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
Manchester curry house relaunches bottomless curry menu – with free beers
Daisy Jackson
One of Manchester’s best-loved curry houses has relaunched its bottomless curry offering, and this time they’re chucking in free beer.
Zouk has kickstarted National Curry Week in the best way possible – with endless curry, rice, and naan.
Costing just £20 a head, you can feast to your heart’s content on Zouk’s award-winning, authentic curries.
From 12pm until midnight between Monday 2 October and Friday 6 October, you can choose from bottomless helping of three different curries (two meat and one vegetarian) each day.
Each booking also includes unlimited rice and naan.
Zouk’s bottomless curry deal includes three different curries each day. Credit: The Manc GroupZouk’s bottomless deal also includes unlimited rice and naan. Credit: The Manc GroupZouk is celebrating National Curry Week with bottomless curries. Credit: The Manc Group
And the first 120 people through the door each day will receive a free bottle of Cobra or a soft drink.
Tables are for 90 minutes per booking, giving guests plenty of time to take on the Bottomless Curry Challenge.
Zouk has become one of Manchester’s leading restaurants since it opened in 2009, even drawing in famous fans like Rihanna, Drake, and Manchester United stars.
Zouk’s Bottomless Curry offering for National Curry Week
Monday
Chicken Karahi – A speciality from the Northwest region of Pakistan. Tender chicken pieces are cooked in a sizzling wok over hot flames with tomatoes, crushed peppercorns, cumin, ginger & garlic
Keema Channa – A balti of minced lamb cooked with chickpeas in a spicy tomato masala
Chole Masala (vg) – From Deli to the Punjab this authentic channa masala is a tasty street food classic
Tuesday
Chicken Jalfrezi – Chicken fillet cooked with capsicum, onions & eggs, in a thick spicy sauce
Lamb & Spinach – A balti of juicy lamb cooked with fresh spinach and ginger in a spicy tomato masala
Tarka Dall – Everybody’s favourite Dall. Channa and mung lentils cooked in a spicy sauce
Wednesday
Chicken & Spinach – A beautifully flavoured dish with chicken pieces cooked in spinach, fenugreek, ginger and fresh cream
Keema Paneer – Minced Lamb cooked in a spicy tomato masala with spice and soft Indian cheese
Palak Alloo (vg) – Spinach and fenugreek cooked with new potatoes and coriander
Thursday
Chicken Tikka Masala – Char-grilled chicken pieces marinated in yoghurt and spices then cooked in a spicy tomato masala
Lamb & Potatoes – A desi style spicy lamb balti with new potatoes and spice
Milli Juli Sabzi (vg) – Fresh vegetables fused together with herbs & spices
Friday
Chicken Handi – Punjabi style curry slowly cooked over burning flames with tomatoes, onion, garlic and Zouk’s special garam masala
Keema Mutter – Minced lamb curry with peas in a spicy tomato masala
Gobi Aloo (vg) – Delicious cauliflower sauteed in a spicy tomato masala with potatoes, onions & garlic
Michael Bisping announces second ‘Tales From The Octagon’ talk with Manc MMA star Tom Aspinall
Danny Jones
UFC legend Michael Bisping is bringing back his hugely popular Tales From The Octagon conversation series and he’s bringing Manc MMA star Tom Aspinall as well as Scottish fighter Paul Craig along for the latest Manchester talk.
Following the success of his first trio of live shows back in 2021 — then marketed simply as ‘An Evening with Michael Bisping’ — the Lancashire-raised fighter has invited along the two fellow Northerners to make this latest event more of a discussion surrounding MMA’s past, present and future.
Despite being born in Cyrpus, Bisping spent most of his life not too far down the road in Clitheroe and has spent a lot of time in Manchester, including winning multiple fights at the AO Arena and even meeting his wife, so there was never any question he’d be bringing the tour back to his second home.
Hosting just two shows this time, one at London’s Indigo at the O2 and the other at the Manchester Apollo, the talk promises stories spanning years inside the Octagon as well as the 44-year-old’s time commentating cage-side since retiring back in 2018.
The second Tales From The Octagon live show will also see the special guests chipping in with plenty of their own “wonderful, hilarious” and exclusive “behind-the-scenes stories” and they provide their own take on the MMA scene at large of today.
Craig, a former light heavyweight champion and Aspinall, a Salford-born heavyweight currently ranked fourth overall in the UFC, will both be joining the expert panel across the two dates this winter, bringing their own funny anecdotes, personal stories and unique takes on their careers and the sport as a whole.
Best of all, like sitting down to watch with a mate who also happens to be a vastly knowledgeable fight fan, Bisping style on stage draws both casual and new fans with the open, informal style, whilst still making sure to entertain the hardcore followers of the sport.
With Aspinall being not only a local lad but one of the UFC rising stars and next in line for a heavyweight, we’re also looking forward to hearing his thoughts on how fast-growing career. Here is Bisping speaking on just how excited he is by the 30-year-old fighter:
This won’t be the last time you hear Bisping talk up Manchester’s best new fighter.
Speaking ahead of the two new shows, Bisping said: “The last tour in the UK was epic, I was overwhelmed by the turnout and reaction of my fans old and new. I can’t wait to come back later this year with a new show and with Tom and Paul in tow.”
Given the popularity of these three and the fact the previous tour went down a treat, it’s fair to say seats to sit in on this conversation are going to go fast.
Now branching into acting, running a successful podcast and YouTube channel, not to mention a Sunday Times and Amazon Best Seller thanks to his 2019 autobiography, Quitters Never Wins, you’re getting a real value-for-money showing.
The Tales From The Octagon 2 talk in Manchester takes place on 16 December; tickets start from just £28.50 and you can secure yours HERE.