Greater Manchester Restaurant Guide

This “unusual and unique find” – “hidden away in a railway arch near Manchester’s Victoria Station” – offers “a wide selection of pasta and dumplings from south Germany, Switzerland, Alsace, Austria and the German-speaking parts of northern Italy”, washed down with an interesting variety of beers, wines and Japanese alcoholic drinks. Even the occasional critic who finds it “not entirely to my liking” concedes that “the very interesting menu has good and unusual food”. The same team is scheduled to open a sake bar and shop called Suzume.

Closed for 15 year following fire damage, this handsome late-Victorian tavern in Salford was transformed for its 2021 reopening, and now “feels like a country pub when you walk in but then morphs into a very smart restaurant at the back”. Chef Ben Chaplin (ex-20 Stories in Spinningfields) has put together a menu that addresses both sides of the equation – winning plaudits for some ‘serious cookery’ from the Observer’s Jay Rayner, among others.

“A great street food experience, with wines and beers to match” – Smithfield's Grade II Listed 1858 market has been refurbished and reimagined as a food hall by the folk behind Altrincham Market; ten food and drink stalls serve up a range of interesting fare, and there are over 500 seats.

This legendary cheap ’n’ cheerful Northern Quarter curry canteen is “still the best-value food in Manchester city centre” – as it has been for almost 40 years. “If you’re a veggie you can choose rice and 3 curries for under a fiver: an absolute bargain”. It even inspires poetry amongst some fans: “steaming-full plates of flavour-packed nosh, all of them served for v little dosh”.

These “slick and professional” Italians (offshoots of the national San Carlo chain) are “buzzy and convenient sorts of places, where you can enjoy an upbeat bite without hanging around too long”. They serve “an extensive menu of small Venetian sharing plates”: “at best they’re excellent” and almost invariably a meal is “good fun”. The best known outlet is steps from Piccadilly Circus – “it might look like a tourist trap in its prime location but it’s a reliable and smartly decorated venue”.

“Now reopened and feels like it has never been away” – this local landmark (LS Lowry’s favourite, dating from 1872) has emerged unchanged in its essentials from a recent refurb which included the addition of some outside tables. “Pubby in the bar, and comfortable in the restaurant, with pleasant service, the traditional northern English food (such as Corned Beef Hash) is well cooked and very enjoyable, though not something to eat every day if you’re planning to live long and prosper!”

“Simply stunning pasta” heads a menu of “absolutely delicious southern Italian food” at this Ancoats spin-off from a smaller Altrincham original – and makes “a perfect antidote to winter blues, if needed!”. Top Menu Tip – “the house sugo is to die for” (orecchiette with 8-hour beef shin, pork shoulder and nduja ragu).

“Undeniably one of the UK’s top tables” – Simon Martin’s “fabulous airy space within the foodie hotspot that is Ancoats” shot to national fame in 2019 when it secured Manchester’s first Michelin star since 1977. On practically all accounts, “exemplary cooking” with an emphasis on fire and fermentation and British ingredients “comes out of that entirely open kitchen, and the team work methodically alongside each other to produce it”. “Flavours are knock-out and every dish is evocative of place and origin, with evident care and attention to detail. This level of refinement usually knocks all the oomph out of the produce (ahem, France, ahem) but here it only adds to it. Who on earth would carefully fillet and re-stuff a mussel? The result, in its bath of smoky butter, is amazing”. And “wine pairings are interesting and varied” too. “Being seated adjacent to the open kitchen and able to view the focused choreography of the chefs adds to the delight” – “there’s such a great theatre and occasion”. With stardom has come higher prices, however, and doubts are creeping in about the ultimate level of value it delivers. One in six now consider it notably overpriced. The remainder that “it’s not cheap, but you pay for what you get”.

This “buzzing place with a fine selection of Mediterranean tapas” is Simon Shaw’s follow-up to El Gato Negro, where he pioneered Hispanic cuisine in Manchester. The “laid-back atmosphere”, “authentic food” and “great wine list” all impress, while head chef Carlos Gomes adds a taste of his native Portugal to the mix.

The “busy and thriving original venue” in Ancoats is still a byword for “atmospheric, authentic Neapolitan pizza” – “the best ever eaten”, fans insist – as the template it established spreads around the country, with 14 spin-off branches to date. Jim Morgan & Kati Wilson launched the original in 2015, and two years later Mission Mars, the operator of Albert’s Schloss, took up the challenge of funding the national rollout.

The all-conquering chain brings its “fabulous menu” of “inventive Indian dishes”, “full of really great surprises”, to a “stunning, evocative room” in a former Freemasons’ lodge. “I haven’t missed a meal here in my last 15 trips to Manchester and for a good reason!”. “The millennial metropolitans (my daughters) may have decided that it is over-rated, but for me it’s a wonderful experience”. Top Tip – “the lamb shank biryani, which is unique to Manchester, is always top-notch”.

The “incredible tastes” created by chef Patrick Withington make this “unpretentious place with a modern interior”, “a wonderful find in a rejuvenated and restored Victorian street in Ancoats” – “I could eat here every day”. The “light dishes designed for sharing” are “served by enthusiastic staff who clearly love the food”, while the “interesting” list of natural wines is “curated by people who really have a passion for their work and know what they are doing”.