Salt & Pepper

Salt & Pepper has been on a wild ride. This Chinese fast food restaurant began life in 2019 as a modest market stall that soon attracted queues that snaked round the Arndale Market. 

It’s now a full Northern Quarter restaurant, opening in 2022 after a short stint at Black Dog Ballroom. It’s a smart little place and business is brisk. Constantly. 

But Manchester’s fast food scene is full of trashy places built on payola and unearned hype. What makes Salt & Pepper any different? Ans: It’s the gastronomy, stupid. 

True, we’re not dealing with haute cuisine here, but the quality and efficiency could put many a high-end kitchen to shame. For example, the summer special, the Crying Tiger Salad Bowl, wouldn’t look out of place on a menu at thrice the price. 

It’s a pleasing amount of fresh crunchy summer vegetables, tossed in a spicy soy and herb dressing, topped with thick, tender slices of grilled beef. Or chicken if you so prefer. 

Big bold text tells us it comes in at 30g protein, which is… nice to know? However, this does imply that Salt & Pepper is a fave spot for the wannabe hench – and that’s fine. Gym bunnies deserve good food too. 

The signature Mixed Box is the headline act. Here’s the titular salt and pepper chicken, mixed with sticky beef and a reasonable amount of white rice (no bulking out with carbs). It’s just over a tenner for a grand old meal in Manchester city centre – no wonder the following borders on cultlike. 

This is fast food that you can choose to be light on oil and fat – classic street food, served up in vibe-appropriate foldable boxes. And don’t stop there. Salt & Pepper’s menu has some of the best dine-and-dash dishes in Manchester. Try one, try them all.