Mowgli Street food Manchester

The first Mowgli opened in Liverpool a decade ago, with this Manchester branch following a year later in 2015. It soon became regarded as one of the Corn Exchange’s standout restaurants – and for good reason. It’s a vibrant, bustling place, staffed by go-getting, cheerful staff, and even on a busy night, everything runs like clockwork. 

It’s a bright, modern venue, with large seating areas upstairs and down, plus more intimate cubby holes for dining duos. Best of all, this winter the Mowgli team has launched a Christmas menu for a mere £35 per person. That’d be cheap even ten years ago. And it’s no half-hearted effort either – for starters, it opens with a beer or glass of prosecco. 

The first course is the Mowgli street chat classic, yoghurt chat bombs. Eat carefully, these delicate bread puffs contain a whole lot of spiced yoghurt, tamarind and coriander. One false move and that’s going all down your mirth-tastic Christmas jumper. 

Then you can choose between a bunch of street chat and street meats. If you’re of the carnivorous persuasion, don’t pass on the gunpowder chicken; they’re hot from Mowgli’s in-house special spice mix and crisp and crunchy from the excellent golden chickpea batter. 

The Himalayan cheese toast is a solid contender, though: it kinda looks like your basic British cheese on toast, but darker, thicker and more potent, thanks to the aged sharp cheddar, cleverly combined with coriander powder, cumin and other bits (the recipe recently featured on ITV’s This Morning, impressively). 

Then the tiffin boxes, which change according to the day’s cooking. There’s a great range of flavours and types, from hot and thick, to light and creamy, every one a winner. Standout options include the beautifully creamy coconut chicken, and the all-vegan keema chickpea. The latter uses soy and pulses to create flavours so rich and hearty, you won’t believe it’s not beef. 

However, it is Christmas, so let’s push the boat out even further. The Mowgli House Lamb from the main menu is an eye-catching item, promising anise, plums and chickpeas, first concocted by Mowgli founder Nisha Katona’s dear old dad. It’s a remarkable curry and well suited for the season – impossibly dark and full of fascinating Indian-meets-mulled flavours. 

If you’re popping in for a quick lunchtime curry, we wholeheartedly recommend this. And if you’re diving into the Christmas menu, stick it alongside too. You only live once. 

Mowgli’s Christmas menu could be the season’s best bargain. Don’t wait for Santa to bring you a gift card (also available on the website); this is a meal best enjoyed in the run-up to Christmas as a well-earned reward for dealing with Manchester in the winter. Outside: bad weather and a pent-up public, inside: evocative flavours and wall-to-wall good vibes.