Your favourite fixed price lunch menu?

[Dinosuarlady2026]

Me, my DH and my 1 year old are travelling from Scotland to the Midlands this week and are going to stop off in Manchester for lunch. We both work Monday - Friday usually so never get a chance to sample lunch menus so are embarrassingly excited! Which are your favourite chain lunch menus that would be suitable for a child too? (None of us are fussy and will eat most things)!

Why a chain? Manchester and surrounds have many good independents that need your custom and would be nicer for you.

Are you going into the city centre or somewhere in Greater Manchester/near the motorway?

I don’t use chains. There are loads of great independent places in Manchester.

Might not be what you are looking for if you want to get into the city but the Tebay services are lovely. Might not work with timings.

https://www.tebayservices.com/

There are also nice places to eat in and around Lancaster. Also a lovely ice cream place.

https://www.wallings.co.uk/

Going into Manchester with a car is quite a detour off the M6 and parking isn't that easy. You might be best looking for something closer to the motoway or in Knutsford.

Darn. I thought this thread was going to a bunch of reminiscing about Fixed Price Lunch Menus you recall.

I was going to witter vaguely about my workplace in Kyiv. The canteen offered every day Salat Olivier, followed by either fried fish or chicken Kyivs followed by blintzses. With vodka or sweet white wine to accompany.

Possibly not suitable for a 1 year old. Or easy to find in Manchester.

What are you driving, car, car towing a caravan, camper?
Are you thinking city center or just to know that the sizzling grill off junction x is a nice one?

Manchester is huge! What area are you looking to stop in? City centre wise will be a nightmare for parking. You’re probably best off googling the area you want to stop, see what’s there, look at menus online. Or, give us a more precise location.

This is so odd. Lunch menus are not really that different from dinner menus in most places. Plus, do you never go out for lunch with your workmates?!

It’s not odd at all! Most places offer separate set pricing with limited options for lunch menus. Not everyone goes out for lunch with mates/work, especially if on a very tight budget day to day.

Driving through Manchester City Centre is utterly heinous with a confusing one way system that makes you want to scream. So I'd park on the outskirts and get the tram in.

I don’t know, I think it’s odd too!
If op is looking for chain places to stop and eat from a limited menu she’s better off looking at where their particular journey is taking her and finding what they like closest to there.
And yes, lunch menus round here at least tend to just compromise of a few of the starters and mains etc directly from the main menu so not wildly different, just more limited!

@HedgehogsOnTheWall Monday blues?

I WFH. I've not been out to lunch with my workmates in years given we're all WFH and in different parts of the country. If and when we meet as a team in the office we normally go to the canteen.

My reply was to @HedgehogsOnTheWall saying it’s odd to ask because basically a menu is a menu, and surely OP goes out for lunch .. when actually menus are different at lunch and dinner, and OP may never have been out for a social midday lunch, either due to finances, childcare or whatever. I certainly couldn’t out for meals when I was bringing up my family - literally no spare money to do so.

I agree where OP should be looking - hence my earlier reply.

Are you travelling by train OP?

Ah, this thread is making me rethink now! We’re driving and just need somewhere to eat and wander round for a bit for a break. We did the Trafford centre on the way here last week which worked well so just thought we would try Manchester City centre this time but from what some of you have mentioned it may be tricky with the detour/parking as we are driving.
We do usually check out independents especially for date nights etc but to be honest I just thought with my little one for a mid drive break it may be easier just to stick with chain. But happy to have any different recommendations 😊
Will definitely check out all the recommendations of locations, thanks all.

How about Giggling Squid. They do a ‘tapas menu’ where you get a set meal of 4 small items for a good price. I’m not a huge fan of chains but giggling squid is one of the few I make an exception for.

Me and DH both WFH full time, so no lunches with workmates for years now sadly!
I mentioned lunch menus as I always see great lunch menus offered (for example on our way down here we had the Wagamama set menu which was a main and drink for £14) but usually with working Monday -Friday we never get to take advantage!

seriously look up Tebay services... they are a DREAM... heavenly! easy to stop and just WOW!!! designed as if a services station in a fairy tale.... if only more could be so imaginative

There are lots of lovely places to eat in Knutsford and you can have a walk round tatton park too which is right near the town centre. Might be easier to go there than into Manchester City centre

If stop in Knutsford or Holmes Chapel. Lovely countryside, you could find a nice pub.

@Dinosuarlady2026 You can come off the motorway and park at several tram carparks, and get the tram into Manchester City centre. Look up Manchester metrolink park and ride, there are then several places you can eat - if all fails there is always the food court.

There's a small chain of Italian/tapas restaurants called Pesto with a few branches across the NW including the Trafford Centre.

I've never been but they're on my list of places to go if the opportunity presents itself. They do a 3 tapas for £X daytime deal that might suit. I don't know if there's one in Knutsford but that's a nice small town to wander round and get lunch in too. Manchester would be such a trek from the M6.

Hi OP, we travel this route a lot (we live in the south and have lots of Scottish relatives). We often stop for a coffee and a wander in the shopping village in Gretna Green and sometimes we stop for lunch or even overnight at this cute hotel called Villa Wrea Green. It’s about half an hour off the M6 near Preston, the food is great and reasonably priced, and there’s plenty of space to run around and stretch out.

thevillawreagreen.co.uk

If Manchester is a hassle then Tebay is indeed brilliant, but it’s a good bit further north. Lancaster is lovely and near the motorway, but again it’s further north and I can’t speak for the parking.

The centre of Warrington is quite nice and should be easy to get to from the motorway. It will have all the things you’re looking for I would think.

How on earth is it odd, not everyone works in the city centre you know, or even close to a town centre.