From HOME and House of Social to crazy golf, ramen and late-night drinks, there’s plenty packed into one neighbourhood...
First Street has grown into one of Manchester city centre’s busiest neighbourhoods, bringing together culture, food, drink, entertainment, and events in Tony Wilson Place.
It means the area can easily fill an entire day, starting with coffee and exhibitions before moving through independent kitchens, activities, dinner and late-night drinks.
At the centre of the neighbourhood is HOME, Manchester’s cinema, theatre and contemporary arts venue, which has been based at First Street for more than a decade. Alongside its programme of films, performances and exhibitions, the venue has a café and restaurant overlooking Tony Wilson Place.
On our visit, HOME was hosting the Manchester Open, a large collaborative exhibition featuring work from more than 400 artists from across Greater Manchester.
A more recent arrival is House of Social, the large food hall combining a collection of independent kitchens with bar space, a terrace and areas for co-working.
Its traders include Dough Religion, Kardia Greek, Burger & Beyond, Mughli and Choi Wan, covering everything from pizza and burgers to Indian cooking and dishes including prawn toast crumpets. The drinks menu also goes beyond cocktails, with speciality non-alcoholic options including matcha and layered iced coffees.
Outside, Tony Wilson Place acts as the neighbourhood’s main public square, with seating and a programme of open-air events including the Manchester Jazz Festival and sports screenings.
For something more competitive, Junkyard Golf Club brings three neon-lit crazy golf courses to First Street, alongside cocktails and an outdoor drinks terrace.
Dinner can be found a few doors away at Hakkapo, a relaxed restaurant combining Chinese and Japanese influences with a menu built around ramen, claypot dishes and sharing plates.
The restaurant’s larger seafood dishes include lobster served with rice or broth, while the wider menu makes it equally suited to a full dinner or a selection of smaller plates.
From there, First Street also has plenty of options for carrying on into the evening, with bars and late-night venues keeping the area busy after the restaurants, galleries and activity spaces begin winding down.
Taken together, the combination of HOME, House of Social, Tony Wilson Place, Junkyard Golf Club and Hakkapo means First Street now works as much as a full-day destination as it does a collection of individual venues.
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