We’ve just been allowed back in restaurants but sometimes you just can’t beat a takeaway. Here are the 10 best takeaways in Manchester
You know us here at JOE, we love our food. Whether it’s the lofty heights of fine dining or a greasy takeaway, we love it all. I mean, we did do our best to try and put a ‘Wigan kebab‘ on the map, so, let’s just say we’re cultured.
However, this last year and a bit has been challenging and finding ways to tease your culinary appetite whilst at home has been difficult. It gets boring having the same three locals delivered every month, so, with that in mind, we thought we’d do you a solid.
Takeaways have been the lifeblood of the hospitality and catering sector for more than 12 months and we owe to them to big up the places in Manny that have kept our spirits up and our bellies full. Without further ado, in no particular order (you can’t force us) here is our list of the 10 best takeaways in Manchester:
Peck & Yard
Self-described as a ‘Pan-Asian Chicken Shack’, Peck & Yard is one of the best places to go for that slightly up-market yet still spiritually fast-food type takeaway.
They offer everything from various spicey chicken and chips dishes, to burgers, baos and more. With two sites in Ancoats and Chorlton, this is some of the best food at the best value for money you’ll find anywhere in Manchester.
South Manny Flavaz
From the humble beginnings of garden cook-offs back in 2017, to becoming one of the most popular vendors in the Arndale Market and now their very first site in Deansgate, it’s been a meteoric rise for South Manny Flavaz.
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Earning its stripes as a local joint in Longsight and gaining a reputation through Snapchat, it now has queues out the door from open till close – no exaggeration. Big, hefty chicken burgers, Philly cheesesteaks, shakes, waffles, wings, mac ‘n’ cheese and more. You couldn’t ask for more if you tried.
Rosa’s Thai Cafe
You’ve gotta love a bit of Thai, haven’t you? Well, we’re telling you – you do and this one in particular. Located just on the corner of Spinningfields next to the old Hawksmoor site (that’s a whole other meaty discussion to be had), Rosa’s Thai Cafe is the place to go for modern Thai food.
With an all-day menu that is just as viable as a quick bite for dinner as it is for a posh tea, the selection of curries, noodles and starters are perfect for ordering to your gaff and sharing with your mates – because we can do that now! The tom yum is an absolute classic, as is the panang but Rosa’s own green curry is the best seller and rightly so.
Zouk Tea Bar & Grill
If you live in Manchester and ever went for a cheap and messy night at Courtyard as a student, you’ve walked past this place and see the perpetual queue. Luckily, you don’t have to wait in it to eat at Zouk Tea Bar & Grill, because they do deliver too!
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The place catches your eye as soon as you walk past its floral facade but the real talking point is the food. Not only do they obviously do a raft of incredible Indian food (the lamb nihari is their signature) but they even do their own spin on Sunday roasts, with a spicy gravy – you can even buy them in platters. No one can see you’re eating a meal for four if you’re at home…
Pho Cue
Buried in the heart of Chinatown, Pho Cue might be the most unassuming yet utterly consuming takeaway you’ll find on this list – and yes, the pun is intentional. Specialising in Vietnamese delights, we’ve never had a meal from here that hasn’t ended in loosening our belts and unbuttoning our pants. Simply mint.
As well as starters and ‘small bites’ like summer rolls and tacos, it’s all about the big stuff: pho, Bánh mì’s and virtually everything to be honest – there aren’t many real small portions on show. They even do things the old-fashioned way: you either go on your ring them directly – no Deliveroo, Uber Eats or nothing – and we kinda like it that way.
Mughli Charcoal Pit
What used to be a best-kept secrets on the Curry Mile is now just too legendary for it to be news for anyone – it has even featured on the Telegraph and BBC’s Good Food Guide’s. The stretch along Rusholme and Fallowfield is famous for flavour and umpteenth late-night stops catering to drunken Mancs stumbling home for decades, however, you don’t need to go on a jaunt for Mughli.
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They encourage sharing and aside from nearly every curry you can think of, as you can guess form the name, they do charcoal-fired kebabs. Oof. They don’t stop serving until midnight most days (even till 10:30 on Sundays), students and NHS workers get 10% discount and you can even bring your own booze if you want to keep the costs down. Magical stuff from Mughli, truly is.
Rudy’s
You must have been living under a rock if you haven’t heard of Rudy’s. The Neapolitan pizza masters only recently started doing takeaway (only collection at first) around lockdown, but we’re so happy they’re keeping it up – those queues and bookings out the wazoo at their Peter Street and Ancoats locations are impossible at times.
They even started selling ‘Bake at Home’ kits, though you really need a proper oven to make it the way they do. In case you don’t understand what all the fuss is about, it was literally voted the 10th best pizza in the world in 2019. The world. They even use Grandad’s Sausages! No matter where it sits on the slice standings at the moment, it’s certainly the best pizza in Manchester.
Sugo Pasta Kitchen
It’s pretty hard to find standout Italians at times: there’s so many of them and that kind of food is just so ingrained in everyday food culture we just simply love pasta and pizza etc. However, Sugo Pasta Kitchen does it proper and you can tell the difference between the good stuff and just run of the mill after you’ve had it.
Our ‘Cannolo Siciliano’ is bonkers even on @Deliveroo 🤌👑 pic.twitter.com/PlBwa5Xv1C
— RIGATONI’S (@letsrigatoni) May 13, 2021
Better still, the menu isn’t packed with loads of dishes, just a few absolute belters that they have finessed to perfection and the arancini. Mio Dio! There’s one in Ancoats and one in Altrincham, for those further yonder. Either way, trust us, it’s worth the trip let alone having it delivered.
Bundobust
One for the vegans here, Bundobust is the perfect example of proving that you don’t need meat to pack a punch. With a proper fast-food feel, despite being able to eat in at their Piccadilly location, each time those lovely little pots are plonked in front of you is just as exciting at the last.
The tarka dhal is to die for, their food has a real grab-and-go feel to it and it’s very reasonably priced considering the amount of flavour you get out of each dish. They also have a venue opening on Portland Street soon, so keep your eyes peeled. Try it now and thank us later.
Ezra & Gil
Ezra & Gil may have made a name doing breakfast, brunch and coffee, but since it decided to turn its hand to refreshing poke bowls as well as seasonal salads and pasta, it has truly levelled up. Stylised as ‘Ezra by night’, head chef, Dan, wanted to add more to evening offerings and, boy, did he.
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People have been queuing up at this Northern Quarter spot for some time now – even just to buy their merch and ‘provisions’ – with these latest editions have only increased that fervour. Eat-in or al fresco if you can but, my word, are you in for a treat if this something this classy gets dropped at your door.
Honourable mentions
There are literally SO many joints we could have included on this list but we’d tried to give you as much variety and wide-ranging selections as we could. 0161 is a big place: we didn’t even touch Oldham, Bolton, Urmston, Stockport,—right, honestly, we could go on forever.
That being said, we chucked in three honourable mentions that we believe didn’t quite fit the category or fell short for some arbitrary reason that we’ve tried to justify in our heads – we’re sorry, we love you all so much and we’d make this list thirty times as long if we could.
Dishoom
Quite arguably the best Indian in Manchester, however, we implore you to have the proper experience and book a table. Dishoom has sites in Covent Garden and King’s Cross down in the capital, but this one can be found just on the edge of Spinningfields.
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Though we had no bad experiences of ordering when they started limited delivery during lockdown, food is always going to drop by at least one or two per cent on the drive over to your door. This is simply not an option for food of this greatness.
Triple B
While its bagel-bound forebearer and Northern Quarter site may no longer be around, the blokes behind Eat New York have resurrected the format and brought their wonderful selection of burgers, bagels, fries, sides and sweet treats to Prestwich. Still, if you’re in the radius, it’s worth ordering Triple B.
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I first tried its former iteration at an event in Leeds where Eat New York had turned up as vendors – turns out they’re pretty well sought after by a load of places, popping up at O’Sheas new beer garden in Mayfield and all manner of other spots. Start with the simple salt beef bagel and work your way up, trust us.
Proove
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Lastly, if you’re round Didsbury way and looking for a slice of ‘za that’s competing on a level with Rudy’s or Nell’s (oh god, we didn’t even mention Nell’s!), you won’t go far wrong with Proove. It’s a proper wood-fired affair and those blistery, leopardy crusts are always going to tickle part of our brain. Tastes good too, real good.
Please don’t be mad, Mancs
Once again, we could have included so many places on the list but these are the ones that sprang to mind, so don’t be offended if you’re favourite local or hidden gem hasn’t been included in our 10 best takeaways in Manchester—in fact, tell us: we wanna go!
Manchester is known as being home to football, music, industry and Corrie, but we also have some of the best food going and, quite frankly, we don’t get anywhere near enough credit. So, if you’re staying out of the pub this weekend but still fancy a treat, you know where to look.
We’re trying to do more foodie stuff lately (any excuse to eat), for instance, did you see our very own Oli Dugmore eating a deep-fried chip butty in Hartlepool? Well, you did now:
"This takes chip sandwiches to a whole other level."
Chip butty with splash? Spam fritter? We sent a Londoner to Hartlepool to sample a proper chippy tea – thousands of calories of pure Northern delight. 🥪 pic.twitter.com/xZ9CcezytY
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) May 1, 2021
