B.EAT Street reveals plans to expand its beats, eats and booze enclave on Deansgate

As street food makes further advances on Manchester’s streets, railway arches and market places, B.EAT Street – perhaps the best example of how this sort of thing can go mainstream – is looking to up the ante. The brains behind Junkyard Golf Club and Friday Food Fight are moving into three additional units in the Great Northern which means more traders and more grub.

With the likes of Indian Canteen (Manchester Food and Drink Festival’s ‘Best Street Food’ winner) on board, this boulevard of cuisine on Deansgate is sticking with fan favourites as well as providing full diners for the likes of Big Grillie Style and Eat New York. Departures include Dim Sum Su and Lekker, the first big shuffle since B.EAT Street launched.

Naturally booze is factored into the expansion with Bunny Jackson’s Juke Joint promising live music and booze. It’s no secret that B.EAT Street’s bars aren’t the cheapest so hopefully the sound of wailing guitars will distract from the price of your round. Pessimism aside, more bars and traders means more choice – which is what it’s all about here.

On the higher floors, the Brockhouse Gallery will play host to events such as The Manchester Print Fair, Trap Door Comedy Night and Bad Fun, giving the space more of a purpose.

With awards for Stockport’s Foodie Friday and all-round respect going to GRUB’s now weekly food fair at Alphabet Brewery, B.EAT Street is playing to its strengths by offering more opportunities for punters to order drinks, more choice of traders to choose from and a more coherent and complete experience overall.

Street Food is problematic when done authentically. One big shower and it’s game over. But it’s also problematic as a term. Just ask traders like Nasi Lemak and they will tell you traders have to cater their tastes and flavours to the audience and the setting. And when it comes to a largely indoor, mixed demographic like B.EAT street, you’d be hard pushed to call it anything other than a collective of small kitchens.

Labels aside, B.EAT Street reflects our appetite for fresh, varied and exciting dining options – regardless of whether you’d call it street food or not.