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We’re not talking supermarkets or department store food halls here: these are Manchester’s truly independent food emporiums, where the cake is beautifully crafted, the wines are from all over the world and the chocolate is the finest artisan you can find. Tuck in!
Here are our picks
Hanging Ditch Wine Merchants, 42 Victoria Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M3 1ST - Visit now
Almost right next door to Manchester Cathedral, in one of the most pleasant parts of town, Hanging Ditch Wine Merchants have bottles covering the entire back wall, floor to ceiling. Their selection is largely high end, and includes some very fine wines indeed, as well as some more esoteric options, such as Portuguese Orange Wine (a white that’s made, unusually, with the inclusion of the grape skins). If you’re after beer instead, head for the specialist Beermoth shop on Tib Street.
Lunya Manchester, Barton Arcade, Deansgate, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M3 2BB - Visit now
Bringing the taste of Catalonia to Manchester’s Barton Arcade, Lunya’s latest delicatessen and restaurant is all set to replicate the massive success that it’s been enjoying in Liverpool. The Manchester deli is an authentically decorated larder of treats both sweet and savoury, stacked to the rafters with more than 1,000 Spanish and Catalan specialties, including hams carved from the bone, and jars and jars of olives. Other delis we can recommend include Salvi’s Mozzarella Bar (Italy’s finest), Thyme Out Delicatessan in Didsbury and continental bakery Barbakan Delicatessen in Chorlton.
Butcher’s Quarter, 66 Tib Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 1LG - Visit now
For a hunk of meat that’s a cut above the rest you could do a lot worse than The Butcher’s Quarter, the artisan butchers located on Tib Street in the belly of the Northern Quarter, that specialises in locally sourced cuts of meat. Their attention to detail is second to none.
Unicorn Grocery, 89 Albany Rd, Manchester, M21 0BN - Visit now
An absolute haven for vegetarians, vegans or anyone who cares deeply about where their food comes from. A cooperative that traces its origins back to the Rochdale Pioneers, The Unicorn has been around for over twenty years and is more popular than ever.