Where to eat in Manchester
MHG's picks for MCR
I get asked a lot for recommendations for restaurants in Manchester. You might think that’s odd, considering I usually write about restaurants in Bristol, but it is no secret that I am a very proud Northerner. Cut me and I bleed gravy.
There are so many incredible places to eat in Manchester, and it often feels like every time I embark back down the M6 I do so just as an exciting new restaurant opens. One can never keep up.
Nevertheless, here are my favourites, if you are lucky enough to be visiting.
Erst, Ancoats
Few restaurants have a hold on my heart the way that Erst does. The moment you step inside Erst the rest of the world just slips away, and all that remains is to choose which of the beautifully curated wines to go with the charred, beef-fat dripping flatbread that has arrived in front of you. Erst is a haven, a refuge, an oasis of great food and wine. It’s the restaurant I will recommend above all others in Manchester. I’d budget £60-70 per head to enjoy yourself and try a few wines.
Live Seafood, near the Etihad
Sometimes we go out to eat because we are looking for comfort; food that we haven’t had to cook, or that reminds us of home, or that we can share with friends. Other times we go out to eat for adventure. Live Seafood has all the components of a great adventure - weird location (near the Etihad), elements of the unexpected (giant fishtanks from which your dinner is plucked), engaging people (the staff are lovely) and a very satisfying ending (exquisite seafood, Chinese style). It’s one of the most memorable restaurants I’ve ever been to. We spent £120 with just soft drinks, but we did have a small lobster.
Mekong Cat, Stockport
When you start talking about a really good restaurant in Stockport, most people will assume you’re referring to Where The Light Gets In. WTLGI is a very good restaurant in Stockport, but it’s not the only one. For those looking for somewhere they can get a table at reasonably short notice and dishes that cost less than the return train fare for two into town (seriously - the most expensive thing on the menu is £14.50), I urge you to visit Mekong Cat. They could charge double what they do for their Phnom Penh noodles or Bo Loc Lac and they would still be outrageous value. Expect to spend about £20-25 per person.
Mi & Pho, Northenden
Northenden. Not a destination for much, unless you’re in the market for a funeral directors (in which case, my deepest sympathies) or a vape shop (in which case, much less sympathy). Mi & Pho is the diamond in the rough. It’s a sign that Northenden will probably be quite nice relatively soon and that you can get some really bloody good Vietnamese food in the least likely of places. You’ll be able to say you were going to Northenden before it was cool in approximately 18 months. Expect to spend about £25-30 per person.
Seoul Kimchi, Hulme
Seoul Kimchi is scraping every last grain of crisp rice off the bottom of your bimimbap. It’s the fierce sizzle of BBQ beef on a hot plate, that announces its arrival with smells and sounds before you see it. It’s the sparring of the chopsticks over the last piece of kimchi pancake. It’s the grandma sat on a plastic stool in the kitchen peeling garlic. It’s right opposite the Manchester Royal Infirmary - not the most obvious place for a restaurant - but I’m glad it’s there. It makes me happy to think that no matter what is going on in the lives of those in that hospital, whether it’s nervously anticipating a surgery, supporting a loved one, or getting off a 12 hour shift, there is something so nourishing for the body and soul just across the way. Expect to spend about £20-25 per person.
Madre, Kampus
There are very few really good Mexican restaurants in the UK. They’re certainly incredibly scarce outside of London. So when Madre opened I was excited, but not hugely optimistic. What can I say? Madre laughed down my preconceptions even before I’d tried a taco. Chicharonnes to scoop away snowballs of guacamole, corn covered in queso to relish getting stuck in your teeth and ceviche to slap you back to your senses. Go, please. Send me pictures so I can relive those tacos vicariously. Expect to spend about £40-50 per person.
Exhibition, Central
Food halls can really go either way. For most, they will conjure up the smell of grease, the sound of order numbers being shouted across screaming children, wet floor signs and salt.
The food hall scale in Manchester is well populated. At the lower end, you’ll find all the usual delights in the Arndale Food Court. For those looking for a little bit more pazzaz, a trip to Mackie Mayor will satisfy any craving from good pizza (Honest Crust) to memorable bowls of ramen (New Wave). But the ultimate food hall is, in fact, Exhibition.
Exhibition is where considered, innovative, fresh cooking from Scandinavian inspired Osma meets scorched, bold, Spanish fare from Baratxuri. Two kitchens, one beautiful piece of architecture to house them. Exhibition is designed to impress. Small plates range from £6.50 - £24.
Flawd, Ancoats
If there were a talent show for wine bars, Flawd would win it. Flawd is a polymath. Not only can they do wine incredibly well, but they can do food too. And nice views over New Islington Marina to boot. Flawd is dripping with cool but not in a remotely obnoxious way. It’s more a come in, let’s get you a nice glass of something served at the optimum temperature and then you can go and sit in the sun and contemplate the fact that life is pretty good actually, kind of way. Plates tend to sit around the £10 mark.
Rigatonis, Ancoats
Before it was Rigatonis, it was Sud Pasta Kitchen. Before it was Sud Pasta Kitchen, it was Sugo. One thing that hasn’t changed is the delight you’ll feel searing through your veins as you shovel those pasta sauces in, or the satisfaction of wiping every last morsel from the bowl with a garlic focaccia. Blissful. About £30 a head but there’s a lunchtime deal too.
Happy Seasons, Chinatown
Happy Seasons is the place to go in Manchester’s Chinatown. You’ll know this as soon as you arrive; the queue is always out the door and down the street. Cruel really, to have the roast meats hanging in the window in full view of those eagerly awaiting a table. Or perhaps it just adds to the anticipation. Main dishes tend to sit around the £15 mark.
New Wave Ramen, Deansgate
New Wave Ramen is a relative newbie, but has already cemented itself as a good’un. To save myself writing about it twice (time is money and money can be exchanged for food), I shall simply direct you to my review here: ‘One of the best examples of a tantanmen I’ve had’. Bowls of ramen are between £14-£16.
Schofields (somewhere to drink), Deansgate
Schofields is the UK’s best cocktail bar. No really. I’m not just saying that. An independent group of adjudicators have deemed it so. And I wholeheartedly agree with them. No visit to Manchester should omit a trip to Schofields. Most cocktails are between £12.50-£13.
Honourable mentions for: Climat, 10 Tib Lane, Another Hand and Higher Ground, which are all excellent small plates restaurants with great drinks offerings. La Chouquette and Pollen are my favourite bakeries.
Wherever you end up eating in Manchester, I hope it is glorious. Make sure to also visit the Vimto statue and always carry an umbrella.
All words and photos by Meg Houghton-Gilmour