The best back to uni student deals in Manchester

With spots on Oxford Road and Fallowfield, GDK is providing vital sustenance to the Manchester student population, not least with their new Fiver Menu – which is five different dishes for just five quid. The offer includes favourites like a doner grilled cheese, a munch wrap and a curious creation called a Doritos loaded ‘kebag’.

Arguably the current rockstars of baking in the city centre, Half Dozen Other have a decidedly student-friendly offer in the form of a coffee and a sandwich deal for £8. Every day from 10am at their Circle Square site – which is right in the heart of student life – you can grab a freshly poured brew, and a deli-style sandwich on one of their freshly baked sub rolls. So you can forget the sad meal deal, for today at least.

The Stevenson Square tiki bar are doing the good work of distributing student cards which will get you a single spirit and mixer for £2.49, a double spirit and mixer for £3.49 and zombies for £5. Either find them distributing the cards in the wild, or head down to the venue. Just be prepared to make Stevenson Square your default location.

Pretty much any sport you can imagine, you can do a version of it in a bar in Manchester. But the original novelty sport is arguably still the best. Junkyard Golf is a genuinely cool space full of neon-lit, carnivalesque scenes where you can hit some balls and sip some flourescent cocktails. Students get cheap tickets every Thursday to Sunday. It’s great fun.

Lion’s Den, part of the Great Northern Warehouse on Deansgate, runs a open mic night every Tuesday from 7pm. It’s a popular spot for students to catch live music or take to the stage themselves, with no need to book and a free drink and professional photos offered to every performer. Student drink deals include £3.50 pints and two spirits for £6, making it a bit of a no-brainer choice for a midweek night out.

Head to the mothership of shopping – Manchester Arndale – for an outrageous amount of student offers on Thursday 25 September. There’s up to 30% across 130 outlets including shopping, food and drink and leisure. So whether you need new homeware bits from Søstrene Grene, want to grab a bite from HOP Vietnamese or are off for a social at Urban Playground, this is the day to do so.

Overlook this ‘chain’ restaurant at your peril. This Vietnamese place in the Corn Exchange is abundant with options like noodle soups, zingy salads, spring and summer rolls, and the quality is always top-notch. There are loads of gluten free options, which makes it a hero for group dining, and you get 15% off with a valid student ID. An all-round winner.

Popeyes have just opened their third site in Manchester, cementing their status as serious contenders in the fried chicken wars. (It is really, really good stuff). Plus it can’t hurt that a 20% discount is also available for students via UNiDAYS and Student Beans.

This September happens to be The Pen and Pencil’s 10th birthday, which means there are loads of offers running for the duration of the month, including 50% off food every Monday, two cocktails for £10 every Wednesday, £10 burgers every Thursday, happy hour all night every Friday, 10 dishes for £10 and two Bloody Marys for £10 every Sunday. Plenty of reasons to Hilton Street.

Stevenson Square stalwart Quarter House – an absolute go-to for outdoor pints, people-watching and exceptional BBQ food – is understandably offering a solid student discount. Get down to the venue to pick up one of those coveted student cards and you’ll be able to blag yourself 99p pints, alongside other rotating offers. It’ll also work at sister venue Hula. Nice.

Until the end of October, students can get 15% off main courses at Try Thai. It’s the iconic, purple-fronted Thai place that’s stood in the middle of Chinatown for decades. Enjoy curries, pad thai, seafood dishes and more, with a tempting little discount too. You can put off the meal prep for a bit longer…

Not specifically aimed at students, but well worth knowing about anyway, Yard & Coop’s £6 lunch deal is – like their fried chicken – undeniably good. For not much more than a fiver, you can enjoy some of their most loved mains like the ranch flatbread or BBQ burger, plus fries. £2 or £3 more gets you a drink or a side too. Happy days.