Manchester’s beautiful Corn Exchange has built itself a reputation as one of the best places to sit and soak in the sunshine in the city centre.
Every summer when the sun beats down on our city, people flock to the Grade II-listed building and its range of brilliant restaurants and bars.
There are terraces perched outside the stunning architecture, perfectly positioned to soak in the sun from every side of the building.
And there’s loads of food on offer, from classic Italian to Greek to Vietnamese, with something to suit all tastes and dietary requirements.
From the Corn Exchange, you’re in a great people-watching spot, watching the bustling city go by with a cocktail or a wine in hand.
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You can sit with a view of Exchange Square, or the green spaces of Cathedral Gardens, or even the stunning architecture of the Manchester Cathedral.
The outdoor terraces have plenty of space for socialising in the sunshine, whether you’re looking for a casual lunch, a celebratory dinner, or an after-work gathering.
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The best restaurants and bars with outside space at the Corn Exchange in Manchester
Banyan
This huge, colourful bar, famed for its crowd-pleasing menu and its cocktail happy hour, has one of the biggest and busiest terraces of the lot.
On their massive menu, highlights include the Alpine chicken schnitzel served with house fries; the Revitalise bowl with halloumi, roast butternut squash, red and golden beets, avocado, tomato, roast peppers, quinoa and a superfood dressing; and then wash it down with a fruit bomb, mixing grenadine, cranberry, orange, and fruit jam.
Cosy Club
While its interior balcony looking over the atrium is a popular spot year-round, in the summer months you’ve got to visit the Cosy Club’s outdoor space.
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Here you can tuck in to dishes like sesame salmon with tamari and ginger teriyaki noodles, or a vegan cheeseburger.
Then they have loads of cocktails and mocktails on offer, like the refreshing Morning Cooler with lemon, elderflower and mint, finished with soda and cucumber.
Zizzi
A crowd favourite for good reason – this Italian restaurant group has delicious summer dishes on offer like hot-smoked salmon and pesto risotto, lentil ragu with sunblush tomatoes and spinach, and amazing sharing boards.
For drinks, they have a new range of coolers, like the Citrus and Pineapple Cooler.
The Real Greek
You’ll feel like you’ve been whisked away to Santorini with a visit to the Real Greek.
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Pull up a chair outside, grab a Mythos beer, and dive into a menu of authentic gyros and other Greek dishes.
Highlights include Chicken Monastiraki served with tzatziki, onion and tomatoes, and jackfruit gyros.
Salvi’s
Salvi’s outdoor restaurant space at the Corn Exchange.
A family-run favourite – Salvi’s offers a hearty and authentic taste of Italy.
Top picks here include Pasta Nonna Teresa with pancetta and pistachio pesto, and a mushroom, vegan parmesan and truffle oil risotto.
And how could you possibly refuse an Aperol spritz in the sunshine while you’re here?
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Vapiano
The Italian feasts continue in Vapiano, where you can dig in to dishes like Gamberetti e Spinaci (king prawns, onions, cream, Italian hard cheese, nutmeg, fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes and basil pesto) and the classic spicy number Penne All’arrabiata.
Their drink of the summer is a Strawberry and Ginger Crush – Everleaf Mountain aperitif, strawberry and ginger syrup, lime and ginger ale.
Pizza Express
Here’s an pizza you’ll be running across to the Corn Exchange for – Pizza Express’s BBQ Burnt Ends Pizza, topped with slow-cooked beef brisket with a hint of chipotle, sweet and smoky BBQ sauce, mozzarella and red onions, topped with roasted tomatoes and parsley.
There’s also a beetroot Buddha Bowl, with mixed grains, roasted and baby tomatoes, spinach, rocket, creamy hummus and spiced toasted seeds.
And if you’re looking for a delicious alcohol-free drink, grab one of their Naturally Pink Apple Juices.
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Tampopo
Another favourite of Manchester’s restaurant scene is Tampopo, which celebrates dishes from across south east Asia.
There’s Nasi Goreng Royale (wok-fried rice with chicken, charred green beans and red peppers, flavoured with chilli, garlic, lime leaf & crispy shallots, served with homemade sambal and a fried egg), and a Chilli Lemongrass Stir Fry (red peppers, red chillies, lemongrass and onions).
There are more refreshing coolers on the menu here – order a Lychee and Kiwi Cooler – fresh lychee juice & kiwi topped with sparkling apple, Thai basil and fresh lime.
Riva Blu
Sitting outside Riva Blu’s restaurant with a The Peach Thing cocktail (nectarine apéritif, Cocchi Rosa and Martini Bianco with Fever-Tree tonic) in hand is the peak summer vibe in Manchester.
Order yourself a Branzino Alla Scapece – pan-fried sea bass, fried courgette, mint, garlic and lemon sauce – or a Pizza Calabrese Vegana – Roasted pepper pesto, Calabrian chilli ve-du-ya, red onion, vegan mozzarella and fresh basil – and pretend you’re on the Amalfi coast.
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Sixes
Over on Cathedral Street now, and to Sixes, where you can hit balls in the cricket cages inside or soak up the sun from their outside space.
Top picks include the Delhi Smasher (crispy fried Delhi chicken, melted cheese, curry mayo, pickled red onion & smoked yoghurt) and the Sri Lankan Fielder (a vegan Symplicity burger, onion sambal, coronation mayo & vegan cheese).
Mowgli Street Food
We all love Mowgli for its punchy menu of Indian street food and curries, and sitting outside with dishes like their Monkey Wrap – an open roti wrap with tandoori chicken, pomegranate, spinach, mint, and homespun chutneys – just makes it even better.
There’s also the Holy Chow, a vegan showstopper that involves a spiced chickpea, potato, spinach, fresh ginger and mango curry served in a bread loaf.
Sip on a Mango Lassi and see why Indians are obsessed by the soft, rare Kesar Mangoes.
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Pho
Fancy a trip to Vietnam without the long flight? Get yourself to Pho and its outside restaurant space.
It’s not just hearty noodle soups here – though the Phở Xào tofu and mushroom is special.
There’s also barbecued meats, like the chicken rice bowl, where marinated chicken thigh is served on a bed of rice with loads of vegetables and herbs.
Delhi House Cafe
This inventive Indian restaurant serves one of our favourite curries in Manchester – Mom’s Buttered Chicken Tikka Masala has perfect tandoori-cooked chicken tikka in a rich creamy tomato sauce, served with Butter Naan.
Then there’s the Punjabi Palak Chole – chickpea & spinach simmered in spiced tomato & onion sauce, served with Tandoori Roti.
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For drinks, order a Bade Log – mango, mint, lemon & soda.
A huge Stanley Chow exhibition featuring inflatable portraits of Manc icons is coming to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Some of Manchester’s most famous faces are about to get even bigger, with a new Stanley Chow exhibition coming to town this summer.
And rather unusually, the artist’s portraits will be inflatables…
The huge new MCR Made exhibition is set to take over Manchester Arndale from 3 August all the way into the autumn.
Shoppers and locals will be able to admire 13 portraits of Manc icons, which will be up to six metres in length, whether it’s Oasis legends or Suffragettes, football heroes or creative pioneers.
The gigantic inflatable Stanley Chow portraits will be suspended right across the iconic shopping centre for an art trail that celebrates the figures who have shaped the city.
The impossible-to-miss exhibition features famous faces from the worlds of music, sport, science, politics, art and culture.
Along the trail you’ll spot the likes of Liam and Noel Gallagher, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Emmeline Pankhurst, Alan Turing, L.S. Lowry, Lemn Sissay, Caroline Aherne, Aitch, and a host of other trailblazers, all in Stanley’s signature and distinctive style.
MCR Made showcases the work of legendary local artist and illustrator Stanley Chow in an exciting new way, encouraging exploration through photo opportunities and a social media competition.
Stanley Chow said: “The Arndale Centre for me is my Mecca, and I’m sure it is for so many people from Manchester. I’m old enough to remember when it first opened as a shopping centre nearly 50 years ago, and I haven’t stopped coming here since.
Inflatable portraits by Stanley Chow will take over Manchester Arndale this summer
“I’m a proud Mancunian, so I was very flattered and touched to be asked to do this. Art needs to be seen everywhere, and not always necessarily in a gallery. I can’t think of a better place for as many people as possible from all walks of life to be able to see my work presented this way.”
David Allinson, Centre Director at Manchester Arndale, said: “Manchester has always been a city that outperforms and exceeds expectations. Through music, sport, science, politics, creativity and innovation, Manchester’s influence is recognised around the world, and MCR Made celebrates the icons whose talent, ambition and determination helped build that reputation.
“The exhibition feels particularly at home inside Manchester Arndale, itself a Manchester institution that has been woven into the city’s fabric for almost five decades. The shopping centre provides the perfect backdrop for celebrating Manchester, its creativity and the iconic figures behind its global reputation.”
Manchester Arndale will also be giving visitors the chance to own a piece of MCR Made, with 26 limited edition A4 prints signed by Stanley Chow up for grabs. Two prints of each icon have been produced, with winners allocated their artwork at random. To enter, simply follow @manchesterarndale on Instagram and like the competition post.
MCR Made will run at Manchester Arndale from 3 August – 24 October, and is totally free to visit.
P1 Fitness – The Manchester gym that strikes the perfect blend of PT and group-based coaching
Danny Jones
We here at The Manc team are trying to get fit; it can be hard to find time for the gym when you’re busy, not to mention staying in shape when you’ve got a food scene as good as Manchester’s, which is exactly why P1 Fitness Studio is a perfect match for us.
Maybe you’ve fancied giving a personal trainer a go, or even tried a class or two, but perhaps the schedule, the price, the location or some other factor meant it wasn’t for you.
Whatever your reasoning, if you’re the kind of person who can admit they need a bit of a kick up the backside to get their arse in gear and actually stick at this gym lark, we can assure you this is an ideal place to build the right kinds of habits.
And trust us, they’ll keep pushing to make sure it sinks in.
Top-end facilities, secure lockers, every bit of kit you’ll ever need and much more (Credit: The Manc)
Aside from the anti-ego environment in general – you won’t catch anyone staring at themselves in mirrors here – it’s also just nice to be around people with similar lifestyles.
Boasting tonnes of positive reviews online, P1 Fitness is a place for busy professionals who aren’t willing to let work and all other time-consuming parts of ‘adulting’ be an excuse to not carve out less than an hour to better themselves.
And for most people, that really is all it takes to start seeing a difference; two 50-minute sessions might not sound like a lot to some, but the effort you put in during the group workouts is more than enough to get the benefit.
They focus on quality, not quantity, making sure every day that you turn up is worthwhile, and no drop of sweat is wasted.
Better still, they keep the numbers low and even break off into smaller groups to explain and tailor workouts to suit each person.
It’s not just weekly blocks stuck on a wall that you have to stick to: everything is flexible, and they do try and give everyone as much one-on-one attention as possible from the P1 staff.
Here’s what some other members have had to say in their recent testimonials:
“The biggest difference isn’t that I’m fitter and stronger. It’s that I don’t have to think about it anymore. Before P1 I’d spend all week telling myself I needed to go to the gym, then I’d be too tired, it’d be busy, I didn’t know what to do, and I’d end up doing nothing and beating myself up about it.
“Now I just turn up twice a week. Someone tells me what to do, I get coached to do it right, then shower, go back to work and my fitness takes care of itself. It’s one less thing I have to worry about.”
Louise
“I genuinely thought I hated gyms. In fact, when I saw one, I used to cross the street to avoid it… Turns out I hated the ‘usuall’ gym experience. Wondering what I was supposed to be doing, fighting for equipment in the crowd and being self-conscious about my form.
“At P1, I simply walk in, everything’s ready – someone coaches me through the session, we have a laugh in the group, and before I know it I’m finished. I actually look forward to training now, which is crazy.
Damien
One of our very own, Lonnie, says it’s given him a sense of “structure, routine and a community” in the gym like never before, and added that “it’s become that third space where people can come together to better themselves in a fun and unique way.”
Abby is ever the hard-working, friendly face; her husband and fellow co-owner, Peter, is a ‘BFG’ who will always push you to your limits but knows when not to beast you; Ben is a great instructor with a great way of breaking down movements, and Mel is the smiling assassin who is as dedicated as she is smiley.
Then there’s Katie, who is somehow juggling a PhD and working at P1 part-time, all whilst being an absolute Duracell bunny of a trainer. All in all, you couldn’t ask for a better team.
Best of all, you can choose when to register for a session based not only on who you prefer working with, but whatever time suits you; you can even put your name down as last-gasp as you like – in fact, we’ve turned up with five minutes’ notice on more than one occasion.
It’s also great to see that they’re more than happy to roll out a mat or pick up a weight and properly get stuck in there with you.
Put simply: much like you, all of these guys have their own special traits, but one thing they do all have in common is an incredible amount of drive and passion for the work they do, not to mention the knowledge and experience to back it up.
We’re not going to give you any harder of a sell than that; all we’ll say is that we’re feeling more positive about our current fitness journey than we have in a long time, and if you want to make similar progress, P1 might just be for you.
So, if you are truly looking to get fitter in a setting where consistency, accountability and community thrive, consider this your sign to finally get serious.
You can find out more and enquire about joining right HERE.
You won’t find a friendlier team. (Credit: Supplied)
Daisy Jackson -
16th June 2023 
