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Aldi’s viral garlic bread-flavoured crisps are now back in stores across the UK

All together now... "gaaaaarlic... bread?"

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 16th April 2026

No one tell Peter Kay, but Aldi has brought back one of its most viral crisps… garlic bread.

Admit it, you heard that in the Bolton comedian’s voice when you read garlic bread then, didn’t you? Oh yeah, and they’re also only £1.15 per big sharer bag.

The budget supermarket chain is absolutely no stranger to bringing out some weird and wonderful food concoctions, many of which have seen shoppers flocking to their nearest store – but judging by reaction on social media and their popularity over the years, it sounds like Aldi has properly knocked it out the park with this creation.

By combining two of Brits’ most beloved food obsessions, garlic bread and crisps, Aldi has created the ultimate snacking combination, and they’re now back on shop shelves across the UK after going viral when they were first released back in 2024.

Aldi has just launched new garlic bread-flavoured crisps / Credit: The Manc Group | Rawpixel

If you’re looking to get your hands on a bag, then you can expect the crisps to be ‘packed full of fin-gar-lickin’ good flavour’, according to the retailer.

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Shoppers are then hit with the delicious taste of smoky garlic, all while ‘experiencing the hearty crunch’ that’s known to come with Aldi’s premium Specially Selected crinkle cut crisp style.

@the.manc On the Aldi Specialbuys aisle this week… Garlic Bread crisps! We, of course, had to grab some🧄🥖 #aldi #aldispecialbuys #garlicbread #crisps #manchester ♬ original sound – Videoclip_roulette

When the crisps were first released a few years back, a couple members of The Manc team headed to our local Aldi store on Market Street in the city centre to grab a packet of the new crisps – and we can confirm that they are, in fact, garlicky.

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Aldi’s calling them the ‘perfect dinner party nibble’ or the ‘ultimate partner to any summer picnic’, and to be honest, we couldn’t agree more.

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We’re gonna say it… run don’t walk to your nearest Aldi store.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

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Kahiki Soundhouse – the new Mint Lounge site is living up to the old name and its live music legacy

Danny Jones Danny Jones Kahiki Soundhouse MCR new Mint Lounge

If you went out in town back in the day (pretty much any time from the late 90s to the 2010s), or indeed have sampled a Funkdemia over the past couple of decades, chances are you tried or at least heard of Mint Lounge – but did you know it’s been replaced by a new kid on the block, Kahiki?

Kahiki Soundhouse, to give it its full name, is the new live music venue bar that has opened up the old basement space on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter.

In truth, it’s now more of a classic lounge than ever before.

The large open-plan floor, which used to be filled with people standing/two-stepping inside a fairly barebones club room with no air conditioning, has now been traded up for a stylish space lined with plush padded seats, classy low-lit tables perfect to share a glass or two over, and lots of new features.

kahiki live music nights
kahiki bar

Perhaps the biggest change is that the old soundbooth/stage area that used to be way at the back has now been swapped for a central 360° podium that changes up each night.

It really is the star of the all-week-round Kahiki show, if you ask us.

This also means that no matter where you are in the main venue (there are other rooms, but we’ll get to that), be it tucked in a booth to the side, at the bar, or even ‘behind’ whoever’s playing, you’ll have a virtually unobstructed view of what’s happening from noon until night.

Seriously, thanks to their already jam-packed schedule, the reviews aren’t just off to a great start only a few days in, but people have been turning up in the early evening and staying well into the early hours of the next day.

They’ve got duelling pianos, live bandaoke, acoustic nights and straightforward DJ sets for those who still fancy a taste of the previous vibe.

Kahiki’s maiden Manchester city centre venue definitely harks back to the good times had in the Mint Lounge days, but the team, who possess decades of experience between them, have combined a retro feel almost more akin to 1960s speakeasies, cocktails and evening venues.

It’s no secret that clubbing and the UK nightlife scene have changed quite a bit since the pandemic, but these guys look to have found that perfect blend of more relaxed seating, along with plenty of room to get up and boogie; there’s even a raised mini-stage/dance cage for your main character moments.

Better still, if you do want something a little bit away from the crowds of punters that are continuing to make this one of the liveliest new additions to NQ, they also have adjustable karaoke rooms where bi-folding doors can make room for up to 50 of you and your lot to party in privacy.

Let’s just say the spirit of the Lounge is alive and well in the Soundhouse.

cocktail bars mcr
Just one corner of Kahiki
dancing stages manchester
Your podium awaits
karaoke roooms manchester
One of the smaller karaoke rooms

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Audio North

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‘We were so lucky to have it’ – Has Manchester’s hospo scene reached a dangerous tipping point?

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester hospitality sector calling for community and government help after more restaurant and bar closures

Greater Manchester’s hospitality sector is calling for change and better support, both for the local community and the UK government, following the latest raft of closures.

Various well-known independent businesses have closed in the first quarter of 2026 across the city centre, let alone the numerous others across the ten boroughs over the past year or so.

In truth, this worrying trend has been going on for much longer than the last 12 months, and it seems that it’s not just new openings that are most at risk of closing before they can even get going, but now well-established regional institutions are struggling to stay afloat.

Case in point, our oldest Turkish restaurant – which had been serving central Manchester for nearly half a century – Topkapi Palace, has now closed seemingly for good.

A recent addition to the city centre itself, French-Vietnamese cafe and restaurant Doux Chaton wrote on social media: “This is genuinely so sad to see. Topkapi Palace is part of Manchester’s fabric. Running an independent spot is no joke — it takes everything.

“If we keep letting places like this go, we lose more than food; we lose culture, history, identity. Please support your local independents where you can. It matters more than ever – our representatives need to support our community not only regionally but nationally.”

They went on to tag the likes of Mayor Andy Burnham, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and others to call for crucial intervention sooner rather than later.

For some, it’s unfortunately already too late.

Currently, their Stockport in Hazel Grove looks to be remaining open, but we’ve seen this story before; Almost Famous, Seven Brothers, Greens, and SO many others have sadly had to shut up most, if not all, of their locations.

As of this May, we’ve already had to say goodbye to the likes of Topkapi, KAJI, Climat and House of Fu; Project Halcyon, Örme, the long-standing TNQ, the first-ever Northern Simmons site, a branch of Banyan, just to name an unlucky few.

And that’s just the ones that shut down in the first few months of this calendar year; 2025 was a gut-wrenching year for the food and drink industry, with indies all over the region and beyond having to fight tooth and nail to stay open for even just a few days of weekly trade.

Almost just as concerning has been some of the behaviour by some patrons, even here in our own city.

From more than one or two reports of people walking out on their bills, people even nicking the most petty stuff, such as decorations and bar’s cushions, to a troubling number of no-shows that don’t just mean one less reservation – it can mean the next person missing out on a seat and people losing money.

Another nearby native commented: “I honestly think Manchester is on a tipping point for many people – what was ‘old’ Manchester, which many of us loved, is being slowly erased by the new. People here are saying basically ‘use it or lose it’.

“Fair enough, but there’s very little spare money about, and I hear lots of people saying they don’t go into town for the day to spend that money shopping and for a meal or treat-day because they don’t ‘recognise the place’.”

They go on to add: “Most importantly, they often say they don’t like Manchester now. The towers that are shoved in places where you could see daylight and there was space to walk and breathe are overwhelming.

“I’m not being reactionary – I love New Islington and Cutting Room Square, etc., but NQ has lost its grit, and I find Deansgate really soulless and depressing when once I used to go out every night after work for drinks, and go in every month with the family on a Saturday for culture, shop and a meal.

“No more. Love Manchester, but I’m not in love with it anymore. Topkapi was great once, and it’s sad it’s gone.” A passionate appeal, indeed.

It goes without saying that rising energy bills, untenable business rates, rent, and a general cost of living crisis mean that people simply don’t have enough money to go out for tea, treat themselves to a drink in a nice bar, or even just go to the pub as often as they once did.

We’re by no means experts, but it’s easy for all to see that something needs to be done and fast, as we’d like to avoid seeing any more of our hard-working Manc favourites falling by the wayside and joining the list of those that we’re still mourning to this day.

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The lost but still much-loved Greater Manchester food and drink spots that Mancs miss the most

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Featured Images — The Manc Eats

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