What a weekend, what a hangover. At least we can always rely on good food and drink to make us feel better.
We’ve got some absolute corkers for you this week, ranging from an epic-sounding 7-course crisp “tasting menu” at a pub in Stalybridge to high-end hot dogs and even a pop-up from Bury market’s favourite jerk chicken stand, Blackbird Pantry.
There’s plenty more to be announced in the coming weeks too, as even more operators gear up to reveal their new Manchester food and drink venues amidst an easing of coronavirus restrictions in England.
Keep reading to discover our top food and drink picks in Manchester for this week.
A super-pink new cafe on Deansgate selling boujie red velvet and saffron lattes
La Vie Cafe is a new arrival on Deansgate, taking over the ground floor space previously occupied byCOSMO and Red Hot World Buffet.
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Pinker than pink, it’s got a huge drinks menu with a big focus on coffee – think red velvet, saffron and pistachio lattes, freddo espresso – plus some gorgeous looking gelato and freshly-made cakes on the counter.
Find La Vie Cafe at 48 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2FE.
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Social enterprise Eat Well MCR can be found hosting some of Greater Manchester’s best chefs at MIF’s festival square on Cathedral Gardens all this week. An optional £2 “Meals for Manchester” donation can be made when ordering to fund a meal for vulnerable Mancunians. / Image: Eat Well MCR
Handmade sausages, jerk chicken and salads from some of the region’s most acclaimed chefs
Social food enterprise Eat Well MCR is at MIF all week long with some of Greater Manchester’s most acclaimed chefs. Hosting a different menu every day,
Tuesday sees Mancunian charcuterie duo, Northern Cure, dishing up their take on currywurst; followed by some incredible chicken and veggie salads from Elnecot chef-patron Michael Clay on Wednesday.
Bury market regular Blackbird Pantry rocks up on Thursday, serving up their ever-popular jerk BBQ, followed by handmade sausages from acclaimed Stockport restaurant Where The Light Gets In on Friday.
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Find Eat Well MCR at MIF’s festival square on Cathedral Gardens all week. Make sure to order via the app.
Bundobust’s head brewer Dan Hocking has revealed a new 6.5% New England IPA and 4% Kellerbier-style lager / Image: Bundobust
More new beers from Bundobust’s ‘secret’ Oxford Road brewery
Bundobust got us all excited when it revealed it had quietly been brewing its own beer on Oxford Road for the past 9 months. Having just released its initial three creations, the Indian street food favourite is already tempting us back with two more.
Head brewer Dan Hocking has revealed a new 6.5% New England IPA (East is East) which comes “stacked” with cita,amarillo and mosaic hops; and a 4% Kellerbier-style lager (Kipsy Bhal) with German malts and hops.
Both are currently on tap in Manchester at Bundobust’s Piccadilly restaurant. Find it at 61 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2AG.
There’s a new crisp butty menu and 7-course crisp “tasting menu” available in Stalybridge / Image: @jobiwhan74
A 7-course crisp “sharing platter” and butty menu
For one week only, Northern pub group Beerhouses Pubs has launched an extensive crisp butty menu and 7-course tasting option. All served on thick white bread with lashings of Lurpak, it’s split into four sections: “crinkle-cut classics”, “not crisp butties”, “combo butties” and a “special sharing platter.”
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The epic “tasting menu” is a must – comprised of hot pork scratchings,poppadoms with dip, Monster Munch, Bacon Fries, Scampi Fries and two bags of Seabrook (£7). Get it before it’s gone.
Butty prices start from £2.25. Get your hands on one at the Stalybridge Buffet Bar inside Stalybridge rail station all week long.
The AFC x Tampopo burger is a new “off the menu” addition at Tampopo for the summer / Image: Tampopo
A new secret ‘off-menu’ item at Pan-Asian favourite Tampopo
Not everyone knows this, but a lot of restaurants have secret menu items that you can only order if you’re “in the know”. From Starbucks to Burger King, there are loads to discover – but for now, there’s a unique one new to Manchester we simply just have to talk about today.
Made up of a seven-spice fried chicken thigh, BBQ sauce, lettuce and Asian slaw in a super soft bun, the AFC Burger can be ordered at Tampopo but you won’t find it listed on the menu. Pass it on, as it’s only available for a short period this summer.
Order the secret burger at Tampopo’s restaurants on Albert Square, in The Corn Exchange or the Trafford Centre.
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@afcxtampopo
Feature image – Eat Well MCR. (pictured: Joseph Otway of Higher Ground Manchester).
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Trailer released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed all across Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new romcom that’s set and filmed all across Manchester has been released.
The film, titled Finding Emily, tells the story of a lovesick musician, played by Spike Fearn, who meets his dream girl on a night out, but ends up with the wrong phone number, and so teams up with a driven psychology student, played by Angourie Rice, in a bid to find her.
Together, the unlikely duo spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.
The film – which is directed by Alicia MacDonald, and based on a screenplay written by Rachel Hirons – is produced by Working Title Films, is set in the fictional Manchester City University, and is due to be distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures across the UK and internationally this spring.
The talented ensemble cast groups together big names like Minnie Driver with rising stars like Ella Maisy Purvis, Yali Topal Margalith, and Kat Ronney, as well as other established actors including Timothy Innes and Nadia Parkes.
Filming took place in Manchester between August and September 2024.
The two and a half-minute trailer has been shared with the world today, and when we say it’s a Manc film, we mean it… we quite literally lost count of how many of our city’s famous locations can be spotted in just the trailer alone.
The trailer has been released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed in Manchester / Credit: Universal Pictures & Focus Features (via YouTube)
There’s everything from Manchester Central Library and Piccadilly Records, to Canal Street and the Gay Village, the Northern Quarter, the Crown & Kettle pub in Ancoats, and even the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter’s Square featured for all to see, alongside what’ll, presumably, be dozens of other famous locations.
Oh, and not to mention, if you keep your eyes peeled when watching the trailer, you can even see a small clip of Stockport band Blossoms playing a gig in there too.
Finding Emily is set to be released in cinemas across the UK on 22 May, before it debuts in the US on 28 August.
Featured Image – Matt Squire / Focus Features
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Man jailed following series of ‘violent’ knife attacks in Wigan town centre last summer
Emily Sergeant
A man has been sentenced this week following a series of ‘violent’ knife attacks in Wigan town centre last summer.
Charles McMurray, of Satchel Close in Wigan, appeared at Bolton Crown Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of Section 18 wounding with intent, threatening a person with a bladed article, and threats to kill following a distressing incident in Wigan town centre last summer.
The court heard that McMurray arrived on Wallgate at around 6:33am on 9 August 2025 before entering a taxi office, where he stabbed two men without warning.
The victims fled, and McMurray pursued them towards the town centre.
McMurray then went on to threaten a passer‑by at Wigan bus station and held a knife to the man’s stomach. A short time later, he located the injured victims on Standishgate and assaulted one of them again. Following that assault, he chased after another member of the public with the knife shouting that he was going to kill him.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers arrived shortly after 6:50am and found McMurray in possession of the knife, before he was subsequently quickly arrested at the scene.
McMurray has now been sentenced to nine years and nine months behind bars, which police say is a ‘testament to the brave victims’ who gave their accounts.
Speaking following McMurray’s sentencing this week, Detective Constable Harris from Wigan CID, who led the investigation, said: “This was an entirely unprovoked attack which left multiple victims requiring hospital treatment. McMurray is a dangerous and violent offender who is now safely behind bars.
“Knives have no place on our streets, and we hope today’s sentence shows just how seriously we take knife crime. Our communities should feel safe where they live and work, and we are committed to tackling knife crime to ensure no family has to face their loved ones being harmed.
“It is a testament to the brave victims who not only endured this attack but had the courage to provide detailed accounts together with the impact this has had on them, that we have been able to ensure McMurray has been brought to justice.”
Georgina Pellant -
12th July 2021 
