Where to eat at Manchester Food and Drink Festival
From salt-beef stacked bagels by Eat New York to the fresh, vibrant flavours of South India from Chaat Cart, you'll find some fine smells coming from the Manchester Food and Drink Festival hub this year.
While there may be a few big-name chain restaurants knocking around Albert Square over the course of Manchester Food and Drink Festival (29 Sep-10 Oct), we reckon it’s worth using the event as an opportunity to chow down on some street food and put your pennies into the pockets of independent traders.
With the food line-up at the Albert Square hub divided into two halves, the second taking over proceedings from Wednesday 5 October until the festival closes, you’ll be able to justify more than one trip to truly pig out. All in the name of supporting small business, of course.
Here are the top five vendors we’ll be hitting up:
Eat New York
Fairly new on the Northern street food scene, bagel slingers Eat New York first popped up in MediaCity before recently setting up shop at B.Eat Street, where they've garnered a good following for their signature salt beef bagels, cheeseburgers, fries and more. Expect everything to come piled high with mountains of jalapenos, 'pickleslaw' and lashings of French's mustard. @eatnysd
Ladle and Skillet
Though not from 'round these parts, London heads Ladle and Skillet gain brownie points for their ethical reputation, what with their organic flatbreads made without additives, preservatives or sugar, free range lamb from Kent and locally sourced ingredients – whether taken from their Southbank base or on the festival circuit. @ladleandskillet
Hip Hop Chip Shop
Pairing sustainable fish and puns aplenty, Hip Hop Chip Shop are not only a lesson in masterful street food wordplay, but also in the art of a simple product done well. Fish or halloumi gets coated in crispy batter, while chips come triple cooked and chunky as fuck. Fingers crossed their beer-battered gherkins will be on the menu, too. @thehiphopchippy
Chaat Cart
An old firm favourite in Manchester, Chaat Cart have become a mainstay of street food trader line-ups across the North, and are also now one of the B.Eat Street residents. Their fresh and colourful South Indian home-style cooking is particularly good for vegetarians and vegans, though the signature chicken kati roll also deserves a mention. @ChaatCart
Fire and Slice
And because there must always be pizza, Fire and Slice will be filling the doughy void with their rustic artisan pizzas, cooked up in a wood-fired oven and topped with high-qual ingredients. Here’s hoping they’ll have the Bomba on the menu for that well-loved combo of salami and chilli. @pizzafireslice
Find out more about Manchester Food and Drink Festival here.
Manchester Food and Drink Festival
29 Sep-10 Oct
Festival hub: Albert Square