New kid on the block The Eatery has been open in the Northern Quarter since May and hasn’t looked back in serving hearty food to hungry locals.

The family-run business was opened in the heart of Manchester attractions after the owners saw a gap in the market for a Manchester restaurant serving quality food where diners could eat in or takeaway. Since opening, they’ve cleverly reacted to the local market by opening up an area inside with a large meeting table, perfect for lunch meetings where you need to spread paperwork across the table whilst munching on a jacket potato. They’ve also just installed computers so that any guests wishing to browse the net can do so over breakfast and there’s free Wi-Fi so you can lunch and work at the same time.

The menu is plentiful, catering for all breakfast and dinner choices from a traditional English Breakfast (£4.95) and Eggs Florentine (£4.95) through to the lunchtime dishes you would expect to find on any good lunch menu but coupled with daily hot specials and homemade soups to offer something a little bit special.

In the summer you can’t miss their colourful salad bar, whilst in the winter it’s all about warming dishes to keep your fuel levels up. On our visit the hot specials were Beef Stew and Dumplings and Thai Green Curry and Rice (£4.95). The Thai Green Curry, although not brimming with flavour, was delicious and a great lunch option. The portions aren’t huge but for a healthy lunch under a fiver I was pleased.

To shake things up a bit The Eatery also offer a speciality hot sandwich of the day and we tried the Beef, Stilton and Rocket Open Sandwich (£3.75). The Stilton was beautiful and felt like a real treat. Beats homemade sandwiches for sure!

I couldn’t help but notice and be tempted by their Fish Finger Sandwich on the menu (£3.75) which I was told is one of their best sellers – maybe next time!

Aside from the paninis, open sandwiches and fresh soups (changed daily), they also offer lots of lovely cakes, scones and smoothies so it’s really a great lunch option where you’re sure to find something to tickle your taste buds.

Importantly for those readers not based in the Northern Quarter, they do delivery so if you want a lovely lunch at work then give them a call.