The Kitchens

When The Kitchens opened last year they were pretty revolutionary for Manchester — six street food vendors had battled it out with others and secured a bricks-​and-​mortar location to ply their trade for 12 months. The business that performed the best would be provided with a permanent spot somewhere by the landlord, we were told.
Fast forward a fair few months and quite a bit has changed — several vendors have moved on for various reasons, new ones have set up and one of the original six (Bangers & Bacon) expanded into the unit next to them, bringing us Well Hung.
Whether the businesses that had originally competed and missed out on the six spots got first refusal we don’t really know. What we do know is the original end date is fast approaching and the city is waiting to hear what will become of them. There was talk of one side becoming ANOTHER Pizza Express (the horror), but the rumour now is that deal has fallen through.
Personally, I hope that at least one side stays there permanently — the guys behind B&B /​Well Hung regularly host chefs’ tables and they’re terrific.
If I’m honest the location down the far end of Spinningfields wasn’t really the best one as it’s a ghost town most work day evenings.
Love the people, love the food, keep the concept, move The Kitchens!

I just don’t get the buzz and hype about The Kitchens, which I first visited on Saturday 27^th February 2016 when they were doing a gluten free day, without commenting and basing my review on the event too much, it was basically a mess, with even staff not turning up at one stall Bangers and Bacon, and they even lied to me saying I had to go next store to Well Hung for their gluten free menu, which already seemed rather odd and frustrating.
Back to the original review, The Kitchens is split over 2 parts and is mainly street food, inside. They is a small amount of seating inside, meaning it can often be hard to get a seat, and often move up and down because of a lack of space, making it unacceptable for wheelchairs and prams due to a lack of room, not just to go to each stall, but to get to the table too.
The places I did try for food, were just too overpriced and expensive. For example The Hip Hop Fish Shop was £7, but they was so many things wrong with my dish. The chips were just awful tasting potatoes with the skin left on, and the fish was near enough a pile of batter, and not a lot of fish, and the onion rings were just too spicy, and after eating this, I even felt ill afterwards.
They seemed to be a lack of organization and smooth running throughout The Kitchens in general, mainly with the event going and and they simply didn’t plan well enough.
I wouldn’t choose to come here again, due to poor service, ridiculous excuses, a lack of seating and the food simply being very poor where I did go, leaving me to feel ill and it being more of a chore to get in and try and have pleasant dining experiences with a wheelchair or pram, therefore I can’t warrant a reason to give them anymore than a single 1 star rating sadly, although I have touched upon Bangers and Bacon, and The Hip Hop Fish and Chip Shop in individual reviews, more detailed and based on that individual part of The Kitchens.

Unique. Tasty, reasonably priced, quick & easy! Foods I wouldn’t normally try, but got the chance to and will most definitely be back!

Despite lots of changes and a quiet Christmas, the buzz is well and truly back at The Kitchens! Farewell to Yakumama, Mumma Schnitzel and Wholesome & Raw but hello to Nasi Lemak, Well Hung and Dim Sum Su; these new faces seem to have reignited the interest around Leftbank.
I’ve revisited on a number of times recently and always encourage my colleagues to follow suit — working on Spinningfields means we’re often heading to Waitrose or Pret et al rather in a rush than taking advantage of this plethora of lovingly cooked hot food.
My recent experience at Well Hung was the epitome of why I love going down here. It was busy and a queue had formed whilst we were ordering, James busy at the grill. At this point, the lovely Holly from Hip Hip Chip Shop popped onto the WH till and helped to get the queue moving.
A collaborative effort for the same aim — excellent food and happy customers.

The home of 6 street food vendors, The Kitchens is a regular haunt of mine. The space is split into two, with the walkway from Spinningfields through Left Bank and over the river, separating the two sections. On one side you’ll find The Hip Hop Chip Shop, Bangers and Bacon and Mumma Schnitzel and you’ll find Yakumama, Chaat Cart and Wholesome and Raw on the other.
Bangers and Bacon and the Hip Hop Chip Shop are two of my favourite vendors and have been for some time! But don’t forget to try the other, some more healthier options, if you’re down there!
I think the set up is excellent, it can get busy on the lunch hour, but most of the time you’ll get something yummy in just a few minutes! :D

The Kitchens offers good choice at a reasonable (albeit not mega cheap) price, with Yakumama being particularly good with its unusual and original offerings. The beef empanadas were absolutely delicious, served with a tangy salad and dip. I also tried the Masala Dosa from Chaat. Next trip I think I’ll go for the raw pad thai from Wholesome and Raw. Their smoothies sound good too but over £4 is a little steep and also I wasn’t sure what is in them!
[UPDATE: Yakumama sadly left but replaced by Malaysian food at Nasi Lemak, Wholesome & Raw also closed and is replaced by Dim Sum Su!]
Across the way, the gourmet junk food half of the kitchens features the ever popular Mumma Schinitzel. Having just read Nicola’s review of the pulled pork next door, that is also going on my waiting list.
There’s good indoor and outdoor seating and it’s solo dining friendly, which is great in a city of office workers that doesn’t have many good options for a quick lunch during working hours that doesn’t involve eating at your desk or dealing with awkward table service.
A very good alternative to all the nearby chains (and with Scene next door, this is turning into a nice little area). Tell your friends!

We paid a visit to The Kitchens before a play at the Royal Exchange. It clearly isn’t finished yet but they obviously want to create something unique here.
6 food traders coming from the street food scene so we knew most of them. I went for Bangers and Bacon as I just love the guys and their food at the time was what I fancied but all the stuff there is attractive and it really depends on your mood. I had the Porchetta sandwich and these guys are not joking with pork. Oozing with juicy fat and flavour with an oily herb mix in the middle, super tasty and actually a bit of a change from the eternal burger.
Jo had the fish and onion rings from the Hip Hop Chip Shop and I think the batter was a bit too oily but it tasted good and the onion rings were perfect.
It’s in Spinningfield so not an area we often visit but that makes it the obvious food choice for me if I need to eat in the area.

Good place to grab a quick messy lunch if you work in spinningfields.
So for those who doesn’t know what the kitchens about, it’s like a food court with 6 mini independent stalls.
Side a)
1. Mumma Schnitzel (amazing crispy chicken burger)
2. Bangers and Bacon (name says it all)
3. Hip Hop Chip Shop (yummy chippy!)
Side b)
1. Wholesome & Raw (organically sourced food; yummy smoothies here)
2.) Yakumama (great Latin American food)
3.) Chaat Cart (delicious Indian street food)

I secretly hope that this place stays just the way it is. With 6 vendors to choose from you really are spoilt for choice here. It’s like all your favourite Manchester street food event rolled into one — but static, and always there when you need them!
I live so close to spinningfields but rarely pop over here but I’m glad I did! I had some incredible meat pastries from Yakumama and my boyfriend had the yummiest chicken sandwich.
I’m excited for them to finish the outdoor seating area so I can chill in the sand and munch to my hearts content. Also, the whole time we were there we didn’t see the Deliveroo guys stop too — clearly a very popular place!
Give me a week and I’ll have tried them all. Yum.

I was introduced to this place by Jess H on Friday evening after work. It was a lovely day and we walked down in the sun. Having never heard of this place Jess introduced me to the concept … each of the little stalls are set up on either side of the street offering different cuisines these independent places battled it out for the limited space on the canal.
We headed straight to Chaat Cart which serves indian street food and prosecco! We sat outside which was surprisingly quiet — I guess not any people have caught on to this little gem yet! We decided to stay for a couple before heading off somewhere else to get some wine however I need to come back and try the food and the rest of the pop-​up restaurants! The only reason this hasn’t reached 5* is because I need to try out the food first — I’ll be back!

This is a new concept for food…6 different traders all competing for a chance to be able to stay after 12 months (or so I’m told).
There are 6 ‘street food’ vendors here — 3 in each building. Whenever I have visited it has been very quiet which is a shame as the people there seem very enthusiastic about serving great food. This is a shame really. I’ve tried a couple of traders and my favourite is probably Chaat Cart — great home cooked indian food.
Will be going back soon to try the others out. Don’t be put off by the building works outside.

If you have not heard of The Kitchens before, its a new dining concept to provide a «bricks and mortar» space for up and coming street food businesses. 6 street food traders have battled it out over past year for their own space in Spinningfields.
The 6 street traders were hand picked from hundred of applicants. After 12 months there will be a winner and they will secure the backing and partnership of property developer Allied London.
I went today with the aim of going to Mumma Schnitzel and made sure I was early (last time I went it was really busy and a 30 min wait)!! Only had to wait a short while to take my order but then had a 15 minute wait — but it was worth the wait!
While I was waiting, the queue got bigger and bigger and went out the door. It was actually blocking one of the doors. Since its still pretty new, people may not realise there are 3 traders in each building — The Kitchen is split into 2 with a garden area in-​between. There is another door which could be used if they wanted either Hip Hop Chip shop or Bangers and Bacon. Or maybe everyone did want Mumma Schnitzel.
It was actually 50% off food this week (up to 19^th I think) so I took the opportunity and went for the most expensive one. I went for Chicken, trealy farm chorizo, padron peppers, manchego cheese, aiolo rocket. Would have normally cost £7 but was just £3.50!
I have had Mumma Schnitzel a couple times before when they have been at various street food places and its always good. I do like a chicken burger! I have also tried Hip Hop Chip shop before and it was good. Only this weekend during Manchester Day did I get to try Bangers and Bacon and had a cheese burger with bacon which was delicious. So I am sure I will be trying them some time in the future.
In the other The Kitchen in the opposite building, there is Yakumama, Chaat Cart and Wholesome & Raw. I have not tried any of them but will soon I think — although is Wholesome & Raw «too healthy» for me? :)

This is my review of Chaat Cart. A group of us were at the Manchester Parade and someone wanted to show a visitor Spinningfields, although I really wanted proper street food that was available throughout the City Centre.
As we ventured towards the Kitchens, the sounds from Great Northern and Albert Square faded and there was a few people milling around, it went dark and I could imagine tumbleweed going across RBS. We didn’t expect to see two venues (no one’s read the reviews) and we went into each to check out the menus, we um’ed and ah’ed as to whether to stay (I was still hoping that we’d move onto livelier places). No one was wowed by what was on offer or what they ate but they have big benches to fit the 8 of us (although a bit wobbly).
I decided on Chaat Cart as I took my time to crane my neck upwards to look at the menu only to be told that there are only three lunchtime choices to choose from. A further two people did the same. I also had an extensive chat with the lady about how ‘hot’ the chilli sauce is. She had the same conversation with the previous person which I did not hear and it would have been easier for her to let me try some (she held a spoon in her hand to get some) but carried on talking to me as if I was an expert in Indian food comparing how spicy the sauce is to various other Indian dishes. In the end I asked for the sauce and waited for my food and watched other people reading the menu only to be shown the small blackboard by the till with the three choices.
I had the chicken wrap, the food looked great, but it didn’t wow me. I managed to escape my friends and have a wander around town and saw Chaat Cart’s food stall on Cathedral Street.