If you’re looking for cheap eats in Manchester, you’ve come to the right place.
From sushi to shawarma, curries, sandwiches, jerk chicken, burgers, rice, noodles and more, if you’re dining out on a budget (and let’s be honest, who isn’t right now) then we’re here to help.
We’ve pulled a list of some of our favourite go-to spots for a solid scran that won’t break the bank. Keep reading to discover where to put on your list next.
This tiny bakery and shawarma shop in Rusholme is almost too easy to miss. Don’t pass it by, though. This might be one of the best bargains to be had in Manchester.
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The freshly-made naans, filled with shavings of delicately spiced chicken or lamb, salad and sauce, make a great cheap eat – priced at just £2.50 each. Falafel sandwiches will set you back £2, or you can get 3 naan for just £1. Bargain.
Wasabi, Chinatown / Printworks
Credit: Wasabi Manchester
A little bit of Japan in Manchester, Wasabi is known for its sushi and tonkotsu ramen – cooked for a minimum of 18 hours.
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With two sites in the city, one in Chinatown and another in the Printworks, it also has some great value sushi boxes. Even better, at lunch you can get sushi off the belt from just £1.20 a plate.
EatGoody, Universities
Cheap eats near the universities in Manchester at EatGoody. Credit: EatGoody
This popular Korean eatery by the unviersities sells boxes in two sizes. Choose from cubed potatoes, rice, spicy rice or noodles for your base, then opt for specials like chicken curry, tofu tempura bimbim, or veg dumpling curry, depending on the day.
Priced from £5.40 for a regular or £7.40 for a large, you get a lot for your money here either way – but can also opt for add-ons like kimchi salad, boiled and fried eggs.
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Tzatziki’s, Fallowfield
Credit: Eat MCR
Credit: Tzatziki’s
This family-run business in the heart of student land is credited with getting more undergrads through their degrees than any other local eatery.
The gyros here are legendary, but there is loads more to discover too. Dishes are cooked by Greek chefs and draw mostly from Greece, with some wider Mediterranean inspiration. Prices start from just £4.30.
This & That, NQ
This & That is one of Manchester’s best cheap eats restaurants. Image: EATMCR
Probably the first place any self-respecting Manc will point you if you ask for a cheap eats recommendation, This & That’s rice and three cafe is fabled here in the city.
As the name suggests, you get three curries and rice for a fixed price – £4.50 for veg, £5 for two veg and one meat etc. – from a set list of curries that change on a daily basis. Tucked just off the beaten path, find it on Soap street by Trof.
Recently featured in The Guardian, this beloved Hulme Carribean institution is famous for its jerk chicken, veggie stew and lamb chops – and that’s just for starters.
Find stuffed cornmeal patties, blackened whole plantains, rice and peas, fried dumplings, fried squid, fried chicken and more with prices starting from just £1. Meals tend to sit around the £7.50 mark, whilst retro puddings like school dinner cake will cost you £2.50 a pop.
This legendary curry house on Manchester’s curry mile has seen more high-profile musicians walk through its door than most. A favourite of Hit&Run head honcho Rich Reason, for years it was a late-night favourite of clubbers – staying open until 5am.
Post-pandemic, that’s changed and you can only get a scran until 1am now. It’s still a top spot, though. The lamb karahi is the stuff dreams are made of, ditto the chargrilled lamb chops. Curries start from £6.50, burgers from £2.
Rack, Stockport
At Rack, it’s all about the sandwiches. All handmade to order, find ingredients stacked between sourdough or squashed into shiny, buttery brioche.
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Grilled cheese is another speciality, the three-cheese classic served with red onion dipping gravy on the side. Breakfast boxes and salads are also available, with prices starting from £4.40.
Habesha, Gay Village
Image: Flickr
This Ethiopian restaurant, hidden above a takeaway in Manchester’s gay village, has been quietly ticking away for years.
Serving up richly-spiced traditional curries on soft, spongy sourdough-fermented injera bread, at this no-frills joint, it’s all about the food – not your social media pictures. Prices start from £9.
Offering a mix of traditional Tibetan dishes and those with Himalayan roots, Tibetan Kitchen has gained a cult following in South Manchester where it is based.
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Influenced by the food of neighbouring India, China and Nepal, the ever-growing menu is great for vegetarian and vegans and offers many meat and fish options too. Prices start from £6.50.
Go Falafel, NQ / Deansgate
Our go-to in the city centre for fresh falafel, it’s not just the herby chickpea goodness that does it for us here – it’s all the salads, pickles and other ecoutrements too.
Falafel wraps are stuffed with your choice of pickled cabbage, potato, salad, tahini, chilli sauce and lashings of fresh hummus, plus extras like grilled aubergine. There’s salad boxes and freshly squeezed juices too. Prices start from £5.50.
Festive pop-up cafe filled with hundreds of dogs in Christmas jumpers is coming to Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Are you a dog person? Love seeing lots of little pups in the same place? Looking for your dog to make some four-legged friends?
Well you’re in luck, as the Pup Up Cafe is heading back out on a tour of the UK next month, and if the concept of the popular event wasn’t already flipping cute enough as it is, this time around, it’s a Christmas-themed edition, and it’s sounding set to be the perfect festive day out in the city with your fur baby.
If you’re looking to get in the Christmas spirit early, then both the ‘Jingle Paws’ all-breeds and dedicated ‘Dashing Dachshund’ pop up cafes – or we should say ‘pup up cafe’ – are returning to Manchester in late November.
The adorable events will be filling a popular city centre venue with loads of dogs to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.
A festive pop-up cafe filled with hundreds of dogs in Christmas jumpers is coming to Manchester / Credit: Supplied
Last year, hundreds of different dogs visited the cafe to join in on the festive fun, and this year is expected to be no different, as the event organisers have secured a large city centre space for all the dogs to roam free.
Whether you’re a dog owner yourself, or just a big fan, everyone’s free to attend to mingle with many furry little friends, take part in a range of seasonal activities, and stock up on canine-related goodies as early Christmas presents.
There’ll be ball pits, toys, and tunnels for all the zoomies, while the pups themselves can enjoy unlimited dog treats and free puppuccinos.
With up to 50 dogs allowed per session, and festive fancy dress very much encouraged, each pup will get a Christmas present on arrival at the party, and will even have the chance to win some extra prizes if they’re the best dressed.
A dedicated photographer will be getting snaps of each session and there’ll be loads of Christmas props to use in the pictures.
So, if you fancy joining The Pup Up Cafe when it arrives in Manchester for Christmas on Sunday 23 November, then tickets will set you back £12 if you’re a dog owner, and £15 if you’re just a dog person who’s keen to go along for the fun anyway.
A live Shaun the Sheep stage show and circus is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Brace yourselves, because one of the best fun-for-all-ages events is coming to Manchester: the official Shaun the Sheep stage and circus show is coming to Factory International.
This isn’t just one to keep the children entertained; we already know plenty of big kids who grew up on Shaun, Shirley, and the rest of the sheep are already thinking about grabbing tickets.
Created by Nick Park, the same man responsible for Wallace and Gromit, this live stage production and incredibly practical circus show of the beloved British cartoon is already critically acclaimed.
Now set to make its full European debut right here in our city, Shaun the Sheep’s Circus Show teams up with leading performance company Circa to bring the TV show to life this winter.
‘It’s gonna be un-BAAA-leivable’.
Conceived not only by the award-winning minds at Aardman Animation, but the experienced performers at Circa, this ‘in the flesh’ (and wool) interpretation of the slapstick CBBC classic will not only delight younger audiences, but bring plenty of energy to keep the adults entertained too.
Promising a “live circus performance, simultaneously blurring the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus for a visual spectacle packed with wit”, you can expect acrobatics and circus skills.
Stunts will include the likes of tumbling, juggling, aerial hoop, aerial silks, trapeze, Spanish web and Chinese pole, just to name a few.
And, of course, there’ll be plenty of Aardman’s signature heartwarming comedy in W&G, Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas, Flushed Away and more.
Naturally, all the usual suspects will be on show to: Shaun, Bitzer, The Farmer and the rest of the Flock – and yes, in case the trailer didn’t give it away, they are people who are not just dressed up as adorable real-life lambs but bouncing, flipping and flying all over the stage.
Coming to Aviva Studios this festive period, it’ll be taking place in The Hall: one of the venue’s largest and most dynamic rooms, with the state-of-the-art building famously able to alter the size of individual stages and spaces depending on the event.
John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Circa and Aardman to present the European premiere of this fun-filled show at our home in Aviva Studios.
“Circa presents award-winning circus performances to audiences across the globe, and their collaboration with Aardman Studios creates a unique offering for families, circus fans and everyone who loves Shaun the Sheep“
Running from Tuesday, 11 December 2025 until Sunday, 4 January 2026, they’ve also ensured affordable admission from just £10; you can grab your tickets now.
Georgina Pellant -
15th February 2022 
