Lebanon is one of a trio of Lebanese delicatessens on Kingsway, which offers to meet 'all of your…read moreArabic household needs'. Their focus on the Lebanese/Arab niche also makes this a worthwhile destination for the serious foodie, both for the range of unique goods and also the strong Arab cultural vibe to welcome and inspire you. When I visited, it was staffed by a timid, veiled Arab girl, for whom my Scottish accent and loud personality were just too much! No problem, this gave me a chance of some banter with the whiskery main man, who came out from behind his halal butcher's counter where he had been busy spicing meats. I walked out with a dozen items - saffron, za'atar, rosepetal jam, date syrup, dolmades. Here you have not one, but half a dozen choices of each of za'atar, tahini, dolmades, vine leaves, floral waters. A can of dolmades is a easy way to add another mezze to your Arab feast. Many of the other items combine to provide a whole palette of mild but interesting flavours unique to the region, which I would recommend as having a broad appeal to most palates. They stock the widely-available El-Ammar khoubz wraps, which seems to be the biggest Arab bakery in Manchester, and very fresh bread too since they are local. I had already planned on lunch in Rusholme, but as it was getting late I decided to have dessert in advance - a takeaway selection of Lebanese date rolls, coconut slice and others, all very nourishing and energising when eaten in moderation whilst waiting at the bus stop! It is less of a trek than you might think to get out there, easily reached on the frequent 50 bus service from Parrs Wood, itself easily accessible from the Oxford Road corridor. Other than these Lebanese delis, I'm not sure that Burnage is much of a destination although I have an idea there are some OK restaurants - message me if you can recommend any! However, for Lebanese restaurants and takeaways, Rusholme is the main concentration.

From the owner: Great business here at Lebanon supermarket I have been a butcher I like to call myself king of…read morehalal meat I have any Arab food , Bosnian and I have over 1000 make please come and visit

I've shopped here a couple of times. Prices and produce all seems fine…read more Modern spacious store with a small deli and coffee machine.

Sinbad is the middle of the three Lebanese delis on Kingsway, see my review of nearby Lebanon for…read morewhat they offer http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/lebanon-manchester#hrid:mZMEU0Hocvjpedxvz2BN1Q Since they are quite close together, I would suggest visiting all three Lebanese delis as each as its own unique draws. However, Sinbad makes more of an attempt to be a greengrocers, whereas as the others are halal butchers which Sinbad isn't. I would say Sinbad is a bit less dynamic than the other two - but see my photos for some inspiration. If you are local to Burnage, this is a good place to grab your fresh herbs which ethnic stores do so well - mint, flat parsley, coriander.

This has got to be the best supplier of curry in the country!…read moreI used to work with someone who had a staff card for the Patak's shop and we lived on curries for quite a while. All of their products are tasty and authentically made in the traditional ways. I don't know how amenable they are to general public turning up for bargains, but it's got to worth a 'phone call.

Pure Indian Spices. Fantastic Qualityread more

There are plenty of arguments for and against the social impact of segregated communities in…read moreManchester. One of the overwhelming advantages of such communities however, which I'm sure will gain universal approval is their complete immunity from being threatened by giant retail food chains. You know the ones I'm talking about, the ones that've been driving out small independents outta business across across the country. I LOVE the fact that the communities remain militantly loyal to local foodstores like Madina. Upon close inspection, turns out the reason is a little more complex than just cultural affiliation. One of the main one reasons? This place is AWESOME!! There's literally a library of spices to buy (at BARGAIN prices) and experiment at home with. Any foodie/charlie out there who's sick of the monotonous nature of the shopping experience, will find this to be their culinary/chocolate factory. True, London probably bigger volume of such establishments, but they probably cant beat us for sheer quality. So next time you're stuck in traffic driving to town on Stockport road (through Levenshulme) have a break, and instead of having a kitkat, park up and have a cheeky gander.

Despite having a deceptively small storefront, once inside Madina Superstore turns out to be…read moreanother Desi supermarket easily on a par with branches of Worldwide Foods or Manchester Superstore. With the UK 'hungry gap' upon us, I bagged a box of lychees plus sundry Desi vegetable and fresh herbs. Freshness of the produce was very good, although a bit of banter with a Desi customer revealed that he was passing up on the tinda as being too big - although this is no doubt an out-of-season issue. For the mobile cosmopolitan foodie such as myself, the aim is to know where all the ethnic food stores are so that ethnic food shopping can be done with a minimum of detour from other city business and pleasure. Although there is nothing really oustanding about Madina Superstore to make you travel beyond your nearest Desi superstore, it is nice to have a proper Desi supermarket in Levenshulme to save Levy locals a trip up Stockport Road to Longsight. And visitors such as myself can combine a visit to Madina Superstore with a trip to the monthly Levy Market, or else the permanent Trove café bakery or POD deli.