A food hall in Manchester has been named as the best in the UK for its ‘exceptional’ food.
Mackie Mayor, based in the Northern Quarter, beat competition from London, Liverpool and Sheffield as it was voted best in the whole of the UK. Two other Greater Manchester food halls also made it to the top 10; Altrincham Market House and Society food hall, coming in fourth and eighth respectively.
Mackie Mayor scooped the top spot and was praised for the ‘exceptional’ food from its many food and drink operators, while second place went to Italian-inspired concept Eataly in London.
The news was announced by global travel site Big 7 Travel and hospitality specialists Enjoy Travel, who teamed up to find the best food halls in the UK. Venues were ranked on several factors including range of cuisines, selection of vendors, unique and special events and overall atmosphere.
Mackie Mayor food hall is located inside an 1858 Grade II-listed market building that was once Smithfield Market Hall. The site reopened as Mackie Mayor following a huge refurbishment in 2017.
The Swan Street plot was given a total revamp by the same team behind Altrincham Market — led by Nick Johnson — after lying empty for years. The team behind both food halls also run the Picturedrome food hall in Macclesfield.
Featuring a range of food and drink operators, all under its huge glass roof, Mackie Mayor holds the capacity for almost 500 people. The current line-up of vendors includes Tender Cow, Eagle Street Coffee, Honest Crust, Pico’s, New Wave Ramen, Mumma’s, Chilli B and BlackJack Brewtap.
Taking top position above Eataly in London and Cutlery Works in Sheffield, the description for Mackie Mayor said it was ‘crammed full of top-notch food and drink vendors’ and one of Manchester’s ‘most popular spots’.
It added: “Honest Crust serves exceptional seasonal sourdough pizzas, FIN Fish Bar is beloved for its sustainable day-boat fish cooked whole over a chargrill and Baohouse serves up the steamiest little Taiwanese buns. At Tender Cow, punters can tuck into lesser-known cuts of beef from some of the best producers and farms in Britain. Groups of 10 or more people can book a table too.”
The other Manchester food hall making the top ten was Society, located in the long-vacated bar site next to Bridgewater Hall on Barbirolli Square, serving up a range of street food, craft beers and cocktails.
Current traders at the food hall include Chaat Cart, Yoki Social Table and Vocation brewery.
High-end Japanese restaurant MUSU is offering 30% off in March for customers who sign up to its new free rewards programme.
The contemporary Japanese eatery, nestled in the heart of the city centre on Bridge Street, is launching its own membership rewards programme.
The scheme is free to join and will give members 30% off their food bill throughout March upon signing up.
Rewards customers can enjoy discounted prices on menus including the Omakase – the theatrical, educational sushi experience which is served individually to diners at the restaurant’s six–seat omakase counter.
This also includes the full Land of the Rising Sun tasting menus, which take in a range of cooking styles from all over Japan, devised by chef-patron Mike Shaw.
Then from April, members of the programme will be able to take advantage of a series of other rewards, including 30% off any food bill when dining at lunch time, 10% off when dining at dinner on any menu, and a 10% discount on private hire and private dining.
The restaurant has a closed-off area for its private dining experience for guests to enjoy, which is regularly used by celebrities and food critics alike.
On top of this, members celebrating their birthdays at MUSU will receive a complimentary drink, and every reward programme member will be entered into a monthly prize draw to win a 12-course Land of the Rising Sun experience, complete with wine pairings.
You can get early access to the restaurant’s special events, like its live tuna cutting experience, where a whole bluefin tuna is carved in front of diners, while its expert sushi chefs talk you through the provenance of the fish and the skills displayed in this ancient craft.
You can sign up to MUSU’s free rewards scheme, HERE.
Gerald England / Geograph & @hulatikimcr / Instagram
One lucky winner can win free cocktails for life at a Manchester Tiki bar to celebrate 15 years of being open.
This April will mark 15 years of Hula – the Northern Quarter’s basement 1950s-style beach bar lounge – and to celebrate, the venue wants to offer one lucky winner a life-long prize to say ‘thank you’ for supporting them over the years.
Many Mancunians will have memories of being in this vibrant late night party hideout at some point, even if they are a little sketchy through a cloudy cocktail ridden haze.
April 12th and 13th will be the bar’s official birthday weekend and they have some exciting plans for their guests.
As a special treat, Hulu is running a competition online where one lucky winner will be treated to free zombies for life.
All you have to do is visit @hulatikimcr on Instagram, like the post, follow the page and share to your stories for an extra entry.
In a post on Instagram, Hula wrote: “So… April will mark 15 years of Hula. I know crazy! Every one of us has memories of being in Hula at some point (some we’d probably like to forget)
“It may have gone through some changes throughout the years but Hula remains standing.
“April 12th & 13th will be our official birthday weekend and we have some exciting plans in place… more on that later. So as a special treat to celebrate, we thought why not give back to those who have kept us here all these years.
“We are giving one lucky winner free zombies for LIFE! Like FOREVER!”
Stay tuned for further details of Hula’s 15th birthday celebrations across April 12th and 13th. You can find Hula hidden below Quarter House and The Fitzgerald at 11 Stevenson Square in the Northern Quarter.
A Manchester eatery is daring customers to try its extremely hot curry for National Chilli Day.
This February 22nd, Zouk is creating the World’s Hottest Curry as part of the restaurant’s celebration of National Chilli Day – where courageous participants will have to eat a whole portion of it within the allocated time frame to win a prize.
The dish will feature the World’s Hottest Chilli (according to the Guinness Book of Records), the star of the show, The Carolina Reaper.
The Carolina Reaper Karahi curry – available in chicken (£15.95) and vegetable (£14.95) options – will be available Monday, February 19th to Friday 23rd as a special.
Zouk has also created the world’s hottest kebab, the Reaper Seekh Kebab (£7.95), also made with Carolina Reaper Chillies, mixed lamb and chicken keema.
The restaurant is offering prizes for those bold enough to take these fiery dishes on.
On National Chilli Day (February 22nd), Zouk is challenging the most daredevil customers to take on the Reaper Curry or Reaper Seekh Kebab, where if they manage to complete the task they can win prizes to be enjoyed at the restaurant at a later date.
As a menu special, there is also a devilishly good Chilli Margarita drink for guests to enjoy – although this is made with milder fresh chillies.
The prizes for those customers with a ‘strong stomach and mind’ are:
Finish the full Carolina Reaper Seekh Kebab in one sitting (maximum eating time is 30 minutes and no help from companions) and you will get your kebab on Zouk, plus a £10 gift card to enjoy at the restaurant to redeem against food or drinks at a later date.
Finish the full Carolina Reaper Curry (either chicken or vegetable) in one sitting (maximum eating time is 30 minutes and no help from companions) then you will not only get your Reaper Curry on Zouk, but you will also win a Brunch for two at the restaurant at a later date.
Finish both the full Carolina Reaper Seekh Kebab and the Carolina Reaper Curry in one sitting (maximum eating time is one hour and no help from companions) and you will get your kebab and curry on the restaurant, as well as winning a Zouk Sunday Roast Meal for two.
Knowing the Reaper is officially the world’s hottest chilli, it may not surprise you to learn from the chefs that even cooking this curry is a bit of a challenge.
Owner Tayub Amjad commented: “The chillies are so hot that the chefs must be careful when handling them. You can feel them on your hands and stinging your eyes. The heat really is intense.
“We’ve also made a vegetable karahi suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Last year we made a kebab but this year we’ve upped the stakes and made a seekh kebab reaper dish, we believe it is the world’s hottest kebab.
“Last year only about 15 people completed the challenge and beat the reaper so I can’t wait to see who takes on this trio of Reaper dishes in 2024.”
Anybody who finishes one of these challenges will also get a Zouk Ice Cream Sundae to help cool off those scorched taste buds!
Zouk believes this to be the World’s Hottest Curry, so if you fancy putting it and yourself to the test, make a booking now and embrace National Chilli Day’s Biggest Challenge.
To find out more about the challenge and prizes or book a place at Zouk, click HERE.
Zouk’s World’s Hottest Curry Challenge takes place at Zouk Tea Bar & Grill, The Quadrangle, Chester Street, Manchester on Thursday February 22nd.
*Diners will be required to sign a disclaimer before trying.