Manchester’s got tonnes of amazing affordable eats, but you really can’t beat the classic kebab, whether it’s at the end of a night out or on your lunch break.
With the suburbs around town littered with authentic shawarmas, from the iconic Curry Mile to the takeaways on city centre street corners, you’re not going to struggle to find yourself a decent kebab.
And with a whole new generation of university students rocking up in town over the coming weeks, we figured this was vital information to share…
So we decided to hunt out a few favourites – in one lunch break. Yep, that’s right, we decided that eating three kebabs in one lunch hour was a good idea.
The best part is that although Manchester’s kebab circle is wide, it’s all super easy to get to on public transport.
Stagecoach sorted us right out on the day with a plan to take on three shawarmas, all linked by its bus network.
We started off in the city centre at Arndale Shawarma, a late-night staple on High Street.
Arndale Shawarma, a classic spot for a kebab in ManchesterThe neat kebab wraps at Arndale Shawarma in Manchester
Their kebab is a neat naan wrap, stuffed to bursting with the most tender meat, fresh salad, and fat chillies. Chef’s. Kiss.
Then it was time for our kebab crawl to move beyond town. With buses running every few minutes, and fares up to 55% cheaper for students, you can get from campus to kebab in a flash.
Case in point – within just 15 minutes of hopping on a Stagecoach bus out of town, we were on the iconic Curry Mile, and at Al Zain.
A kebab from Al Zain in ManchesterAl Zain in Manchester serves kebabs in authentic samoon bread
You can’t go wrong with their mixed shawarma, served in a traditional middle Eastern bread called a samoon.
They pile it to the brim with fresh salad and it’s exactly the kebab you want for a fresh and filling meal.
Then it was back on the bus up to Levenshulme, and the local institution that is Levenshulme Bakery.
It’s one of Manchester’s most popular kebabs for good reason.
The legendary shawarma kebab from Levenshulme Bakery. Credit: The Manc GroupStagecoach buses took us around the kebab crawl in Manchester
Their lamb-stuffed samoons are the stuff of legend and there’s always a crowd sat outside the front tucking in.
So if you’re ready to start using your years of university education here researching the best kebabs in Manchester, you need to get on the Stagecoach Bus App.
Student bus tickets bought on the app give you unlimited bus rides for a term, or even an entire academic year – and they’re 55% off normal prices.
It’s time to pay less on cabs, and more on kebabs.
Hit theatre production set at a house party to visit Manchester on UK tour
Daisy Jackson
Alright then, 24 hour party people, we’ve found a theatre production you might like the sound of – it’s called The House Party, and it’s set in (you guessed it) a house party.
This smash hit production by pioneering theatre company Headlong is set to land at HOME in March as part of the arts venue’s 2025 theatre season.
It tells the tale of a wild 18th birthday party, where Christine is trying to pick up the pieces of her best friend, a newly-dumped Julie (who happens to be the birthday girl).
Themes of class, power and privilege are all explored with a raw intensity as the cast on stage plough through shots and dive head-first into a night that will change everything they know.
The House Party, which has received glowing reviews from previous showings, is filled with ‘privilege, desire and destruction’.
When it stops off in Manchester, its cast will include Bridgerton’s Sesley Hope as Christine, Synnøve Karlsen (Miss Austen, Last Night in Soho) as Julie, and Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack, Patience) as Jon.
The ensemble of Frantic Assembly performers includes Ines Aresti, Oliver Baines, Cal Connor, Micah Corbin-Powell, Rachael Leonce, Jaheem Pinder and Jamie Randall.
The House Party is written by Laura Lomas and is a reimagining of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie for today’s generation.
It’s directed by Headlong’s artistic director Holly Race Roughan, who directed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s world premiere of David Edgar’s major new political play The New Real.
The House Party. Credit: Ikin YumThe production will be at HOME. Credit: Supplied
Movement direction will come from Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham.
Prior to the UK tour of The House Party, Headlong celebrated its 50 year anniversary, including the hit production of A Raisin in the Sun which played nationwide.
The House Party will be at HOME in Manchester between 25 and 29 March, 2025 – you can get your tickets HERE.
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff
Daisy Jackson
If you’re not a handy person, when something breaks, the temptation is often to abandon or bin it straight away.
But that’s just not how we’re gonna do it here in Greater Manchester any more, with the return of the annual Repair Week to help you learn valuable repair skills and save money at the same time.
Whether it’s tinkering with your bicycle, fixing up your small tech items, or having your furniture re-varnished and upcycled, there are so many places and people who are on a mission to help you fall back in love with your belongings.
There are even workshops to help you put flat-pack furniture together.
Taking place between 3 and 9 March, Repair Week will be the chance to learn skills, fix your stuff, gain repair confidence and find local fixers.
Events throughout the week (and beyond) will be hosted by community groups, businesses and plenty more.
You can sharpen knives, fix zips, and un-wobble chairs with a little hand from local repair heroes.
JillyGDesign Jewellery in Heaton Moor will fix up your sentimental and special jewellery items, while Rag Revival will help you turn unusable textiles into new creations with basic sewing skills.
There are repair cafes popping up all over Greater Manchester where you can take your belongings.
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff. Credit: Supplied
Repair Week will highlight schemes like the Manchester Library of Things, where you can borrow the tools and equipment you need for those repair jobs at home.
During the week you’ll also be able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the incredible Renew Hub, the UK’s biggest reuse hub, where donated items are brought back to life.
Similarly, you’ll be able to get inside the textile recycling centre run by homelessness charity Emmaus Bolton, where you can choose your own fabric from the scrap store and turn it into a very handy draught excluder to keep costs down and your heat in.
Recycle for Greater Manchester’s Repair Week will take place between 3 and 9 March, with workshops, events and resources to help you revive your belongings.
Daisy Jackson -
21st September 2023 
