We’re certainly not stuck for choice of places to grab a bite to eat across Greater Manchester.
But under Tier 3 rules as part of the UK government’s new three tier restrictions scheme introduced with the intent to curb the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), hospitality businesses in Greater Manchester that do not sell “substantial meals” – are not permitted to operate.
This sadly means that many of our favourite local hangouts have have had to close doors for the time being.
Luckily though, there’s still plenty of independent and Manchester-based eateries open right across the city centre and beyond that are in need of our support more than ever, and are ready to welcome us with open arms.
Some of them are even offering a range of discounts too – or “substantial meal” deals, shall we call them – and they’re worth making the most of when you can.
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Here’s a rundown of our top picks for places to head on over to in the coming weeks.
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Banyan
Spinningfields
You can still book a reservation for cocktails at Banyan, but in line with government guidance, you’re now asked to order something to eat with your drinks too, so the bar and restaurant has launched a new £3.50 menu, so you can have a great value meal without breaking the bank and still enjoy beautiful 2-4-1 cocktails.
There’s a great ‘Early Bird’ deal happening at The Pen & Pencil between 5-7pm on Tuesday – Friday, and you can order a delicious New Yorker Chicken and a drink for only £15, as well as so much more.
You can still keep the drinks flowing with the Three Course Bottomless Dinner at Revolucion de Cuba.
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For £39 per person, per two-hour slot on Monday – Thursday, you can start with tortilla chips & guacamole, then choose from a selection of mains and desserts, all whilst sipping on unlimited drinks, which include Prosecco, Mahou Lager, house wine, Cuba Libre, and Amour Cubana.
This must be booked in advance and reservations can be made here.
Hideout Lounge & Grill
INNside Hotel – First Street
Hideout Lounge & Grill’s new “substantial meal” deal means you can buy a bottle of prosecco for £29.95 and get yourself a two course meal for free between 5pm-8pm on Sunday – Thursday.
There’s still plenty of fun to be had at Roxy Ballroom and those with a gaming booking can also pre-book a pizza and a drink for the discounted price of £12 through the very same booking system.
The ‘Eat Out to Drink Out’ deal at Albert’s Schloss means you can order a range of ‘Bier Food’ items – which are slightly lighter versions of the classic Cook Haus dishes – all day from Monday – Friday and pair it with a drink for just £12, two drinks and a meal for £16, or push the boat out with three drinks and dinner for £20.
The Albert’s Schloss x Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizzeria Bottomless Brunch is also taking place every Saturday and Sunday throughout November.
YES is now serving its brilliantly-named ‘Doner Summer Kebabs’ for just £5 at lunch time, plus you can also take your pick from the wide selection of pizzas, either in full, or by the slice.
Despite serving up full 22″ pizzas and slices – the largest in Manchester, in fact – Nell’s Pizza in Common was originally told by authorities last week that its pizza slices alone were not “substantial” enough. Luckily enough however, the police has now made a U-turn on the decision, meaning slices do count as a meal.
Cult-favourite wing joint Bunny Jackson’s is now offering bottomless wings and fries – with booze – every single day, meaning you can feast on as many wings as you can manage (House BBQ; Buffalo; and Classic), with chips on the side and a choice of house lager, frozen cocktails and flavoured Lambrini.
There’s a great meal deal currently on offer at Cane & Grain where you can buy one dish with one drink for £6.50, two drinks for £10.50, or three drinks for £14.50, and on top of that, you can also grab yourself bottomless wings, ribs and booze for £25 per 90 minutes.
Another impressive 50% off food on Mondays is also up for grabs at The Bay Horse Tavern, as well as a bottomless brunch offer on Saturdays and Sundays where you can sip on Prosecco, Bloody Mary’s, Irish Coffees, Wine, G&T’s, or Beer along with your meal for £27.50 per person per 90 minutes.
If you don’t fancy a full feast, then there’s an excellent offer of a completely plant-based sharing board accompanied by bottle of wine for just £25 at The Allotment Vegan Eatery.
Another great “substantial meals” deal at The Shack Bar & Grill means you can grab a meal and drink for £10, or two drinks for £14, and three drinks for £17, including beer, wine and all your favourite cocktails such as Pornstar Martini, Vimto Daiquiri and Frozen Margarita.
Crazy Pedro’s alternative ‘Bottomless Brunch’ means you can tuck into unlimited slices of pizza, beer, Prosecco and Frozen Margs too for £25 per person when you book your 90-minute slot between 11am – 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays only.
No drinks are off limits in Turtle Bay’s ‘Bottomless Brunch’ deal, which means you can have your pick of the full cocktail menu to accompany your meal for just £27 per person at both Manchester venues.
There’s a bunch of different offers to make the most of at TNQ, including the Happy Monday & Thirsty Thursday £35 per person deal, the ‘Express Menu’ with the option to add bottomless house drinks for £10, and also the multi-course award-winning Sunday Roasts too.
Mecanica is open for all your “substantial meal” needs and is running Cocktail Beer Ramen & Bun food all night, alongside a fantastic range of deli meats and cheese boards, and dessert boards from Slattery too, which can be paired with a delicious cocktail, an expertly-selected bottle of wine, or even a pint of Guinness.
Opening hours have been until 10pm, but you just need to make sure your food is ordered before 9pm.
There’s an impressive selection of small dishes at just £7.50 to graze on as accompaniments to your choice of drinks at Dive Bar & Grill, which are all served until 9:15pm.
The fun doesn’t just stop in the city centre, so here’s some of our picks for places to hit up in the suburbs and boroughs of Greater Manchester this weekend too.
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KBK
Ancoats
Renowned health food kitchen KBK in Ancoats has an extensive small plates menu if you don’t fancy a full feast, and is also operating with extended evening opening hours too.
There’s plenty of mouthwatering dishes on the menu at Astoria Bar & Restaurant – as well as weekday Happy Hours and 2-4-1 cocktails – but if you just fancy keeping it simple, you can tuck into a sandwich or wrap with wine for only £9.
Folk in West Didsbury and Prestwich has taken “substantial meals” to a whole other level with specially-dedicated menu featuring a wide array of dishes available daily from 12pm – 9:15pm starting at just £4.75.
As well as an extensive small plates menu to take your pick from, there’s also a ‘Boozy Bao’ offer currently available at The Boiler Room, which sees you get Bao, Fries + Bottomless Cocktails/Beer for £25 per person per one and 1/2 hour slot.
You can take your pick from any pizza and a Peroni/wine for just £9.50, and any pizza and a pint for £11.50, or share any pizza and two cocktails for just £20 instead.
There’s a brand new Happy Hour deal on offer at Bario in Chorlton, where you can tuck into two tacos, a tequila and a beer for just £10, and it’s available every Monday – Wednesday from 5-8pm.
How does 50% off found every Monday sound? Not only that, but you can also grab yourself any burger and a pint for just £7.95 on Fridays too at Into the Woods.
There’s an incredible 20% off ‘curfew deal’ going on at Drip in Bury – which simply sees you get 20% off your full bill – and it’s there to take advantage of every day of the week, so it’s not one to miss. Not only that, but you can also make the impressive £19.95 Afternoon Tea bottomless too.
Reservations must be made in advance and you can book your table here.
Eats
Chorlton’s Horse and Jockey is reintroduced to the suburbs after stunning transformation
Danny Jones
The much-loved Horse and Jockey in Chorlton is back open for business following a major and marvellous refurb, which has seen the heart and soul of the pub restored to its former glory.
Opening just in time for the bulk of cosy boozer season, we’re about to spend A LOT of time in here.
With an impressive culinary pedigree to boot, the ‘new and improved’ Horse and Jockey was always bound to be a hit with critics and natives alike, we just weren’t expecting them to knock it quite so far out of the park – or, in this case, Chorlton Green.
Giving the already gorgeous 200-year-old structure a new lick of paint and then some, the new Horse and Jockey looks set to reassert itself as one of the prettiest, cosiest and tastiest pubs you’ll find in central Manchester.
Benefitting from sitting just outside the city centre, you’ve still got plenty of footfall from those who have seen Chorlton become a foodie destination all of its own, and those who have lived there all their lives.
Yes, you’ll still find plenty of old boys sipping their well-deserved pints and dogs curling up on the carpets here.
Now boasting up to 82 covers outside in the familiar evergreen beer garden, with table service in the summer, you can see this being a go-to spot for grub and a reliable watering hole for all year-round.
It’s also worth noting that it’s a pretty roomy venue inside as well, with an entirely refurbished upstairs seating area and a dedicated private dining space now, too.
The Horse and Jockey is glistening once again ahead of reopening this month. (Credit: The Manc Group)
Other touches we especially liked are bringing Chorlton Pale Ale – which used to be brewed right here in the Jockey itself prior to Covid – back on draught. It may be made elsewhere nowadays, but we’re glad to see it being shipped back to and served out of its ancestral home.
And it just gets better.
As well as supporting the local art scene by sourcing works from Greater Manchester creatives, they really are aiming to make this a community cornerstone.
They’ve taken the holistic idea of a public house right back to its roots, providing not only a place to meet, eat and drink for regulars, but also a real social outlet right in the middle of the suburb.
It’s also about supporting and celebrating traditional British pubs and the Northern working-class culture that goes along with it.
There’s still a recognisable style and familiar feel to the Horse and Jockey refurb. (Credit: The Manc)
The majority of the furniture is even salvaged from the pubs we sadly lost up and down the country, not to mention other businesses that have unfortunately closed post-pandemic and the continuing struggles facing the industry.
We’re lucky to have people like this putting drinks in our hands and keeping our bellies full, so we’re glad that they’re doing what they can to pay homage to those who have come before them as well.
Perhaps most heartwarming is that not only have they kept pre-existing staff in post during the switch-over, but they’re all welcoming back familiar faces from the past. Once again, this is about championing the beauty of British pub culture in all of its facets.
This is a proper foodie pub at its core, boasting cosy vibes just in time for the colder months; they even restored three of the five original fires that used to burn through the autumn and winter back in the day.
Bookings are live already, and if you’ve tried the Sunday roast at The Black Friar, you expect this place to fill up just as quickly – we’d reserve our tables early if we were you…
The food offering is substantial, filling and full of flavour. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
This may be a big rebrand and transformation, but there are also still the same old Joseph Holt favourites on the taps for those who love the classic lineup, and they’ve even used their ‘Trailblazer’ stout glaze on one of their cheesecakes. Safe to say, they have our undivided attention with that one.
Owner Neil Burke, who formally acquired The Black Friar two years ago and now heads up the revamped Horse and Jockey, said of the reopening: “I have a personal history with the Horse & Jockey and it’s always held a special place in my heart.
“It’s such a beautiful building, but it hasn’t been shining the way it should in recent years. As a local myself, I felt Chorlton deserved a proper foodie pub – somewhere that delivers brilliant food in a setting that does justice to the building’s history.”
To top things off, they’ve got Michelin-trained head chef Paolo Bianchileading things in the kitchen.
“The Horse & Jockey is an iconic part of Chorlton’s history and I’m proud to be leading its kitchen with the brilliant Black Friar team”, says Bianchi. “After gaining years of experience in Paris, Dubai and London, it feels great to be rooted in Manchester, a city I’ve really fallen in love with.”
“My vision is simple, to serve British classics that people know and love, elevated with seasonal local ingredients, touches from my Italian heritage and international experience. The menu will be ever-changing, so guests can expect something fresh every time they visit.”
As for your job, it’s simple: expect great, hearty pub grub classics elevated to a gourmet level, with all the welcoming warmth of a traditional English pub.
This isn’t just a metropolitan boozer trying to be acountry-style pub; the Horse and Jockey is a Chorlton gem reborn. It opens on Monday, 20 October, and you can guarantee you’ll be seeing us there.
The best foodie freebies you can get in Manchester on your birthday
Danny Jones
Nothing says ‘Happy Birthday’ quite like free food and drink simply for being born, especially when you can get it right here on your doorstep in Manchester, don’t you think?
There’s no doubt tonnes of different places that do special complimentary offers on your big day throughout the 10 boroughs, but that inevitably gargantuan list is for another day.
For now, we thought we’d simply put together a quick and easy round-up of the best birthday freebies you can get in and around central Manchester.
You can thank us later when you’re all full up and your wallet isn’t even the tiniest bit lighter.
Places that offer free stuff on your birthday in Manchester
1. Money off at J.W. Lees
Start your birthday off right with a pint from one of Greater Manchester’s most famous beermasters: J.W. Lees Brewery, who’ll give you a tenner off when you visit the bar on your birthday.
All you have to do is quickly sign up for their mailer to get your £10 voucher; they’re also the legend behind the ongoing Boddingtons revival, so you already know how best to spend it.
Next up is a Manc favourite that’s never shyed away from dishing out the odd freebie – spoilers, but it usually involves some kind of chicken…
In all seriousness, be it free wings for students with ‘Yard Card’ or kids eating at no cost when the adults book in a family meal, the kings and queens at the Coop are always looking out for us Mancs. It’s not different on you’re birthday either, when you get a free main meal by signing up to the newsletter.
Next up, you’re going to need something to wash down all that lovely salty fried chicken, so why not queue up some cocktails at Simmons over on Deansgate?
These still relatively recent London exports are so kind as to offer a £25 bar tab when you book a table with them for your birthday; you can sort yours HERE.
4. Nell’s Pizza freebies
Ok, so now you’ve whetted the whistle and can probably line up your next bit of scran – we’re assuming you’re going to do what we do and cram all these into one single day – so it’s time to grab some pizza at Nell’s if you ask us.
Better yet, not only are their slices reasonably priced, but you can also cop yourself a voucher free ‘Birthday Cake’ flavour (yes, the pretty one with the sprinkles) ice cream sandwich when booking online. You’ve also got a new venue you can enjoy this deal at, too.
We’ve had a free ice cream sandwich at Nell’s in Manchester on our birthday for at least the last three years.
5. Bonus baked goods at Gail’s
If a little ice cream sandwich hasn’t quite satiated your sweet tooth, then you’ll be glad to know that the growing presence of Gail’s Bakery in Greater Manchester not only involves some unreal tastes and smells, but some brilliant birthday freebies, too.
For those who are members of Gail’s Loyalty Programme, where customers can also collect stamps to earn back coffees, cakes and more completely gratis, you are also entitled to a free sweet from their baker’s table treat during your birthday month. Say no more.
Question is, which treat will it be?… (Credit: The Manc Group)
6. Good old Greggs
Room for more dessert (they do say it’s a second stomach, after all)? Well, if there is, you can’t go wrong with a Northerner’s first love: Gregg’s, who also keep things nice and straightforward by simply congratulating you on being born by giving you a free sweet treat you can claim via the app.
Oh, and by the way, I was once genuinely given a Gregg’s gift card by a mate for my birthday and don’t sleep on it – that was genuinely one of the best things in the haul that year.
Left it too late to buy a Mother’s Day present and now all the shops are shut? We do digital gift cards. Just saying... https://t.co/46ETSh1gc0
Ok, it’s all feeling a bit sugar-heavy at the minute, so let’s swap back onto the savoury and another brilliant chain that isn’t just beloved here but actually started the fast-food burrito culture here in 0161.
Many of you may have already copped this freebie in the past, but in case you still need to be initiated, Barburrito have been handing out free birthday burritos since like forever – the only catch nowadays is you need to download the app and make sure you’ve spent at least £6 before the date rolls around.
8. Chopstix for cheap
Last but not least, how about some late-night noodles to finish things off? We here at The Manc (Eats, specifically) are guilty of getting a last-minute takeaway to round off a long work day or spice up a weekend evening spent at home.
That being said, it’s a very easy plan to fall back on during your birthday week if you don’t have much booked in for an insignificant number in your 20s, let’s say; simply sign up for the newsletter and select the small box of your choosing. It isn’t just food they’re doing these days either…
Emily Sergeant -
30th October 2020 
