Everyone knows where they stand with a McDonald’s drive-thru.
Fries that are either cold and droopy or so hot they singe chip-shaped lines into the roof of your mouth. Burgers with inexplicably sweet buns and a single gherkin lurking off-centre. Milkshakes so thick the veins pop out on your head when you try to suck them through the straw.
It’s a classic, but in recent years other brands have started to join the drive-thru brigade and blown your ‘I’m-hungry-but-I-don’t-want-to-leave-my-car’ options wide open.
The latest to join the fray is Chaiiwala, serving Indian-inspired fast food from a former petrol station forecourt.
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First founded on the streets of New Delhi in the 1920s, Chaiwala first began life as a small tea stall (hence the name) but today has 50 sites in the UK and even more abroad.
At its new drive-thru in Bolton, there are burgers, chips, wraps and sundaes, just like a Maccies, but these ones all feature an Indian twist.
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The Chaiiwala drive-thru. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Chaiiwala’s samosa burger. Credit: The Manc Group
The prices are comparable, too – you’re not looking at paying more than £3.25 for a burger here, whereas those golden arches are charging £4.59 for a Big Mac these days.
So it’s hard not to lose your head when you pull up to the familiar drive-thru system (which we did in a Tesla, because a posh drive-thru deserves a posh car).
We ordered a decent selection of Chaiiwala’s ‘first-of-its-kind’ drive-thru menu, including a portion of Gunpowder Masala Chips (£3.25), served wrapped in a newspaper-style paper cone, slathered with a tangy and sweet sauce and spring onions.
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Chaiiwala cheese naan. Credit: The Manc GroupAt Chaiiwala’s drive-thru in Bolton. Credit: The Manc GroupLotus Biscoff wrap. Credit: The Manc Group
Chaiiwala’s crispy Punjabi samosas come stuffed with potato and chickpea, and then those samosas come stuffed into a bread bun and loaded with slaw, onions, tomato, and tamarind sauce. I can’t imagine ever choosing a McChicken Sandwich again after this samosa burger (£3.25).
We also grabbed a cheese naan (£2.50), that gives one of the most satisfying cheese pulls you’ll ever see when you tear it open to stuff your chips inside, and a Lotus Biscoff roti wrap (£2.75).
There’s plenty more to come back for, like a butter chicken roll, and a cheese and jalapeno pasty, and pani puri, and samosa chat, and a chaii frappe.
You can eat it parked up outside Chaiiwala’s drive-thru, where your view is of… a McDonald’s.
And what a smug feeling it is to tuck into your freshly-made, reasonably-priced samosa burger, looking at the queue across the road of disgruntled soggy-chips eaters.
Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
Food & Drink
The Manchester restaurant serving bottomless curry for just £20 during National Curry Week
Daisy Jackson
One of Manchester’s leading curry houses is bringing back its bottomless curry offering very soon.
For just £20, diners can tuck into unlimited curry, rice and naan at Zouk Tea Bar & Grill, stuffing yourself silly on authentic dishes from from all over the Indian subcontinent.
There’s nothing quite like getting the gang together for a proper curry, and Zouk is making it even easier to do exactly that this October.
They’ll be bringing back the £20 Bottomless Curry deal for National Curry Week 2026, running for five nights only, from Monday 5 October to Friday 9 October, with tables available between 5pm and 10pm each evening.
Guests can choose one curry from a daily selection of four, with meat, vegetarian and vegan options available throughout the week.
Once you’ve picked your curry, you can then order as many portions as you fancy during your 90-minute booking.
Rice and naan are unlimited too, so there’s no shortage of carbs to mop up the curry with.
The dishes on the menu include some of Zouk’s favourites, such as Chicken Karahi, Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Tikka Masala, Dall Makhani, Chicken Handi and Gobi Manchurian.
The exact four-dish selection varies by day, giving curry fans a reason to head back more than once during the five-day promotion.
And yes, you can go back for another helping.
Zouk owner Tayub Amjad said: “National Curry Week is always a great excuse to celebrate the food we love.
“Bottomless Curry has become a real favourite with our customers, so we’re excited to bring it back for five nights. It’s relaxed, great value and perfect for getting friends together for a proper curry night.”
Advance booking is recommended – you can book your table for the Zouk Bottomless Curry nights HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
6th May 2023 
