Manchester's Finest

OUR GUIDE TO PICCADILLY EAST + WIN £800 TO SPEND AT EVERY PLACE WE VISITED I know, I know, you’re reading that headline and wondering “Piccadilly East!? That’s not a thing” but beyond the Northern Quarter and a nudge away from Ancoats, between New Islington, Ardwick and Piccadilly Station, an area of the city has emerged as a destination drenched in craft beers, fit to bursting with phenomenal food and drink spots, warehouse raves and wellness centres. To win £800 to spend at the places we visited in our video… - Tag who you’ll take with you in the comments - Share to your story We’ll pick the winner on 12 September. ***COMPETITION CLOSED*** Winner = @supastar1501 🔗 LINK IN BIO for the full guide on YouTube - where we’re also running the same competition prize, so you’ve got a second chance to win #mcrfinest

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WE WENT TO GOOEY WITH FAMOUS RESTAURANT CRITIC JAY RAYNER for a chat about bad reviews, dining trends, and his favourite Manchester restaurants over a slab of French toast the size of a double decker bus. Not just master of the pen and preserver of the paunch, did you know Jay is also a dab hand on the ole Joanna? The Jay Rayner Sextet is coming to Manchester’s beautiful Albert Hall on 16 March this year. Jay will be jumping on the piano, accompanied by five of his musical pals, to play a party style set featuring huge chart hits from mega 80s jazz-influenced artists like Sadé, Matt Bianco and Everything But The Girl. LINK IN BIO to grab tickets. #mcrfinest

THE HONG KONG BAKERY IN WYTHENSHAWE WITH QUEUES DOWN THE STREET You’ll find @solar.bakery located on parade of shops on the adorably named Button Lane in Wythenshawe, but despite its deeply suburban location, it’s almost always a hive of activity. Opened by husband and wife duo Tai and Rainbow in 2023, who moved to the UK from Hong Kong, they’ve created a cafe with a real community buzz. Here, you can enjoy traditional Cantonese desserts, noodle-based dishes and even curries alongside steaming mugs of builder’s tea. Their speciality though is definitely their baked goods counter, filled with fresh, flaky sweet and savoury pastries galore like BBQ pork buns, coconut pies, walnut cookies and even the so-called ‘wife cake’ - a pastry disk filled with winter melon, almond and sesame paste. No wonder you’ll find a queue of hungry punters snaking down the street most days, even when the weather is as cold as this. ... ⏰ Tues-Sat, 10AM-4PM 📍 39 Button Lane, Wythenshawe, Manchester M23 0LZ 💰 Bakes from £1 #mcrfinest

WE TRIED THE RESTAURANT CHANGING THE SUSHI GAME IN PRESTWICH It’s no secret that Prestwich has become a serious foodie spot over the last few years, and their pan-Asian offering is a big part of that. @jennagoldthorpe tipped us off about a family-operated restaurant headed up by a real culinary talent, and they’re serving up a whole host of fresh sushi, flavoursome bao and comforting fried chicken in a welcoming and laid-back setting. We like their style. A lot. #mcrfinest

🔗LINK IN BIO for the best things to do in Manchester this week #mcrfinest

THE HOMELY, ACCOMPLISHED TAPAS COMING OUT OF SALFORD Tapas might sound simple on paper, but it’s hard to get right. It’s not just bar snacks, though it certainly started out that way - a plate served with a drink, one theory being that a piece of bread or thin slice of jamon or chorizo would be placed on top of your glass to stop fruit flies getting at your sherry. Somewhere that takes it very seriously is @porta_salford. Having first opened in Chester, brothers Joe and Ben Wright have taken their love for Spanish cuisine and replicated it in Altrincham, Salford and recently Didsbury. Sampling dishes from Catalonia to the Basque country, @thomhetherington headed to their gorgeous Salford spot and found a cosy place where the cooking is accomplished, and the dishes make you go ‘ahhhhh’. Head to the LINK IN BIO to read his review. ⏰ Tues-Sat 12pm-10.30pm, Sun 12pm-9pm 📍 216 Chapel St, Salford M3 6BY 💰Snacks from £3.50, larger dishes from £5, abanico Ibérico £13.50, pulpo £14.50 #mcrfinest

ANCOATS FAVE CAFE COTTON OPENS A NEW SITE WITH A CRACKING SAUSAGE MELT One of our favourite lunch spots in Ancoats has opened a brand-new outpost, just 10 mins walk away. If you’ve ever been to @cottoncafebar, you’ll know the queues out of the door are for good reason. Handmade, delicious sandwiches using fresh ingredients and breakfast pastries to die for. Their new spot at Piccadilly East is well worth the mooch. Open on the ground floor of Neptune Mill, the cafe is the perfect spot for a coffee, breakfast, lunch or remote working. As you’d expect, the sandwiches are up to their already high standards, with usual favourites including Saltimbocca (pan-fried chicken, marsala wine, deep fried sage, dry cured ham and Emmental cheese on focaccia from Companio) and the sensational Cumbrian melt (Grandad’s sausages, aged cheddar and caramelised onion chutney on focaccia) on the counter. There’s also fresh salads and homemade soup, as a winter warmer. We’ll see you there. .... ⏰ Mon-Fri 8-4, Sat-Sun 9-5 📍Neptune Mill, 64 Chapeltown St, Manchester M1 2WQ 💰 Meal deals from £6 #mcrfinest

50% OFF YARD AND COOP’S BUTTERMILK CHICKEN LOADED FRIES AND NEW SHROOM MENU When we think buttermilk fried chicken, we think @yardandcoop. The NQ legends are offering 50% off bowls of their delicious crispy chicken, loaded fries and homemade sauces until 23 January. We were all over the Dirty Chicken (fries topped with BBQ pulled chicken and ranch sauce with crispy onions) and the Dirty Buffalo (spicy chicken served over fries with buffalo sauce and pickles). There’s also the Dirty Caesar (the best bits of the salad on top of a pile of fries), the Japan-inspired Dirty Katsu and the much-loved classic Dirty Bird (buttermilk fried chicken thighs, cheese sauce, drizzled with BBQ, hot honey, and blue cheese, and topped with crunchy frazzles). If you’re plant-based, or just giving Veganuary a go, they’ve got you covered too, with their new Magic Shrooms menu, featuring oyster mushrooms brined in soy-based marinade and coated in their signature Yard and Coop crunch. All dishes are just £15 and from Sunday to Thursday, grab 50% off with a booking. .... ⏰ Sun-Thu 12-9pm, Fri-Sat 12-10pm 📍 37 Edge St, Manchester M4 1HW 💰 Dirty Bowl menu £15 #mcrfinest

WHERE THE LIGHT GETS IN BRING ‘WHOLE COW’ FAST FOOD RESTAURANT HUMBUG TO THE CITY CENTRE Stockport’s stand-out fine dining establishment @arestaurantwherethelightgetsin have launched the ‘second act’ of their city centre takeovers. Following on from their cocktail and bar snacks offering at Altogether Otherwise, they’ve created an entirely new fast food concept in Kampus’ pop-up space, The Bungalow. But it isn’t like any fast food place we’ve seen before. The burgers come from one entire cow that the team butchered themselves. There’s 1200 patties, and when they’re done, so is the restaurant - so you have to be quick. You’ll also find a homemade cheese sauce, heaps of soft serve ice cream and neon-coloured fizzy pop, as well as top-class wines and cocktails. Basically, it’s the most sophisticated diner we’ve ever seen. You have to try the ‘popcorn’ Carlingford oysters. Yep, really. … ⏰ 5pm - late Mon - Sun, 6 Jan - 2 Feb (or until burgers run out) 📍The Bungalow at Kampus, Aytoun Street, Manchester, M1 3GL 💰Burgers from £12.50, soft serve £8, sides from £4.50 #mcrfinest

A FREE, FOUR-DAY FAMILY FESTIVAL IS HEADING TO MANCHESTER… AND YOU CAN WIN AN OVERNIGHT STAY Manchester will be transformed into a ‘city-wide playzone’ for February half term, featuring a Victorian steam carnival, family raves, old school arcades and even a hedge maze, at sites all across the city. The Super Duper Family Festival will take place from Saturday 15 to Tuesday 18 February, 2025. It will be made up of six zones - The Garden, The Carnival, The Playground, The Arcade, The Sports Hall and The Party, transforming spots from Great Northern Warehouse all the way to Printworks (with more to be announced). The festival is a free un-ticketed event,(with the exception of The Party at Factory International. These tickets are free and will be available soon) and you can find out everything that’s going on via the LINK IN BIO. They’re giving away an overnight stay for a family of four at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel during the festival. To enter, follow @SuperDuperFamilyFestival and comment below with the emoji that most represents your family. #mcrfinest

We’ve added more than 50 new January deals to our round up, taking the total to over 150 offers you can make the most of throughout January. #mcrfinest