Paul B.
Yelp
TL;DR - Food hall heaven!
We're big fans of food halls and whenever we go anywhere we try and track down any halls. We watched the Mackie Mayor building being redeveloped with great interest and are delighted with the way it turned out.
Long story short this is an old market hall building which had been derelict for years and has now been completely renovated. It's large and spacious inside with seating in the centre, and a mixture of food and drink outlets around the edge. There's lots to choose from - rotisserie chicken, fish and chips, fantastic steaks and cuts of meat, bao, wine and spirits, coffee and cake, pizza and more.
Seating can be in high demand though, and on a couple of times we have visited and not been able to find a seat. There's additional seating upstairs, and the hall layout isn't completely square so you may be able to find some seats if you have a wander around. There are numbers on each table to take a note of, and then when you order your food quote the number and they will bring your meal to you when it's ready (the big tables have multiple numbers so make sure to pick the one closest to your seat!).
We came here before a show at Manchester Arena and went for the fish and chips from Fin and, frankly, it was some of the finest fish and chips we've ever had. The fish was delicious, the batter was fresh and crispy. The chips were hand cut with skin on, and the mushy peas was like a gourmet version made from crushed petit pois. Delicious, and I think we spent the next day talking more about the meal than the show we'd been to see!
So we will be back here, again and again. Manchester's got a stunner here, a food hall with enough charm, character and fantastic food to rival the best in the world.