A popular city centre food hall has been voted the best in the whole of the UK, beating competition from London, Liverpool and Sheffield.
Mackie Mayor in the city centre scooped the top spot and was praised for its "exceptional" food from its many food and drink operators. While second place went to Italian-inspired concept Eataly in London, Altrincham Market House and Society food hall also scooped top 10 positions, coming in fourth and eighth respectively.
The news was announced by global travel site, Big 7 Travel, and hospitality specialists Enjoy Travel, who teamed up to find the best food halls in the UK. Venues were ranked on several factors including range of cuisines, selection of vendors, unique and special events and overall atmosphere.
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Mackie Mayor is located in an 1858 Grade II-listed market building on the edge of Manchester's Northern Quarter. Smithfield Market Hall, in which it is housed, reopened as Mackie Mayor following a huge refurbishment in 2017.
The Swan Street site was given a total facelift by the team behind Altrincham Market - led by Nick Johnson - after lying empty for years. The team behind both the city centre and Altrincham food halls also run the Picturedrome food hall in Macclesfield.
Featuring a range of food and drink operators, all under one huge glass roof, Mackie Mayor holds almost 500 people. The current line-up includes Tender Cow, Eagle Street Coffee, Honest Crust, Pico's, New Wave Ramen, Mumma's, Chilli B and BlackJack Brewtap.
Taking top position above Eataly in London and Cutlery Works in Sheffield, the description for Mackie Mayor said it was "crammed full of top-notch food and drink vendors." and one of Manchester's "most popular spots".
It added: "Honest Crust serves exceptional seasonal sourdough pizzas, FIN Fish Bar is beloved for its sustainable day-boat fish cooked whole over a chargrill and Baohouse serves up the steamiest little Taiwanese buns. At Tender Cow, punters can tuck into lesser-known cuts of beef from some of the best producers and farms in Britain. Groups of 10 or more people can book a table too."
Also making the top ten, was Society food hall, located in the long-vacated bar site next to Bridgewater Hall on Manchester's Barbirolli Square, which serves up a range of street food, craft beers and cocktails. Current traders at the food hall include Chaat Cart, Yoki Social Table and Vocation brewery.
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