Independent grid north of Piccadilly: brunch counters on Tib Street, Neapolitan pizza on Cotton Street, vinyl bars on Edge Street, This and That curry on Soap Street.
Order Vada pav with chilli butter, okra fries and a pint of Bundobust Mango Lassi sour.
Indian street-food and craft-beer hall in a basement off Piccadilly. Twelve keg lines pour Bundobust's own brewery beers alongside the snack plates.
Order Rice and three curry: pilau plus chana, saag and a meat curry.
Family-run Indian cafe since 1984, on Soap Street behind the Arndale. Rice-and-three counter, canteen-style, still under ten pounds a plate.
Order Flat iron steak kebab with whipped blue cheese, truffle and pickled raisins.
60-cover Northern Quarter room just off Stevenson Square from The Pen and Pencil team. Theatre-style open chargrill kitchen, flatbreads from scratch.
Order Confit chickpeas on toast with whipped feta; the saffron and turmeric chicken.
All-day kitchen on Tib Street with a global menu and a plant-leaning bias. Brunch through dinner, Middle Eastern and pan-Asian small plates from afternoon.
Order Wood-fired sourdough pizza; the burrata with peach in summer.
Northern Quarter pizza-and-plates room in a converted Victorian warehouse, Manchester. Brick walls, open kitchen, sourdough pizza served all day.
Order Buttermilk-fried chicken sandwich and the Bloody Mary; brunch eggs on toast.
Eighty-cover American room on the corner of Hilton and Tariff Streets, Manchester. Northern Quarter brunch crowd from 10:00; cocktail bar runs late.
Order The Ezra benedict with smoked salmon; cinnamon French toast with bacon.
Open since 2014, the Hilton Street original is the brunch room locals queue for. Sourdough loaded with avocado, feta and poached eggs; fruit porridge bowls.
Order Banana bread with mascarpone; Turkish eggs with chilli butter.
Australian-style brunch room in the Northern Quarter, Manchester, packed from 09:00. Banana bread with whipped ricotta is the menu's calling card.
Order The reuben on rye; a pint of whatever Pomona Island sent that week.
Edge Street stalwart in Manchester's Northern Quarter since 2009. Pub plates, craft beer, chalkboard of guest taps. The reuben is the signature plate.
Order The margherita first; the Nduja with stracciatella second.
Thomas Street pizzeria in Manchester's Northern Quarter, dough fermented seventy-two hours, AVPN-approved Neapolitan crust from the Liverpool team.
Order Margherita with extra basil; the daily special if it's a sausage and ferment combo.
Sourdough pizza stall inside the Mackie Mayor food hall. Forty-eight-hour ferment, wood-fired oven, the queue moves fast even at Sunday lunch.
Order The smashburger double; rump and chips if you want a fork plate.
Native-breed beef counter inside Mackie Mayor. Dry-aged rump and a smashburger built around the same beef; the burger queue is the long one.
Order Al pastor and birria tacos; tostadas with the daily ceviche topping for two.
Mexican counter inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor food hall. Soft corn tortillas pressed in-house, three filling options on rotation, agua fresca by jug.
Also on this listEvelyn's Cafe BarThis and ThatBundobustBAB
Order Flat white
Independent bookshop-cafe on Lever Street in the Northern Quarter. Speciality coffee, quirky reads, author events and intimate performances.
Order Pour-over single-origin
Pot Kettle Black's NOMA outpost on the ground floor of Angel Gardens, opened 2021. Located in Northern Quarter. Order the pour-over single-origin.
Order Filter coffee
Cosy speciality coffee shop on Dale Street, Manchester, serving coffee, natural wine and freshly baked pies. Loyal local crowd, communal tables daily.
Order Single origin filter
Coffee counter inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor food hall. Atkinsons of Lancaster beans, communal tables outside the kitchen, filter pour-over daily.
Also on this listEzra & GilFederal Cafe and Bar
Order Lemon tart
Pastry counter inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor food hall. Daily-changing tarts, slices and seasonal sweets, the lemon tart is the regulars' first order.
Wine shop and bar inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor food hall. Hundreds of bottles, keg wines, glass pours, regular tastings and Sunday cheese pairings.
Drink Rotating taps
Northern Quarter craft beer pub in Manchester since 2011. Eighteen keg, seven cask lines, hundreds of bottles, RateBeer's top Manchester bar most years.
Drink Bespoke cocktail flight
Speakeasy hidden behind a laundrette front on Shudehill in Manchester. Book by phone, then tell the phone operator inside you have dirty clothes to wash.
Drink Rum Old Fashioned
Thomas Street, Manchester, three-floor bar: rum and tiki at the top, cocktails on the middle, ribs and craft beer on the ground floor below.
Drink Fishbowl tiki cocktail
1950s-inspired tiki bar in a basement under Stevenson Square, Northern Quarter, with a tropical fish tank and fishbowl cocktails; open Friday and Saturday.
Drink House cocktail flight
Manchester basement games bar on Dale Street with ping-pong and beer pong tables and cocktails, over-18s only; a late Northern Quarter standby.
Drink Tomato Vine Margarita
Cocktail bar in a corner of the Mackie Mayor food hall, opened November 2023 and named in the UK Top 50 Cocktail Bars, with house-infused spirits.
Also on this listCommon
Try Multiple vendors: pizza, ramen, dim sum, mezcal
Smithfield Market hall in Manchester, restored 2017. Vendors: Honest Crust pizza, Tender Cow burgers, Pico's tacos, New Wave Ramen, Reserve wines.
Try Sourdough pizza
Sourdough pizza stall inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor hall. Forty-eight-hour ferment, wood-fired oven, the queue is the longest in the room at lunch.
Try Thai green curry
Thai street-food counter inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor food hall. Green and red curries, pad thai and salads to take home; the queue is short on weekdays.
Try Tonkotsu ramen
Ramen counter inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor hall. Tonkotsu and shio ramen, takoyaki and bao buns; steam from the pots fills the room daily.
Also on this listThis and ThatPico's at Mackie Mayor
City-centre food hall inside the Manchester Arndale shopping centre. Twenty fast-casual traders, communal tables, the lunch shift packs out at noon daily.
Also on this listMackie Mayor
Pollen Bakery in Manchester runs occasional sourdough and viennoiserie workshops from its Kampus pastry kitchen. Eight covers, one-day workshop.
Reserve Wines inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor runs wine and cheese tasting evenings with Chorlton Cheesemongers; four cheeses with low-intervention wines.
Try Vegan junk-food burgers
100% plant-based junk-food kitchen on Turner Street, slotted into the Hinterland Bar space. Truffle burgers, loaded kimchi fries, vegan shakes.
Try Banana bread brunch
Manchester's Nicholas Croft Australian-style brunch room. Banana bread with ricotta, eggs benedict, Turkish eggs; most plates between ten and fourteen pounds.
Also on this listThis and ThatBundobustCommonHonest Crust at Mackie MayorPico's at Mackie MayorSiop ShopNew Wave Ramen
Order Brioche French toast with berry sauce
Sisters Laura and Hannah's Scandi-leaning Northern Quarter brunch room, opened 2013 on Oldham Street. Order the brioche french toast with berry sauce.
Order Whipped feta on sourdough with a Kalita pour-over
Northern Quarter speciality bar on Tib Street, hosting the Manchester heat of the Northern Filter Championships. Open mon-sat 08:00-17:00, sun 09:00-16:00.
Also on this listEzra & GilFederal CafeEvelyn's Cafe BarThe Pen and PencilSiop ShopCommonIdle Hands
On this list, shown aboveThis and ThatCommonTwenty Twenty Two
Soup on Spear Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter is a two-floor bar, gig and club space running club nights Wednesday through Saturday.
Night and Day Cafe on Oldham Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter is an independent live music venue that has hosted touring and local bands since 1991.
Band on the Wall on Swan Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter is a long-running live music venue that has anchored the city's scene for decades.
Behind Closed Doors is a funk and soul speakeasy on Oldham Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter, reached down a black-tiled staircase to the bar.
Renae on Thomas Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter is a listening bar with a daytime record shop curated by Patrick Ryder, ex-Piccadilly Records.
Gullivers on Oldham Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter is a live music pub with a 110-capacity Ballroom gig room upstairs and a basement Lounge.
Also on this listThe WashhouseTwenty Twenty TwoHula
