The best Caribbean food restaurants and takeaways in Manchester

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

We're absolutely spoiled for choice when it comes to West Indian food in Manchester. Here are some of the classic spots to pick it up.

Kool Runnings

Probably the most famous food truck - of any kind - in the city, Aval Saunders has been serving up Caribbean soul food since the 90s, and when the plumes of smoke work their way down Upper Chorlton Road, there will be a queue down the street for it in five minutes flat. He’s fed generations from his spot outside the Pentecostal church, and its testament to those lamb chops, the half chickens slathered in jerk gravy and the salty, irresistible fried chicken.

118 Chorlton Rd, Old Trafford, Stretford, Manchester M15 4AN

Kool Runnings on Instagram

Blackbird Pantry

Siobhan Sewell was general manager at Mary-Ellen McTague’s celebrated restaurant Aumbry before setting up Blackbird Pantry in 2019 at Radcliffe Market. But while there are some refinements to this Anglo-Caribbean menu, this is still gorge-worthy, gravy-on-your-face type food, from the jerk roast to the Rundown Chicken curry with coco bread, while the freshly made scotch bonnet jam that comes alongside it is fruity, fierce and fantastic. And as for the crispy jerk pork belly bites… well. They’re Last Meal on Earth material.

Radcliffe Market, Dale Street, Radcliffe, Manchester M26

www.blackbirdpantry.com

Old Trafford Bakery

Established way back in 1960, the Old Trafford Bakery is primarily, of course, a traditional Jamaican bakery serving up everything from irresistible hard dough loaves which you can smell baking down the street to sweet bulla cakes. But it also has a wealth of daily takeaway specials too, from fresh escovitch fish to oxtail and lamb chops. And obviously, being a bakery, the pineapple and banana