The spine of the city centre, anchored by Manchester Central. Another Hand on Deansgate, the new St John's quarter rising around Factory International and the old Granada studios.
Started as a 2020 pop-up; now Manchester's flagship Bib Gourmand on Faulkner House. Produce comes from the team's own Cheshire market garden.
OrderThe set sharing menu at lunch, fifteen pounds cheaper and fast-paced; pasta and grilled seafood lead.
TipThe team also runs Flawd wine bar and Bar Shrimp; the trio works as a city-centre crawl.
Simon Shaw's tapas room landed on King Street in 2016 and held its Bib Gourmand through the 2026 guide. Three floors: bar, counter kitchen, roof terrace.
OrderWhatever is grilled over the open coals upstairs; sherry by the copita with it.
TipThe counter on the first floor faces the kitchen; reserve there.
Max Yorke and Julian Pizer run a 24-seat Michelin-listed bistro on Deansgate Mews in Manchester. Vegetable-forward plates, low-intervention wines.
OrderThe vegetable plate the kitchen builds that week; sourdough comes with cultured butter.
TipTiny room, two services only. Bookings via the site, no walk-ins.
Manchester branch of Will Beckett and Huw Gott's London steakhouse. Native-breed British beef dry-aged in cellar; weekday Steak and Sides at nineteen.
OrderThe 35-day dry-aged rump with bone-marrow gravy and triple-cooked chips.
TipThe £19 Steak and Sides lunch runs weekdays 12:00-17:30; book ahead.
Bavarian beer hall on Peter Street next to the Albert Hall venue. House lager on tap, pretzels with obatzda, live music programme most nights of the week.
OrderBratwurst platter for the table; a pretzel with obatzda dip.
TipIt opens daily at 09:00 and runs to 02:00, with live Showtime performers every night of the week.
Family-run Canarian-Spanish restaurant on Ridgefield off Deansgate, in central Spinningfields. Tapas counter, seven-course tasting at the chef's table.
OrderIberico pluma; papas arrugadas with red and green mojo.
TipBook the kitchen table for the seven-course tasting; bar walk-ins fine for tapas.
Manchester Coffee Company runs a roastery-and-cafe arch on Hewitt Street behind Deansgate. Roastery one side, coffee bar the other, single-origin focus daily.
BeansBrazil, Ethiopia, Colombia
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
First Caravan site outside London, opened 2024 in Goods Yard at St John's off Spinningfields. 10,000 sq ft all-day room with takeaway coffee bar.
BeansColombia, Ethiopia, Kenya
BrewsEspresso, Batch brew, Pour over, Whole bean retail
Seasonal speciality roaster in Islington Mill, Salford, ten minutes' walk west of Spinningfields. Located in Deansgate. Open mon-fri 10:00-16:00.
BeansColombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala
BrewsEspresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
Manchester-roasted Grindsmith espresso bar in two arched railway brick units on Deansgate. House-roasted single-origin beans, pastries, branded wooden boards.
BeansEthiopia, Colombia, Brazil
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Joe and Daniel Schofield's Art Deco cocktail bar on the corner of Sunlight House, Manchester. Top 50 Cocktail Bars list since opening. Walk-ins welcome.
DrinkOld fashioned
FoodBar snacks
Brick-lined Manchester speakeasy on Jackson's Row off Albert Square. Hip-hop soundtrack, vegan-friendly cocktails, sustainable in-house ingredients.
DrinkVegan signature cocktails
FoodSmall plates
Tiny converted public toilet on Great Bridgewater Street in Manchester, now one of the city's most loved dive bars. Steps lead down to a one-room basement.
DrinkPint of Boddingtons
FoodNone
1867 Victorian Manchester chop house and pub on Cross Street. Cask ales, steak and kidney pudding, original tilework and the city's oldest dining room.
DrinkCask ale
FoodBritish pub classics
Rotating Manchester street-food fair at the Mayfield depot. Pizza, burgers, Vietnamese banh mi, dumplings, vegan; vendor lineup changes each weekend.
TryRotating street-food traders
Three-floor East Asian street-food hall under Symphony Park at Circle Square, off Oxford Road. Vietnamese pho counter, Cantonese roasts, dim sum bar.
TryPan-Asian street food hall
Manchester's modern brewing flagship since 2015, on the Piccadilly Trading Estate. Unit 9 taproom: 20 keg lines, walk-in cold store, weekend tours.
Manchester taproom under Piccadilly Station arches. Twenty keg, three cask lines, freshest Track beer plus occasional guest pours, pizza served alongside.
Piccadilly East taproom five minutes from Piccadilly station, run by Cloudwater alumni James Campbell. Hop-forward pales and IPAs the house style.
Rotating Manchester street-food market at the Mayfield depot. Fifteen-strong vendor lineup, pizza, burgers, banh mi, vegan; line-up changes each weekend.
GRUB-compiled weekly market that opened November 2025 at the historic Campfield campus in St John's. Located in Deansgate. Open sat 10:00-16:00.
Three-hundred-stall European Christmas market across ten sites in Manchester from Albert Square to Cathedral Gardens. Cash and card accepted.
Manchester spreads 210 stalls across ten city-centre sites from Albert Square to the Corn Exchange, with mulled wine and hot food from early November to just before Christmas.
TipAlbert Square and Cathedral Gardens stay open to 3 January when the other sites have closed; craft stalls open at 10:00 and food at 11:00.
Three-floor pan-Asian food hall on Oxford Road's Circle Square. Vietnamese pho counter, Cantonese roast counter, dim sum bar, Chinese bakery and Korean fried.
TryPan-Asian street food
Bradford-founded Kashmiri chain on Manchester's Liverpool Road in Castlefield. Signature hanging naan suspended from a metal frame over the table at dinner.
TryCurry and naan
Manchester vegan and vegetarian restaurant on Lloyd Street. Bottomless brunch available all day, local sustainable produce on every plate here daily.
OrderBottomless brunch with three plates and unlimited prosecco
Ezra & Gil's larger Peter Street site in Manchester serves the Spinningfields and Deansgate office crowd. Same Hilton menu, more sit-down covers.
OrderAvocado on sourdough with poached eggs
Antipodean-style coffee and brunch in the Grade II listed Barton Arcade off Deansgate. Opened 2014, dedicated eggs benedict bar at sister Angel Gardens site.
OrderParmesan and truffle scrambled eggs on sourdough
Manchester Bavarian beer hall on Peter Street, open 09:00 to 02:00 every day, with bratwurst, pretzels and a Showtime programme of live performers nightly.
TryBratwurst platter
Manchester branch of the British steakhouse chain on Deansgate, kitchen until 23:30 daily. Native-breed dry-aged beef, late dinners with bone-marrow gravy.
Try35-day dry-aged rump
Manchester's 1867 Victorian pub and chop house on Cross Street, late kitchen until 23:00 every day. Cask ales, steak and kidney pudding, tilework all around.
TrySteak and kidney pudding
Albert's Schloss on Peter Street in Manchester is a Bavarian beer hall next to the Albert Hall venue, with a live music programme most nights of the week.
TipIt opens daily from 09:00 until 02:00, with a Showtime programme of live performers seven days a week.
Cloud 23 on the 23rd floor of Beetham Tower in Manchester is a skyline cocktail bar with panoramic views over the city.
TipIt opens latest on Fridays and Saturdays, until 01:00 and 00:00; Tuesday and Wednesday are the shortest days.
Guided tour · 2.5 hours
Explore Manchester’s Northern Quarter on a guided food walk. Sample four small plates at top eateries, discover street art, and hear local stories.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Embark on a Manchester Guided Food Tour and savor English Breakfast, Curry rice, pie or fish & chips and Cider or Ale, while discovering the city’s rich culinary traditions.
Guided tour · 3.5 hours
Come hungry to this local Manchester food tour! This gastronomic adventure will uncover some of the city's hidden culinary gems and teach you all about Manchester's cu...