Bundobust Brewery
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
Few restaurants are adored as much as Bundobust. You’ll find locations across the UK, including two in Manchester – one just off Piccadilly, and this flagship restaurant-slash-brewery on Oxford Road, a short walk from St Peter’s Square.
It’s an enormous space that somehow feels homely and welcoming – all neat benches and huge metal brewing tanks that pump out many thousands of pints of high-quality beer each and every week. Here you’ll find an endless list of ales and lagers, alongside the best modern beer from domestic and international breweries.
Then there’s the food. It’s mostly vegan Indian street food, that pairs marvellously with a cold, sharp pint, and if you haven’t tried it yet, why on earth not?
The word ‘iconic’ is done to death, but let’s face facts – the vada pav really is “the iconic Indian veggie burger”. It’s nothing fancy – a deep-fried mashed potato ball, slapped onto a bun with some red and green chutneys – but my word it’s delicious. Each bite is a crunch-then-soft tangy delight, plus it’s arguably the finest way to line your stomach before a night on the sauce.
The okra fries come fried in chickpea batter, then dusted with some sort of magical seasoning (actually black salt and mango powder). Everyone loves them, simple as that.
The chole saag is the most wholesome and hearty of the three dishes I sampled on this visit: chickpeas and spinach, cooked with onion, ginger and Bundobust’s own garam massala mix, layered onto a bed of perfectly cooked, perfectly white basmati rice. It’s guilt-free and supremely satisfying.
Bundobust do two things very well: Indian street food and craft beer. But more than that, this venue and its siblings across the UK, are relaxed, friendly spaces where everyone – yes, even your most dyed-in-the-wool carnivore chums – can be guaranteed a good time.
