Manchester's post-2015 smashburger and Korean-style fried chicken scene grew from Northern Quarter pop-ups into permanent rooms. Tender Cow, Common and Pen and Pencil lead.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Manchester's smashburger and fried-chicken movement followed the wider UK trend from around 2015. Tender Cow installed itself at Mackie Mayor with native-breed beef shoulder-and-chuck smashburgers; Pen and Pencil added Buttermilk-fried sandwiches on a brioche bun. Common at Edge Street ran the reuben and grilled-cheese variants. Manchester now produces several of the country's standout permanent burger counters outside London.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Native-breed beef counter inside Mackie Mayor. Dry-aged rump and a smashburger built around the same beef; the burger queue is the long one.
Signature: Rump steak, Smashburger
Order: The smashburger double; rump and chips if you want a fork plate.
Tip: Sit at the long table by the kitchen; the burger is faster from the bar.
Manchester's Edge Street Northern Quarter pub serves food until 02:00 every night. Reuben on rye, hot toasties, sourdough grilled cheese, craft beer flight.
Try: Reuben sandwich
Manchester's eighty-cover American brunch room on the corner of Hilton and Tariff. Brunch crowd from 10:00; cocktail bar in the same room runs late nights.
Order: Buttermilk-fried chicken sandwich with a Bloody Mary on the side
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