Last week was Christine’s birthday, and so we both took the day off work to spend the day in Manchester. For lunch, we went to Mackie Mayor – an old market hall which is now a food court.
Mackie Mayor is so-called because that’s what’s written in stone on the outside. It was one of several buildings that formed Manchester’s Smithfield Market, and was opened by a Mr Mackie, the then Mayor of Manchester, hence the name. The market closed in the 1970s, and whilst it received a Grade II listing, it fell out of use. Later, the building spent some time as a skate park in the 1990s, but by 2017 it was derelict.
Thankfully, it has been restored and re-opened to the public, and is home to several independent food vendors serving a variety of different food and drink. It’s located on the edge of Manchester’s trendy Northern Quarter.
How to order food at Mackie Mayor
Inside are rows of tables and chairs. Find yourself a seat, and then once you’ve taken note of the table number, you can order your food and drink. You can go up to each counter and order that way, should you wish to.
But, you can also use a web app on your phone called Me&U. Scan the QR code, enter your table number, and you can then order food from any of the stands inside Mackie Mayor. You can even set up a tab for your table, and it’ll generate a separate QR code to allow your friends to order food on their phones and have it billed to your tab. As this was Christine’s birthday treat, I set up a tab and let Christine order whatever she wanted on her phone, with me paying for it at the end. When you set the tab up, you can set a maximum amount, which is then pre-authorised to your card.
Food at Mackie Mayor
I went for a chicken burger from Mumma’s, which came with seasoned waffle fries and a strawberry iced tea. Christine, meanwhile, went for Chicken Katsu from Chilli B, with a side order of prawn crackers. The food is brought to your table, and everything we ate was nice. Price-wise, it’s good considering the quality – not the cheapest, but nor was it too expensive either.
For dessert, we both had Creme Brulée Cookie Butter doughnuts, and I had a can of Steep Cola. Indeed, you’ll struggle to encounter big brand products here and even the soft drinks are from independent producers.
I suppose the big selling point of Mackie Mayor is the variety – if you’re visiting as a big group, everyone can get pretty much what they want. There’s no requirement for everyone to order the same cuisine, so it’s great if you have fussy eaters amongst your friend group. Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free options are available from some of the stalls, and it’s okay to just visit for a drink and a snack, if that’s what you want. We went on a Tuesday lunchtime when it was relatively quiet, but I can see it being quite a loud place when it’s busy. And you’ll probably have to share your table with other people, since the tables are in long rows.
There is step free access across the building, with a lift up to the balcony area, and there are disabled toilets. There’s also a small children’s play area downstairs, well-behaved dogs are welcome, and free Wi-Fi is available. We certainly enjoyed our visit and I’m sure we’ll end up back there on a future visit to Manchester city centre.
