Two of the best spots in Manchester, Hawksmoor and Burgerism, have come together to create a brand new smash patty special sandwiched between two perfect Pollen Bakery bakery buns for one of the best burgers you’ll find anywhere in Greater Manchester.
Trust us, we’ve tried it and it did not disappoint.
Having officially dropped on Monday, 9 October, the Hawksmoor x Burgerism‘Smashed Patty Special’ is one of the hottest new culinary collaborations anywhere in the region, with the two brands combining their respective talents and award-winning expertise on red meat for this limited-time-only burger.
You have a week to eat this thing and we seriously recommend you do.
Credit: The Manc Group
Being served up from the Hawksmoor site in Deansgate, renowned for its luxurious setting on the corner of Spinningfields, the restaurant already showcases the very best dry-aged beef, sustainable seafood and seasonal farm produce from the UK. And things only get better when there’s a burger involved.
As for Salford-based spot, Burgerism — which now boasts five different locations across the UK and serves over 10,000 hungry fans per week with their classic meal being the most-ordered dish in Manchester on Deliveroo — their involvement is as simple: make a delicious but no-nonsense burger.
And that’s exactly what they did.
Keeping it real (as they always do), the duo have managed to create an uncomplicated, straight-down-the-middle smashed burger that still feels like ultimate indulgence where every bite is packed with flavour. It costs £16 and they’ve made sure you taste every penny’s worth.
The special is comprised of two grilled beef and bone-marrow smashed patties, cooked over charcoal in traditional Hawksmoor fashion; Dewley red Leicester, Burgerism’s famous recipe burger sauce, gherkins, lettuce, tomato and a Pollen Bakery sesame-seeded brioche bun to top it off. Phwoar.
It’s always hard to sum these things up in just a few lines but the first two things that came out of our mouths after taking a couple of bites were, “It’s basically the best of Burgerism in 4K” and “like a luxury Big Mac on steroids”. The bun itself was cloud-level fluffy too — an added bonus.
If you knew the extent of our love for all three of these things, you’d understand the level of praise we’re dishing out here.
Available exclusively until Sunday, 15 October only from the Hawksmoor bar area, you can book in to eat the Hawksmoor x Burgerism x Pollen ‘Smashed Patty Special’ HERE, or you can always try for a walk-in if you’re feeling lucky.
There’s another burger that’s been on our minds lately too and it’s also a limited-edition affair, so you best not mess about:
Lively Irish pub Nancy Spains set to open in Manchester for the first time
Daisy Jackson
An Irish bar famed for its live music is heading up to Manchester for the first time, and is promising £2.50 pints to lure us in.
Nancy Spains will be venturing out of London for the first time promising to bring the ‘ultimate traditional Irish pub experience’ to the Northern Quarter.
If you were to ask what the hottest trend in hospitality is right now the answer would, apparently, be Guinness. We’re drowning in the stuff.
This latest opening is more about Murphy’s, another Irish stout, than Guinness (they actually won’t serve Guinness at all) but the craic will be much the same.
Nancy Spains is actually set to open almost directly opposite the aforementioned Salmon of Knowledge, taking over the former Corner Boy unit on Stevenson Square in the heart of Manchester.
To celebrate its opening, the pub will be serving its first 5000 pints of Murphy’s for just £2.50, so that it can show off the atmosphere that’s established it as ‘one of London’s favourite pubs’.
They’re promising an array of Irish whiskeys behind the bar, live music performances, and a lively late-night setting.
Nancy Spains was set up by three brothers who travelled all over their home county of rural Kerry researching Irish pubs, before launching two venues down in London.
They want it to balance a traditional pub with the vibrancy of the city.
Peter O’Halloran, co-founder of Nancy Spains commented, “We’re so excited to be launching in Manchester, bringing Nancy Spains to the heart of the Northern Quarter.
“After the success of our two venues in London, it was only right to bring Nancy Spains’ infectious spirit and Irish pride to Manchester. Slainte!”
Nancy Spains will open its first Manchester pub on Saturday 15 March at 21 Hilton Street.
Lucky Mama’s – The Italian restaurant serving pasta in a dough bowl and ‘pregnant’ pizzas
Daisy Jackson
Lucky Mama’s is a local sensation, thanks to its slightly whacky but delicious Italian creations like pasta served in a bowl made of pizza dough and its latest offering, a ‘pregnant’ pizza.
What on Earth is a pregnant pizza, you ask? Firstly we should stress this is a nickname we’ve bestowed upon the dish, rather than Lucky Mama’s chosen branding.
But essentially it’s a helping of fresh pasta that’s folded into the bubble crust of the pizza, like a half-calzone.
Lucky Mama’s started life when founders Mamadou Dhiam and Gaby Santos set up a trailer in their backyard in Eccles in the depths of lockdown.
But thanks to a formidably loyal following that’s spread the word of Lucky Mama’s far and wide, it now has two pretty pink restaurants in Greater Manchester.
Back in 2022, they threw open the doors to their Chorlton restaurant, before returning back to home turf for spot number two in Monton in 2024.
The recipes are fresh and pretty authentically Italian up until the last step, when they throw a curveball by loading their pasta into unconventional vessels.
‘Pregnant’ pizzas at Lucky Mama’sTraditional Roman pizzasLucky Mama’s pink restaurant in Chorlton
Their pasta pizza bowls are what they’re best known for and they fly out of the kitchen – this is where pizza dough is placed around a metal bowl before being baked in an oven.
Then it’s piled high with freshly made pasta, with popular flavours like cacio e pepe, mushroom alfredo, and rasta pasta.
Pasta is available in a regular ceramic bowl too.
You’ll find Lucky Mama’s at 565 Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton; and 217 Monton Road in Eccles.
Danny Jones -
9th October 2023 
