Stunning subterranean food hall brings street food from East Asia to city centre

A new flagship food hall is opening its doors in Manchester this weekend, bringing flavours from across East and South-East Asia to the city in a stunning three-floor, subterranean complex. 

Hello Oriental boasts an Asian inspired bakery and café, a new Vietnamese restaurant, the UK’s very first Hello Oriental supermarket, and Downtown Oriental – a one-of-a-kind foodhall showcasing a vast array of street food from cuisines across East Asia.

Inspired by famous Asian dining destinations such as London’s Bang Bang Oriental and 1800 Lucky in Miami, the subterranean venue with an awe-inspiring ceiling lies beneath Symphony Park, at the heart of the Circle Square development on Oxford Road. 

Open daily between 10am and 11pm from this Saturday, DJs and live music will ramp up the atmosphere, making Hello Oriental an unmissable and exciting venue for those in the know.

Downtown Oriental is a vast market hall with a fast-paced open kitchen serving everything from Chinese roasts, dim sum, baos, noodles, fried rice, sea food, taiyaki ice cream and bubble tea, whilst the bar will serve up an array of Asian beers and cocktails.  

Combining traditional Asian bakery classics with new and innovative ideas, Hello Bakery will offer modern fusion bakes, alongside a selection of coffees and a collection of high-grade teas. 

Vietnamese restaurant Rice Paper Pho will sit on a purpose-built mezzanine.

Sharing in the energy and excitement of Downtime Oriental, it will deliver fast, fresh and healthy Vietnamese flavours.  

From comforting pho to an incredible selection of summer rolls, flavour-packed Vietnamese salads and a huge choice of both vegan and gluten free options, Rice Paper Pho has it covered. 

The one-of-a-kind venue will also boast the country’s first Hello Oriental supermarket. 

Already trading online, the store will bring the latest products, high quality produce and the best ingredients from East Asia.  

“It’s been a long time in the making but we are thrilled to be opening our doors to Manchester,” said Azim Kourah, director of Hello Oriental. 

“From Saturday onwards, our brand-new concept will be spicing up Manchester’s food scene, bringing three floors of incredible flavour, excitement and atmosphere to the city.” 

Circle Square is Manchester’s new 2.4m sq ft neighbourhood, providing 1.2 million sq ft of workspace, 1,700 new homes and over 100,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, including boutique retailers, restaurants, bars and pavement cafes, all centred around Symphony Park, Manchester’s largest and newest city centre park. 

Hello Oriental joins TRIB3, a specialist high-intensity fitness studio, with a host of additional food, drink and entertainment also due to launch at Circle Square later this year. 

Hello Oriental opens to the public at 10am on Saturday 12th February. For more information, visit hofoodhall.com.