Freight Island

What it’s like

A food hall and events space near Piccadilly Station where kids are welcome until 9pm on normal trading days.

This is one for an evening food outing rather than an afternoon of activities. Freight Island is a food hall and event space carved out of the old Mayfield rail yards, two minutes from Piccadilly Station, and on normal trading days kids can come along and eat with you until 9pm. After that it's adults only, so plan your visit around an early tea rather than a late one.

The food is the main event here. There's a proper spread of vendors doing Brazilian barbecue, pizza, arepas, cheesecake, Asian fusion, burgers and gyros, which means everyone at the table can pick something different without an argument. Just watch the clock, because the vendors themselves usually shut up shop around two hours before the venue closes, so turning up at 9pm on a Saturday hoping for dinner is cutting it fine.

Most of the site is step-free, with the Courtyard, Plant Room and Avenue all wheelchair-friendly and a lift up to the Platform area. The Mezz is stairs only though, which is a shame if you've got a buggy or a wheelchair and fancy exploring every corner. Parking is straightforward and cheap, three car parks nearby at £3 for 12 hours, so you're not paying through the nose just to park up for a couple of hours of chips and people-watching.

Worth knowing before you book anything specific: this venue also runs ticketed events, and plenty of those are 18+ with their own entry rules that override the usual daytime family policy. So a normal Thursday teatime visit is a different prospect entirely from turning up for something advertised on their events calendar.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

3 car parks nearby at £3 for 12 hours, located on Baring Street and Buxton Street

Food

Multiple food vendors including Brazilian barbecue, pizza, arepas, cheesecake, Asian fusion, burgers, gyros, and bars

Wheelchairs

Courtyard, Plant Room, and Avenue are wheelchair-friendly

Getting there by bus or train

Piccadilly Station, 2 minutes walk away

• Kids can stay until 9pm on normal trading days, after that it's an adult crowd
• Food vendors close roughly two hours before the venue does, so don't leave dinner too late
• Ticketed events often carry their own 18+ rules regardless of the usual family policy
• The Mezz area is stairs only, no lift or step-free route up there
• Challenge 25 is in force at the bars, so anyone under 25 wants ID handy

Plan your visit

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