Manchester is known for a great many things – its enduring global impact on both football and music among them – and today its lively cultural landscape is also home to some wonderful restaurants. What are you in the mood for? A buzzy bistro? Good value, delicious dumplings? Tapas on a gorgeous roof terrace? They’re all covered in our rundown of where to eat in one of Britain’s most exciting cities.
mana - One MICHELIN Star
Set in the Ancoats area of the city, this slick restaurant is run by a talented team who choreograph your dining experience impressively from beginning to end. There’s a relaxed atmosphere and spacious feel to the open-plan room, where the on-view kitchen provides a platform for the chefs’ performance. The surprise set menu features the best British produce, including foraged ingredients and plenty of seafood. These are brought together in sophisticated, well-judged combinations to create exciting, original dishes, whose flavours remain long in the memory.
Holding One MICHELIN Star, mana is one of the most creative restaurants in Manchester. © Tim Herbert
Skof – One MICHELIN Star
The latest beacon of Manchester’s culinary scene, Skof is the first solo venture of Chef-Owner Tom Barnes. After years of steering the Simon Rogan ship at Three-Star L’Enclume, Barnes has now created his own restaurant with a personal touch in the NOMA area of the city. At Skof, he crafts dishes that are skilled and refined but never showy, with bags of flavour poured into every dish. Local ingredients like Manchester honey might make an appearance, while the dining room’s industrial chic nods to the city’s past.
Skof is the latest MICHELIN-Star restaurant in Manchester's dining scene. © Cristian Barnett
El Gato Negro - Bib Gourmand
If you are after authentic Spanish food in Manchester then this buzzy restaurant in the heart of the city is the place to go; sit at the first-floor counter, where you can see the chefs at work. Prime Spanish ingredients feature in the appealing tapas dishes, which are well-priced, generously portioned and packed with flavour. Choose around three dishes per person – the young team know the menu well and are more than happy to offer suggestions.
The roof terrace at El Gato Negro is one of its most popular features. © Joby Catto
Higher Ground – Bib Gourmand
In the heart of the city, not far from Piccadilly Gardens, three friends are making serious waves in the Manchester food scene. With chatty service, a lively buzz and ingredient-led cooking bursting with bold flavours, they’re providing a brilliant all-round package for the city. Dishes are designed for sharing and often utilise ingredients from their Cinderwood Market Garden. There’s a brilliant wine list too, showcasing small producers and low-intervention choices, of which you can find more at their wine bar, Flawd, in Ancoats.
Higher Ground, run by three friends, is a great-value spot in the heart of the city. © Alex Cocking and Richard Carroll
The Spärrows - Bib Gourmand
Under the railway arches near Victoria station, in the city's Green Quarter, sits this restaurant that specialises in pasta and dumplings. German spätzle play a key role in the menu – and the restaurant’s name – but expect to find the likes of gnocchi, pappardelle and pelmeni on there too. It’s all made in-house and offers great value for money, with the Polish pierogi a particular highlight.
Dumplings and pasta in various forms are the order of the day at The Spärrows. © Kasia Hitchcock
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Adam Reid at The French
Set on the ground floor of the iconic, Grade-II-listed The Midland hotel, this intimate restaurant features a moody colour scheme, striking chandeliers and central booths. The eponymous chef offers a multi-course tasting menu which is a playful homage to the North of England; dishes are well-presented, provide generous flavours and showcase the personality and enthusiasm of the chefs.
Adam Reid at The French is situated inside the grand Midland Hotel. © Simon Pantling
Another Hand
This welcoming bistro is located in Deansgate Mews, an elevated 'street' that’s part of the redeveloped Great Northern building in the city centre. Plenty of work goes into the vegetarian-led small plates, which are attractively presented and provide appropriately punchy flavours for such a buzzing setting. The nearby Holy Grain bakers provides them with some exceptional sourdough bread.
Another Hand forms part of the Great Northern building redevelopment. © Julian Pizer
Erst
This neighbourhood wine bar in Ancoats is run by a group of friends who wanted to create a restaurant they would choose to go to themselves. It offers something a little bit different for the city, providing a lively, laid-back ambience and a short menu of satisfying, modern Mediterranean small plates to go alongside its keenly priced natural wines, many of which you can buy to take home.
Erst is a relaxed and buzzy wine bar that also serves Mediterranean small plates. © Jordan Michael
MAYA
In the basement of the Leven hotel, in the heart of the city’s party district (this building used to be home to the famous Mash and Air nightclub), you’ll find this lavishly renovated spot where the elegance of the room is matched by the kitchen’s classically based cooking, executed with a skilled hand. France is a clear influence on the menu, with the likes of saucisse de morteau and sauce bonne femme potentially making an appearance.
MAYA is ensconced in the heart of Manchester's nightlife district. © Eduard Schiopu
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Hero Image: © mana/Tim Herbert
