Mackie Mayor
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
New July 2024: TAIKO by New Wave is now open at the Mackie Mayor. Revolving around the famously numbing qualities of Szechuan chilli, the menu will feature “Kara-shibi” (a blend of red peppers and numbing chili) Szechuan style bowls where you can choose your own spice level from ‘Medium’ to the mind melting Kikanbo inspired ‘Devil Level”. Popular in Japan, this style of ‘choose your own level’ ramen dining allows guests to edit their own bowls of deep, richly umami broth to their own spice levels.
You’ll find a new noodle format: temomi style known for its bouncier, chewy texture. This level of detail is made possible by their commitment to making their own noodles, in a dedicated room at their Tib Street restaurant.
Venue profile: The Grade II listed Mackie Mayor used to be one of Manchester‘s most beautiful but neglected buildings. But a few years back this grand space reopened after a huge refurbishment and is now one of the key fixtures in the ever-growing Northern Quarter food and drink scene.
An ornate, voluminous, early-Victorian, Grade II-listed, purpose-built meat market
Previously owned by Manchester City Council, in the last few decades this ornate, voluminous, early-Victorian, Grade II-listed, purpose-built meat market (opened by Mayor Mackie in 1858 as part of Europe’s biggest fresh produce market) has variously acted as a training centre for unemployed youngsters, a shopmobility centre and even a skateboard park. At one point there were plans to turn it into a £12m archives centre, but this idea fell through, leading to it falling into disrepair, rife with pigeons and mold.
And so it lay empty for years. Vacant but never forgotten, with constant chatter about when and if it would be brought back to former glories. Thankfully, the team behind Altrincham Market swept in to deliver a total facelift, turning it into a glass-roofed marketplace, packed with the city’s finest food and drink merchants, with room enough for hundreds of diners and drinkers.
Those with half an eye on Manchester’s history will be delighted at the rebirth of this symbol of the city’s illustrious past. And for those who couldn’t care less about architecture and simply fancy a bite to eat, the range of vendors on offer will be a big enough draw to return again and again. Expect Taiwanese steamed buns from the wonderfully-named Bao House, high-end coffee from J Atkinson & Co, charcoal-cooked fish from FIN and a whole host of others.
On this showing, it’s clear that Mackie Mayor won’t be leaving again anytime soon.
