Kicking Off Girls Night at Mackie Mayor, Northern Quarter, Manchester

We ended up at Mackie Mayor on Saturday night before heading to a comedy event nearby, and honestly, it was the perfect start to the evening.

If you’ve never been, Mackie Mayor is basically the ideal place for group plans because nobody has to agree on one thing. Everyone can wander off, order whatever they fancy and regroup at the table pretending they definitely made the best choice. It’s inside this huge old market building in the Northern Quarter, with long communal tables, loads of different food vendors and a really lively atmosphere.

It was absolutely packed when we visited, but in a good way. The whole place had that proper Saturday night buzz, people catching up over drinks, groups sharing food, music in the background, cocktails flying out at the bar. Busy, but fun busy.

Food-wise, the standout for us was definitely the Portobello mushroom pizza from Honest Crust. Genuinely so good. The crust had that perfect wood-fired texture, and the mushroom topping was rich, savoury and ridiculously moreish. One of those pizzas where you say “I’ll just have a slice” and suddenly half of it has disappeared.

We also found ourselves very happy with the 2 for £17 passion fruit martinis from Stray, which felt like exactly the right kind of decision for a Saturday girls’ night. Cold, sweet, refreshing and dangerously easy to drink before a comedy show.

One thing I will say is that Mackie Mayor definitely isn’t the cheapest food hall around anymore. Prices are probably a little higher than you’d expect for casual dining. But honestly, the quality of the food and the amount of choice do make up for it. Everything feels properly made rather than rushed-out food hall food, and the atmosphere alone makes it feel worth it for a weekend plan.

Overall, it’s one of those places that just works really well for nights out. Quick enough that you can eat before an event, but still somewhere you actually want to spend time. Good food, good drinks and the kind of atmosphere that gets the evening started properly.