Firebird Hope

Martin Kevill
Ian Jones

There’s a familiar face popping up in Manchester Arndale Market and those who have been to Hatch or YES in last year or so will recognise it. It’s Firebird Hope, a poultry pop-up offering a fresh take on the chicken burger and a few lessons on how to keep things real.

Firebird Hope’s logo is striking simplicity. This reductive, but effective ethos bleeds into the stall’s menu, which lists just three items.

My word, what a chicken burger

Firebird Hope does one thing and one thing well; a chicken burger. Well, there is a vegan option featuring a juicy, home-made seitan fillet and there are some refreshingly sharp lime and chilli salt fries to bolt onto your order, but that aside, it’s a place you visit to get a chicken burger. And my word, what a chicken burger.

Doing one thing and one thing well is a great strategy; look at Usain Bolt, Richard Hammond or Nigella. These guys have built careers around one, single thing because they’ve poured everything they have into their art and conquered their fields. It doesn’t matter whether you run really fast, make juvenile gags about cars or giggle at eclairs… if you’re good at it, people will appreciate it.

A chunky, handheld feast

The chicken burger is different to ‘other’ chicken burgers. For a start, the bun is a huge sourdough cob with a mind of its own. The chicken thigh is fried with care and the depths of the meat are hot, juicy and tender. Big too. The twist comes from the koji mayo, house slaw and the pickled cucumbers, which bring its profile closer to a sandwich than a burger, but it’s still a chunky, handheld feast. It’s a five-star burger and the vegan option isn’t far behind either.

The fries are standard, good fries really, but the lime and chilli salt is a real point of difference and the homemade mango sauce is unreal if you’ve got a sweet tooth.

Every day, the Arndale adds another food option, but who wants a smorgasbord of ‘meh’ when you can savour a single showstopper? Look further afield and there are plenty of lunchtime options around the NQ, but if you want something with a bit of substance, take a left at the stinking fish counter and grab something from FH.

Arndale Food MarketManchesterM4 3AQ View map
Visit Now

What's on near Firebird Hope

jonathan schofield giving tour
Manchester
The Kimpton Clocktower Tour

Explore the incredible history behind one of Britain’s grandest and most storied commercial buildings: Manchester’s Grade II listed Kimpton Clocktower Hotel.

from £20
Minimalist poster showing the details of Ecological Borders 2025. Free entry from 5-10pm on the 29th of April 2025 at the SEESAW space, Manchester.
ExhibitionsManchester
Ecological Borders at SEESAW

The new curatorial project ‘Ecological Borders’ ponders how the body can act as both a barrier and a point of connection with nature.

free entry
Unfolding Memory Exhibtion Poster, features a black and white image of a girl
ExhibitionsCity Centre
Unfolding Memory at PINK

An exhibition organised by an all-female team, with an emphasis on celebrating women’s perspectives through the work of four emerging artists

free entry
Commons at SODA
ExhibitionsManchester
Commons at SODA

Commons is a programme of openly accessible, interactive events led by digital artists, showcasing the nuances of our interactions with tech.

free entry
Katharine Towers
LiteratureManchester
Poets & Players at Burgess Foundation

Poets & Players is a must-go for lovers of words and music, presenting poets established and emerging, with the latest readers Katharine Towers, Sascha Akhtar and Victoria Gatehouse.

free entry

Where to go near Firebird Hope

Manchester
Restaurant
Mama Z

Top class Filipino cuisine currently based at pop-up central, Hatch.

Manchester
Restaurant
Ol Brewery Bar

A nano brewery and keg bar, Ol is a meeting of minds between Takk and Byrne The Cake brewery.

Manchester
Event venue
The Proud Place

Based in the heart of Manchester on Sidney Street, The Proud Place houses The Proud Trust and serves as a community hub for the wider LGBT+ population across Greater Manchester and beyond.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Eighth Day

Eighth Day is a co-operative shop that sells ethically-sourced food, wine and cosmetics. There’s also café that serves hearty, healthy meals in the basement.

Johnny Roadhouse store
Manchester
Shop
Johnny Roadhouse

Buffeted by fried chicken outlets, legendary musical instrument emporium Johnny Roadhouse has been serving the local music community for over 50 years.

Manchester
Catalog Bookshop

Find Peter and his Christiania cargo bike around All Saints Park, a hop, skip and a bunnyhop from Manchester Poetry Library.

Bakchich
Manchester
Restaurant
Bakchich Manchester

Bakchich does excellent, reasonably priced Lebanese food – including sharwarma, pickles, meshawi grills and baklawa – in a beautifully tiled, high-ceilinged space.

Culture Guides

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.

Sextile
Music in the North

The outsiders, the oddities and the outrageous – we’re keeping it weird with a hot new batch of underground gigs about to hit Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

A large sphere floats in a dark room with an ornate wall pattern, flanked by two arched windows and a checkered floor.
Exhibitions in the North

From precarious ceramics to photography festivals, spring is here and brings with it a breath of fresh air in visual art and exhibitions.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.