We tried Salford's waterside food hall and can see why it's making waves

As a proud Salfordian I've watched with interest how much Salford Quays has transformed over the years.

With each visit there seems to be something new that's popped up and I love how the place has become the successful media hub that so many doubted when the BBC dared to suggest moving there from London.

Its biggest recent development is the new drinking and dining destination Central Bay - one of the biggest operations of its kind, not only in Greater Manchester, but the North of England.

Part of a wider £3.5 million transformation of the waterfront stretch at Quayside MediaCity, it's home to the food hall Kargo MKT, which opened a year ago and was this week voted runner-up in the Best Food Hall category of the 2024 Best Street Food Awards.

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An all-singing, all-dancing food and drink hub, it features around 20 kitchens, space for 400 guests, a 2,000 sq ft outdoor terrace, five shipping container kitchens and a bar looking out onto Old Trafford and the Imperial War Museum.

Next to it is 11 Central, a trendy waterside bar and microbrewery and gin distillery courtesy of Salford's own Seven Bro7hers Brewing and Sis4ers Distillery, where visitors can soak up a mix of drink, food, live music, and bar games, as well as gin-making classes.

It was a glorious September day when we arrived to sample the food on offer at Kargo MKT and, while the terrace looked delightful, none of us had sunglasses, so to avoid squinting at each other for an hour or so, we decided to head indoors instead.

It's walk-in only so there's no need to book, but grabbing a table was easy enough as there's so much space. If you're lucky enough you might find a booth along the side and, for those with little ones to entertain, there's a little beach area in the corner where Peppa Pig was showing on the giant TV as children played in the sand.

It's a very relaxed, casual vibe here and you'd be just at home stopping off for a drink as you are sampling the many food vendors, made easier by being able to order from them all at the same time via the QR code on your table.

The hardest part is choosing what to have from the wide variety on offer, but it's the ideal place for a group outing when you all fancy something different.

You can even get your starter from one place and your main from somewhere else, which is what my husband did with some rather chunky halloumi fries and sriracha mayo from That Ziki and a Stateside Deluxe burger from What's Your Beef. You get a text message telling you to collect your order when it's ready.

Having sampled the delights of Worsley-based Leopard Pie before, we knew we'd be in for a treat with that place and were all keen to share one of its signature Honey Butter Rings.

A twist on the garlic bread that Brits love so much, it's like a giant donut, filled with homemade garlic butter, soaked in chilli honey and covered in parmesan.

Knowing she'd get a small slice of that one being torn up by the four of us, our eldest went for her main from there too, choosing a pepperoni pizza, perfectly cooked inside the vendor's huge graffiti covered pizza oven.

But the rest of our food came from Kargo's newest arrival Bok Bok Chicken Shop, based in a shipping container downstairs on the waterfront.

The team behind Manchester's beloved Fuku restaurants began serving their freshly fried chicken here earlier this summer and have been a huge hit with customers.

You can either order it from the container itself or, like we did, order it with the rest of your food and they'll bring it upstairs to the bar for you to collect.

Its arrival was hard to miss as the two towering burgers were delivered strategically placed above a cardboard bowl packed with deliciously seasoned cajun fries.

My Ranch Burger - 'crispy juicy chicken, with cool American mayo, in a toasted brioche bun with melted cheese slice - was every bit as good as it looked, piled high with tender chicken coated in Bok Bok's milky house batter mix. And our youngest enjoyed the Mac and Cheese Burger, packed with chicken fillets and crispy mac and cheese bites, along with some Bok Bok Wings with hot honey dip.

The only place we could find any desserts was at the cute little Boba Cha stall, which sells a range of sweet treats alongside its bubble teas, fruit teas and frappes.

And despite having sold out of our initial choices, including the rather tempting sounding Jammie Dodger blondie, we were more than happy with the red velvet cookie, cornflake topped brownie and strawberry cake that were suggested as alternatives.

Prices here are what you'd typically expect of a food hall like this, from around £12 for a burger, £15 for those towering chicken burgers and fries and from £14 for a pizza.

Given the size of them, I'd say the halloumi fries, at £7.50 for around half a dozen, was the best value for money option. But we did only sample a very small selection of what's available here.

Other vendors include Ad Maiora, the schiacciata sandwich specialists who have gained a loyal following for their truly massive sarnies, the popular Caribbean restaurant Jerk Junction, and Baity, serving up some Palestinian delicacies.

There's also Tang, with its famous numbing hot soup straight from Sichuan China, artisanal egg sandwiches from Egg &Co and everything from fish and chips and battered sausage or spam to 'Massive Baps' like a chicken dinner barm from 'modern day chippy concept' Super Fry Guys.

There's a lot more to this place than the food and drink too. Billing itself as somewhat of 'community hub', it hosts loads of events for both kids and adults, from yoga and pottery sessions, to free mini discos with character appearances, Lego workshops and slime making. You can see the full line-up of events here.

With such a good offering - for foodies and families wanting some fun - I'm not surprised this place is making waves.

Kargo MKT is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 11pm and Sunday 10am to 10.30pm. Food service finishes daily at 9pm. Workspace and Café available from opening time. Kitchens begin service from 12pm.