Escape To Freight Island in Manchester

So many brilliant food and drink outlets, lots of choice, great atmosphere

Paid £65 to attend the “Firework Extraganza” with my family/children. Display should have started at 8:30pm. We arrived at 8:15pm late due to being stuck on the Mancunian way since 7pm due to a serious RTA. They kindly still let us in when we explained we could get here before 8pm due to the RTA. My partner took my 6 year old to the toilet as soon as we got there. By the time they returned at 8:35pm the display had finished and she had missed the lot. So not only did they start it before scheduled time but it lasted all of ten minutes. It was the worst £65 I have spent and I have seen better displays at the local park free of charge. Really disappointed! Would not recommend this at all!

Slightly quiet when we visited around 6pm on a Friday evening. Decent variety of vendors, food and service was great. We opted for Tacos from Lazy Tony's, wings from Pattersons and Cheesecake on a stick.

Walked in and saw loads of tables reserved from 2pm. It was 7:15pm at this point. We took that to mean the reservation had come and gone so sat down and ordered food. After ordering food we were told the table was reserved from 2pm until close and that we had to leave. The disgusting woman who spoke to us was disgracefully rude after I’d mentioned that I’d already ordered food to the table and only sat there because the sign said reserved at 2pm. She said I should know that means it’s reserved from 2pm till midnight. Really?? That’s not how it works anywhere else. Never coming back.

Not many healthy food options with quite expensive prices for food offered I found. Also tried to order at Seconds but was told was sold out for the day unless I had pre-booked which thought was odd for a food hall where they generally used a app order and text alert system for collecting food. However, great alcohol frees at the bar with lucky saint hazy beers and nice atmosphere with plenty of seating options and sports on tv or sporting activities to do such as pool and darts. Also had indoor and outdoor seating.

Tons of options, something for everyone, very vibey. Try the "pour your own Guinness" machine, but don't let it settle too much because it times out sooner than it probably should. You can still take it to the bar to top it up though

Went recently to watch England play football, could be a great venue but is ruined by the lack of toilets and EXTREMELY long wait times at the bar. There was 1 male and 1 female toilet on site, which seemed ridiculous for the volume of people there. Wait times at the bar were in excess of 45mins with the bar staff working at a slow pace without any urgency or real competence. Won't be going again for a big game

Really enjoyed my time here. Good for a first date.

Brilliant place to come for something to eat and drink. Different vendors for different tastes is a winner for family's who all want something different from each other. Reasonable prices and really tasty food from all vendors we tried.

Great gluten free options at Mia’s Arepas

Came to Sports Island on Sunday to watch the Liverpool game and was really impressed. This might actually be my new fave spot to watch live sports in Manchester. Loads of space to sit, and the screens are massive, so you can see everything really clearly. We grabbed some food from Patterson’s – the chicken burger was unreal! Good atmosphere too. I’ll definitely be booking again

FINALLY a place that shows women’s football! Wasn’t expecting much, but was really surprised to see it on the big screens. Nice to find somewhere that actually cares about women’s sports

A brilliant lunch to celebrate my birthday with friends and family. The team were supportive when making changes to the number of attendees and it was great to be able to have kids and infants with us. Sadly we were sat right next to an event which was so loud we could barely talk to each other so wish we had moved tables but can't fault the venue for that really. Wonderful food options, efficient ordering app and fun games in the arcade. Its a great space for kids and adults alike.

1st time here and will be back again! Amazing place great food , beer atmosphere

Food ok Sunday roast meats I mean veg was under done and expensive place

Good place to meet up with friends and family. Have a variety off food spots something for everyone

I'd rather go food shopping than go back here and I actually hate that , awful, service shocking and very arrogant bar staff. I've been a few times, and to a few events, avoid the Christmas one, it's the biggest dissapointment and really overpriced. There's more festivities queuing in the arndale... I have a corporate function there this Christmas and I certainly won't be attending. I don't know why anyone would. I've told everyone and anyone to give it a miss, it's really is a shambles. The North Wests biggest overrated, over priced and over accommodated dissapointment...... Bad times

Sitting and having a sunday roast whilst lights twirl around and a heavy base vibrates your seat is not the vibe. Can barely hear who you’re sat with and the moving lights made me nauseous. Ate as fast as we could just to get out of there.

Pretentious, overpriced circus of a place. No staff around, kids treating it as a playground, far too loud for middle of day. Wankfest. 🎪🤡

Amazing time ITD Events Sapphira, Morphine and Plane Jane but please WHY was there a big bonsai tree blocking the view of half of the stage? Stupid place to put an ornament. For this type of event the stage was too low down, difficult to get a good view. This was at the plant room.

Lovely food market with amazing vendors and a great atmosphere! You can even book a table which is a great idea for places like this!! Using the online platform is very easy though the queue for the main bar can be a bit long - this is understandable on a Saturday night though! And they have plenty of staff so the queue goes quickly!! An amazing choice of drinks on the bar!!

Always a nice place to visit. I’d just say the food is a bit overrated for the prices.

Get down there 💪 food, food, food !

Visited here for an event hosted by Matthew Clark. Lots of space for various stands and was a great venue for it. I will try to be back for standard operation to give it a go when next in the city! The pizza place was good too.

The host team were excellent. Heather is great!

Love freight island but this is a no from me the food is just bad think school dinners back in the day dry spuds burnt Yorkshire puddings the whole meal was a travesty will not be coming back for seconds

Never knew this place existed… Great Atmosphere Can’t go wrong for food, so many different choices, had a look around all stalls and they all looked amazing. Will definitely be paying another visit soon

Had a great time at a friend’s party. Plenty of room and seating, drinks options were alright but not great. When it came to last orders the customer service was shocking, they called last orders 5minutes before 12 and took their time serving 3 people and the was like we aren’t serving anymore not even to the one who had been stood waiting for 10minutes Last orders should be 15minutes before closing not 5.

A great place to eat, drink and meet friends. Lots of choice of food and a good atmosphere.

It's such a great place but most of the food places are overpriced and not that great, which is a real shame. Mia's arepas always good, slightly pricy. Fuku tasty but the server was abrupt and one piece of chicken was huge and not cooked through.

Went mj Cole this weekend. That was one of the best nights out I've had in Manchester in years, great venue, and to top it off, they have a burgerism in there 🤤

The place is huge and good for partying

Came here on Sunday for the seconds carvery and honestly it was amazing. The food was lush and I think I went back about 3 times just for more roast potatoes ha! 😂 There was a dj on as well and they have a cute little bar called casa pomelo? (I think) where we had some amazing cocktails and a lil boogie!! Booked for my 30th already ha!! Only downside was I had work the next day and couldn’t stay later :(

Took the hubby and kids for a Sunday roast here at seconds bar. We all enjoyed it. Great atmosphere they had a DJ on. The food was really nice and I thought it was well worth the money

Went for the Sunday roast when advertised online was totally different then the experience spent £42 to still come out hungry and food being lukewarm all extras were £5 so cauliflower cheese which was burnt pigs and blanket and dessert was £6 so all together for the nice things would of cost an extra £16 per person quite expensive for a really average Sunday roast won’t be returning anytime soon wouldn’t recommend go for a proper carvery where they feed you more than ‘bottomless’

Good variety of food choices and drinks bars spread around. I like the buzz of atmosphere here, plus the amount of outdoor space.

Went to try the Sunday carvery at seconds Food was ok. Not much choice but what they did have was ok . Unfortunately the place , an eating place !! Was full of dogs . I’m not sure who would want to go for a meal in a place with loads of dogs . Is that hygienic I’m not convinced . Plus the barking ! All setting each other off . Almost tripped me up at the stairs too . Unfortunately this fabulous venue is literally going to the dogs . If they could be confined to either the outside or a corner out the way I would go back .

Great place, some good food stalls and it's great how you can go with a group and everyone can get different food and be satisfied. The Venezuelan place is the best place IMO.

Decided to go for a Sunday roast as it looked amazing on photos 1) On arrival inside the venue a member of staff was just stood on the stand texting away completely oblivious to customers walking in. 2) Paid £43 for 2x plates to be told they were out of turkey. Not a massive issue as just switched to a different meat. Move further along to be told theres no roast potatoes, no cauliflower cheese, no Yorkshire puds…at this point all we had on the plates were 2 thin slices of meat and a huge chunk of veg..waited for about 10 mins for the additional stuff to come out..nothing…at this point the food wasn’t even hot. On a more positive note, a manager was able to refund us and give us 2 vouchers to Burgerism for up to £15 so fair play to them for that. Venue however, was lovely.

Great place to spend with your family, friends & furry friends!

Really nice venue. We had a company event here, they have multiple spaces that open up really nicely. Food is solid, and staff were friendly!

We held a private celebration party for about 100 people in the Plant Room. The booking was made 12 months prior to the event and the liaison with the Freight Island team over that time was excellent. In the run up to the event itself we had professional, friendly support from the technical team supporting the artists and videos we used, from the hospitality team in terms of the catering and drinks arrangements and all of our guests had a really great evening.

Bland cold roast dinner. Forgot my card and they would not accept cash. Wouldn’t recommend or return.

The Sunday Roast NOT recommended. The only good about it was the Roast Beef really tasty & tender ,as for the rest Roasties not bad Veg 2 out of 10 & the Yorkshire puds Greasy and not cooked properly ,Gravy not bad ,& disappointed no Mash . Oh & they can't cook cabbage ! Definitely not worth £20. Needless to say we won't be going again .

Vegetable very raw and gravy like water and ran out custard not great experience would definitely avoid other places looked better ended up leaving so much especially the kids

Excellent venue with so many food options, great space for Swiftogeddon.

Someone is going to have an accident on the stairs......

Sunday roast is a must. Unlimited sides!

It's a nice variety of resturants to satisfy any particular craving, the food is all good quality and staff are Kind. Good for if you're with a large group or multiple people with different food moods. Decent price too and nice outdoor seating and indoor seating.

Great to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city Cozy location Nice service

Sunday roast at 'Seconds' ... be warned, it isn't 'Seconds', you can only go back up for the sides so, I paid £60 for 2 x adults & 2 x kids which gave us a total of 6 thin slices of meat between us. It's also advertised as 'unlimited' sides so it's a bit confusing, can I keep going up for sides or is it just the once for 'Seconds'? Basically, unless you want to leave feeling ripped off, just avoid. You can pay £60 for 4 roasts in plenty of places in town and not have to go back for seconds because the initial portion is decent enough for fill you up.

We went there for the Massaoke night. It was really wonderful. The atmosphere was magic. I would highly recommend.

Seconds Sunday roast is really terrible. £19 for two pieces of meat, £5 extra for each additional side. If you have a large carvery and every side you’re at £40. It simply isn’t worth it. Much better food at a fraction of the price available in our great city that you don’t have to queue up and ask for. Oh, and when I went up they had no potatoes. They asked me to come back later for them. So rubbish. I didn’t go up for seconds.

Great venue for food, drink and dancing. Drinks a little on the expensive side but was free to get in

Went to mj Cole last night, that was one of the bests nights in Manchester in a long time, Atmosphere was great, no troublemakers. It was a beautiful night and to top it off, there is a Burgerusm in there 😍 thank you Manchester for a wonderful night.

*they’ve updated the app so you can order from multiple vendors in one order - the place is a 10/10 (won’t mention fireworks night) Great fun events - like the McLaren f1 event in 2023, brilliant food, love it

Massively disappointed in ‘Seconds Carvery’ at Freight Island. First of all, the concept of Seconds isn’t really explained well in their online content as it comes across that you get a ‘bottomless’ choice of all food but really it’s just the regular sides that you have that option for, these include bottomless roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, Yorkshire puddings and gravy. If you want the ‘giant’ pig in blanket, stuffing or cauliflower cheese these are a chargeable extra at £5 each. The food isn’t anything special when you get it and the reason for the two star rating is due to the beef being the only component of the meal that was done brilliantly, stay away from the pork as it’s nearly all fat with not a lot of meat on the joint. I also don’t know who is maintaining food standards there but the temperature of the food was really cold as the sides were luke warm at best when they were served and I’m not really a fan of the way you have to take back your used plate to ask for ‘seconds’ as a new clean plate should be given to you when you want additional food. There also needs to be an increase in staff members wiping down the food area so more of a push on basic food hygiene is required. The staff member on the till seemed really inconvenienced when I asked him to explain the concept to me so that didn’t make a good impression on the business. The atmosphere was very chilled out and the music was great with an amazing choice of lagers and drinks at the bar so can’t fault the vibe but overall I wouldn’t return to ‘Seconds’ at Freight Island as the price you pay for a Sunday roast is comparable to other higher quality restaurants in Manchester which provide more value for money with much better service and higher quality food.

Very loud music during evening and night time. How hundreds of students in nearby buildings should rest!?

Casual place for the evening, quick food, cold beer and a mixed party crowd. Fun for everyone. You can sit in the hall or outside

Great place to visit with a large group, especially when lots of people want different food from the same venue. Would definitely go again.

Somewhat pricey but decent spot

The place is huge! Nice atmosphere. I went with some friends for drinks and food, nice option. Good beer. Would go again!

I came to Freight Island for their Seconds Carvery service, and I had a fantastic time.highly recommend

Really good atmosphere, the sun was out and everyone was having a great time. The food and drinks were amazing. One of the best places in Manchester when the sun is shining.

Plenty of great events for kids and families. Baby rave

Had a fab time here with the kids. The burgers are massive!! U use the QR code on the table and choose what u want to eat - really easy to use. U can watch the match in sports bar bit. Just outside is a really good playback for the kids.

Second time I have been here and was very impressed again. One thing I will say is that I went on a Saturday afternoon a few of the places were closed including one of the craft beer bars which was a big shame. Am sure they had there reasons for being closed but none the less tainted the experience a little. But onto the good stuff, had a gyros that was absolutely phenomenal probably the best I have had outside of Greece, would recommend the Greek food outlet there to anyone. Also had a caramel chocolate brownie cup which was very good. There is a lot going on in freight island, lots of food and drink to be had in a cool looking space that has been done up well. The music in a few parts was a bit too loud though couldn't really chat to anyone if you were sat there. Will definitely go back though is a nice and unique spot.

Food is expensive and not necessarily delicious But variety of food choices The atmosphere indoors and outdoors is very good Great for group gatherings Sometimes there is a live DJ

What a wonderfully eclectic place with a fantastic atmosphere!

A great mix of food, lots of regulars, and some new experiences, music is too loud fir conversation in areas.

Went on a Sunday for a food event and the food stalls on offer were very good and if its food and a family event you want then its a good place to go. However its very expensive at almost £7 a pint and it was pretty dead when I went (on a Sunday TBF) 'Decent' venue but very expensive - Wasn't terrible but isn't somewhere I'd bust a gut to go is my opinion

Place to be in Manchester, absolutely cracking vibes We sat in the plant room next to the bar & DJ Staff were great, food was unreal! Just a absolutely cracking night, will 100% be back

Really nice spot to chill grab some food..only thing missing is the pool hall..it wasnt open the last 2 times i went

Staff was helpful food was lovely

Went to the British Street Food Awards and it was great! Loved the food stalls, Baldy’s Pies was our favourite, good music and great atmosphere!

I had a nice time but it's pricey, there isn't a massive selection of cocktails, but it's not bad for a drink or 2 with work mates.

Me and the missus went to get lunch before seeing the Batman exhibition. Put our orders in on their app, waited nearly an hour after they said we'd get a text to pick it up and heard nothing. Her food had been sitting there for 30 minutes and got cold, my money had been taken but the order never went through. Terrible order system, never going back. A complete waste of money and time.

Loved it. Had Venezuelan food..... delicious. I will certainly return.

We got 4 tickets to an event hosting free drinks and food. We waited for over 2 hours and didn’t receive a thing. While other tables were 4 drinks deep and beginning to receive the food. We were told that we missed the drinks and should have asked with more confidence to receive a drink. Absolute shambles. Waste of time and an Uber ride into town. Re think your options if you’ve planned to attend any events here.

Great place with lots of variety for food. Just wish there were more cocktails available!

Wowsers an Absolutely Amazing Vibe on a Summers Day 👏 turning left from Picadilly Street Station, certainly threw me .. then the short walk (5 mins) down some back street made me a little dubious .. but wow ... what a place .. what a vibe what a party atmosphere .. 🫶 .. street food emporium .. order from the table .. collect from vendors .. I can't comment enough on the positive vibe for this place. I can only liken it to Havana in Cuba or a Rio Festival .. booking advisable for larger groups as there were plenty of reserved booths/tables (noted for next visitation) 🍕🍾🥂🍹🌴🥥🎉

Spectacular leisure place to eat and rest

Our son took us today as part of his birthday celebrations. Great place. Great staff…everyone from the security guys on The gate who made such a fuss of my wife cos she was on crutches..to the bar staff. Food is great ..no end of choices. Love to come back again.

Amazing place , amazing atmosphere, great park next door

Quirky street food style venue overlooking the beautiful mayfiled park. You would be forgiven for thinking it was not in manchester

But why is the music so loud? No chance you can chat or even hear each other.

Amazing venue. Security staff on polite and on point which is rare. Beautful layout.

I absolutely love it here. Loads of choices for food and drinks and in a perfect location. You can literally spend all day here!

Great atmosphere, reasonable prices, excellent food

Amazing place to watch the footy.. Fantastic atmosphere.. But mad busy

We went to Freight Island for the England vs Switzerland Quarter-Final, an event that the location had made a ticketed event. We had sorted tickets for our group, however when we arrived at Freight Island, 1 hour before kick-off, we were told that it was full and we would not be allowed to enter the site. This was highly disappointing, as a set number of tickets had gone on sale, and we had been lucky to get some. As such I cannot provide a review on the food, but unfortunately it has to be a 1* review as the staff on the gate were not accommodating and clearly the people that run the site didn't have control over what was a large event.

Great venue for the masses, lots of choice of food places and drinks. It caters to most people, the gardens around Depot Mayfield are beautiful amd open to the public. The whole area is clean and tidy. We had some Chicken for a quick Pit Stop before going to the Batman exhibition inside. They also have live acts on here at weekend too.

Great place to visit, lots of food and drink choices. Dj playing tunes while sport on the screens. Definitely worth a visit

Planned a visit on Sunday months in advance for a birthday and a leaving do only to be told 2 DAYS BEFORE that the reservation was cancelled because the venue "didn't know that England would be in the final". I paid £40 for 20 tickets, but had an alternative offered by Freight Island management which was £40 per person - evidently a ploy to make more money, and one that spoilt the day completely for 20 people travelling from different countries and cities. The worst customer experience I've ever had after being promised two phone calls - none of which were made - and with absolutely no reasonable solution provided over email. Seemingly from other reviews and a lack of any social media content - the Euros Final day was severely mismanaged. A great shame as the venue would have brilliant potential with the right management.

Great night , good range of beers and the Bao buns were excellent

Obvious the management put 0 effort into preparing properly for the euros events this year. Bars were all understaffed and underequipped, spoke to multiple people who waited over an hour for a pint. Food selection is alright though, is worth visiting on a normal night for a drink in the sun.

Prepare for a wall of text about the 2024 Euros. TL;DR is at the bottom. TVs During the Slovakia game England scored at the start of extra time but the TVs were still showing ads, so everyone missed it. Initially I thought this was ITV’s error but during the final which was on BBC, I realized the ads were FREIGHT ISLAND CHOOSING TO PLAY ADS FOR THEMSELVES, not the broadcaster. The 3000+ attendees seemingly weren’t making them enough profit, leading them to play so many ads that people missed a goal. Door Staff At the door there was a guy who on both the Slovakia game and the final wouldn't get your attention, mutter something, and then when asked what he’d said would borderline yell at you. Completely uncalled for and an extremely bad way to represent a place you haven’t even been in yet. More importantly during the Slovakia game just after England scored in extra time (which everyone missed due to the above point about the TVs) a fight broke out and turns out it was two bouncers FIGHTING EACH OTHER, not patrons. This was in the “sports bar” area near the smaller screen closest to the main room. Random patrons had to intervene to break up the two door staff fighting, which was quite literally unbelievable. Bars This issue alone will deter most people who came for the Euros from ever returning here for a big event. Every single queue had a minimum wait of 20 minutes. It's unbelievable that they would choose to put only 6 people on a bar to cater to an area of easily 500+ people. I joined a queue in the “sports bar” area at 19:20 thinking I’d easily get drinks in time for the 8pm kick-off, but it took 55 minutes causing us to miss the first part of the game. Multiple people in the queue said they’d been waiting over an hour. Additionally due to the waits people were understandably ordering more to “stock up” to avoid another queue, which then created more queues. The bigger problem was that the bar staff were just insanely slow. It’s hard to explain, but compared to other bars, they just seemed very slow. Possibly the most annoying thing was them stopping to have banter which is fair play when quiet, but when people are missing the Euros final because of the wait you’d think they could focus on serving. One person was to be fair being inappropriately rude to the bar person and the bar person said it was their first day. Having worked in bars, I worry that this is the classic toxic bar manager thing of letting more experienced staff have it off. I have huge sympathy for the individual staff as it’s not their fault that there weren’t enough of them and that they were under-trained. It wasn’t fair that people were being rude to them, but it’s indicative of a wider management problem for allowing this situation to happen. Toilets Far too few for what I assume is easily a 3000+ person venue. I visited a couple of years ago and remember a huge room of unisex cubicles, which seemingly no longer exist. Now there’s just one tiny set for men, some portaloos and urinals. The main issue here is when coupled with the slow bar service, you literally felt like you couldn’t get either a drink or use the toilets without missing part of the game. Tickets The tickets for the final mentioned a 4pm final entry for an 8pm game. I understand not wanting everyone to show up at 7pm and create massive queues but 4pm felt cheeky, as if they were trying to force people to come early and spend money. Furthermore, the 4pm entry time was only mentioned on the tickets and not in the ads. I saw on social media that multiple people were asking for clarification on this, understandably citing that they were intending to go after work and wouldn’t make it for 4pm, and Freight Island of course didn’t respond. Summary / TL;DR Absolute shambles of a venue. How a massive venue like this which has been open for multiple years couldn’t prepare for a massive event is insane. Completely understaffed, rude door staff, appears massively over-profit-hungry, and completely unfit for purpose.

Euros Final tickets were given out for free via QR code after semi final game and then cancelled and put back online for £25. ‘Rooftop’ was basically a yard with 10 Porta loos for 500+ people and multiple bars selling cans of Amstel for £6 Huge fight broke out with minimal security The game was shown on BBC iPlayer on two small screens and commentary couldn’t be heard, plus iPlayer kept buffering This place has always been and always will be a glorified canteen that focusses on £££ over people

One of my favorite places in Manchester, you must try arepas from Venezuela

Came for masseoke, which was amazing so my stars are not a reflection of that. However the drinks bar at the stage area was very misleading. Ordered 2 ginbull cocktails which were on a slide show above the bar. Priced at £9 on one slide and £10 on another. I was then charged £24 for the 2. When I asked about being over charged, and the two different advertised prices, I was told that it is freight island that decides the deals and dont tell them when its changed? Surely I can't be the only person to have realised this, or a lot of other people had been overcharged aswell and not noticed.