Kargo Mkt has just opened in Media City with 20 independent street food partners, a 2,000 sq ft outdoor terrace and a shipping container bar run by Salford’s Seven Brothers and Four Sisters.
Officially the largest venue of its kind in Greater Manchester, it’s brought to Media City by the team behind the award-winning Cutlery Works in Sheffield and Liverpool’s The GPO.
With a total capacity of 650, there are seats for 450 inside and a further 200 outdoors on its waterside terrace, and an awe-inspiring selection of independent food traders – serving up everything from Ethiopian and Eritrean curries on fermented injera to giant Sicilian schiacciata butties and crunchy Burmese salads featuring fermented tea leaves.
Traders moving in include Ad Maiora, Bab K, Baity Palestinian Kitchen, Boba Cha, Chuan Chuan, FEED, Hot & Wild, House of Habesha, Jerk Junction, Leopard Pie, Locale Coffee, Nila’s Burmese Kitchen, Rio Mex, Rottu Kadai Dosa, Tang Hot Pot, Tzatziki, Vnam, What’s Your Beef and Wong Dumplings.
Further down the line, Kargo Mkt will also welcome five waterside shipping container kitchens and a shipping container bar and brewery, all looking out to the iconic and cultural landmarks of Old Trafford and the Imperial War Museum.
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Who are the food traders at Central Bay’s Kargo Mkt?
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Ad Maiora
This hidden gem comes from Sicilian couple Enrico and Daniela, who are already famed in Manchester’s Northern Quarter for serving up some of the fattest sandwiches in town from their Northern Quarter flat.
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Their epic Schiacciata comes stuffed with premium Italian ingredients, with a range of different massive butties available.
Bab K
Run by power duo Mike and Gina, Bab K first began life inside a converted horse trailer serving up top-notch Korean food at festivals and events in Manchester before moving into Kargo Mkt.
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Using a mixture of traditional Korean and local ingredients to make their tasty Bibimbabs, expect a symphony of colours, textures, and intense flavours.
Baity Palestinian Kitchen
Originally based in Didsbury, Baity has now relocated to Media City. Since opening the very first Palestinian restaurant in the North five years ago, Baity owner Ali has brought authentic flavours, passion and the rich heritage of his homeland to Manchester.
Foodies can enjoy Ali’s Palestinian-inspired Sunday roast featuring 9 hours of slow-roasted pomegranate lamb and moist Miramiya Chicken at Kargo Mkt.
Inspired by bubble tea during a visit to Hong Kong, owner Sharna is serving up everything from authentic milk teas to sweet and refreshing fruity numbers alongside sweet bubble waffles.
Chuan Chuan
Serving up deep-fried skewered delights, Chuan Chuan 串串 brings the dynamic world of Asian street food to Kargo MKT.
Skewers are colour-coordinated, with each colour indicating a different price point. After selecting the level of spice, the chef at Chuan Chuan gets to work, deep-frying every skewer to perfection.
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FEED
Born out of lockdown when owner Jamie’s Friday FEEDs for family and friends took social media by storm, FEED is now ready to bring its new concept ‘Super Fry Guys’ to Kargo Mkt.
Offering a modern-day chippy filled with traditional and global flavours, FEED uses local suppliers to bring Mancs the best seasonal ingredients, cooking up great-tasting food that leaves you wanting more.
Hot & Wild
Hot & Wild is about Hawaiian-Japanese fusion poké bowls with a modern twist. After discovering the poké bowl on her travels, owner Lucia knew she had to bring the colourful concept back to Manchester.
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Find poké bowls packed with fish, rice and vegetables that will make people feel comfortable but still adventurous enough to try something new.
House of Habesha
Crowned ‘Best Food Trader 2022’ at the Manchester Food and Drink Awards, House of Habesha is bringing the incredible flavours of Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine to Kargo Mkt.
From spicy Timtimo, a blend of red lentils stewed in a fragrant mix of onion, garlic, ginger and berbere spice herbs to the hearty Kulwa Keyh, finely sliced lamb cooked to perfection with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and the rich flavours of berbere spice, you are definitely in for a treat.
Long-standing Caribbean takeaway Jerk Junction, originally situated in the heart of Chorlton before it burnt down, comes to Kargo Mkt with a menu boasting authentic Caribbean dishes, featuring mouth-watering jerk chicken with aromatic rice and peas.
Offering hearty portions and food made with big love, this is the ultimate comfort food.
Leopard Pie
Worsley favourite Leopard Pie is bringing its trademarked HBR (Honey Butter Rings) and Neapolitan pizzas to Kargo Mkt. From the best flour to exquisite meats and top-tier cheeses, every element of their product is carefully selected to ensure unparalleled quality.
Locale Coffee
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Locale Coffee is a fresh concept from the team behind Cuppers Choice. Operating on a shoestring budget, Jasper, Harley, and Thomas launched a coffee roastery during the pandemic and came out the other side amongst the top names in the UK speciality industry.
It’s with the same confidence and commitment to quality they bring a brand new vision to Kargo MKT. Expect some of the world’s finest coffees, brewed without compromise, and served without complication.
Giant Schiacciata from Ad Maiora. / Image: The Manc Eats
A fermented tea leaf salad from Nila’s Burmese Kitchen. / Image: The Manc Eats
Nila’s Burmese Kitchen
Offering Burmese food inspired by family recipes, find curries influenced by India and stir-fries inspired by China alongside Nila’s staple dishes such as Laphet Thoke – a salad made with fermented tea leaves and crispy fried peanuts to achieve a balance between salty, sour, crunchy, bitter and that spicy kick.
Rio Mex
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Michelin-trained chef and regular to the BBC’s Great British Menu, Caroline Martins brings her Brazillian-Mexican fusion street food project RIO MEX to Kargo.
The menu includes Brazillian snacks known as ‘salgadinhos’, traditionally served in Rio de Janeiro pubs (botecos), as well as delicious tacos, nachos and burritos.
Tacos are made from yellow corn meal and blue corn meal, whilst toppings vary from Chilli Con Carne, Beef Barbacoa, and Baja Fish to Vegan Halloumi.
Rottu Kadai Dosa
“Good Food, Good Talk” is a mantra that Rottu Kadai Dosa hold dearly, and you’re in for a ride with their all-time favourite South Indian dishes.
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Embark on a journey full of world-famous dosa, a crispy pancake made from a batter of ground rice and urad dhal, served with tomato and coconut chutney.
Each dosa is packed with a unique stuffing, from savoury to sweet, celebrating the culinary heritage of Tamil Nadu in South India.
Baity has relocated from Didsbury Village to Kargo MKT at Media City. / Image: Kargo MKT
Leopard Pie at Kargo MKT. / Image: Kargo MKT
TANG
Motto, the chef behind TANG, is bringing his unique concept from his hometown in China. Literally translated as soup, the name is taken from the word Ma-La-Tang, which means numbing hot soup that originates from Sichuan.
Customers can pick their own toppings from a choice of over 80 ingredients, as well as picking their own soup base and spice level – ranging from none to mega hot.
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Thatziki
Brothers Jack and Luke quit their 9-5 and bought their famous Thatziki blue food truck and started slinging gyros in a dimly lit car park in Worsley.
Their food took off and their food truck went viral, fast forward to today they now have one shop in Chorlton, one in Leeds and a third in Kargo.
The brothers take so much pride in their work, making almost everything from scratch including their secret marinade, fresh tzatziki and sauces prepared daily.
No frozen meat or additives just a bit of graft and big flavours. Thatziki get their produce straight from Greece including their pitta breads and feta to make their offer a real taste of the Greek islands.
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Vnam
Vnam was the very first restaurant to bring authentic Vietnamese food to Manchester back in 2010.
Inspired by his heritage, owner Jason uses family recipes which have been passed down through generations to create traditional dishes bursting with fresh flavours.
Their speciality is the Pho, which is basically flat rice noodles served in their famous hearty broth, simmered for 12-18 hours to ensure depth of flavour.
Hand-rolled dumplings from Wong Dumplings. / Image: Kargo MKT
Roast meats from Wong Dumplings. / Image: Kargo MKT
What’s Your Beef
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Manchester burger lads Eddie and Neil put their heart and soul into crafting the perfect burger mix. After eight months of experimentation, they found a recipe that made their taste buds dance – and they knew it was “the one”.
Quality has always been their top priority and they don’t spare any expense when it comes to sourcing the finest ingredients, with their utmost priority being the beef itself which is sourced from a local butcher.
Wong Dumplings
Having spent lockdown cooking up elaborate meals with all the food he’d missed from home, Hong Kong born Jensen set up Wong Dumplings with fellow foodie Ste to bring mancunions a taste of Asia.
Serving dumplings, noodles and roast meats, all of their food is made fresh from scratch by hand, and to ensure the highest quality of food they use the harshest critics they could possibly get – his Asian family!
Featured image – The Manc Eats
News
Peaky Blinders confirm title and release date of upcoming film
Danny Jones
After what feels like an age since it was first announced, Peaky Blinders and Netflix have finally confirmed the title and release date of the upcoming feature-length film.
It was revealed that the global streaming giant secured exclusive rights to the movie last year, and it has now been revealed that it will also be released in selected theatres before it hits the platform.
With production on the long-talked-about project getting underway in September 2024, we’ve heard little else from creator Steven Knight, who has also been booked to deliver the Oasis reunion documentary chronicling their Live ’25 world tour.
However, we now know not only the official title of the film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, and that it will be dropping early next year. They’ve even shared the first poster.
Clearly referring to the series’ most famous lead character, Thomas Shelby – played by now fully-fledged Hollywood A-lister Cillian Murphy since 2013 – the teaser shows him sat astride a horse, not to mention covered in a fair amount of dirt and/or blood.
Alongside the suit and the trademark newsboy cap with blades inserted in the brim (the calling card of both the fictional and the real ‘Peaky Blinders’), it’s quite a classic look of Tommy’s.
Scheduled to release in limited cinemas on 6 March before arriving on Netflix on 20/3/2026, this will not only be the first film in the wider franchise but the first to air separately from the BBC.
While its parent network is still involved as collaborators on the flick, this is the first instalment in the IP to be distributed directly by Netflix after they bought the rights to release the show in the US.
Another look at a seemingly older Tommy Shelby (Credit: Publicity picture via Netflix)
As for The Immortal Man, both new and returning members of the cast include:
Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer, 28 Days Later)
Rebecca Ferguson (Dune, Silo)
Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, The Hateful Eight)
Sophie Rundle (After the Flood, Gentleman Jack)
Ned Dennehy (Culprits, The Peripheral)
Packy Lee (Blue Lights)
Ian Peck (His Dark Materials, Robin Hood)
Jay Lycurgo (Steve, Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself)
Barry Keoghan (Saltburn, The Banshees of Inisherin)
Stephen Graham (Adolescence, A Thousand Blows)
Speaking in a full press release, Murphy said: “It seems like Tommy Shelby wasn’t finished with me. It is very gratifying to be re-collaborating with Steven Knight and Tom Harper on the film version of Peaky Blinders. This is one for the fans.”
Returning four years after the end of the mainline series, but catching up with Tommy at the outset of WWII in terms of the actual timelines, Netflix say that the Shelby patriarch “is driven back from a self-imposed exile to face his most destructive reckoning yet.”
Safe to say we cannot wait to be back in the world.
In the meantime, you can find out more about the next season(s) of Peaky Blinders coming to the BBC very soon down below.
Ed Sheeran at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for ‘intimate’ UK tour
Thomas Melia
The red-headed, guitar-strumming, lyrical genius, also known as Ed Sheeran, is back, and he’s heading to Co-op Live for one night only as part of his current UK tour.
‘Bad Habits’, ‘Shape of You’, ‘Thinking Out Loud’, Sheeran has built quite an impressive music catalogue over the years and amassed a whopping 60 billion streams while doing so.
The UK music heavyweight scored his ninth number one album with Play, all while adding two more top ten hits to his discography with ‘Azizam’ and ‘Sapphire’, driving his overall top ten singles total to 43 – that’s ‘Perfect’.
Last week, Sheeran dropped his latest musical addition, Play (Deluxe), which features 14 brand new tracks, and lucky fans who have tickets to these upcoming shows will be eager to see which ones he adds to his setlist.
Ed Sheeran at Co-op Live, Manchester – all the key info you need to know
Ed Sheeran is performing a run of ‘intimate’ shows in the UK (Credit: Press Shots via Petros Studio)
Now he’s bringing his huge hits to Manchester’s biggest indoor entertainment venue, Co-op Live, just across from the ‘Castle on the Hill’, Etihad Stadium, which Sheeran has performed at on eight occasions.
If you’re patiently trying not to get your hopes up, thinking about tickets for Sheeran’s latest gig while simultaneously saying ‘I Don’t Care’, think again.
All you ‘Beautiful People’ after tickets to go see Ed Sheeran when he plays out at Co-op Live on 7 December, you’re in luck as there’s a handful waiting to get snapped up HERE.
Ed Sheeran setlist
Prepare yourself, but with 43 top ten hits next to his name, it’s no surprise Sheeran’s setlist is quite a lengthy one; here’s what he performed at his Paris show earlier this month:
Give Me Love
Castle on the Hill
Shivers
Sapphire
The A Team
Don’t
Boat / Life Goes On
Galway Girl
Nancy Mulligan
Old Phone
Celestial
One / Photograph
Thinking Out Loud
Eastside / 2002 / Cold Water / Little Things / Love Yourself
I See Fire
River / Peru / Beautiful People / I Don’t Care
Camera
Slowly
Perfect
Symmetry
Bloodstream
You Need Me, I Don’t Need You
Shape of You
Azizam
Bad Habits
Afterglow
Merry Christmas
What are the stage times for Ed Sheeran in Manchester?
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you can ‘2step’ to this chart-topping superstar’s tracks and get tucked up in bed before the early hours of the morning.
Anyone attending can expect the doors to open from 6pm, and not one but two very special guests as the support acts: contemporary Irish band, Biird, and folk duo, Nizlopi, who Ed Sheeran has been a big fan of for a long time now.
You can hear more about his connection with the group down below.
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 1:00am 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.
Getting there by car and parking
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; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
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 app, 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.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Georgina Pellant -
15th September 2023 
