Manchester Airport has announced the six food and drink traders that will be moving into a new food hall that’s part of the new-look Terminal 2.
The terminal has been going through a major £1.3bn transformation, the next phase of which will include a first-of-its-kind market hall-style food and drink offering.
There’ll be six street food kitchens positioned around a central dining area in the Great Northern Market – and Manchester Airport bosses have now announced what will be on the menu.
The new Terminal 2 market hall will include a Nashville Hot House serving buttermilk chicken and other Southern comfort food; The Black Iron Grill with smash burgers and loaded fries; and Kouzina, with Greek and Mediterranean-inspired street food.
There’ll also be Mexican food from La Casita, pan-Asian dishes from Palms Cafe, and Napoli Street Pizza.
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Those kitchens are all inspired by some of our city’s finest street eats, but there’ll be a proper local face too – Gooey will be selling sweet treats including their legendary cookies and doughnuts here.
The new announcement comes from Manchester Airport’s Retail Director, Richard Jackson, speaking on the airport’s official podcast Manchester: Your Airport, MAN.
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Richard said: “The Great Northern Market will be Manchester Airport’s own market hall – six kitchens in one, more than 1,000 square metres and 500 seats.
Manchester Airport has announced the six food traders moving into its new food hall. Credit: Supplied
“It’s going to be a real hit with the Manchester crowd. Whatever you want, there’s something for everyone – and there will be a takeaway option as well, so you can eat in this huge 500-seat market hall area with plenty of seating, or you can just grab something to take on your flight.
“As you can imagine, it’s a very complicated build because we’re not just doing the one kitchen, we’re doing six, but it’s coming along well and we’re really excited to share it with our passengers.”
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Jake Ansbro, co-founder of Gooey, added: “Gooey was born in Manchester, and the city has supported us from day one. Opening at Manchester Airport feels like a dream next step — a chance to share a little bit of what we do with people travelling across the world.
“We’re so excited to be part of The Great Northern Market celebrating Manchester next to some other amazing operators.”
The Great Northern Market will be one of more than 20 new shops and restaurants opening in T2 as part of the second phase of the transformation programme.
Once complete, the project will more than double the size of Terminal 2 and turn it into Manchester Airport’s main hub, with Terminal 1 set to close.
Passengers urged to ‘plan ahead’ as Manchester Piccadilly prepares to close for nine days next week
Emily Sergeant
Passengers are being urged to ‘plan ahead’ as Manchester Piccadilly prepares to close for nine full days from next weekend.
In case you hadn’t heard, it was announced last November that Manchester Piccadilly train was going to have to shut in February 2026 for what is described as being a ‘once-in-a-generation upgrade’… and now, we are less than two weeks away before that officially becomes a reality and very few train services run in or out of the station.
Network Rail is investing £7.9m into the major upgrade at Manchester Piccadilly station – with the main points of action being to improve tracks, points, and signalling systems on the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly station.
Teams are due to replace 11 sets of points, renew timber sleepers with modern, concrete equivalents, and alsobring lineside equipment ‘bang up to date’ across six lines to improve future journeys for passengers and freight.
Investment in this apparent ‘critical stretch’ of track has been long awaited, as any issues with the ageing infrastructure can disrupt all trains running in and out of Manchester.
Passengers are being urged to ‘plan ahead’ as Manchester Piccadilly prepares to close for nine days next week / Credit: Network Rail
The nine-day closure, although expected to cause commuting chaos, is tipped to ultimately deliver ‘better and more reliable journeys’ for passengers in the long run.
The main work takes place over nine days during February half term, from Saturday 14 through to Sunday 22 February 2026.
And what does this mean for anyone travelling exactly? Well, the scale of the work spanning all main lines means no trains from the south and east of the city will run into Manchester Piccadilly for the full nine days, while trains from the north will also be heavily impacted, as will direct connections to Manchester Airport station.
There will be a limited service westbound from Platforms 13 and 14.
⚠️ Major changes to services this February half term ⚠️
🛠️ We're upgrading the Piccadilly corridor.
📆 From 14-22 February there will be no trains from platforms 1-12. A limited service will terminate at platforms 13&14.
The train shed (Platforms 1-12) will also close for the full nine days, but Manchester Piccadilly station’s concourse will remain open to the public.
“During this time, we are advising passengers to travel light, allow extra time for their journey, and be prepared to queue, as stations and rail replacement services are expected to be very busy,” National Rail said in its statement issued ahead of the closure next week.
“We have worked with train operators, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Manchester City Council to develop an alternative travel plan during the closure, to keep passengers moving smoothly to their destination.”
You can plan your journey on the Northern Rail website here.
Featured Image – Network Rail
Travel & Tourism
Heaton Park’s historic tramway will be back up and running this summer after major funding secured
Emily Sergeant
Historic trams are set to run through Heaton Park once again from this summer thanks to some major new funding being secured.
For just over a year now, trams have been unable to run through Manchester‘s largest suburban park as the electrical substation which powers the Heritage Tramway needed an overhaul to bring it up to current safety standards – but now, some substantial funding has been secured to enable the essential restoration work to begin in the spring.
The trams operate on the only remaining section of the original tramway in Heaton Park, and offer locals and visitors alike a real glimpse into the past.
This piece of local history is operated by the volunteers of the Manchester Transport Museum Society (MTMS) on behalf of the Manchester Tramway Company Limited (MTCL) – a joint venture company between the Manchester Transport Museum Society and Manchester City Council.
This major investment into the existing infrastructure will ensure operation of the trams can continue for many years to come.
The £481,000 funding investment – which has been secured from Manchester City Council – should mean the tramway can restart in summer 2026, which just so happens to coincide with the 125th anniversary of Manchester’s first electric tramways in 1901, so it’s a big deal.
“Our support of the much-loved Heaton Park Tramway not only preserves an important piece of local heritage, but a piece of living history,” commented Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, who is the Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council.
“The vintage trams hold a special place in the hearts of many people.”
Heaton Park’s historic tramway will be back up and running this summer after major funding was secured / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph)
Geoff Senior, who is the Chairman of the Manchester Transport Museum Society, called the securing of funding ‘wonderful news’.
He added: “It represents a huge vote of confidence in the hard work and dedication [volunteers] have shown in the last 50 years of working to build, develop and run this vital piece of Manchester’s transport heritage, not only for the citizens of Manchester but those who travel to the park from wider afield.”