The Eat Out to Help Out scheme is already into its second week and off to a flying start in Manchester.
Under Eat Out To Help Out scheme, which was announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak as part of the UK government’s #PlanForJobs, visitors will receive a 50% discount, up to a maximum of £10 per person, when dining-in at participating venues on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout 3rd – 31st August.
This unmissable offer – which can be used on more than one occasion and will see participating establishments simply remove the discount from customers’ bills – is available on food and non-alcoholic beverages, but does not include takeaway purchases.
The scheme is designed to encourage people to dine-in and support their favourite local hangouts.
Plenty of Manchester’s independent eateries have signed on to take part in the scheme, but if you’re looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat in the city centre without having to leave your pup at home, then the team at dog food company tails.com have compiled a list of 12 dog-friendly restaurants taking part in Eat Out to Help Out this month.
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North Tea Power
Northern Quarter
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North Tea Power
Often talked about as serving some of the best coffee in Manchester, North Tea Power is super dog-friendly.
Dogs are welcomed inside with open arms, plus they don’t even mind if the little ones curl up on the bench next to you. Even better, they’ve also got a covered outside area on the rows where you can sit if you have an extra large furry friend or the tables inside are taken.
For bookings and more information, visit the North Tea Power website here.
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Takk
Northern Quarter
Takk
One of the Northern Quarter’s most popular hangouts, Takk are experts at everything from coffee and tea, to light continental dining, wifi, seating and cakes – the latter made by the brilliant Trove bakery. Plus, it’s also dog-friendly too, so you can take your four-legged friends along with you.
For bookings and more information, visit the Takk website here.
Common
Northern Quarter
Common
You’ll never be unwelcome with a dog at Common.
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With delicious food and drinks, this Edge Street hangout is the perfect spot for you and your pup to get some downtime. Common is known for its quirky artwork on the walls, which seems to change every time you go in, so you’ll always have something to admire whilst you enjoy your food.
For bookings and more information, visit the Common website here.
The Wharf
Castlefield
The Wharf
After a walk along the canal, there’s no better place to make a pitstop with your pub than at The Wharf.
Even if the weather takes a turn for the worse and you can’t sit in their amazing beer garden, you and your furry friend can head inside to the bar area, where food and drink is served all day.
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For bookings and more information, visit The Wharf website here.
The Pen and Pencil
Northern Quarter
The Pen and Pencil
With food and drink served all day, from brunch and burgers, to healthy smoothies, beers, wines, spirits and bespoke cocktails, it’s easy to see why The Pen and Pencil is such a popular Northern Quarter hangout.
It’s also super dog-friendly too, so you and your pup can enjoy the relaxed environment together.
For bookings and more information, visit The Pen and Pencil website here.
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Tariff & Dale
Northern Quarter
Tariff & Dale
Serving up classic cocktails and British Beer in a building that is steeped in true Manchester history, Tariff and Dale offers you a tranquil environment to relax and enjoy some modern British food from the grill and sourdough pizza from the wood oven.
If all this wasn’t enough, your four-legged friend is also welcome to soak up the history with you and will be greeted with a warm welcome by all the staff.
For bookings and more information, visit the Tariff & Dale website here.
Cottonopolis
Northern Quarter
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Cottonopolis
Cottonopolis is a lively warehouse-style venue with an Asian-inspired menu featuring tempura, katsu and steamed asian-style greens, and a bar that serves up every drink you can possibly imagine.
It’s also a great place to take your four-legged friends as your dog is invited to enjoy the complete luxury along with you.
For bookings and more information, visit the Cottonopolis website here.
Rudy’s
Ancoats & Peter Street
Rudy’s
Rudy’s is a relaxed, neighbourhood pizzeria that follows the traditions and artistry of pizza from Naples, and even better, your furry friend can join you while you tuck into an authentic and delicious pizza. The Ancoats location also features a newly-extended outdoor area, complete with canopy, meaning that you and your pup can sit comfortably outside and enjoy the atmosphere of Cutting Room Square.
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For bookings and more information, visit the Rudy’s website here.
The Refuge
Oxford Street
The Refuge
The Refuge is a public bar and dining room set in 10,000 square feet of breath-taking space at the iconic hotel on Oxford Street. Plus, four-legged friends are allowed in until 7pm daily, but if it’s not a busy night, you can usually get away with them staying a little later.
Check out the Winter Garden area, which is full of trees, sofas and fairy lights.
For bookings and more information, visit The Refuge website here.
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Cocoa Cabana
Ancoats & West Didsbury
Cocoa Cabana
Cocoa Cabana has gained a respected reputation for its artisan, additive-free chocolates, homemade cakes and chocolate afternoon teas. This place has it all, from delicious chocolates and a selection of cocktails, to a food menu with plenty of choice.
Your dog is also very welcome here and will even have a little friend for company in the form of resident dachshund, Frank.
For bookings and more information, visit the Cocoa Cabana website here.
The Font
New Wakefield Street
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The Font
Craft beer, cocktails and hearty home-cooked food is always on the menu at The Font.
There’s an outside terrace at the front and plenty of room inside for any size dog. Plus, they host regular events, ranging from pottery workshops, BBQs and dog-themed parties.
For bookings and more information, visit The Font website here.
Richmond Tea Rooms
Sackville Street
Richmond Tea Rooms
Inspired by the desire to enjoy an exquisite afternoon tea in the heart of the city centre, Richmond Tea Rooms’ award-winning ‘Alice in Wonderland’-themed dining experience is completed with freshly made sandwiches, cakes and treats.
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Your pup can enjoy this unique dining experience with you as the tea room is super dog friendly and will greet your four-legged friend with a water bowl and a treat.
For bookings and more information, visit the Richmond Tea Rooms website here.
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The COVID-19 pandemic may have taken its toll on industries of all shapes and sizes over these past few months, but supporting local/independent business has never been more important than it is right now.
Matcha fever has the nation gripped at the minute – it feels like half the country has turned its back on flat whites in favour of the popular green tea drink.
This pretty Japanese beverage might have been around for centuries, but it’s having a bit of a new moment here in Manchester and finding a whole new wave of fans.
With the global success of brands like Blank Street, you can barely walk down the street without passing someone sipping something green.
So we’ve decided to pull together five local spots in Manchester who are doing the very best matcha in town, from the very traditional to the very playful.
Know of somewhere we’ve missed? Drop us a DM on our The Manc Eats Instagram page HERE.
Ohayo Tea, Chinatown
Matcha bubble tea and soft serve at Ohayo Tea in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
This adorable bubble tea cafe in Chinatown has a Shiba Inu dog as its mascot, and you’ll find his face carved into the walls, waffles in the shape of his head, and a giant dog statue bursting out of the wall.
Ohayo Tea serve a complex take on a matcha drink that plays into their bubble tea expertise – expect your matcha to come layered with tapioca pearls, cheese foam, pistachio foam, and plenty more options too.
These drinks come with instructions – tilt your branded cup (the Shiba is back) it to at least 45 degrees to get every layer at once, or, if you insist, use a thick straw to mix it all together.
You can also get matcha soft serve here with shards of honeycomb stuck to it. Delightful.
Just Between Friends, Ancoats and Northern Quarter
Matcha drinks at Just Between Friends, Ancoats. Credit: The Manc Group
If you’re someone who actually likes matcha to taste of matcha, rather than of all sorts of syrups and other add-ons, turn to one of the city’s best coffee shops.
At Just Between Friends – which has locations tucked into an old mill in Ancoats as well as right on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter – matcha is whisked properly with a traditional bamboo whisk, before being added to steamed or chilled milk.
The result is either a warm, smooth drink served in an earthenware cup, or a refreshing iced matcha.
You can wedge yourself into a window seat or even sit on the cobbled archway outside and imagine you’ve transported yourself to a Tokyo backstreet.
We’d love to tell you the opening hours and location of this pop-up matcha hotspot, but it tends to shift around Manchester a bit.
It’s worth tracking down though – Matcha Kyoto is importing speciality ingredients all the way from Kyoto and doing everything as authentically as possible.
With matcha whipped cream, matcha lattes, matcha desserts and matcha toppings it’s a dream come true for matcha lovers… Is the word matcha starting to sound like gibberish to anyone else at this point?
Track their latest movements on their Instagram HERE.
Sipp, Ancoats and Deansgate Square
Sipp matcha in Ancoats. Credit: The Manc Group
If you’re new to matcha, or just know that you like yours with a little sweetness and fun, you must get a sip of Sipp’s.
These guys are based in General Stores around town, with their own coffee shop soon to open in Chorlton, and they have a whole list of ‘Matcha Cloud’ drinks.
Their best-seller is the raspberry and coconut, which tastes exactly like a lamington, or there are always specials cropping up (currently, it’s a mango and passionfruit).
This is gateway matcha – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Tsujiri, Chinatown
A selection of matcha items at Tsujuri in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Not satisfied with simply serving matcha you can drink, Tsujiri is a Japanese tea house using this powerful ingredient in cakes, ice creams, cheesecakes and more.
Tsujiri was founded all the way back in 1860, before bringing the finest matcha lattes and infused desserts to British shores.
In Manchester, you’ll find them in the heart of Chinatown, tucked up an anonymous flight of stairs, where there are cabinets full of green sweet treats like a matcha basque cheesecake, matcha sundaes, and classic iced lattes.
The Good Food Guide has released its list of the top bakeries across the UK – and two in Greater Manchester have made the cut.
The prestigious guide has been travelling across the nation testing out the joy of British bakeries, from pastries to loaves to biscuits.
50 bakeries around the UK have been selected, ‘from a makeshift industrial unit in Devon to a radically remote destination in the Scottish Highlands and a must-visit spot in Mid Wales’.
Greater Manchester, as we know, has no shortage of great bakeries, whether it’s queueing for ages for an artisan pastry at La Chouquette, the ever-changing specials at Half Dozen Other in the Green Quarter, or delicious bakes and breads at Companio.
The Good Food Guide has said that the nation is going through something of a ‘modern baking boom’ and selected two spots locally that are doing it better than anyone else.
The first is Pollen, a legendary bakery which started life under a railway arch near Manchester Piccadilly, where people would queue all morning for a cruffin (at the time, this was revolutionary).
The team have now gone on to open a sunny waterside cafe at Ancoats Marina, and another in the leafy Kampus neighbourhood.
Pollen in AncoatsPollen in AncoatsPollen at KampusPollen at KampusCredit: The Manc Group
The Good Food Guide praised Pollen for its ‘quality viennoiserie and sourdough loaves’.
The Good Food Guide says of Pollen: “Since the aroma of fresh croissants first wafted from the ovens of the original bakery in Ancoats, Pollen has established something of a cult status in Manchester for its quality viennoiserie and sourdough loaves.
“A second, larger outpost at the Kampus development in the Piccadilly area is a serene, putty-hued space looking onto a lush courtyard garden where you can linger over a lunch of BBQ mushrooms on toast with celeriac and salsa verde or Jerusalem artichoke soup with herb butter.
“The counter also advertises a handsome selection of sweet treats: our surprisingly delicate matcha cheesecake was a sure sign of the pastry team’s skills.”
Long Boi’s Bakehouse in Levenshulme. Credit: The Manc Group
The second of the bakeries in Greater Manchester to catch the eye of the Good Food Guide is the brilliant Long Bois over in Levenshulme, a sunny, colourful little bakery which first rocketed to fame for its homemade pop tarts.
The guide said: “A small team of all-female bakers turns out a satisfyingly creative selection of sweet and savoury bakes – perhaps a pandan lamington (a take on the coconut-drenched Aussie classic) or an ‘everything bagel’ croissant stuffed with dill, spring onion and cream cheese – while classic cakes and pastries are presented with equal doses of flavour and flourish.
“With a tiny production kitchen, bread comes from the also-excellent Holy Grain Sourdough in Manchester city centre. Like any self-respecting neighbourhood bakery, they sell out quickly – so get there early.”
Where’s your favourite bakery in Greater Manchester?
Emily Sergeant -
10th August 2020 
