Zorbas

This was my first time here and it was really nice and reasonably priced too.
Me and my partner shared a meze and it was delicious and there was loads. The salad was really fresh and the hummus really tasty, even the stuffed vine leaves were nice here. The staff were really friendly and helpfull.
Highly reccomend really good food.

I tried a gyros, pretty standard affair, chicken was tasty, good salad and the tzatziki was good. The service was pretty quick, they use packet pitta bread, would have been nice to have some fresh ones but for the price it’s still good value. Overall pretty tasty, the chilli sauce they serve isn’t very spicy but still good. If you’re wanting a kebab they definitely fill a spot.

If it’s Friday Treat Day (the one day a week that I can buy lunch out without feeling like a greedy wastrel) and I feel like making the effort to walk a little further than the few feet to Go Falafel, I will make the the arduous trek to the Arndale Market for a halloumi pitta at Zorbas. (I still haven’t eaten at Panchos — something about it intimidates me.)
For £2.90 I can get a pitta the size of my face with an impressive amount of halloumi in it, in chunky fritters. This comes with all the expected salad and some nice fresh-​tasting tzatziki. Once I was offered chilli sauce with it, which was a fantastic addition and something I wish to replicate. («It makes it hot», I was told by the man behind the counter, leaving me to decide whether this was a come-​on or a blindingly obvious statement of fact. Another time I ventured in out of the driving rain, with soaking wet hair, and the same man genuinely asked me «…is it raining out there?»)
For £5 you can get a drink and a portion of chips, but I probably wouldn’t bother. The chips are soggy and boring and I’d rather just have a coffee paid for by The Man (a.k.a. my non-​profit employer).
Another solid option in my never-​ending quest for a cheap lunch in the city centre.

As much as it pained me to be in the Manchester Arndale Food Market and not go to Pancho’s I was doubley impressed with myself in sticking to one of my new years resolutions and trying out new places as opposed to firm favourites, especially ones that I’ve heard such good things about!
Now Zorba’s is Cypriot and offers everything up from main meals to snacks, salads and pita’s — with the lines sometimes being blurred between what was Cypriot/​Greek/​Middle Eastern but overall the smell and popularity of this place (based on the queue) showed it was popular with lot’s of people in town.
I went for the halloumi pita (double yum — it was so freaking amazing) with tzatziki, hummus and fresh salad — all for £3.20 (50p less if you don’t want hummus) and this really filled me up! I think for this price it’s a very good lunch option and one I’ll definitely be coming back to soon!
Great also to see the Greek Beer Mythos and Cypriot Keo in stock (just over £3 each per bottle) — 2 great brews and one’s I’ll be enjoying in the future when it’s not a work day!

There is other stuff going on at this stall — kebabs, savoury rice dishes — but as a vegetarian who already gets more through more than enough halloumi each week, I am only here for the falafel (see photo). Falafels, as a veggie burger with traditional roots, are important to me for a break from the dhals and so on that I have at home.
Zorbas falafel sandwiches are priced £2.95, but I was charged £3.50 which I think was for requesting oven-​fresh bread to be brought over from the related The Market Plaice stall. For that, you get three pieces plus basic salad, a lick of hummus, and what tasted like a dill-​flavoured tzatziki sauce. I found the whole package wholesome, if a little dry, but nothing that another spoonful of tzatziki wouldn’t have cured. The falafel are good but I would rank them below Falafel or Atlas Shawarma of Rusholme, or Topkapi on Deansgate for that matter, although above most others in Manchester. Plus, the mezze are only OK — I didn’t see any of the lush green tabbouleh which is common on Rusholme.
Still, I had no regrets at this price. I generally like the people-​watching afforded by the Arndale Market tables and also Parched Tea is on hand with a variety of quality herbal teas for something interesting to wash my meal down with.
Anyway, onto the next gig, and my next Arndale Market feed will probably be a burrito from Panchos. My next falafel try-​out is probably from Little Aladdin beside Oklahoma.

Halloumi is probably my favourite cheese. In Cyprus it is on every menu, usually deep fried and for vegetarians it is a good substitute for burgers on the BBQ.
Zorbas sells traditional Greek cuisine fast and for a good price. I always go for the halloumi pitta. You get a lot of cheese for your money and the pitta comes with salad and optional tzatziki. They also sell kebabs, Stifado stew, falafel and chicken dishes. They have Keo beer in the fridge too, that is the best Cypriot lager for sure.
I live very close to the Arndale Food Market so the halloumi pitta is a great takeaway option too. I think a trip to Zorbas on the way home today is a must.

Zorbas is great for a fast and tasty lunchtime treat. It is a little Greek stall selling, well, Greek food in the Arndale Market.
It has a selection of hot dishes which are served with either rice or cous cous and are invariably under £4 which, in my opinion, based on tastiness alone — is an absolute bargain! The Souvlaki is particularly tasty and I am told (by my trusty Greek friend) that it is made in a very authentic way.
If you are feeling like a lighter snack then a plate of Mezze offers the perfect solution. A plate piled high with Feta cheese, olives, salad, stuffed vine leaves, along with pitta bread, humous and tzatziki is great value at only £3.50.
The service here is speedy and the staff are helpful and friendly. Be warned though, if you are a girl you may get a large portion of Greek charm served up with your falafel!

If you fancy something slightly more substantial than a sandwich, a Big Mac or a Greggs sausage roll for your lunch (because, let’s face it, you can work up an appetite after a morning of shopping) then Zorbas is the perfect place to come.
Located next to Ethnic Bites in the Arndale Market, Zorbas sells traditionally Greek and Eastern food such as falafel (my favourite), hallomi, kebabs and a hell of a lot of things that I daren’t order because I’m not sure what they are. I don’t really care what they are, as I’m more than content with a tasty falafel sandwich and a can of Coke (under £4 for both).
The food is not quite as scrummy or as cheap as Falafel in Rusholme, but it is your best bet for city centre fried chick pea and garlic goodness, and the staff are pretty friendly too.