Following The Real Greek’s successful launch of its first restaurant in Manchester at The Corn Exchange, the UK’s only authentic group of Greek restaurants is expanding in the popular city, opening its second Manchester location at The Trafford Centre.
Following the opening of its first Manchester venue in December at Manchester’s Corn Exchange, the group has continued its Northern rollout due to strong growth and positive sales performance. The new restaurant will be headed up by one of The Real Greek’s seasoned Restaurant Managers, Janusz Hallmann.
The Trafford Centre is one of the largest shopping and leisure destinations in the UK, home to a plethora of drinking and dining outlets to satiate the busiest shopper, or families looking for a fun day out. As the first and only Greek restaurant in The Trafford Centre, The Real Greek offers a point of difference to pull in lovers of the Aegean cuisine. Alongside eating in, the venue will operate with its Click & Collect Service available from Monday 7th March.
Partnering with UberEats and Deliveroo, a delivery service (location-dependent) will be available from The Real Greek from Monday 28th March.
This will be The Real Greek’s 23rd site; its tenth outlet outside of the capital and its first new restaurant to open in 2022. Following strong demand for authentic Greek cuisine, The Real Greek continues to expand its portfolio of restaurants around the country, with a focus on the North.
The Real Greek offers diners a contemporary Aegean experience. The menu is designed for social dining, with a choice of traditional and contemporary Greek meze dishes, flame-grilled meats, souvlaki wraps and salads, all piled high on the table for sharing over authentic Greek wine.
With all the fun and energy of quintessential Greek dining, The Real Greek is perfect for dates, family get-togethers or catch ups with friends. Its traditional Greek hospitality always delivers a buzzing atmosphere and occasional live entertainment makes it the ideal location for birthdays, anniversaries and parties. There are also options for everyone, from meat-eaters to pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans alike.
Nabil Mankarious, Managing Director at The Real Greek, comments: “The new opening in Manchester’s Trafford Centre is such a positive move for The Real Greek. 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. Newcastle, Eldon Square is our next destination, continuing our expansion in the north.”
Zoe Inman, Centre Director at the Trafford Centre, said: “We’re delighted to welcome The Real Greek to the Trafford Centre this month. With over 280 brands on offer at the Centre, The Real Greek 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 Real Greek embodies the culinary heritage of the Eastern Mediterranean. Taking in the best of Greece’s gastronomic traditions; from the hundreds of islands to the fertile mainland and mountains, as well as the latest innovations of the capital’s restaurant scene.
It sources core ingredients directly from the finest suppliers in Greece. Its olive oil, which can be found in everything from the houmous to the salads, is pressed from an ancient grove in Crete; home of the world’s oldest living olive tree. The honey is made by bees on the island of Ikaria, which is renowned for the longevity of its people. While the feta, found in its Spicy Feta Dip, as well as many other dishes, hails from a region in Northern Greece called Epirus.
The Real Greek works with chefs in Athens to keep on top of the latest trends that are emerging in the capital. The creative direction in the kitchen is led by Tonia Buxton, a celebrity chef and the face of Greek food in Britain. Tonia brings a passion for authentic Greek cuisine, born from an early apprenticeship in her mother’s kitchen in Cyprus.
The Menu
Guests can mix and match from a selection of three types of meze: Cold, Hot and Grilled. The Cold Meze dishes include a variety of dips, such as; The Real Greek’s daily blended Houmous, and the rich and creamy Taramasalata which is made with undyed, salted and cured cod roe.
The Hot Meze dishes feature classics such as; home-cured Salt Cod, Falafel which is made with the restaurant’s signature recipe, and Dolmades which are vine leaves stuffed with rice, tomato, and fresh herbs.
The Grilled Meze is made up of meat and seafood dishes, including Lamb Skewers and The Real Greek’s Fried Kalamari.
Vegan dishes, specially designed by Tonia Buxton, include mouth-watering plant-based dishes such as their Chickpea Filo Triangles. Meat-free versions of Greek classics such as Soutzoukakia (Vegan Meatballs) and the Jackfruit Stifado also feature on the menu.
For those that want to taste Greece’s hero street food dish, the Souvlaki at The Real Greek come with several options for fillings. Their flatbreads come stuffed with chips and homemade tzatziki and your choice of grilled meat, Cypriot halloumi, falafel, or vegan jackfruit.
For dessert, there’s a choice of dishes such as traditional Baklava, Greek Filo Custard Pie, and Greek Yoghurt with Walnuts in Syrup.
The Real Greek’s wine list pays homage to the ancient Greeks, who pioneered new methods of wine production. The variety of wines use a diverse range of grapes from across different regions in Greece, and also feature a number of vintages from winemaking communities in Europe. Beers and cider, fresh juices, and Greek coffee and tea are also available.
About The Real Greek
The Real Greek interior features a light blue and white colour scheme inspired by the Mediterranean. Each restaurant has a distinct style, featuring the art of Greece and the islands to encapsulate the essence of the Eastern Mediterranean.
The business launched in 1999 and now has 22 The Real Greek sites. Their flagship site is located in Bankside, and there is also 1 Greek On The Street site located at BOXPARK Croydon. The restaurants can be found in the following locations:
