Freshers Week 2023: Where to find the best food and drink deals in Manchester

Freshers week is an exciting time for most students. You’re exploring your new city, enjoying the nightlife, joining societies and living independently for the first time. And while this is fun, it’s not always cheap, which is why it’s important to find ways to make your student loan last just that little bit longer.

Luckily, Manchester is a city with a big student population and knows how to take care of them. Many restaurants, shopping centres and businesses are offering discounts to help freshers and returning students settle in and get the new term off to a good start.

Here are some deals and events to make the most of this Welcome Week and beyond.

Deliveroo Grub Crawl

On 2-3 October, Deliveroo will be coming to Manchester for a city centre grub crawl, where students get to ride around on a ‘Amsterdam-style’ pedal bike, stopping off at some of the foodie hotspots. The tour, which is completely free, will visit Bunsik, Almost Famous, Yum Cha and Insomnia Cookies and last around 1.5hours. To enter, you must sign up on the Grub Crawl website.

They are also launching Deliveroo Students, which comes with a bunch of benefits, such as free delivery across the uni year via Deliveroo Plus (valid on orders over £10 for the first three months, followed by £25+ after this), and exclusive discounts with major retailers like ASOS (15% off).

Corn Exchange

The Corn Exchange has put together a helpful list of all the student discounts available at their restaurants, including 10% off at Döner Haus and 15% off at Pho – all you have to do is show your student ID card. The Corn Exchange also advertises job opportunities that would be suitable for students. More information, including a full list of discounts, can be found on the Corn Exchange website.

HOME

The cultural hub is launching a regular student night, which includes a live a DJ and discounts on food and drink. These include: pints and pizza for £12.50, cocktails and burgers for £14.50, two cocktails for £12. The student nights will take place on the last Wednesday of the month, starting from 27th September, from 7pm until late. More information can be found on the HOME website. 

Trafford Centre Student Night

On Tuesday 3 October, 6pm-10pm, the Trafford Centre are hosting their annual Student Night, where you can get up to 20% discount at stores such as JD Sports, Boots, schuh, Michael Kors, River Island, All Saints and Vans. There are also discounts on food, including £1 burritos at Barburrito, buy one get one free at Boost Juice, 20% off and happy hour cocktails at Tampopo, and 10% off at Archies. To get involved, students must sign up via Eventbrite. More information and the full list of participating businesses can be found on the Trafford Centre website.

The Arndale Centre

The Arndale’s Student Social is taking place on Thursday 28 September, 12-7pm, where students can get 30% off in over 120 stores including; Levi’s, Harvey Nichols, River Island, Monki, JD, Mango, Superdry, Kick Game, Jack & Jones, Office and Schuh. There will also be up to 50% off food, drink and leisure, including; The Cube and Putters at Urban Playground, Döner Shack, Immersive Gamebox, Archie’s, Krispy Kreme and Barburrito. Some stores will also be offering goodie bags and there will be free samples in the Food Zone.

The fun continues with entertainment throughout the shopping mall. The Bonkers Bingo team will be wandering about, offering students the chance to win prizes, there’s a ‘Ballnado’ machine near Monki where you have to catch as many balls as you can in 30 seconds, and there is also a giant Whac-A-Mole. More information, including all the freebies and discounts on offer, can be found on the Arndale website.