This and That ★ 4.6
Manchester's original rice-and-three canteen on Soap Street since 1984. Pilau plus three curries from the heated counter, under a tenner for the lot.
Try: Rice and three curry
Eat well in Manchester for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Cheap eats worth seeking out
Hello Oriental ★ 4.4
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 chicken; most plates under twelve pounds.
Try: Pan-Asian street food
Mei Dim ★ 4.4
Manchester Chinatown's basement dim sum room. Har gow, siu mai, char siu pork buns, chiu chow dumplings; most plates between three and six pounds.
Try: Dim sum
Mughli ★ 4.5
Manchester Curry Mile classic since 1991. Charcoal lamb chops, tandoori platters and naan; main plates between ten and fifteen pounds, late-night kitchen.
Try: Charcoal lamb chops by the platter
Lily's Vegetarian Indian ★ 4.6
Greater Manchester's family-run pure-vegetarian Indian institution. Gujarati thali under fifteen pounds, dosa under ten; the Sachdev family runs the room.
Try: Gujarati thali
Bundobust ★ 4.5
Manchester all-vegetarian Indian beer hall on Piccadilly. Vada pav, okra fries, dahl and bhel puri; most plates between five and nine pounds, beers on tap.
Try: Vada pav and snack plates
Purezza ★ 4.4
Northern Quarter outpost of the UK's first 100% plant-based pizzeria. Hemp-milk mozzarella, sourdough bases, vegan calzones, small plates and dairy-free cheese flights.
Try: Vegan pizza
Rudy's Pizza ★ 4.6
Manchester's Cotton Street Neapolitan pizzeria. Margherita seven pounds fifty, marinara six fifty; AVPN-approved Neapolitan dough, sixty-second wood oven.
Try: Margherita pizza
Wholesome Junkies ★ 4.4
100% plant-based junk-food kitchen on Turner Street, slotted into the Hinterland Bar space. Truffle burgers, loaded kimchi fries, vegan shakes; cult Northern Quarter following.
Try: Vegan junk-food burgers
Long Boi's Bakehouse ★ 4.5
Levenshulme corner-shop bakehouse on Forest Range from an ex-Pollen baker. Cardamom buns, sourdough toasties, savoury bakes; almost everything under a tenner, takeaway with outside seating.
Try: Sourdough toastie
Common ★ 4.2
Manchester's Edge Street craft beer pub on the Northern Quarter. Reuben sandwich twelve pounds, hot toasties and grilled cheese under fifteen, pints from £5.
Try: Reuben sandwich
Federal Cafe ★ 4.5
Manchester's Nicholas Croft Australian-style brunch room. Banana bread with ricotta, eggs benedict, Turkish eggs; most plates between ten and fourteen pounds.
Try: Banana bread brunch
Honest Crust at Mackie Mayor ★ 4.4
Manchester sourdough-pizza counter inside Mackie Mayor. Margherita at twelve pounds, specials with seasonal toppings around fourteen, communal hall seating.
Try: Margherita pizza
Akbar's Castlefield ★ 4.2
Bradford-founded Kashmiri chain on Manchester's Liverpool Road in Castlefield. Signature hanging naan suspended from a metal frame over the table at dinner.
Try: Curry and naan
Pico's at Mackie Mayor ★ 4.3
Mexican counter inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor. Three tacos around eleven pounds; soft corn tortillas pressed in-house, three filling options on rotation.
Try: Tacos
Siop Shop ★ 4.4
Tib Street Welsh-influenced bakery cafe in Manchester. Pic-niq sausage rolls around five pounds, brunch plates under nine; tiny room, walk-in seating only.
Try: Welsh sausage roll
New Wave Ramen ★ 4.3
Ramen counter inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor. Tonkotsu and shio bowls around twelve pounds, takoyaki five, bao buns four; steam fills the hall.
Try: Tonkotsu ramen