Kargo MKT

Salford Quays is levelling up. We’ve seen green shoots in recent years, beginning with the well-executed arts-meets-booze project, Box On The Docks. This began back in the mid-Covid era, and runs through every summer, taking advantage of this fine-looking dockside location.

Most notable of all, is Kargo MKT, which opened in late 2023. MKT? No, not a brand-new cryptocurrency from Mediacity PLC – apparently it’s what the cool kids are calling a ‘market’. And Kargo refers to Salford Quays’ past life as Manchester Docks. So, cargo. But with a K. 

Chi-chi semiotics aside, Kargo is a street food hall, much like Manchester’s biggest and best: Exhibition, Society, Mackie Mayor, Freight Island, House Of Social, and so forth. It’s part of the £3.5 million Central Bay redevelopment that turned the old Quayside MediaCity space into a waterfront hub for food and drink.

And it works. Even on a Sunday afternoon, the hall is full of creatives, young families and friends, giving it a nice communal buzz and cheerful energy. The outside space is pretty special, with a Riviera-style feel on a sunny day, which turns into a sparkling vista as night falls. Wide-open spaces and a peaceful skyline? Feels more like continental Europe than Manchester. 

Inside, twenty or so kitchens serve food from across the world. The range is vast: from Palestine to Italy, Vietnam to Mexico, whatever region you’re hankering for, you’ll probably find it here. 

Contrary to what my old school bullies might claim, I only have one belly, so a return visit is on the cards, with Bab’s Korean BBQ the current frontrunner. Until then, devour our coverage of in-house Ethiopian and Eritrean hotshots, House Of Habesha.

Salford Quays has long been the bridesmaid to Manchester’s bridezilla. It doesn’t loom large in most local lists of must-visit destinations, and has a possibly unfair reputation for catering to a population of low-impact, short-term residents and people with a prebooked slot on the 615pm train to Euston. Happily, Kargo MKT looks set to change that: it’s a reason to visit the Quays in its own right.