Piccadilly East neighbourhood guide

Upon its pandemic-era opening, Freight Island was tipped to be the Mancunian equivalent of New York’s Coney Island. And while there may be no beach, pier, rollercoasters or Wonder Wheels at Freight, there are, much like the Brooklyn enclave it once purported to be paying homage to, a plethora of places to eat, drink, dance and be merry. Built on the wasteland of the old Mayfield train depot, Freight is a sprawling metropolis of a venue. Not even a venue. An arena. An industrial disco Goliath that is part European biergarten, part English country greenhouse, part euphoric dance hall and part street food safari. You can visit Greece, Mexico, Venezuela, India, NYC, China, South Korea and Japan within a few minutes of a cocktail fuelled stroll around Freight, loading your table with gyros, tacos, arepas, butter chicken, baos, gyoza and fried chicken in the process. Then you can dance it all off in the midst of one of their countless all-dayers that regularly bring in some of the most eclectic and exciting DJs in the country. Use the greenhouse for a much needed stare into space and a gentle talk to the plants with a brew afterwards.

Adjacent to Freight is the quite wonderful Mayfield Park, which offers a much needed slice of tranquility and green space to Manchester’s city centre. Featuring an abundance flowers and greenery to luxuriate within, Mayfield is an oasis of calm within a city that is growing ever more hectic by the day. At 6.5 acres, the space is fully accessible and also includes beautifully landscaped river walkways as well as an absolute banger of a playground for the kids (phenomenal slide game. Swings on point) that is regularly serviced by a reliably excellent ice cream van. Bring a book and a picnic down here at any point over the summer, let the afternoon drift towards evening and you can’t go far wrong.

One of 2023’s most eagerly anticipated openings, Diecast, while still only in its ‘Leno Ex-Machina’ first phase, has been the most emphatic recent addition to Manchester outside of Erling Haaland’s finishing. Meandering across a behemoth 250,000 square feet, this corrugated steel and concrete monster may seem overwhelming upon your maiden entry, but then you realise there are SIXTY FOUR different daquiri combinations to choose from and you can relax knowing the team here are going to put you at ease very quickly, with a cold, fluorescent beverage in one hand and one of their knockout pizzas in the other. And yeah, we should absolutely discuss those pizzas further. A Mancunian hybrid of New York and Naples from the team behind Detroit pie powerhouses Ramona. They immediately entered the conversation for best in the city in the summer of 2023. But not content with slinging sublime slices, Diecast’s food offerings also span sumptuous dry-aged short rib patty burgers, chargrilled hangar steaks, smoked Polish sausage hotdogs and sensational shawarma. Bottomless Brunch here is a 90-minute mash-up of RuPaul’s Drag Race and Britain’s Got Talent set to expertly mixed cocktails and freshly baked pizza. Frothy pints and live bands lead to big vibes in Diecast’s Brooklyn Beer Hall on the factory floor, so make a beeline for it every Friday and Saturday.

The word ‘institution’ is thrown around a bit too readily these days, but no word could be more apt when describing the Star and Garter. A Manchester icon who, if you’ve not yet been fortunate enough to step inside, you may well have seen on anything from Brassic to It’s A Sin to (for the older generations among you reading this) Cracker, Band of Gold or There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble. Billing itself as ‘the last truly independent music venue you will ever know’, this Fairfield Street bolthole has housed one of the city’s longest running club nights in The Morrissey Smith’s Disco for over 20 years. The grade II listed building in which the Star and Garter sits is the ideal contrast for the various and diverse subcultures that have shown their patronage to this wondrous place over the past few decades. Part of a dying breed that is almost extinct, the Star never fails to make you smile upon every visit.

If someone were to tell you that one of the best beers you will ever have was in an abandoned trading estate behind the old railway station, you would (rightfully) treat this person with extreme apprehension. But when you make the short walk from Piccadilly Station to Piccadilly Trading Estate, your anxieties will be put to one side as you enter Track Brewing’s outstanding taproom. Park up among the almost ominously sized beer tanks and work your way through Track’s carefully curated craft selection. There’s really not a wrong turn you can take, no matter which way your tastes lean (I mean, unless you despise beer, I guess). All the heavy hitters are on tap, whether it’s west coast, sour, dark beer, straight up lager or stout. Founder Sam’s 25 country, 35,000 mile odyssey in 2008, which eventually took him from coast-to-coast in the US, proved to be a mission of seminal importance, as he brought back with him the sense of community that is so vital in opening a microbrewery. Now, 16 years later, Track is a meeting place and melting pot for like minded people and, what’s more, everyone can bond over the miraculously good pizza being served up by Slice Culture. Be sure to get down early though, as those pies vanish almost as quickly as they can be made.

Directly opposite Track is Cloudwater, also pulling and pouring some of the most endlessly drinkable pints in the city. Or the country for that matter. Or the world! The Cloudwater ethos of constantly evolving and embracing both classical and imaginative inspirations is clear to see in every single one of their beers, which they have been brewing since 2015. Every trial of fermentation and experimentation is never wasted as this indie brewery consistently delivers pints that are as welcoming as the vibes in their Piccadilly taproom. Easy, bright and hazy describe both the brewery’s core range and the atmosphere in their immaculate trading estate space.

It is always important, in any line of work, to sometimes just be completely bats**t insane. And Sureshot brewery have done that and then some with their weird and wonderful range of lagers and pale ales. Their cans look like something you might design after licking the back of a toad while stranded in the Sonoran Desert and, quite frankly, that’s why we love Sureshot and why you will too. They take their beer seriously, but not themselves. They want beer to be enjoyable, free from the pretentious shackles that can often make the craft ale scene intimidating and, well, boring as sh**e.  Their taproom on Sheffield Street, lodged in an arch under Piccadilly Station maintains this mentality and also throws in draught cocktails, spirits and wine as well as the ability to order a Nell’s Pizza from next door to devour alongside a couple of bevs. A dozen options are available on the taps, named along the lines of Small Man’s Wetsuit and A Door Marked Pirate (sensational Always Sunny reference, btw). Also, any brewery that shares a name with one of the Beastie Boys’ greatest tunes is always going to be well worth your time, isn’t it? So ch-check it out (see what I did there!? The Beastie Boys refe….oh my talents are wasted here).

The Sheffield Street railway arches are nestling some absolute magic underneath them. And Balance Brewery and Blending have a team of magicians conjuring up some utterly wild potions. Since 2021, founders Will Harris and James Horrocks have dedicated their lives to producing mixed culture, barrel fermented beers, which are aged in wine barrels. Each one spending at least six months fermenting before being blended with hops, fruit and various foraged ingredients. Four draught lines rotate through Balance’s evolving releases and spontaneous mixes (alright, steady on, it’s a brewery not an up-and-coming DJ) while their fridge is loaded with bottles which can be drunk in the tap room or taken away. Being child and dog friendly Balance’s taproom is also a wholesome environment for the whole family to enjoy. Just keep the kids off the lagers if you do bring them in, though.

What more is there to say about the club that has dominated Manchester’s rave scene for the best part of the last 20 years? A stone’s throw from the Piccadilly station taxi rank, WHP is still going strong, bringing the biggest DJs in the world down to Piccadilly East on a regular basis, for a succession of all nighters that continue to live long in the memory. Well, whatever memory anyone has of them after leaving as the sun’s about to rise. Running from September through to New Year’s Day every year (with a few bank holiday weekend specials thrown in for good measure), WHP has become a cult icon among Mancunians and ravers from further afield, who flock from across the UK to lose their minds in the Autumn/Winter months. Now in its fifth year at Mayfield Depot, WHP is still stockpiling awards, plaudits, some of the biggest club nights in the country and some quite frankly monumental hangovers. Give yourselves a solid week to recover from a visit, probably.

A Cavernous co-working space. A coffee and a catch up place. A small plates and a bottle of wine or two situation. A ‘one cheeky cocktail on the patio turns into a table full of empty glasses by sunset’ scenario. Ducie Street Warehouse has really turned Piccadilly East on its head in the last few years, proving to be a driving force behind the area’s revival. It’s an unmissable, almighty old building, all red brick and local history soaked within its walls. You can eat, dance and sleep here, with 162 apartments sitting overhead. So when you’ve polished off a succession of small plates or a bottomless brunch or Sunday roast, you can retire upstairs for a glorious afternoon nap. As long as you’re booked in, like. Otherwise you’re going to be in some bother.

As you make your way into Ducie Street Warehouse, you will be unable to miss or ignore the Gooey kiosk. It’s slap bang in the middle of the entrance way, for one, but also, it’s always absolutely chocker with some of the finest baked goods in Greater Manchester. You’ve more than likely seen their signature cookies and special edition donuts being torn apart on Instagram and yes, they’re even more satisfying and involuntary noise-inducing in real life. Don’t worry about which bake to choose, there is not a wrong choice to make here. We would always urge patience with the cookies though. Take those suckers home to warm briefly in the oven first. Be warned though, those decadent sods are beautiful but also hit like a tractor wheel has just descended into your stomach once you complete one. In a good way, obviously. These are baked goods to be truly savoured.

It feels as though you could throw a stone in Manchester and hit a co-working space these days, but Colony have done some sterling work in standing out from the pack in a massively crowded market place. Being right on the doorstep of Piccadilly station is a winning perk for the commuter crowd, while the social bar inside allows for making connections over complimentary tea and coffee (there’s also usually a decent biscuit selection on the go. Pocket a good few while nobody’s looking. Far more important than making professional connections imho). Aesthetically, Colony have opted for the inviting, design led professional vibe rather than going hell for leather with neon signs and ping-pong tables like so many other co-working spaces lean towards. It’s a relaxing environment, here which still allows for plenty of productivity and potential for so much more.

BLOK is the ultra cool workout studio housed inside Ducie Street Warehouse. Starting life in some of the trendiest neighbourhoods in London, this is their first location outside of London. People don’t so much go to BLOK as become obsessed with their creative workouts, high-end facilities and Instagrammable decor. Of course there’s HITT, yoga and boxing, but there’s also more niche activities like breathwork and ballet-inspired barre classes. With the introduction of a new pilates studio filled with iconic Reformer machines, you can now build strength and flexibility in one of the most in-demand workouts around.

The  Dakota is all about champagne rooms, cigar gardens and scintillating suites, dripping in glamour thanks to acclaimed interior designer Amanda Rosa. The attention to detail in the Dakota, from the classic movie posters to the striking photography adorning the walls, is all designed to generate a cosy vibe while also maintaining a strong sense of luxury and style. The Dakota Grill is a slick brasserie that evokes memories of somewhere Don Draper and his Madison Avenue men might stop by for a hunk of red meat and some strong brown alcohol after a hard day’s drinking at the office. The low level lighting and dark wood interiors make for charming bedfellows, luring you into that second cocktail before you slink upstairs to collapse into an almost ungodly level of comfort on your king size bed. While you’re up there, ordering a Caesar salad or a sirloin steak ciabatta with fries is never going to be a mistake, either. Just saying.

The 162 apartments that sit atop Ducie Street Warehouse are a suitably luxurious top hat for one of the grandest buildings in town. Grade II listed living with all the DSW goodies downstairs ready and waiting for you to make the most of. There’s more than one reason why Native won The Sunday Times Best Hotel for the North of England in 2019 and you’ll be able to experience every one of those reasons for yourself should you book yourselves in here. And while it would be easy to wax lyrival about the convenience of the rooms in terms of their location and amenities, it’s probably easier to point out that nipping downstairs to the Gooey kiosk and returning to bed with your sugar riddled haul is by far the greatest use of your time here.

First of all, yes that name deserves a little clap. If you start up a dog related business and don’t give it a canine related pun name, quite frankly you deserve to fail. Fortunately the Barkside owners have played a blinder with their name and have also done so with their day care, grooming and dog shop services. Priding themselves on being a one-stop destination for all your furry friend’s needs, The Barkside is located in the heart of Piccadilly, in Richmond House on Travis Street. Since 2011 they have been redefining dog care standards and give every set of paws and wagging tails the TLC they deserve. Also, the Hawaiian dog shirts for sale are absolute fire so leg it down immediately to cop a whole wardrobe full of them for your good boy or girl.

Planning an Italian feast back at your gaff but a bit stuck for sourcing all the finest ingredients? The thought of a million Nonnas gesticulating angrily at you in unison for using mediocre salsiccia or an inferior tin of tomatoes too much to bear? Yeah, we get you. Which is why you need to make the journey to Amato, not far behind Piccadilly station on an almost forgotten trading estate in St.Andrew’s Square. This place is like an Aladdin’s Cave of unbelievable gear, from box fulls of cannolis, outrageous cheeses, copious amounts of mouth watering cured meats and tin upon tin of tomatoes that will make your pasta sauces and pizza bases sing. If you need any further proof of the quality we’re dealing with here, Ramona, The Firehouse, El Gato Negro and Canto all source from Amato. So elevating your home cooking has never been more accessible. Need a whole squid, grab one while you’re picking up some coffee beans and olive oil. Throw in some guanciale for that carbonara you’ve been dreaming about while you’re at it. And maybe take a look at the pizza ovens. Be rude not to, wouldn’t it? One trip to Amato and your kitchen will never be the same again.