The best food and drink hatches in Manchester

These guys describe their offering as ‘next-level Italian sandwiches’, and we can’t help but think that’s justified. With a location in Media City and one up in Ancoats, this is the place to visit when your lunchtime hunger won’t be satisfied by a meal deal. You can order online, from tried-and-tested combinations like the Regina (with mortadella, burrata, pesto, pistachio and rocket) and the beef-brisket loaded Americana. Or build your own from an extensive list of quality deli ingredients. Then simply saunter right up to their handy collection window to secure the goods – be prepared to make your colleagues jealous.

Burgerism have not only set the bar for takeaway burgers in the city, but they were one of the first in Manchester to pioneer the ‘no physical shop premises’ method, also known as a dark kitchen. Operating from a warehouse on a Salford industrial estate – with their only customer-facing element being that enticing collection window – the Burgerism team have more time and space to focus on perfecting their secret smash burger recipe and feeding 5,000 people every single week, snaring themselves a slew of accolades along the way. They owe their success down to scientifically perfecting the optimal amount of smash being applied to each patty, resulting in what they consider a perfect amount of burger caramelisation. National supremacy surely beckons.

We already knew the Exhibition had a lot going for it, but when they opened their ‘little window of joy’, they really took things up a notch. With a tantalising ‘push for slush’ bell, you’d need inhuman amounts of willpower not to stop by when the sun is shining. There’s a frozé and spicy mango margaritas, as well as soft serve from Lebanese kitchen Jaan. It’s all very good – we think Exhibition might just be showing off.

Hidden away down a backstreet just off one of the city centre’s busiest thoroughfares, ignore the old fish & chips sign next to the bright blue paintwork of the unmarked exterior — the queues here have nothing to do with England’s original fast food. Instead, this is arguably the best spot in town for huge sub sandwiches, made fresh to order, overflowing with tantalising combinations of ingredients that put a certain US franchise giant to shame. Daily options are usually limited to just a few, but includes the likes of hot honey fried chicken, iconic Philly cheesesteak, and eggplant muffuleta. Secure the goods from their serving hatch and challenge yourself to devour them before you get where you’re going.

Serving from a hatch on the side of an old Ancoats industrial building (look out for the painted sunflower mural) these guys started out baking from their flat during lockdown, making eye-catching creations like croissant cookies, tiramisu with croissant bites and pistachio bakes in every possible permutation imaginable. While this may all seem geared towards viral online stardom, the Flat Bakers deliver on substance as well as style, and the queues you’ll see snaking down Radium Street are testament to that.

This adorable cabin perched above Sale tram stop started out as a proper cafe but during COVID they embraced the hatch-life and never turned back. Sale locals adore it for its ever-evolving range of independent coffee brands and the team’s absolute passion for what it does. As well as the house blend, there are regular takeovers from the likes of Obadiah, Plot Roasting and Dak Coffee Roasters. Sweet baked treats include such swoon-worthy creations as raspberry and pistachio buns, grapefruit Turkish delight fancies, and blueberry and lemon meringue friands. There’s also a range of top quality chocolate, coffee to take home, peanut butter and other gorgeous products on sale.

A tiny yellow hatch in Altrincham’s independent bar-filled King’s Court, I Call Myself Sanchez is a legitimate hidden gem. Headed up by cheffing talent formerly of The Con Club, I Call Myself Sanchez is far more than a burger window (though it also unmistakably that). They are influenced by many aspects of American cuisine and strictly source their ingredients from local suppliers. The Sanchez burger is a beef patty with smoked bacon, spicy Mexican cheese and a fried egg. There’s also a lamb burger with feta and mint yoghurt. Don’t skip the sides either – the salt cod fritters are worth raving about.

Kiosk is a bright pink kiosk with a bright pink neon sign squished in-between a post office and a wine bar on Lapwing Lane in West Didsbury. Subtlety isn’t in their vocabulary. You can’t sit inside but you can pull up a stool out front under the ornate, 100-year old glass canopy. Baked treats come from other locals like Levenshulme’s Long Bois Bakehouse and Didsbury’s own La Chouquette. Kiosk also does beer and other booze and its friendly staff are always up for a natter if the queue’s not too long. Whatever you’re reason for stopping by this spot, it’s sure to punctuate your day with joy.

This neighbourhood cafe from the team behind Salford’s The Black Friar serve up classic brunch dishes, vibrant salads and toasties, along with a couple of signature showstoppers – namely their home-made crumpets, instrumental in the ‘Leo’s Stack’ sandwich, which boasts sausage patties with poached egg, American cheese and tomato chutney. No time to stop? You can pre-order grab coffees, pastries and sandwiches and grab them on the go, via their handy pavement-side hatch.

The Gay Village is known for its audacious nights out, less so for its fine dining establishments. Enter Maya, which promises ‘three floors of indulgence’ on the corner of Chorlton Street and Canal Street, a true fusion of the haute with the hedonistic. You can head to the bistro for modern French dining or sip cocktails in the bar, but true Maya aficionados will know that on a sunny day it’s all about getting a canal-side table and enjoying endless frozen Aperol Spritzes from their very own cocktail serving hatch. It’ll be 3am before you know it.

For a meal that manages to be both sophisticated and homely, get down to Prestwich’s very own old school British dining room The Pearl. Pretty much everything about this place is appealing, from the retro interiors with wood panelling, marble-topped tables and vintage light fittings, to its inventive menu peppered with classical cooking techniques, like confit chicken and homemade brioche with seasonal chutneys. The Pearl’s own pearl? A tiny hatch serving wine, just like the gothic arches that you find in Italy. Red, white, orange or sparkling, it turns out they all taste better when served from a hatch.

Not one hatch but two technically (one to order, one to collect), Rustica is a sandwich institution in The Northern Quarter. On the corner of Tib Street and Hilton Street, it’s known for its cheap tasty butties, queues which take up the pavement on a weekday lunchtime, and excellent craic. Whether they’re there for breakfast rolls or their famed lunchtime special The Milano (a ciabatta loaded with chicken, bacon and a pesto garlic mayo), even on a gloomy day you sure to find a gaggle of hungry workers grabbing some sustenance, as well as putting the world to rights with much-loved owner Jeanette.

Scoop! is the Ancoats waffle and sundae house with a childish sense of fun, made even more so by the act of ordering through their service window, which picks up the passing foot traffic of Oldham Road. Head down to their bubblegum pink-fronted shop for cones, cakes and shakes liberally drizzled with sauces and sprinkled.  Think: all your ice cream van favourites but more colourful and over-the-top. Plus, all the ice creams come with a special Scoop! waffle, for added nostalgia points.