From Piccadilly Train Station to Market Street, there’s an overwhelming amount of choice when it comes to places to grab a bite to eat - and that’s without venturing into the rest of the city.
On that half-mile stretch you can enjoy the concessions inside the station, from Upper Crust to James Martin Kitchen, or perhaps visit Leon outside. Then there’s a personal favourite haunt, Black Sheep Coffee who do the most amazing salt beef bagel, or there’s Archies, Greggs and Subway.
Further down there’s the newly opened Tim Hortons on Market Street, and the unholy trinity of Piccadilly Gardens, McDonald’s, Burger King and Five Guys.
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But of course, Manchester is best known for its selection of incredible independent eateries and the diversity of their offerings. And when we shared that lighthearted cheeseburger comparison a few weeks back, fiercely loyal Manc’s rushed to name their favourite small business burger joints we could have tried instead. And one name in particular just kept cropping up: Bearded Feeder.
Martin Cassells said: “Don’t get why people use these places when you have Bearded Feeder on the food market right next door. Cooked fresh doesn’t take long and around the same price and most importantly taste way better than any of the above.”
Hayley Louise Harvey responded: “I’ve just looked at the page, never knew it existed but wow looks amazing! I will 100% be trying next time i go into town.” While Jasmine Jade Meadowcroft added: “Beardedfeeder is 100% better!!! This is what a burger is really like!”
With such high praise from customers, I had to go and check them out to see what all the fuss was about, so marched myself down to Piccadilly Gardens Market without so much as a glimpse at the golden arches.
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As you enter the food market heading down from the train station, Bearded Feeder’s striped stand sits on the right of the market facing the gardens, and is manned by Star Wars fan and food stall founder, Scott Andrew. It’s easy to see how he came up with his brand name, sporting a huge but well groomed mane of a beard.
The menu had a number of references to the Star Wars franchise, with all of the burgers named after things in the show, from The Solo to The Falcon. Customers can also order Monster loaded fries like Porg, featuring wings and fries, or the Bantha nacho cheese fries, or opt for Yoda sized bites like Mac n Cheese or fries and dip.
The cheapest times on the menu come in at just £3, while the highest price you’ll pay is £12 for The Twins double cheese burger as an X-Wing burger meal which includes fries, a drink and chicken wings.
I opted for The Wookie for £6, which can be upgraded with various add-ons for £9 or £11. But as standard the menu item sees a smashed burger with pulled pork and when any extra add ons you fancy like cheese, gherkins and tomato.
Scott cooks the food right in front of you while chatting away, though I was rather embarrassed to admit I wasn’t as much of a Star Wars fan as I was a burger fan.
I had optimistically ordered this burger 15 minutes ahead of my train departing, and had I ordered at Five Guys with a six minute and 32 second wait time, I’d never have made it. But Scott had boxed my burger up in what I considered to be an absolutely geniusly designed takeaway container within minutes and I still had time to snap a photo before rushing to platform 8 with minutes to spare.
Unboxing the burger, the top bun was precariously balanced on what can only be described as a mountain of meat - there’s certainly no scrimping on portion sizes at Bearded Feeder.
Devouring my burger on the way home, the meat was so moist a pool had formed in the grease proof paper in the base of the box, and honestly, it only added to the experience. The pulled pork was full of flavour and I hate a cliche but it did quite literally melt in the mouth. Everything about this burger was a real treat, and it’s a good job I was provided with a fork because there was really no picking this up to bite into without making a mess.
I was receiving some pretty envious looks from passengers as I tucked into my tea, and I'd have absolutely done the same if the shoe was on the other foot. This is without a shadow of a doubt the best answer to a hangover and an ideal pre-night out stomach liner, the perfect train ride treat or a pitstop between shops. And you don’t need to be a Star Wars fan to truly enjoy it either.
Bearded Feeder is on the Piccadilly Street Food Market Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 6pm, and they’ll certainly be seeing more of me.
