The best places for post booze eating in Manchester

As a student in Manchester I am a firm advocate that it is one of the best cities for night life in the UK. Not only has it got bars and clubs for all tastes, but the huge amount of great takeaways have everything to satisfy your drunken cravings. From the line of takeaways on student central Oxford Road, to curry mile, you're never far  from a quality fast food joint. Here's a list of the best places to go for your late night fix. Whether you're partial to a post factory portiion of chips or like to soak up the booze with pizza, I've got it covered.

Best for:

Chips - Babylon

125 Oxford Road, M1 7DU

With an atmosphere that is as friendly and welcoming as it's staff, Babylon is a great place to get out of the cold on a night out. Rest your party feet and eat in and catch up on the news while you chomp on something from their extensive menu. Serving everything from kebabs to fish and chips, Babylon is a great choice for food that is cheap and tastes great whether you're drunk or sober. Its chips are the perfect combination of crispy and fluffy, with more sauce option than you can shake a stick at. At £1.10 they're the standard price in Manchester, though are definitely worth more than a portion in any other takeaway. Also worth a mention is its garlic bread with cheese, which is the stuff of dreams. 

Second place: Il Padrino 115 Oxford Road M1 7DU- the only takeaway I've found that does chips and gravy and it does it well.

Fried Chicken-  McTucky's

36 Canal Street, M1 3WD, Gay Village

Nestled in the centre of Manchester's Gay village, McTucky's is the go-to for clubbers tumbling out of G-A-Y and Alter ego in the early hours. Only a stone's throw from many of the UoM's city campus halls and many private halls, it's perfect for those who like to eat their takeaway in bed (me included). Their fried chicken will wake up even the most tired of taste buds, with a crunchy coating that is full of flavour, it is the epitome of salty,spicy goodness and the smell alone is enough to drive you wild.

Second place: Gemini Takeaway 308-10 Oxford Road, M13 9NS - for chicken that is succulent and full of flavour. Perfect for those living in Whitworth park. 

Pizza - Pizza Co. 

121 Oxford Road, M1 7DU

For those of us  that would happily dine on takeaway pizza every night, but can't afford to shell out on Domino's, Pizza co is a great if not better alternative. For a mere £4 you can get a 10 inch pizza with two toppings and the combinations are endless. My personal favourites are salami and green pepper, chicken and ham and the classic hawaian. Their four seasons pizza is also the food of the gods.

Second place: 23rd Street Pizza, 317 Wimslow Road, Fallowfield, M14 6NW for 20 inch pizzas, where the box needs two people to carry and one slice is as big as your head.

Burgers- Winkys

220 Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, M14 6NW

Nestled on the corner of the start of the infamous curry mile, Winky's is a perfect stop for those in UoM Victoria campus halls, or anyone who lives just off Wilmslow Road. With its brightly coloured décor, this joint will revive even the most weary of clubbers. Enjoy your burger with one of their many milkshake flavours, like the Mickey Mouse, which consists of nutella, chocolate digestive biscuits, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

Second place: Babylon- for a nice and simple good old takeaway burger, that reminds you of burgers from the van at football games. In a good way.

Kebab 

Come on it's never a good idea. 

Street food in Greenwich

One of the advantages of going to university is that in the holidays you have time to travel around the country visiting your friends at their unis ( in between all the hours of studying of course). Although my home town is only an hour from London, I couldn't resist visiting my friend Helen for a few days, who is studying at Trinity Laban  in Greenwich.

Ever since my first visit to the capital when I was 5, I've always regarded London as somewhere exciting, where the magic happens, and whilst I've now exhausted all the main tourist attractions, just being in the city and walking around is something is enough for me. That and discovering little gems that are tucked away down its many winding streets.

Greenwich is perfect for this. Whilst boat trips,  the royal observatory and the national maritime museum are its main attractions, the area's landscape, shops and buildings are just as worth exploring. Walking amongst the stunning buildings of the Old royal naval college, it is both hard not to get caught up in the beauty of Christopher Wren's architecture or keep your camera in your bag. It's easy to feel like you're in a period drama - until you look across the river and see the skyscrapers.

fresh Ethiopian food from Greenwich
market

Not only is Greenwich great for culture vultures and historians, but all you foodies are in for a treat too. Just a minutes walk from Cutty Sark tube station is Greenwich Market, which hosts a wide array of stalls selling street food from all around the globe.  Here you can sample fresh Chinese delicacies, dim sum, authentic Spanish paella and the latest street food trend falafel- all made fresh to order. A huge portion of any of these treats will set you back around a fiver, which isn't bad for food this delicious, and and way more nutritious and filling than a latte and panini from Starbucks which is just as much. The smell alone is enough to persuade you to part with your cash. Choosing from such a varied selection with a rumbling stomach is no mean feat, but I finally settled on some Ethiopian cuisine. For £5 I got a vegetarian taster- a selection of traditional Ethiopian veggie dishes, including spicy chickpeas ans the most delicious spinach dish, served with a huge serving of  rice. Warming and filling, it was the perfect choice to put a smile on my face on what was such a grey and miserable day.

So as much as London is great for its big attractions, its the small, unexpected ones that really make an impact.