Chakalaka in Manchester

Lovely little restaurant. Cosy and a great atmosphere. Need to go back and try some more of the menu

We booked a table but after an hour we were asked to leave as they needed the table for another booking. We were not informed at the time of reservation that we had any time limit. The space itself is very small and because they have a lot of tables very noisy, waiters were practically on our heads serving food. Bad air conditioning and after we left our clothes smelled of food. Wouldn’t recommend.

Hosted a birthday party here, food, drinks and staff were all amazing. Thank you very much!

Amazing food, amazing service, great atmosphere, gorgeous cocktails and really reasonably priced!! I've never had meat so tasty and so perfectly cooked. The entire experience has left me dying to go back!!

Small restaurant, great food and delicious cocktails

Popped in really late on a Saturday night after 11pm and they welcomed us in. Food was great and delicious cocktails and lovely friendly staff!

Rarely do a review, but feel it’s necessary in this case! All the hype is worth it! Food was to die for! Certainly one of the best eats in Manchester at the minute!

Really nice food and amazing service! Enjoyed the happy hour cocktails

Amazing food, I've got a lot of allergies and my partner is vegetarian and we both had plenty of options. Great dessert and cocktails too - get some amarula if you have the chance!

Great food and great value, the platter was delicious. Friendly staff too

Absolutely amazing food and great service Ate here yesterday, & it took me back home. The food was delicious and we loved every element of it. Coupled with a bucket of Hunters Gold what more can you ask for. The rustic look of the place took me back home completely. We loved the experience and we shall be going back again and recommend it highly.

Fantastic place and delicious food!

The food and the cocktails were fantastic. Every member of the team said hello and was lovely and welcoming (other restaurants in NQ could learn a thing or two from these guys). If you go on Monday-Wednesday the cost of your mains will be halved! Incredible value for money. Large outdoor seating area with proper gas burning heaters for when the colder months hit. Great vegetarian options as well. Thanks guys, I'll be back for some delicious saffa scran very very soon 😁

Nice food, this could be so much better.

Great food! Bit expensive for what it is, but it has 50% off food deals in the week. The staff were friendly and the outdoor area is nice

Booked by telephone. Didn’t have our reservation, totally packed so never tried it. Looked noisy and overcrowded so maybe for the best.

Visited tonight and made very welcome. Dined in the outside rear seating area c/w table heater. Chose the Sosatie skewers with piri piri chips and dips, they were delicious and generous portions too. All the staff so attentive and interested in chatting to all tables. Red wine delicious and house lager tasty. We were fortunate also benefit from the early weekday special deal of 50% off main meals so a great deal. The place was packed as we were leaving and many other diners saying it was their favourite place to eat. Looking forward to returning. Highly recommended.

Very tasty and value for money food. Our server,Andrian, was very polite and willing to assist us. Also, it is baby friendly and our little boy loved their decoration!

Food is always of great quality and the atmosphere is always nice. the deals from Monday - Wednesday are great too!

If you're South African and craving a taste Of home, do yourself a favour and get down to chakalaka. Excellent service, excellent variety and the taste hits home.

Excelente para relembrar sabores sul africanos em boa companhia. Musica ambiente agradável e menu variado a preços médios.

Love this place ! Lovely food ! Lovely staff and lovely drinks ! Dog friendly too !

Being 100% honest, having not visited here before, I was a bit put off by some pics of this place as there are so many other choices for places to eat in the city - however I was persuaded by my South African friend to give it a try and all I can say is wow ! The food is unreal and was totally unexpected. Everything ordered was nothing short of delicious and the staff were really nice, polite and super helpful and a pleasure to speak to.. soooo glad I didn’t bother with the usual pizza express or Wagamamas and gave this place a whirl… next time I’m back in Manchester - I’ll be back for sure !

As a South African living in the Uk (unfortunately), this felt like home it was amazing. The food was fantastic and still very authentic while being slightly adjusted for a british palate. I really enjoyed the experience. Can personally recommend the Rooibos MarTeani, was absolutely delicious like a yummy alchoholic milkshake. Super reasonably priced especially with the mid-week deal and the happy hour drinks. Will go again, thank you Chakalaka.

Nice tent, friendly service. And a good price. Food was delicious and plenty of it.

Great little place and good value food. Best go when hungry! Only complaint was too much seasoning on fries .. cannot fault the staff .. nice and friendly

Great venue. Friendly staff. Lovely interior. Great little yard at the back. The meal was outstanding. Quality and quantity. And 2-4-1 drinks on a Saturday !!! This is a gem of a place in NQ.

Absolutely beautiful ambience with a South African feel to it ❤️

Brilliant spot in the Norther Quarter. Our server (I think his name was Adrian) was great and I really liked the atmosphere and vibe. We chose to sit inside instead of the beer garden because it was a little cold. There was a good selection of South African beers and drinks. Food was great. I had the sosatie, first time trying that, well priced and good portion sizes. Would definitely go back and recommend to others.

Pleasant ambience. Quick service. Most importantly, DELICIOUS food. 5/5.

Mon premier restaurant sud-africain. Il y avait du monde, le temps d'attente était un peu long. La bière brassée spécialement pour le restaurant était un peu légère. J'ai testé le bunny chow. Le curry était bien épicé. Bon, mais fou non plus. En revanche, gros coup de coeur sur le dessert: le malva pudding, un pudding à l'abricot et à la crème à la vanille chaude!

Had chakalaka last night and believe it caused me to have food poisoning, the food wasn’t that great and quite small portions for the price. The food was 1/2 off but it didn’t taste like any South African food I have had before. The blonde guy who served us was really nice and overall made sure that we had everything. Was looking to try this but left disappointed as did my partner.

I have been here multiple times over the last few years and if never disappoints. In fact, if anything, it gets better and better. We sat this time outside the back in their garden and it was a great, intimate oasis in the middle of a busy city. Cocktails were delicious, properly made and not watery - and during happy hour, an absolute bargain! The food was divine, tried something I've never had here before and loved it just as much as other things I've had. Pudding was also divine- the chocolate peppermint and caramel pot, yum yum. The staff were all super friendly and helpful and there was no pressure to leave our table once we had finished eating. Not to mention the price - such excellent value for money. I'm never disappointed and I will continue to make this my number 1 choice for a meal out whenever I visit Manchester.

Amazing food! good service, only thing wrong was at the end we got charged double for a large soft drink but this wasn’t stated on the menu anywhere and our server didn’t ask us what size drink we would like so we just assumed it was one standard size for the price shown

Keep returning here everytime we're in Manchester. Service is attentive. Food is so damn good. Flavoursome. It's always so busy and yet the floor is ran so very well! Can't recommend it enough!

Went in yesterday for a solo date, ordered a bunny chow and drinks. No Savanna dry still but we move. Firstly the bunny chow bread was not fresh at all, no softness and bread freshness. Barely any chicken in the curry, could have easily been a vegetable curry in that bunny chow. As I'm eating in walks people with a dog, this dog was moving up and doqn from under their table. to their sits, sniffing the table, to coming under my table and I am TERRIFIED of dogs. No member of staff asked them to make sure the dog does not interrupt other customers. Instead a waiter serving food, played with the dog patting it's head (zero hygiene) I came back after a year think there will be a change from last time but sad to say I will not be returning to this place meant to make me have a taste of home away from home. Solo date for some peace and nice food ruined.

Great place tucked away on the edge of the NQ. I think it’s a true hidden gem of Manchester, it’s been here for some time but you never hear it mentioned much (wrongly so!). Serving up South African vibes the food here was awesome, cheap and heavy portions! A huge menu to choose from but it was all delicious from what we tried, the bunny chow is a must try if you’ve not had it before served in have a loaf of soft bread. We’ll definitely be back and you should absolutely try this place for a fun but filling meal without denting your wallet.

This Place Is A must if visiting Manchester….The food is absolutely stunning everything freshly made to order I went for the Meaty Mezze board which was absolutely awesome make sure you are hungry if you order This, My wife went for the cape Malay chicken bunny chow which was also delicious and 50% off mains was an added bonus The staff working here are an asset to this small business all so friendly and helpful nothing is to much trouble for them will definitely be returning when visiting Manchester next

Absolutely delicious food. It is always fun to try something different, and chakalaka did not disappoint. We had the cheesy maize balls and nachos to start. The nachos aren't like standard mexican nachos, and they were absolutely gorgeous. One of the party commented those nachos will live rent free in her mind for a long time. The maize balls were also good, but the star of the show was the chakalaka they were served upon. What a lovely thing, with a really interesting flavour profile. We have a bean hater in our crew, and the chakalaka was so good he actually ate beans for once. The mains were also really good- particular highlights were excellent chicken cookery, which was delicious and juicy apparently, and huge portions. There are a lot of interesting veggie options, and the one I had (frikkatel? Can't remember how to spell it exactly) was like a mixture of Indian rice and meatballs served in a very tasty slightly spicy almost like pasta sauce that I would have been proud to produce myself. The combination was excellent. Drinks were really good- the cocktail pitchers at £17 were great value as we got at least 4 drinks each out of them, you could taste the alcohol and they were very tasty. There was only one toilet that I could see which was a bit dated but it was clean. Friendly and efficient service. Thank you.

i left my headphones and the guy ran after me. thanks king. food was a bit cold. ill allow it

Great service, good value and really delicious food!

Visiting for the weekend and had done some research of highly rated, independent restaurants in the city centre, and Chakalaka came up trumps! And it didn't disappoint. Lovely to be able to sit outside. Super service and delicious, flavoursome food. Definitely recommend. Thank you!

Definitely the place for South Africans looking for the taste from home! Delicious flavours, Spices and sauces spot on! We love a visit to Chakalaka NQ

The best curry in Manchester! Awesome restaurant! They've kept adding to their menu and all the food is great. The ribs are especially delicious.

Was looking around town for a place to eat and stumbled upon this restaurant. We hadn’t had South African cuisine before so was curious to try it. We ordered the chicken sosaties, leeker beef ribs and chicken bunny chow. There were plenty of fries which were crispy and tasty. Chicken bunny chow had quite a spicy kick to it, needed more sauce to soak the bread in. Chicken sosaties were nice too, had good flavours to it aka not bland. I liked the spinach and mushroom side dish, creamy and flavourful. The rocket salad needed more dressing, was hardly any in it. Lekker beef ribs were tender but very salty. The mac and cheese that came with the ribs was rather bland. Mocktails were refreshing.

Food was delicious!! Had the meat sosatie with mango sauce, would recommend. Drinks also good!

Really enjoyable meal, and for a restaurant in the city centre, not expensive. It’s got a bit of a studenty look about it, you certainly couldn’t describe it as smart, but the food was all tasty and a bit different. Service was friendly and efficient

Friendly staff, reasonable prices. The food was very good. And the choice was also nice. Happy hours make this place even better. Recommend!

This is not a review of the restaurant/ bar itself, I'm from SA and I've been to Chakalaka several times and enjoyed myself, it is a review of their takeaway side. Tonight I was planning on getting a takeaway until I noticed two charges that should not be there...... Let's take a meal costing £13.50 they charge you a service fee of £1.35 and a "SMALL ORDER" charge of £2.00........That is nothing but a complete rip off, add to that the delivery charge of £3.49, your £13,50 meal now costs £20.34. How do these places get away with ripping people off like this, surely it cant be legal.

Simple yet viby place that brought me back to Johannesburg. The biltong selection was great. The Samoosas (not Samosas as many say) were tasty. The main course was also awesome. Proper Bunny Chow. And the desert was to die for - Peppermint crisp. Lekker!!! Do not forget to have a proper South African Springbokkie shooter and a Hunters Gold cyder. In short, simple place with good service, good vibe and great food!

Friendly staff, delicious food and lovely cocktails. We were just visiting Manchester for the weekend and are really glad we came.

Sadly, food was cold. I didn’t really enjoy the taste of some of the food. Some was okay but nothing really stood out. Wanted to try something new instead of the usual generic takeaway but sadly was left disappointed.

Some of the food wasn't cooked properly. I think they need to rethink the menu . Monkey gland sauce is now overrated. Bring in some bbq sauce, mango, and vegetable pickle, etc . As a South African restaurant, U think they should have Happy hour on South African drinks .

The food here is amazing. So many dishes to try but I recommend the cheesy balls and the beef rib. Even better if you can get a table on a Wed, half price main courses!! The service is great too. Thanks Tom 😊

Fantastic food, great cocktails and really friendly fast service. Super affordable too.

Really great food and lovely staff! Would go back again, feel the Malva pudding could have tasted like peach but other than that I recommend the Chakabab. Hot food too. Castle beer is good! I would return again!

I wasn't blown away with my meal. The meat was tasty, but there was way too much sauce. Service was very efficient and friendly. Happy hour kept the prices down. I probably wouldn't return, though.

Really good food, service and atmosphere. Would definitely recommend. Good portions and great price. Would love to come back :)

Great service would recommend the jaffacake cocktail

Incredible food and wonderful service! The spicy tomato sauce, the Chakalaka, the cocktails - everything was really tasty.

Great service from Liv - happy hour and food were lovely too! Bit spicy but exactly what was needed on that Monday. Sat by the window and people watching :)

The restaurant is a really cool experience overall!! We really had a great time!! The staff is really professional and friendly. And the food was excellent, we really recommand this place !! :)

Portions seemed small for the price, but mainly the food was too salty for me but lacking flavour as well, the lamb was super dry as well.

Amazing food. Fantastic gem in the Northern Quater of the city. You must book as it gets very busy. Really good value and totally worth a visit.

Most succulent beef ribs you’ll find! Got the lekker ribs and they came so tender with a large portion of piri fries with mac and cheese. 50% off during certain days meant we spent £20 for two beautiful meals, would recommend!

I ordered a platter and some of it was cold

It's just alright. I didn't find it particularly great. I had paneer curry. No one can go wrong while cooking paneer. But the dish wasn't that great. The masala was burnt and hence the curry had an after taste.

Great food, great service & great value. Can't recommend enough

Great food, great vibe! Traditional South African grub with a twist. Very tasty and good selection! Edit: 4 years later and we just keep coming back! I've introduced friends here too. The closest I can come to showing a little SA food and culture in England ❤️ the staff are absolutely amazing! And of course the happy hour cocktails are to die for. My favourites are the Rooibos mar-tea-ni (try it! It's sooooooo good) and the pomegranate cocktail. Joburg sunset also gorgeous! The chakalager is a great beer too on tap and even better on a 2-4-1! This week though, for the first time in a little while, we were here and not just having drinks but food too. Half price mains from Mon-Wed each week and... Oh. My. Damn. I was gutted that they'd just run out of the beef ribs as I really wanted to try them! Oh well. Next time! I ordered the lamb bunny chow and it was absolutely GORGEOUS, and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavours! Tasted very reminiscent of traditional Durban curry! The lamb was tender and beautifully spiced and cooked. Tried a bit of hubby's wors roll and though I'm not a fan of wors (terrible South African I know!) It was actually lovely! Friend ordered the chicken sosaties and they were proper chicken sosaties - chunks of chicken with peppers and onions between. Deliciously marinated and cooked. Gorgeous! I was a little bummed when I had ordered the beef sosaties in the last and they were minced beef - closer to a shish than a sosatie. Not bad, but not an SA sosatie so made me sad 🤣 Please do the beef sosaties like your chicken ones - cubes/chunks of beef/pork/whatever - the SA way. The chicken ones were gorgeous 👌 Edit: tried the beef ribs tonight and husband had the footlong wors roll. The food is always good but WOW! This was next-level amaaaaaaaazing 🤤🤤🤤 Love love love this place!

Omg! Where have you been all of my life. Honestly tho I don't know why we haven't been before now this place is amazing 😍. Food gorgeous, drinks great on Happy hours. And staff are a credit to you so friendly and welcoming. We will be back thank you 😊

brilliant atmosphere, boiling food and not expensive amazing range of food and drink and all tastes amazing the service was amazing and very quick

Tom, our server, was fantastic and very welcoming. Best service we’ve had in a restaurant for a while. Everyone was brilliant. The ribs and chicken wings were amazing - must have!

We had a lovely night for valentines. Tom was especially helpful and friendly! He also gave some lovely suggestions for food.

Food came fast, cheap cocktails and amazing taste.

Lovely food, great staff who helped so much when I had questions about the food and what was best to eat! Everyone loved all the food and the atmosphere was amazing. Will be back

Our meal completely surpassed expectations, it was amazing! We had the mezze boards and the ribs which we couldn’t fault - the ribs fell off the bone, they were so juicy! To top it all off, we visited on a Wednesday so there was 50% off mains - such good value

Went during half price food in January. Had the Mezze boards and enjoyed our time. The friendly servers were an extra bonus.

My favourite place to go for dinner. Absolutely obsessed with the sharing platters!

It's just didn't meet any of my south African experience expectations 😔 The area by the beer garden was extremely cold so we couldn't even enjoy all those beers that were served all opened which was bizarre for my experience. Maybe it's just a food place just like Nandos. My expectations were high unfortunately.

Absolute gem. Our first time having South African and really impressed by the range of foods to try, all beautifully flavoured. Some great happy hour deals on drinks. The vibe of the place is really cool - I loved the African decor and atmosphere!

Wanted to try this for ages so went during the January deals, it is just 50% off mains not the whole menu! There was no Lekker ribs which I was disappointed at but having asked some SA friends wanted to try some of the items they recommended. Wish more explanation on what each of the biltong was but very tasty and would return to try the ribs. Good Happy hour drink deals too

We all loved our food today. Service and atmosphere were excellent.

My favourite restaurant in Manchester. Amazing selection of vegetarian dishes, delicious food and drinks, amazing food offers and such a lovely atmosphere/friendly staff!

definitely recommended. Tasty dishes, friendly staff. You should try South African cousins

Having tried various places to eat on a bank holiday to discover it fully booked or rude staff we struck lucky with our 5th attempt. It was so refreshing to be greeted warmly and informed there was food available. Our friends were vegan and this place had plenty of choice surprisingly for them! We were lucky enough to arrive during happy hour 2 for 1 cocktails. I chose a brandy mojito which was beautifully made. For starters I really wanted to try chicken wings or the mac n cheese but I adore biltong. When this arrived it was just like the stuff my friend used to bring back from Malawi. Conveniently it came with a paper bag providing a means for snacks later and kitty treats. For mains everyone order a bunny? A thick slab of bread stuffed with various meat such as lamb or chickpeas. I had a bobadi? Dish which was eggs baked with mince . All the spices were perfecta and portions generous. Overall really good service and a nice variety especially for vegans veggies .

We visited on Sunday night. Really very average. Perhaps we ordered the wrong thing!? We had the large sharing platter mezze board meal. The chicken wings were nice but everything else very average. Stodgey mac and cheese with dry jerky mixed in, more Jerry on the side, the sausage lacked flavour. Was really looking forward to eating here and left disappointed. To top it off we had to ask for rhw bill to be reduced because they didn't add the January deal! Also was seated right by rhe loos which is not ideal!

We have been several times and the food is consistently great. Cheap cocktails too. Would highly recommend the Sosatie

Absolutely amazing find. 50% off mains Monday-Wednesday and 2 for £10 cocktails for happy hour. The food was incredible and the service was excellent. If I didn't live far away i would come here every week. My partner and I had 4 cocktails, starters, mains, and dessert for a combined £57 and both went home with a box thanks to the generous portions. We had ridiculous value for money (in the best possible way)!!

It was quite busy with a pleasant atmosphere. The food was fabulous, especially considering there's an offer in place for January which also makes it very economical. Also, the waitress was extremely pleasant, serving us with a smile.

Food was absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. We came at an odd hour so it was very quiet in the restaurant however I assume in the evenings the place come alive with buzz and general chatter. It was wonderful getting to experience the cuisine and try dishes I’ve never heard of before

Food was decent I suppose but not worth the price, could have been an enjoyable evening if not for the service the blonde gentleman serving us seemed to not want to be there and honestly just made us feel unwelcome and ruined our evening. Seems to be a small restaurant with not many tables which left us feeling cramped at our table. I understand it’s a busy time but there is no excuse for unpleasant staff and ramming people in where there’s no space! Will not be returning and I suggest others don’t either

Out last night with 4 ex colleagues for a pre Christmas get together in Manchester. All now retired senior management and very respectable ex-professionals. Having a great time in Chakalaka, food more than acceptable, service ok and then things unfortunately took a turn for the worse when whilst being presented with the bill for £150 we were told rather aggressively "You've got 1 minute to pay and get on your way!" It seems the staff wanted us out so that they could close up and party with their friends. This as you can imagine totally floored us and ruined our up until then enjoyable experience! Not surprisingly we took offence to such inexplicably uncalled for and simply downright rude behaviour and suffice to say we will not be returning anytime soon and instead will steer clear and go instead to somewhere our custom is both appreciated and valued!

Such a lovely South African restaurant. The food is devine and tasty. Really taste like South African food :) The 50% off of the meals deal is amazing, it makes it very cheap and nice. When I called to say that I would be late, they were accommodating and friendly.

Some really good food here. I will be going again.

Lovely food and atmosphere , good portion size and very friendly staff - chicken curry was lovely

The food and drinks menu is excellent and we had great service too! Definitely returning

Very lekker food. I come here when i’m homesick. Food is all very good and not too overpriced. Pap could do with a little more salt or aromat. Portions are quite big too. Overall a must go if you are South African in the area or someone interested in Mzansi cuisine.

Outstanding food; if you are in Manchester, NQ definitely need to visit this place!

Great food, fantastic prices and the staff were really friendly and helpful. Would definitely go back!

Great interesting and delicious food. Superb value Mon to Weds. But worth every penny any night of the week.