Edinburgh Street Food team to open Manchester Street Food this summer

The team behind Edinburgh Street Food (ESF) is bringing its concept to Manchester, with Manchester Street Food due to open in summer 2026.

The launch is part of ESF’s growth strategy, which aims to open a new venue somewhere in the UK every year for the next five years.

The Manchester site will be a three-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station. Its 15,000 sq ft interior will hold 450 covers and include a 32-seat mini-cinema, a tequila bar, game rooms, two stages, a beer tap wall, a private hire space for 75 and a winter garden serving breakfast.

A south-facing terrace will add another 180 covers and host guest traders to keep the line-up changing.

The venue is expected to create 180 jobs. The operator says community engagement and social impact are central to its plans to become part of Manchester’s ecosystem.

Ben MacMillan, managing director of ESF, said: “Manchester has always been a city with incredible energy, creativity and a love of food, so bringing our concept here in this stunning venue is a natural and exciting next step.

“We want to create a space brought to life by local artists which celebrates the city’s culture and provides line up independent traders and brewers a city centre platform to shine.”

The Edinburgh original handles more than a million transactions a year and has a menu spanning Mexican, Korean, Peruvian, Japanese and South Asian. It is home to European, UK and Scottish street food award winners and runs four kitchens led by chefs with Michelin-star backgrounds.

MacMillan added: “We’ve seen how much people embraced the spirit of ESF in Edinburgh and we know Manchester, with its energy and hunger for innovation will take it to another level. We’re incredibly excited about making the city our second home.”