When it comes to finding a quick lunch in Manchester city centre, you can never go wrong at Pancho’s Burritos.
Nestled into its own very colourful corner of the Arndale food Market (just upwind from our favourite fishmonger), it has been a fixture in this bustling wing of independent food traders since 2010.
A hallowed stop-off for burrito fans in the know, for the past thirteen years chef-owner Enrique Martinez has been dealing in big, fat wraps and tacos stuffed with flavourful slow-cooked meats.
Cochinita pibil (pulled pork marinaded in achiote spices and lime), chicken tinga and beef in chipotle are longstanding favourites, served alongside an array of homemade salsas – all made as they would be in Mexico City using a Volcanic stone called a Molcajete.
A grande burrito at Pancho’s Burritos in the Arndale Market filled with cochinita pibil (pulled pork marinated in lime and achiote spices). / Image: The Manc Eats
A packet of chilli lime ‘fuego’ Mexican Taki crisps, the best selling rolled corn snack in Mexico. / Image: The Manc Eats
Homemade sides and salsas here include Enrique’s special taquero sauce, own-recipe guacamole and XXX Habanero hot sauce. The latter is made using a recipe that has remained unchanged since 2009, and is to be treated with serious caution thanks to his use of fresh Habanero Chilies.
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Other interesting morsels on offer include packets of chilli lime ‘fuego’ Mexican Taki crisps and a tangy portion of nopalitos (cactus leaf salad) – a staple in Mexican cuisine used widely in tacos, salads and stews.
There’s plenty for vegans too, with plant-based fillings choices spanning a vegan chilli, vegan fajita tofu and vegan jackfruit with broad beans in green salsa.
Open from 10.30am in the week and 11am on Sundays, Enrique also serves up a handful of breakfast dishes.
Fans of the stall will know that his 10 inch burrito stuffed with eggs, ham, black beans,cheese and homemade pico de Gallo salsa is just the thing to fix a hangover.
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Priced at £7.50 as part of a breakfast meal deal, you can also secure a coffee, hot chocolate or tea to kick start your day. It’s also available as a quesadilla, but for us the burrito wins hands down every time.
Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find soft-corn Masa Harina Mexico City tacos stuffed with Mexican red rice, your choice of fillings and Taquero salsa, 12-inch quesadilla ‘Gringas’, and Pancho’s nachos loaded with melted cheese, fresh jalapenos, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole and beans.
Add to that Enrique’s freshly-made Mexican flan and a variety of brightly-coloured Jarritos Meixcan soft drinks in flavours like guava and pineapple, and it truly is a lunchtime dream.
Homemade traditional Mexican creme caramel flan at Pancho’s Burritos. / Image: The Manc Eats
Mexico City tacos at Pancho’s Burritos with guava Jarritos. / Image: The Manc Eats
The family-run business has been a fixture in the Arndale for as long as we can remember. Owned by couple Enrique and Collette, the magic all began when the pair met in 2006 whilst Enrique was studying in Manchester.
The pair moved to Mexico for a couple of years, then had the idea of returning to start their own food business in the north of England. Having landed back in the UK in late 2009, their company was quickly formed and in in January 2010 Panchos Burritos opened inside the Arndale Market.
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Enrique grew up on his Mother’s home cooking and the street food of Mexico City, a mixture of tacos, quesdillas, sopes, tortas, enchiladas and Sunday morning markets selling Mixiot – a traditional pit-barbecued meat dish that is very popular in central Mexico.
It’s this heritage that inspires the dishes he cooks up on the market stall every day.
Delivering big flavours for a pretty minimal price, it’s no wonder that this tiny little spot is constantly pulling in big queues at lunchtime.
We recommend heading down early or preparing to queue for a while, it’s always incredibly busy between the hours of 12 and 3 – but entirely worth the wait.
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Being such huge fans of the place, we headed down to grab ourselves a big fat order Enrique’s Meixcan – and we even managed to score a discount code for you to get a tenner off when your order from Pancho’s with Deliveroo.
To see the full menu click here and to find out more about Pancho’s Burritos head over to their Instagram page here.
Oh, and to save on your next Deliveroo order from Pancho’s make sure to use the code 2X5@PANCHOS when you check out (note that the code can be used twice for two £5 savings on separate orders).
Feature image – The Manc Eats
Manchester
From drone shows to free ice lollies – what went down at Parklife 2025
Daisy Jackson
It’s been a few days since Parklife 2025 wrapped up, and now that we’ve all caught up on sleep we’re looking back on some of the highlights you might’ve missed.
With such a stacked line-up of live music, it would be impossible to have seen everything – from that sizzling final set from Charli XCX to Morgan Seatree’s emotional hometown show, plus viral sensation Interplanetary Criminal filling Matinee and D.O.D. getting the whole Big Top dancing.
One moment that you couldn’t possibly have missed if you were on the ground at Parklife festival was a surprise drone show which dazzled overhead on Saturday night.
As rap legend 50 Cent wrapped up his huge headline set on The Valley stage, and The Hangar came alive to the sound of Pawsa, fans got an extra special treat way up in the skies.
Hundreds of drones came together in an impressive, illuminated aerial display, starting with a 10-second countdown that stopped festival-goers in their tracks.
The drones then flew in formation to create iconic shapes like a yellow JD Sports duffle bag, an adidas shoebox, and the shape of a slowly-rotating Climacool trainer – and what a trainer it is.
The adidas drone show on Saturday nightadidas handed out Climacool-branded lollies and slushies50 Cent on The Valley stageadidas handed out Climacool-branded lollies and slushies
That wasn’t the only bit of attention the Climacool footwear got at Parklife either – thankful fans were treated to free Climacool branded ice lollies and slushies on their way into the festival on Saturday.
As the sun beat down on Heaton Park (bar the odd brief downpour, classic Manchester), adidas and JD Sports arrived in an ice cream truck with the coolest drop at the festival.
There was a helping hand from social media sensation Yombo to hype up the crowd before the festival had even got started.
The Climacool has a textile lining and upper work, with a perforated midsole to allow airflow and keep your feet fresh – perfect for any city adventure (and pretty perfect for a day at Parklife, we discovered).
If the Climacool trainers have caught your eye – either in the sky, at the Climacool ice cream truck, or on social media – then the good news is you can now shop them for yourselves.
Vogue’s immersive ‘Inventing the Runway’ show is coming to Manchester
Thomas Melia
A Vogue immersive show titled ‘Inventing the Runway’ is coming to Manchester, and it’s even co-created by Anna Wintour herself.
Ever fancied learning more about the fashion world? Well, now’s your chance to hear everything you need to know from global fashion leaders and lifestyle magazine Vogue.
The Anna Wintour-approved immersive experience comes alongside the announcement of Factory International‘s Winter lineup, which features another new event all about voyaging to the moon.
This Vogue-fronted experience will incorporate interviews, visual media and more to help attendees visualise fashion shows of the past, present and future.
As well as understanding how fashion shows became the pinnacle of a designer’s vision, this runway-themed display also includes looking back at iconic moments of fashion and pop culture.
‘Inventing the Runway’ by Vogue is focusing on outfits worn by models and A-listers alike, with narration from the one and only Cate Blanchett.
You can expect to see curated pieces by significant creative minds in fashion history like Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and lots more.
Throughout the Vogue experience, as well as coming visually face to face with fashion, you will also hear a soundscape that perfectly reflects this innovative industry with a fusion of classical and pop music.
This fashion exhibition uses the same Lightroom technology behind the impressive David Hockney experience that opened back in December.
Vogue is using this show to honour anyone who has made an impact in the fashion world.The Met Gala has become a staple in everyone’s calendar year in and year out.First Northern Quarter’s Chanel show, now this… Très chic. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/GoodFon)
Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer, Condé Nast, and Global Editorial Director, Vogue said: “At Vogue, we’ve been lucky enough over the decades to see many incredible runway shows, which have often told the story of fashion as much as the clothes themselves.”
“This Lightroom experience is a wonderful opportunity for a lot more people to experience first-hand the thrill of watching the history of fashion unfold right in front of them.”
You can experience Vogue’s ‘Inventing the Runway’ immersive show from 18 December to 10 January when it visits Aviva Studios this winter.
Find out more information and grab your tickets HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
6th March 2023 
