In a day and age where even the most bog-standard of takeaway coffees costs more than £3, and where you have to think very carefully about if you can afford to stick your radiator on, the Bearded Feeder at Piccadilly Gardens is a rare beast.
A staple of the Piccadilly Street Food Markets, this stall is somewhere you can still get a filling lunch for a fiver – and you’ll get some pretty solid Star Wars puns on the side.
The Bearded Feeder has a solid reputation amongst Mancs, thanks in no small party to its quality meaty burgers (100% beef, 100% pork, 100% Sith, they say. Told you they liked a Star Wards pun).
The family-run business has a mouth-watering menu that includes pulled pork, ‘Force-pushed’ burgers, and chicken wings, with prices for mains starting at a mere £5.
Pound-for-pound, there aren’t many places matching that value and quality.
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Despite so many huge players in Manchester’s burger scene – Burgerism, Almost Famous, Slap & Pickle, Hawksmoor, to name a few – The Bearded Feeder is a name that pops up every time we ask people for their burger recommendations.
It’s founded and operated by Scott Andrew, a man who is quite literally a bearded feeder, and who has kept his prices affordable despite the insane costs of operating any sort of business in 2023.
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The Exogarth platter from The Bearded Feeder burger stall at Piccadilly Gardens in ManchesterThe Bearded Feeder at Piccadilly GardensThe Bearded Feeder’s Wookiee burger at Piccadilly Gardens
His dishes include the Vader hot dog, the Chosen One burger, and the Wampa loaded mac and cheese.
The Wookiee burger features a smashed beef burger patty with cheese, topped with pulled pork and barbecue sauce, and it’s a burger about the size of the Death Star itself. It’s also only £7, or £10 as a meal deal.
The Exogorth is bigger still, a tray heaped with all of the Bearded Feeder’s best bits.
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There’s pulled pork, belly bites, mac and cheese, and two chicken wings, topped with jalapenos and crispy onions.
It’s one of the top-rated burger joints in the entire city, with people reviewing it as ‘the best burger I have ever eaten’ and ‘heaven’.
You’ll be Skywalkering on air after you’ve eaten this one…
Luxury £125-a-month Manchester gym Zeno Health Club suddenly shuts down
Daisy Jackson
One of Manchester’s premium fitness facilities, Zeno Health Club, appears to have suddenly shut down.
The luxury £125-a-month gym, formerly known as Hero Training Clubs, sent an ‘urgent’ note to members late last night, saying the club is closed ‘until further notice’.
They then added: “We do not anticipate it reopening.”
The gym has promptly deleted its entire social media history.
Several of the trainers who lead the classes at Zeno Health Club have now shared their own updates and statements regarding the gym’s closure, expressing their heartbreak.
Zeno Health Clubs, located at the foot of Moda Angel Gardens, was split into four premium fitness areas, including a state-of-the-art weights room which held group PT and weightlifting sessions.
The gym also had a spin studio, an open gym with Hyrox and boxing facilities, and a pilates and yoga studio.
In the note sent to members, they said: “Please be advised that the club is closed tomorrow until further notice. We do not anticipate it reopening.
“A further communication update will follow on Thursday 23rd October. We apoligise for any inconvenience.”
Zeno Health Club in Manchester has shut down. Credit: The Manc GroupThe spin studio at Zeno Health Club. Credit: The Manc Group
Head coach Adam North shared: “This evening has been an incredible hard evening. I have put my heart and soul into zeno and from me I am sorry it’s the end of this chapter.
“I will respond to people in time and I understand there will be many questions. When I know anything I will answer them.
“But for now please be kind and rember people have potentially lost their livelihoods, passions and purpose.
“My love to all the zeno members past and today. Just know this isn’t the end from me.”
And another coach, Holli, said: “I do not have the words to express my heart break. I have tried to write this so many times and failed.
Zeno Health Club boxing. Credit: The Manc GroupThe spin studio at Zeno Health Club. Credit: The Manc Group
“But thank you for the most incredible 4 years. The friends, the community, the love, the support, the confidence I have gained will never go unnoticed, or unappreciated. You all have my heart and soul.
“Despite, what you may have to say, or think, please remeber people like myself have lost their job, their livelihoods, where they run their business. Everything they’ve built. please PLEASE be kind in your words.
“What I will say though, please hold onto some hope. Because this journey isn’t over. My hero and Zeno people, from the beginning to now. This family isn’t over. I’m working hard behind the scenes…. And a new door is about to be opened.”
The news comes just months after the shock closure of Blok, a similarly popular fitness and pilates studio across town.
The Manc has attempted to approach Zeno Health Club for comment, but the club has shut down its email accounts and social media.
It’s not yet known what will happen to members who have paid for up-front memberships.
HAIM at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist, and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Rock trio HAIM are gearing up to play their first ever arena show in Manchester next week.
Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana – more widely recognised by their surname, which also doubles as the title of their group, HAIM – are about to perform their biggest Manchester show to date.
This should come as no surprise, with the band amassing a cult following of fans and almost seven million monthly listeners on Spotify – thanks to huge tunes like ‘The Wire’, ‘Now I’m In It’, and ‘Don’t Wanna’, as well as newer single released like ‘Relationships’ and ‘All over me’.
The band have already recently played to a near 70,000 fans, thanks to their longtime friend and musical collaborator Taylor Swift, who brought the band out as a special guest on her global phenomenon The Eras Tour last summer.
But now, HAIM are going it alone.
They’ll be stringing up their guitars, and warming up their vocal chords to sing their angsty and fiery hits over at Manchester’s biggest entertainment venue, Co-op Live.
HAIM are bringing their ‘I quit’ tour to Co-op Live in Manchester on 30 October / Credit: Supplied
HAIM – UK Tour Dates 2025
Friday 24 October – Nottingham, UK – Motorpoint Arena
Saturday 25 October – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
Sunday 26 October – Brighton, UK – Brighton Centre
Tuesday 28 October – London, UK – The O2
Thursday 30 October – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Friday 31 October – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Tickets
No need to ‘Pray to God’, as there’s still a good selection of tickets available for any Manchester HAIM lovers to grab HERE.
If you’re feeling a bit fancier, however, and fancy watching HAIM while ‘Spinning’ the night away in a premium seat, then you can find a handful of tickets up for grabs over on SeatUnique, starting from £25 HERE.
Setlist
Gone
All over me
Take me back
My Song 5
Cry
Spinning
Don’t Wanna
The Steps
Gasoline
Blood on the Street
Hallelujah
Summer Girl
Want You Back
Relationships
Now I’m in It
The Wire
Down to be Wrong
What are the stage times for HAIM in Manchester?
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, and with doors opening at 6:30pm and a start time of 7.30pm, this rock trio certainly won’t be working to ‘The Wire’ to cram in all their hits, meaning you can get home before the crack of dawn.
Bedroom pop musician Dora Jar supported the girls throughout the North American shows, however there’s no official artist confirmed for the UK leg so far.
Rock trio HAIM are gracing Manchester, London, Glasgow and more on their UK tour / Credit: Supplied
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live.
You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer, and directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
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Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl scheme, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
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For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Daisy Jackson -
13th October 2023 
