Inside The Egyptian Room food hall as it opens to public

The Egyptian Room is Oldham's newest dining spot, with the promise of a contemporary foodie experience in the renovated halls of the Grade II listed town hall. 

At 7.30pm today (November 1) the hall opened its doors to Oldham and welcomed a range of excited diners. 

The Egyptian Room (Image: NQ) The hall has been renovated to provide a luxurious feel when dining at the range of eateries whether it is Cambodian food, Italian pizza or a sweet treat, the food hall has got a bit of everything. 

There's a total of five restaurants in the hall - Ply Loves Pizza, The Last Stop, Wings of Power, Tuk Tuk, Seacoles and Sticky Fingers. 

Ply Loves Pizza is serving up Italian pizzas and has made a new home in the food hall after the shock closure of its Stevenson Street venue earlier this year. 

Burger at The Egyptian Room in Oldham (Image: NQ)

The Last Stop is the newest burger and gyros spot in Oldham but will be a familiar name for those who have visited the Stockport site of the same name.

Another Manchester-born business sees flavourful chicken wings flying from the Wings of Power kitchen along with their signature fried chicken and burgers.

@theoldhamtimes Here’s a first look inside The Egyptian Room in Oldham ahead of its public launch tonight. #theegyptianroom #oldham #oldhamfoodhall ♬ MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS) - Tommy Richman

Tuk Tuk is serving up a Cambodian and Asian storm as an extra site from the well-known Stockport restaurant Kambuja.

Seacoles is cooking Carribean delights with a hearty feel and is a new addition to the food scene in Greater Manchester, meaning visitors will have an exciting new option to try.

And to finish it all off, yet another Stockport staple, Sticky Fingers has been baking sweet treats to add the final touch to the dining experience.

Inside The Egyptian Room in Oldham (Image: NQ)

The new hall is open Tuesday- Thursday 12pm until 10pm, Friday- Saturday 12pm until 12am and Sundays 12pm until 9pm.

The space has been long anticipated, with an original open date set this summer but being delayed due to 'complex restoration works'. 

The Egyptian Room is managed by Northern Lights Groups, a company that runs a number of popular restaurants and entertainment groups around the North West.

Arooj Shah, leader of Oldham Council, said: "The old town hall, what The Egyptian Room is part of and this whole complex here, was a really derelict, unloved building.

"Jim [McMahon MP] had a vision for this whole building and the one thing Jim and I do share is our passion for Oldham's heritage buildings and he had a vision to make use of something that was unloved and derelict for a long time. 

"The importance of that was not just the history and the contribution of what happened in these buildings before us but actually as a nod to say that even in the most difficult of times, because it's been hard the last 14 years, it's a nod to say how much we value our residents. 

"How even in the most difficult times, this inspiration and the ambition of our partners is a nod to every single one of our residents and communities, no matter who you are or what your upbringing is."

The plan for The Egyptian Room came originally from Jim McMahon, MP for Oldham West, Royton and Chadderton, when he was the leader of Oldham Council. 

Live entertainment at The Egyptian Room in Oldham launch (Image: NQ)

Mr McMahon said: "A lot of people talk about when this project first started, and it really started with this building being the home of pigeons and rats and it was derelict with the windows boarded up for a generation.

"We came down and we had a call to make, did we demolish what you see today and maintain the outer ring so people walking past would still see the stone of the old town hall and the white tiles, but they wouldn't see the steel frame inside and a new box inside it.

"Or, do we say 'Well actually, we're not the owners of this building we're just the custodians of it' and the responsibility that we had was to make sure that future generations have the heritage and the history of the town.

"And I think to open this today on Oldham's 175th birthday, not only are we celebrating Oldham's birthday but we're celebrating the heritage."

There is also a bar inside the food hall, along with a large seating area for up to 150 people situated underneath the 'Egyptian-inspired' Victorian architecture.

With a decorative glazed wall and column tiling, parquet and terrazzo flooring, plastered ceilings and original arched windows and doors, the space is tipped to become ‘one of the most spectacular new food halls anywhere’.

It forms part of Oldham Council's wider plan to revive and rebuild Oldham's town centre, after a dramatic fall in visitors following the pandemic.