The former Pesto restaurant at the Trafford Centre will become a new food hall with up to five street food traders, bosses have confirmed. The Italian tapas venue, one of the longest-standing businesses inside the shopping mall, closed last week after 20 years at The Orient, on the upper level.
In an announcement on the official Pesto website, bosses thanked "loyal guests for all your time spent with us." Since the closure, hoardings have gone up around the site, which extends back with balconies looking out across The Great Hall below.
New dining concept for the mall
The Manchester Evening News can exclusively reveal that the site is now being gutted and stripped back to its original shape to become an entirely new format for the centre. The new food hall would be a new dining space and concept for the mall, with hopes that many of Manchester's most acclaimed street food operators could soon be on their way.
In a statement, the Trafford Centre confirmed: "The former Pesto site will become an exciting new food destination celebrating Manchester’s independent food scene. Further details to be announced soon."
The new spaces are already out for tender, but the amount of works required means the site is unlikely to open in its new form until the new year. Bosses believe the space will allow even more local operators into the mix and aligns with customer demands for food that is quick to order for those wanting a short pitstop between shopping.
Record footfall and full occupancy
The news comes amid a period of sustained growth at the centre. Earlier this week, bosses announced the mall now sits at "100 per cent occupancy," meaning every unit is either open or let out to a new tenant awaiting opening.
Despite economic headwinds, consumers have continued to flock to the centre in recent months. It registered a record-breaking August, seeing 34,000 more visitors than across the whole of December 2025, the previous busiest month of the year.
Centre director Simon Layton said of the 100 per cent occupancy: "We are fully let, there is a tenant in every single unit with lease agreed. It’s unheard of in a centre of this size in the U.K."
Asked why the centre is continuing to attract big name retailers, he said: "The centre has had a significant amount of change since Covid and that has really allowed the leasing team to think about the retail mix. I put it down to a really strong analysis of what customers want. Really harnessing and embracing that data. We have a clear strategy of what we want every part of the centre to have, and I think it’s worked. We’ve taken time to understand what this centre is about, it’s not just a white box, people want to spend a full day out here and our footfall is up again this year."
Upcoming openings
There have been a series of big openings across the summer months, including new stores from fitness brands Lululemon, GARAGE and FootAsylum, as well as new toy shops from The Entertainer and the Disney Store inside Selfridges.
More big openings are to come in the next couple of weeks, with the opening dates for Japanese lifestyle brand UNIQLO on October 15 and American fried chicken brand Dave's Hot Chicken on October 23 now confirmed.
