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The Martlet – Rochdale Town Hall’s proudly northern restaurant is a triumph

WHAT a menu.

Daisy Jackson - 26th October 2024

Rochdale Town Hall finally threw open the doors to the public for the first time this year, following a multi-million-pound refurbishment. 

And now, several months later, the magnificent old building has a new string to its bow – a proper Northern restaurant tucked into a corner of its Grade I-listed frame. 

This is The Martlet, a sophisticated but thoroughly friendly and approachable new restaurant led by award-winning chef Darren Parkinson, who grew up locally in Heywood and has earned multiple AA rosettes and accolades throughout his career across the UK and northern France. 

He’s been joined by Great British Menu star Tristan Welch to create the smart menu packed with classic northern dishes, sourced locally, like Jackson’s rag pudding, and bacon chop with Bury Black Pudding and Denshaw egg.

You’ll find scotch eggs, bacon baps, sticky toffee pudding and plenty of other beloved British dishes here in this much-anticipated restaurant. 

At The Martlet, you’ll see sausage rolls and soup with a sandwich nudging up against Turkish eggs and pickled beetroot salads. 

It feels special without being pompous, and on a bleak and rainy Tuesday afternoon for our visit it was nicely busy with locals chatting over lunch and a glass of wine. 

And the space has been restored beautifully, painted in rich reds and soft blues and filled with smart wooden and leather furniture. 

The Martlet is proud of its heritage and its location – even the artwork on the walls, at first glance modern drawings, are actually replicas of the original tiles found in the Rochdale Town Hall. 

Rochdale’s newest restaurant is named after a mythical bird, one which is featured in imagery of the town over the years and even on the borough’s coat of arms.

With a cafe feel during the afternoons and a more refined evening menu available come nightfall, there’s a lot to love and a lot of reasons to visit. 

So what are you waiting for?

The Martlet is open at Rochdale Town Hall now – you can see more HERE. 

Read more: Inside Rochdale Town Hall as it opens fully to the public

Featured image: The Manc Group