16 things to eat in Manchester before you diet

There may be a month to go until Christmas but the festive season has definitely started. The season of comfort food and joy when we like to indulge ourselves in our favourite carb-rich foods.

Here’s our pick of the city’s most indulgent dishes from outrageous burgers and succulent steaks to piles of pancakes and boozy shakes. Go on, loosen your belt and spoil yourself. The diet can wait till New Year.

American All-star Cereal Bowl, Black Milk Cereal Dive

Hidden in the heart of Afflecks with a new cafe just opened on B.Eat Street in the Great Northern Warehouse,  Black Milk Cereal Dive is  the perfect place for the ultimate indulgence. The American All-star features heaps of Lucky Charms, Reese’s Puffs, Captain Crunch and Cookie Dough Balls, topped with Oreos, giant marshmallows and M&Ms in an edible chocolate bowl. Prepare for a sugar rush like no other. £6.90 with additional toppings available for up to £2.
blackmilkcereal.com

Vinny Chase Burger, Almost Famous 

Almost Famous is an obvious go-to for beasty burgers and the Vinny Chase is a force to be reckoned with. A juicy double, double burger topped with Applewood cheese, streaky bacon, trailer trash onions, magic mayo, ketchup, Marmite butter and served on a pretzel bun. For £10 you’re sure to get your fill.
www.almostfamousburgers.com

Candy Mountain Shake, Dive NQ

For a boozy dessert option, this vamped up shake is sure to satisfy that craving for sweet stuff. Creme De Framboise, strawberry coulis, vanilla gomme, vanilla ice cream, full cream milk, whipped cream, mini marshmallows, strawberry wafer, jelly beans and hundreds and thousands overflowing from a jar of milkshake heaven for a measly £8.
www.divenq.co.uk

Lomo 500g Fillet Steak, Gaucho

Gaucho is renowned for its finest quality beef and luxury menu offerings. The Lomo is a tender and delicate fillet steak weighing in at a beefy 17oz (500g) and priced at £60.40. Personalise your steak with a range of side dishes, sauces and garnishes including anchovy butter, fat chips or chimichurri marinade.
www.gauchorestaurants.com

Eat New York Bagel, Eat New York 

The Mac Daddy, Crazy Pedro’s

Popular pizza joint Crazy Pedro’s have combined all your fast food favourites to create the Mac Daddy – mini hamburgers, Monterey Jack cheese, mac sauce, gherkins and shredded iceberg lettuce all layered on top of a deliciously cheesy pizza. The Mac Daddy costs £3 for one slice or £15 for the whole damn 16” pizza.  Cheap and cheesy, what more could you ask for?
crazypedros.co.uk

The BBQ Feast, Red’s True Barbecue 

Get ready to munch your way through mountains of St Louis and Baby Back Ribs, Black Angus brisket, sticky chicken, smoked sausage and Red’s pulled pork. All served up with piles of sweet potato cornbread, buttermilk slaw, giant onion rings, chopped salad, skin-on fries and a slug of bourbon to wash everything down.
truebarbecue.com

All American Breakfast, Infamous Diner

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of your day so treat yourself to this king-size breakfast plate piled high with bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs, hash browns, mushrooms, tomato, toast, pancakes and waffles, all smothered in Infamous syrup.  If the All American Breakfast isn’t enough, Infamous Diner also challenges diners to take on the 21-pancake stack, complete the challenge and earn your spot on the Infamous wall of fame.
www.infamousdiner.co.uk

Hip Hop Brunch, Walrus

Graze your way through a Sunday afternoon at Walrus with the Hip Hop Brunch. Freshly made pizzas loaded with all your favourite breakfast toppings will be sure to banish your hangover blues. Shake off the night before with Ain’t Nothing But a ‘Bean’ Thing – a tomato based pizza with lashings of Monterey Jack and mozzarella cheese, baked beans and hash browns. Prices start from £5 for a 10” inch pizza.
walrusmanchester.com

Roo (Kangaroo) Burger, Walkabout

For something a bit out of the ordinary, take a step down under and try out the Aussie-inspired Kangaroo burger at Walkabout. The burger is made from specially sourced kangaroo meat and is best served medium to enhance the unique game flavour. Not our usual burger meat of choice but something you’d be mad to miss for £13.45.
www.walkaboutbars.co.uk

Mac Attack Grilled Cheese, Northern Soul

For the cheese lovers of Manchester, Northern Soul has hit the nail on the head. The Mac Attack grilled cheese (£6) is an undeniable carb-overload and we couldn’t be happier about it. The gourmet grilled cheese is on sour dough bread and packed full of creamy mac and cheese. If you fancy a bit extra you could also add crispy, streaky bacon to your sandwich.
www.northernsoulmcr.com

Tap-out Burrito, Luck, Lust, Liquor and Burn

The bolshiest burrito in Manchester is sure to push your appetite to its limits. Stuffed full of crispy beef, BBQ pulled pork, dirty chicken, fries, rice and salad and overflowing with every sauce you could imagine, can you conquer the Tap-Out burrito without throwing in the towel?
lucklustliquorburn.com

Farmageddon, Dogs ‘n’ Dough

The mother of all hot dogs, Farmageddon’s signature blend, 100% beef frankfurter is served in a freshly baked brioche bun, topped with a rib of beef, pulled pork, crispy bacon, fried chicken and chilli cheese. At £10, if this was your last meal on earth, it would probably keep you going for eternity.
www.dogsndough.com

Meat Feast Feasting Board, The Liquor Store

A food-coma-inducing meat feast platter piled high with buffalo chicken wings, BBQ baby back pork ribs, pig cheek and apple sliders, Brunswick beans, Liquor Store ‘slaw and skin-on fries for a measly £15.95.
www.theliquorstore.co.uk

Meat Feast Ribs, Cane and Grain

Cane and Grain’s Meat Feast will satisfy your deepest carnivorous cravings. Choose from Baby Back, St Louis, Beef Short or Dino Ribs alongside fries, Carolina slaw, dill pickles and grilled corn. At £69, you’ll sure have plenty to pig out on. What a way to go.
www.caneandgrain.co.uk

La Classique Poutine, Blue Caribou Canteen

The ultimate comfort food. Posh chips and gravy and then some. Creamy cheese curds, crispy skin-on-fries, and rich, tangy gravy all melted together to make a £5 box of pure French-Canadian goodness.  Upgrade your poutine to La Reuben’s for added pastrami and pickles or give it a Japanese twist with La Coreenne, including kimchi, Sriracha aioli, spring onion and dried seaweed shards.
www.bluecariboucanteen.com