“Dealing cheesy treats since 2013”, Northern Soul Grilled Cheese is a homemade Manchester success story with one lesson for us all — an awful lot of people love grilled cheese sandwiches. Or toasties, if you’re gonna get pedantic. A relaxed, soulful, fast casual dining must for anyone visiting the city — most of those living here are no doubt already acquainted — the concept started out with a stall at Church Street Market, before it quickly became apparent, a larger premises would be needed in order to satisfy the queues of customers making a beeline for this spot on a regular basis.
Now set on Tib Street, customers will find a large outdoor terrace for al fresco eating, and an interior nodding to both Manchester’s legacy as an industrial town and one of Britain’s Northern Soul outposts through bare-bricks and murals. That’s also reflected in the soundtrack, with genre anthems and lesser-known gems alike providing an uptempo score to accompany the food itself: a carefully curated list of oozy grilled cheese sandwiches. Bestsellers include The Soul, which features three premium cheeses, golden sourdough bread, and up to three fillings of your choice (tomato, fresh onion, Worcestershire sauce, Marmite, Jalapeños, and Tobasco).
But those looking for something a little extra might want to sample the Triple Burger Toastie, which is three smashed beef patties nestled between two individual grilled cheese sandwiches. Other perennially popular choices are the Mac Attack (grilled cheese sandwich with signature mac & cheese), Rare Beets (creamy goats cheese, roasted beetroot pesto, rocket and balsamic glaze), and the Kogi Cubano with Korean pork, ham, frickles (fried pickles and jalapeño mix), and BBQ sauce. That Mac & Cheese is also available standalone, with a range of potential toppings, while portions of three and five jumbo wings are on offer, too. Wine and fizz, beers and ciders appear on the drinks menu. The range of non-alcoholic specialities at Northern Soul Grilled Cheese is also worth noting, such as Homemade Lemonade, Watermelon Iced Tea, and Handspun Shakes with Whipped Cream. Deals include two cocktails for £12 Monday-to-Friday, and a grilled cheese sandwich, fries and drink for £10 on Mondays.