The 19 best restaurants in Manchester
Manchester’s restaurant scene has never been more vibrant, with an exciting mix of solid, down-to-earth, seasonal cooking, nods to the city’s proudly diverse population and fiercely innovative chefs. Big names from London are opening in the city, too, attracted by its creativity. All-day dining favourite Caravan has opened in the St John’s neighbourhood, Blacklock chophouse is setting up shop on Peter Street in autumn 2024 and affordable steak restaurant Flat Iron is now on Deansgate.
From bakeries to street food and small plates, restaurants in Manchester are really starting to make a name for themselves. And with a clutch of some of the UK's best hotels, buzzy bars and top spots for vegan bites, it's no wonder the Manchester restaurants are drawing in the crowds. To top it off, the streets are brimming with centuries-old architecture, contemporary art, and plenty of other incredible things for every traveller to do in Manchester.
Does Manchester have any Michelin-star restaurants?
Yes. Manchester is home to Mana – Simon Martin’s Michelin-star restaurant. This kitchen and its 12+ course tasting menu (or reduced Extracts menu of at least six dishes) won Manchester its first Michelin star in 42 years. If you're planning for a special occasion or just for a weekend break to Manchester, then make sure to book well in advance – bookings open at midday on the first of every month for four months in advance.
Stockport’s Where the Light Gets In, which has an ever-evolving tasting menu sourced from its community garden and local farmers and fishermen, has a green Michelin star.
These are our picks of the best restaurants in Manchester
1. The Edinburgh Castle
Best for: a relaxed meal in a Victorian boozer
Dish to order: steakThe Edinburgh Castle pub has been in Ancoats since 1811. It was brought back to life in 2019 by Nick and Hayley Muir (who also own Northern Quarter newcomer LoT https://lamboftartary.co.uk/). In 2022, Shaun Moffat (who previously worked at Berber & Q and Manteca in Shoreditch) was appointed as executive chef, bringing his passion for all British produce through a menu that changes weekly. Start with a pint of Edinburgh Castle lager in the relaxed pub area downstairs before heading upstairs for a meal in a cosy dining room with parquet flooring, cast iron radiators, tan leather chairs, navy walls and huge gilt mirrors. With an open grill, steaks are a speciality cooked according to the cut of meat but there’s a focus on vegetables, too – a plate of cinderwood trombetta courgettes topped with nasturtiums is a colourful delight. Finish with a plate of fluffy madeleines by the dozen or half dozen.
Address: The Edinburgh Castle, Blossom St, Manchester M4 5AN Website: https://www.ec-ancoats.com/
2. Erst
Best for: sharing plates you won’t want to share
Dish to order: grilled flatbread, beef fat & urfa chilliNatural wine bar and small plates restaurant Erst in Ancoats is a place that you could linger all evening. Its interiors are sleek and understated – concrete floors, an open kitchen, wine bottles lining windowsills and simple wooden tables will greet you when you walk in. And its seasonal menu is small and well thought out with around 15 sharing plates plus a handful of desserts. But its flavours are bold and you’ll be swatting your dining companion’s hand out of the way for the last mouthful of beetroot, ajo blanco and green chilli, or the final slice of its signature grilled flatbread with beef fat and urfa chilli. Complement your meal with a bottle of natural wine and unwind.
Address: Erst, 9 Murray St, Ancoats, Manchester M4 6HS Website: https://www.erst-mcr.co.uk/
3. Medlock Canteen
Best for: laid back all-day dining
Dish to order: rotisserie chickenThere’s nothing better than finding a go-to dining spot that you can take your kids to one day, your parents another, meet friends at for a fun meal and drinks, or pop in for a breakfast bap on the way to work. In Deansgate Square with its shiny skyscrapers, Medlock Canteen has taken inspiration from both American diners and Parisian bistros to create an informal restaurant with red leather banquettes, bar stools in front of the open kitchen, custard yellow table-tops and wooden panelled walls. Mains such as rotisserie chicken or turkey schnitzel with duck egg, caper and salsa verde are generous – pick a few along with some sides and share with your table. But save room for desserts including deep fried cherry pie with miso custard or a seasonal frangipane.
Address: Medlock Canteen, 5 Owen Street, Deansgate Square, New Jackson, Manchester M15 4YB
Website: https://www.medlockcanteen.com/
4. Pollen Bakery
Best for: next-gen pastries
Dish to order: the cruffinManchester's restaurant scene is in rude health, and so too is its more casual food scene. Pollen Bakery's first proper premises in Ancoats came after several years of devoted customers queuing for up to an hour under a railway arch for its superior viennoiserie, notably the signature cruffin – a devastating cross between a croissant and a muffin filled with curd or crème patissière. Its success means that it’s opened a second location – a bakery and café in the Kampus neighbourhood.
Address: Pollen Bakery, Cotton Field Wharf, 8 New Union Street, Manchester M4 6FQ
Website: pollenbakery.com
5. Siop Shop
Best for: sweet treats
Dish to order: a fresh doughnutIf you're still not full, head to Siop Shop, the Northern Quarter café slinging out cult custard doughnuts from Blawd bakery. Try the seasonal specials for something different – 2024 saw a Brat summer doughnut with a lime glaze and mango diplomat.
Address: Siop Shop, 53 Tib Street, Manchester M4 1LS
Website: siopshop.co6. Nell’s New York Pizza & Bar
Best for: pizza with a conscience
Dish to order: whimsyManchester isn’t short of excellent pizza options. But Nell’s, which was launched in 2020 by husband and wife team Jonny and Charlotte Heyes from Northern Quarter favourite Common, is one to try. Head to its newest venue in the waterside Kampus neighbourhood, and order a showstopping 22-inch, thin and crispy New York-style pie (slices and 14-inch pizzas are available too). “Whimsy” is a twist on a Capricciosa with mozzarella, smoked Lancashire cheese, mushrooms, artichoke, red onion, parmesan and chives, while carnivores may prefer the spicy and sweet combination of “do you ‘roni honey?” which is topped with nduja and pepperoni and finished with chilli honey and parmesan. You can feel good about your slice too, as Nell’s aims to be more gentle on the environment by minimising waste, using less meat and power, and buying from responsible British suppliers.
Address: Nell’s New York Pizza & Bar, 20 Minshull Street, Kampus, Manchester M1 3EF
Website: nellspizza.co.uk
Rob Evans Photography Ltd/With Love7. Higher Ground
Best for: local ingredients
Dish to order: pea fritters with cheddarJoseph Otway, Richard Cossins and Daniel Craig Martin – the team behind Ancoats’ popular neighbourhood wine bar and bottle shop, Flawd – opened their first permanent restaurant, Higher Ground, in February 2023 after stints doing pop-ups around the city. Sticking to their winning combination of seasonal dishes made from local ingredients, with natural wine, the 50-cover British bistro is tucked away on New York Street between Piccadilly Gardens and Chinatown. While tasting and a la carte menus change daily, dishes are reliably exceptional, thoughtfully combining interesting ingredients and bold flavours. Appetisers such as green pea and spring garlic fritters covered with Isle of Mull cheddar melt in the mouth and are incredibly moreish, while larger dishes can range from English organic asparagus, cured steelhead trout and egg mayonnaise to Jane’s beef, woodhouse mushroom, green lentils and violet artichoke. Despite serving some of the best food in the city, the overall feel is laid back as you relax watching chefs in the open kitchen.
Address: Higher Ground, Faulkner House, New York Street, Manchester M1 4DY
Website: highergroundmcr.co.uk8. Mana
Best for: special occasion dining
Once Manchester’s Little Italy, hip Ancoats is now a go-to spot for food and drink. The poster child for this area is Michelin-starred Mana, by Simon Martin, which was awarded Manchester’s first star for 42 years in 2019. You’ll need to book well in advance to secure a table in this 24-seat minimalist space – bookings open at midday on the 1st of every month for four months in advance. You’ll be welcomed with a hot broth and a bouquet of now (think juniper, pine and rosemary). Then, sit back and watch chefs in the open kitchen preparing your 12+ course tasting menu using British produce, heavily featuring seafood dishes. Plates are attractive and playful.
Address: Mana, 42 Blossom Street, Manchester M4 6BF
Website: manarestaurant.co.uk
9. Bundobust
Best for: scorching street food
Dish to order: bundo chaatGujarati street food is the preserve of Bundobust, located in a basement off Piccadilly Gardens. It could not look more modest, but this may just be one of the best restaurant in Manchester. It’s not often you encounter a menu without a single duff element, but this pleasingly utilitarian canteen with its beautiful Victorian atrium, founded by two lads from Bradford, achieves just that. Rarer still, not a single dish costs more than £7.75. Devour every scrap of bhel puri, chaat and impossibly crisp okra fries from paper tubs, and wash it down with hefty IPAs from their own brewery as well as world-class local ones such as Cloudwater and Track. It's well-executed and sustainable. Every city should have one. Manchester now has a shiny second site too, Bundobust Brewery on Oxford Street, where you can eat next to stainless steel brewing tanks under another glass atrium.
Address: Bundobust, 61 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2AG
Website: bundobust.com
re_mo_photos10. Another Hand
Best for: a memorable date night
Dish to order: hay-roasted hasselback potatoAnother Hand is tucked away on the Great Northern Warehouse’s ‘hidden street’, Deansgate Mews. To reach it, you’ll need to climb a rainbow-painted staircase from the main road of Deansgate. Once you’ve found the neighbourhood-style restaurant, you’ll be welcomed into its small, cosy space by a convivial team who are passionate about the food and drink they are serving. And what a treat the small plates here are with local ingredients and punchy flavours. Its hay-roasted hasselback potatoes with black garlic, buttermilk and burnt butter is a dish of dreams, being deliciously crispy after four hours of cooking. As each plate is presented, you’ll hear about the source of the ingredients, such as lion’s mane mushrooms grown in nearby Altrincham and chocolate from award-winning neighbours, Dormouse. Book in advance.
Address: Another Hand, Unit F 253 Deansgate, Mews Level, Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN
Website: anotherhandmcr.com
11. Climat
Best for: rooftop views
Dish to order: hash browns and taramasalataNext to the River Irwell on the border of Manchester and Salford, Climat is tucked away behind the busy Deansgate thoroughfare. Seek it out and take the lift to the eighth floor; as the welcome when you step into the restaurant, and the view over Manchester’s rooftops, are worth the effort. By the team behind Chester’s highly acclaimed Covino, Climat is a wine-led restaurant and, as you gaze out over the domes of nearby Barton Arcade, you can choose between a small selection of wines by the glass or carafe, or request the more extensive menu of more than 250 bottles. The daily changing food menu is split into snacks and larger plates and is described as “just food you want to eat”. Start with its signature dill-infused hash browns topped with taramasalata then work your way through interesting larger dishes such as turbot, turnip and sherry sauce, or beef tartare, prawn crackers and Thai basil.
Address: Climat, Blackfriars House, Manchester M3 2JA
Website: restaurantclimat.co.uk
12. Tast
Best for: a homage to Catalunya
Dish to order: arròz del senyoret (rice with king prawns)Tast, on well-heeled King Street, has been devised by Catalonian chef Paco Pérez, from Girona's Michelin-star Restaurant Miramar, with backing from Manchester City royalty Pep Guardiola and Ferran Soriano, who, on arriving in the city, felt bereft at the absence of their home cuisine. They are bereft no longer. Basics including charcuterie and croquettes are beyond reproach, and the octopus with potatoes and octopus and mojo rojo and mojo verde is stunningly good. A dish of rice with prawns, baked on a shallow oven dish so that the edges go crisp and chewy (think baked risotto), is drizzled with the juices from the prawn heads; it tastes of dark, roasted shells. If you’re after a more casual drink with smaller dishes, called “tastets”, visit its bar and terrace which promises “the bustle of Barcelona in Manchester.”
Address: Tast, 20-22 King Street, Manchester M2 6AG
Website: tastcatala.com
13. 10 Tib Lane
Best for: an evening with friends
Dish to order: confit spiced carrotsThe trio behind 10 Tib Lane – Ben Gretton, Sophie Robson and Joe White – have run, worked at and owned some top venues in Manchester. In 2021, they came together to create this laid-back bar and restaurant where you could happily spend an entire evening. There’s an imaginative cocktail menu, a selection of generously sized small plates, and a natural wine list that the owners promise “won’t scare you off”. Things are done simply but very well here. Interiors are stripped back – think distressed plaster walls, exposed brick and hanging greenery – and succinct menus change seasonally. A summer plate of confit spiced carrots with aubergine and garlic puree and rose harissa dissolved delightfully in the mouth and was beautifully colourful, while carnivores will rave about a rich spring dish of lamb sweetbreads with guanciale, potato, chicken and white wine sauce.
Address: 10 Tib Lane, Manchester M2 4JB
Website: 10tiblane.com
14. Seoul Kimchi
Best for: Korean comfort
Dish to order: bulgogi squid and porkThis unmitigated gem in a thoroughly unassuming spot near the Manchester Royal Infirmary offers life-affirming Korean barbecue and hotpots, served bubbling in cauldron-like bowls. If you can find a space, cram in with the visiting students and order the unctuous galbi ribs or the bulgogi pork belly, lovingly braised, deeply aromatic and coupled with squid. The sweet and spicy fried chicken is superb, as are the jeon, chewy fried pancakes scattered generously with seafood.
Address: Seoul Kimchi, 275 Upper Brook Street, Manchester M13 0HR
Website: facebook.com15. The Spärrows
Best for: cosy comfort food
Dish to order: spätzleBlink and you may miss the black door that leads to The Spärrows restaurant in Manchester’s Green Quarter. Around a five-minute walk from Victoria train station, under some railway arches, it’s worth persevering to find its winning combination of comforting continental food, paired with pilsner on tap, sake or wine. Be sure to order its house speciality, spätzle, a type of small noodle. Handmade daily, it comes smothered in a sauce of your choice. Complement it with sauerkraut topped with pumpkin seeds, or a green salad with a good dose of Alpine salt. Reliably busy, even mid-week, it’s worth booking ahead.
Address: The Spärrows, 16 Red Bank, Green Quarter, Manchester M4 4HF
Website: thesparrows.me
16. Manchester food halls: Mackie Mayor, Freight Island, New Century
Best for: being spoilt for choice
Manchester has an excellent and expanding selection of food halls. Mackie Mayor is a Grade-II listed market house on the cusp of Ancoats, with a wealth of options from Honest Crust’s sourdough pizza to an outstanding flat iron steak and fries from Tender Cow. Enormous Freight Island, in a former freight depot near Piccadilly station, has outdoor and indoor seating, entertainment, and food that ranges from a “Mega Gyros” serving indulgent Greek street food, to Venezuelan cuisine. And New Century is a music venue with a legendary disco ceiling and sprung dance floor with a food hall below where kitchens include Ply pizzas and gyros, chicken Parmos (fried chicken covered in bechamel with cheese on top) from Teeside by Parmogeddon and southeast Asian street food by Banh Vi.
Address: Mackie Mayor, 1 Eagle Street, Manchester M4 5JY; Freight Island, 11 Baring Street, Manchester M1 2PZ; New Century, 34 Hanover Street, Manchester M4 4AH
Website: visitmanchester.com; escapetofreightisland.com; newcenturymcr.com17. Refuge
Best for: a laid-back treat
Dish to order: 12oz dry-aged English rib-eyeWith soaring ceilings and glazed tiled pillars in its impressive Victorian Grade-II listed setting, Refuge, inside the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, is perhaps one of the best-looking spots to eat in the city centre. But, somehow, it manages to feel cool and informal too. he menu is made up of “little scran” sharing plates and “bigger scran” plates you can have all to yourself. The 12oz dry-aged English rib-eye is a knockout, while vegetarians will devour the harissa-charred cauliflower. Allow enough time before or after a meal to have a cocktail in its twinkling winter garden space too.
Address: Refuge, Oxford Street, Manchester M60 7HA
Website: refugemcr.co.uk
Bacon on the beech18. Hispi
Best for: gutsy bistro cooking
Dish to order: braised featherbladeFans of chef Gary Usher's sterling work at the Sticky Walnut in Chester and Burnt Truffle on the Wirral helped bring Hispi to fruition through a devoted crowdfunding campaign – and thank heavens they did. More than just a solid neighbourhood bistro, with a great-value set menu as well as the seasonal à la carte, it features a sticky bacon belly salad or crispy spiced carrot cakes as enticing nibbles ahead of the mains, and Usher and team find the joy in cuts like the underrated featherblade. It all arrives at the table looking amazing, too. If you’re in the city centre, Usher’s Bistro Kala is also well worth a visit.
Address: Hispi, 1C School Lane, Manchester M20 6RD
Website: hispi.net
19. The Black Friar
Best for: pub grub done well
Dish to order: Black Friar daily pieThere’s an excellent selection of historic pubs in Manchester’s city centre for all occasions, from the Grade II-listed Briton’s Protection with its selection of more than 300 whiskies and the Castle Hotel in the Northern Quarter with live music and an excellent jukebox,to Mr Thomas’s Chophouse with its sparkling glazed tiles. Just over the border into Salford, the red-brick Black Friar sits incongruously among high-rise buildings. Slip inside for a cosy pub meal where classics are done well, such as classics, such as burgers and pies, are done well. For special occasions, book a table in its glass room where you can watch chefs at work in the open kitchen while cocooned by greenery.
Address: The Black Friar, 41-43 Blackfriars Road, Salford M3 7DB
Website: theblackfriarsalford.co.uk