Eats
A cheese stall selling ‘chip shop curry’ and ‘red wine port’ flavours. / Image: The Manc Eats
St Ann’s Square- the original site for Manchester’s Christmas markets- returns with its large undercover bar providing German beers and warm cherry Gluhwein to keep Christmas revellers warm and merry throughout the winter season.
Also playing host to some of Manchester’s best local traders this year, you’ll find Northern Quarter foodie favourites Yard and Coop serving up their salt and pepper chicken trays alongside award-winning local favourites Great North Pie, and Manc and Proud serving up Mancunian-themed everything.
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Elsewhere, you’ll find fresh authentic paella and tapas, square pizzas, continental chocolates and a range of English cheeses priced at just £3 each in flavours including the magnificent ‘chip shop curry’.
There are also Biscoff cookie pies, cookie and cream fudge puds disguised as Christmas puddings, chocolate orange slabs and giant marshmallow Christmas trees to discover.
Market Street
There’s not much to report here food-wise, with the majority of stalls focusing on selling gifts and other crafty trinkets.
We did spy a massive stall selling pick and mix, though, for those who haven’t yet got over the closure of Woolworth’s, as well as a spiced rum stall and a few gift sets of cheese truckles.
King Street
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Home to some of the best food stall in Manchester, the Christmas deli stalls on King Street takes foodies on a world tour of some of the best-loved dishes on the planet.
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The amazing Italian cheese and meat stall returns, piled high with giant wheels of parmigiano, gorgonzola, goat cheese, pecorino and taleggio, plus a huge variety of salami and smoked bacon pancetta, with giant hams hanging above ready to be sliced to order on a custom machine.
As for ready-to-eat street food, you’ll find everything from squid ink arancini balls and gorgeous Sicilian cannoli, to Greek gyros and halloumi fries, French garlic mushrooms and mustard chicken, baklava, olives, marinated garlic cloves and local rum made right across the river in Salford.
A bar at the end of King Street selling some of Manchester Christmas markets cheapest mulled wine and beer. / Image: The Manc Eats
Arancini balls on sale at a dedicated stall on King Street. / Image: The Manc Eats
Elsewhere, restaurant Habas, part of the El Gato Negro group, has a full outdoor set up serving dishes from its Moroccan-inspired menu including the likes of chicken and vegetable tagine with spiced rice and mini pittas, chargrilled lamb merguez burger.
There’s also a gin and mulled wine bar selling a huge variety of G&Ts with premium bottles like Gin Mare on offer, and a second beer and mulled wine bar at the Deansgate end with everything you need to get merry.
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New Cathedral Street
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
On New Cathedral Street, the longstanding home of the big sausage, find stalls selling old-fashioned liquorice and handmade cocktails to drink at home, alongside hot street food stalls offering everything from vegan 5 bean chilli to New York Bagels.
Elsewhere, you’ll find Bar 3’s famous Instagram-worthy smoking cocktails, mulled wine and craft beers, and traditional steins and mouth-watering currywurst at The Witchouse.
Exchange Square
Over on Exchange Square, you can warm up at the instantly recognisable Mill Exchange bar, with their special Mancunian mulled wine made on-site and its legends of Manchester artwork adorning its walls.
2022 also sees the return of the famous Porky Pig’s Yorkshire Pudding Wrap, alongside stalls selling hot curries, mini pancakes, fresh fudge, hand-carved olivewood decorations, German kebabs, and gourmet Italian pizza.
The Corn Exchange
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Set between Manchester’s historic Corn Exchange building and Shambles Square, visitors can expect to find a pie stall from The Crusty Pie Company selling every filling variation you can think of – from pork and black pudding to Hunstmans pies, chicken and leek, wild boar and mushroom, turkey and cranberry, and chicken and chestnut stuffing pies. You can also find bags of traditional pork scratchings from £2.
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Elsewhere, Jammy Dodger-loaded cupcakes, Nutella-topped confections, and more covered with pick and mix sweeties, chocolate Oreos, and golden pretzels can be found at Zara’s Cupcakes market stall, and there’s another English cheese stall selling flavours like ‘chip shop curry’, ‘stuffing’ and ‘fiery dragon’ from £3 each.
Cathedral Gardens
Opening Saturday 22 October in time for half term and Halloween, the much-loved undercover ice rink Skate MCR is back with entertainment each Thursday to Sunday all the way through to New Year’s Eve.
Next to the ice rink, hot food, warm drinks, pancakes and tipples will be on offer from nearby market stalls to help warm up cold hands and feet after a skate on the ice.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
Food & Drink
There’s a non-alocholic pairing dinner coming to Manchester this Dry Jan
Thomas Melia
A one-night-only pairing of two dining out staples from the food and drink world is coming to Manchester next month, and it also happens to be non-alcoholic for anyone doing Dry January.
Taking place at the wonderful Maray over on Lincoln Square, each dish served throughout the night will be expertly paired with a non-alcoholic drink from zero-per cent experts, Lucky Saint.
This Middle Eastern eatery is always surprising its diners, last September they made their infamous roasts free for one day only, and this upcoming event is sure to be as exciting with its unique tastings.
Lucky Saint came to fruition after partnering with a historical brewery in Bavaria who’ve produced beer for over 400 years, creating a non alcoholic alternative which greeted UK drinkers in 2020.
Lucky Saint will be readily available and paired with every meal.Diners can expect some sensational food as always from Maray. Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)
Titled ‘The Official Beer Of Dry January’, supplying IPAs and lagers to a host of stockists, not only are their products fully non-alcoholic but they’re also entirely plant-based – meaning they’re the perfect tie-in with Veganuary.
If their website is anything to go by, diners are set to enjoy refreshments such as their unfiltered lager and a 0.5% ‘Hazy’ IPA which contains juicy tropical notes. Don’t mind if we do.
Although it’s hard to say what the food offerings may be, it’s guaranteed that anyone who attends is in for a treat as this site has even served famous faces like Dua Lipa back in 2022 while she was on tour.
Their vegan menu features some meat free feasts like a falafel sharer and a delicious oyster mushroom shwarma, it’s a well-loved restaurant.
Vegans are certainly catered for at this event as it’s not only the free-flowing drinks that contain no animal products, there will also be an entirely vegan menu on hand.
Maray have multiple locations but anyone who couldn’t get enough of the flavours the first time in Manchester can attend their Liverpool pairing dinner which is happening the very next day.
The Maray x Lucky Saint Dry January Pairing Dinner is coming to Manchester on Wednesday, 15 January from 7-9:30pm with tickets live HERE.
And if you’re looking for other places to enjoy a guilt-free drink in the city centre this month, we’ve got a few suggestions for you:
Doing #DryJan doesn't have to mean staying in or saying goodbye to the pub. 🍹
Where to drink game-changing non-alcoholic aperitivo Botivo in Greater Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Whether it’s Dry January, a hangover-free night out, or total sobriety, there are a lot of options for non-alcoholic drinking these days.
But they don’t come much better than Botivo, a game-changing aperitivo that’s 0% alcohol but 100% tasty.
This delicious small-batch drink has been carefully crafted with just as much attention as you’d put into an alcoholic cocktail, from the hand-picked thyme leaves to the bottles hand-dipped in a buttercup yellow wax.
Founder Sam Paget Steavenson said: “I wanted to bring the true craft and depth of flavour we all see in the alcohol category, to the non alc category. This meant using real ingredients, no flavourings and low intervention techniques.”
The result is Botivo, a bittersweet, citrusy, herbal drink that can be added into summer drinks, winter warmers, after-work concoctions and just about anything else you can think of.
And if you do love an alcoholic drink, Botivo is still a great addition to your boozy cocktails.
It’s popping up on shelves right across Greater Manchester – here are 10 places you can drink Botivo locally.
Reserve Wines – Didsbury
Reserve Wines in DidsburyReserve Wines in Didsbury
This fantastic local wine bar and bottle shop is one of the best spots in Manchester to get your hands on rare and unusual drinks – and also, Botivo.
The Didsbury institution serves theirs simply with soda and a delicious kick of ginger, or with blueberry and ginger kombucha.
Tawny Stores – Stockport
Tawny Stores in Marple Bridge. Credit: The Manc GroupBotivo at Tawny Stores. Credit: The Manc Group
Tawny Stores is a lovely little cafe, restaurant and grocery store right on the water’s edge in Marple, where you can do everything from having a romantic candlelit dinner to scoffing a morning pastry to grabbing a loaf of bread to take home.
Here, Botivo is added to a warming spiced apple drink, reminiscent of a mulled cider. You can even have it served in a takeaway cup to take it on a walk down the neighbouring canal, if you so fancy.
Bundobust – Oxford Road
Manchester Indian street food restaurant Bundobust. Credit: The Manc GroupBotivo at Bundobust Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike love Bundobust, a Leeds-founded Indian street food restaurant that now has two sites in Manchester city centre.
Among the long benches and beneath the skylights (weirdly, both sites have similar ceilings), you can pair your Indian small plates with a tasty glass of Botivo and soda.
Delve – Delph
Delve in Delph, Saddleworth. Credit: The Manc GroupDelve in Delph, Saddleworth. Credit: The Manc Group
Delve is a gorgeous restaurant and bar that’s recently opened in the Saddleworth village of Delph, inside an old bank building.
They’ve come up with a suitably sophisticated Botivo serve, the Pink Lady, made with chilled fruit tea.
Something More Productive – Withington
Something More Productive in Withington. Credit: The Manc GroupBotivo at Something More Productive. Credit: The Manc Group
This is a lively neighbourhood bar and cafe, as famed for its sturdy sandwiches as it is live music nights.
Tuck yourself away inside with a Botivo, served here with delicious ginger and yuzu kombucha from Cheshire-made Hip Pop.
North Westward Ho – city centre
Botivo at North Westward Ho in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Easily one of the city centre’s best watering holes, North Westward Ho is a charming pub operated by the same team behind Pomona Island brewery.
A perfect alternative to their massive beer selection, Botivo comes with soda and a wedge of fresh orange.
Caravan – St John’s
Botivo drinks at Caravan ManchesterCaravan in Manchester city centreCredit: The Manc Group
Caravan is another huge newcomer in Manchester city centre, where it has an all-day menu inspired by the vibrant flavours of New Zealand and Australia cafe culture.
Get cosy in the huge, light-flooded space and order yourself a Botivo and soda with a sprig of rosemary to really enhance those herbal flavours.
The Pearl – Prestwich
A Botivo espresso martini at The Pearl, PrestwichThe Pearl in Prestwich has made it onto the list of the Top 100 Local Restaurants in the Good Food Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
You’ve never had an espresso martini like this before – and you’ll never want to drink it another way.
Award-winning neighbourhood restaurant The Pearl has added Botivo to its espresso martinis, for a delicious citrus hit to the classic drink.
Hinterland Bar – Northern Quarter
Inside Hinterland in the Northern Quarter. Credit: The Manc GroupBotivo Elixir at Hinterland. Credit; The Manc Group
Tucked down in a Northern Quarter basement is Hinterland, a proudly alcohol-free bar that is the perfect cosy spot to sample Botivo.
They’ll serve you a Botivo Elixir, made with chai tea, lime, and cucumber – or you can have it more simply with soda.
10 Tib Lane – city centre
10 Tib Lane in ManchesterInside 10 Tib Lane Manchester
If you’ve never been to 10 Tib Lane, let this be your sign – the three-storey restaurant and bar is a real beauty, serving delicious small plates that pair perfectly with Botivo.
They serve it ice cold, with soda and fresh orange. Delicious.
Georgina Pellant -
11th November 2022 
