A vast new Greek taverna has opened at the Trafford Centre - and huge queues of shoppers formed to get the first taste of The Real Greek as it launched on Tuesday.
It has become the first Greek restaurant at the shopping mall, and opened on Thursday with crowds keen to get a try of its trademark halloumi popcorn and souvlaki wraps - that famously boast chips wodged inside.
The opening comes hot on the heels of the first Manchester opening for the Real Greek at The Corn Exchange in the city centre in December.
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It is now the restaurant chain’s 23rd site - the tenth outside London - and first opening of 2022.
And it represents a huge new investment with seating for up to 182 people at the Taverna-styled venue in The Orient food court.
As with its other branches, it is serving up classic Greek dishes including hot and cold meze served on towering stands, flame-grilled meats, souvlaki and Greek salads.
And it's signature dish of halloumi popcorn - drizzled in honey - for £5.95 really is worth every penny.
Other standout dishes include their trademark souvlaki wraps at £6.75 each - flatbreads filled with chips, homemade tzatziki, fresh tomatoes, onions and sweet paprika with your choice of meats like pork belly, chicken or loukaniko sausage, or veggie and vegan options like falafel and jackfruit.
Expect all the classic Greek meze like taramasalata, tzatziki, Santorini Fava and houmous (all from £4.75 - £5) which are perfect mopped up with piles of the venue's homemade Greek flatbread (£3.40).
“The new opening in Manchester’s Trafford Centre is such a positive move for The Real Greek,” said chain MD Nabil Mankarious.
“A big ambition was to open in the North, and with our Corn Exchange restaurant in Manchester already flourishing, we are really excited to bring our second restaurant to the vibrant and busy city.
“We look forward to seeing the potential of this venue, particularly as tourism begins to open up again in Manchester.”
Trafford Centre director Zoe Inman added: “We’re delighted to welcome The Real Greek to the Trafford Centre.
“[It] is an excellent addition to our ever-growing dining hub, offering delicious Eastern Mediterranean food options for our customers – we can’t wait to open to the public.”
The restaurant has taken over the space between Pizza Express and Pesto in The Orient food court on the upper mall.
As an offer to new customers, the new branch will offer 50% off food for the first three days of opening, until March 3, so be prepared for even more queues in the coming days.
Alongside eating in at the restaurant which is open daily until 11pm, the venue will operate with a Click & Collect Service available from Monday 7th March.
Partnering with UberEATS and Deliveroo, a delivery service (location-dependent) will also be available from The Real Greek from Monday 28th March.
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