Weekender MANCHESTER
Fuel up for a festive shopping trip with city-brewed beers, veggie street food and artisan bakes
1 Stop for a slice Manchester’s trendy foodies flock to Rudy’s for pillowy pizzas topped with spicy ’nduja sausage, smoked mozzarella or wild broccoli. Order a punchy aperitivo while you wait – gin fizz spiked with bittersweet Cynar or an amaretto sour made with limoncello and fresh basil. rudyspizza.co.uk
2 Zen dining Seek out compact Umezushi behind Victoria Station for sushi and Japanese classics – neat little nigiri topped with wagyu sirloin, tightly rolled maki filled with salmon and avocado, and melting pork belly on sushi rice. umezushi.co.uk
3 Haute cuisine The luxe interiors of The French (disco ball chandeliers, mirrored panelling, sage leather banquettes) make it an ideal spot for a festive celebration. Indulge in Adam Reid’s playful modern British cooking: crispy pig’s trotter nuggets, a smartened-up corned beef hash, and shiny clementine sugar shells filled with white chocolate mousse. the-french.co.uk
4 Craft bakes Head to canalside Pollen Bakery for indulgent brownies and stay for cuddles with Maru, the resident chow chow. This sleek bakery is famous for its sourdough loaves (rye, oat porridge, five-seed sour) and Manchester tart cruffins, but don’t miss the salted caramel brownies, topped with cocoa nibs. pollenbakery.com
5 Spanish feast After Christmas shopping, sit at the counter at upmarket tapas restaurant El Gato Negro and peer into the open kitchen while you enjoy Galician octopus, heritage carrots drizzled with walnut pesto, and cheesy croquetas cooked on the Josper grill. elgatonegrotapas.com
6 Fancy a brew? Stock up on hoppy gifts for your favourite beer geek at Beermoth, a small shop on buzzy Tib Street. It’s packed with bottles, cans and kegs from the city’s best breweries (look out for Runaway, Track and Cloudwater), as well as choice picks from the rest of the UK and beyond. beermoth.co.uk 7 Street eats Wrap up warm and head to Hatch for street food from Manchester’s up-and-coming vendors. Beneath the twinkle of exposed light bulbs, order a local Cloudwater IPA (brewed under the railway arches around the corner) at bar and nanobrewery Öl, or a flat white in the shipping container above Takk coffee. hatchmcr.com
8 Boozy brunch Popular antipodean café, Federal, entices Northern Quarter locals out of bed at weekends for its epic brunches – treacly spiced banana bread, french toast laden with berry compote, and corn fritters piled with chorizo. Kick off with a signature espresso martini, made here with vanilla-infused vodka and Ozone espresso. federalcafe.co.uk
9 Veggie Indian Join one of the long tables at basement beer and Indian joint
Bundobust to eat vegetarian street food combos (paneer tikka skewers, crisp broccoli bhajis, lentil dal with bhatura flatbread) washed down with northern craft beers and house chai (add a dash of bourbon for a warming kick). bundobust.com
10 Bagel fix Pop into Eat New York’s The Bagel Shop for tempting lunches on the go. Try the tempurabattered aubergine on a warm, doughy bagel base, or classic pastrami smoked for 15 hours in the smoker, ‘Old Buddy’. eatnewyork.co.uk