Federal Cafe and Bar is a brunch restaurant in Northern Quarter, Manchester.
Editorially verified May 27, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Banana bread, Turkish eggs
Must order: Banana bread with mascarpone; Turkish eggs with chilli butter.
Tip: No reservations; arrive at opening or expect a thirty-minute wait at weekends.
Address: 9 Nicholas Croft, Manchester M4 1EY
Family-run Indian cafe since 1984, on Soap Street behind the Arndale. The original rice-and-three counter, served canteen-style, still under ten pounds.
Signature: Rice and three curry, Chana masala
Order: Rice and three curry: pilau plus chana, saag and a meat curry.
Tip: Open 12:00-19:00 weekdays; takeaway queue moves fast at lunch.
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.
Signature: Vada pav, Okra fries
Order: Vada pav with chilli butter, okra fries, and a pint of the Bundobust Mango Lassi sour.
Tip: All vegetarian; gluten-free options marked. Bookings rare on weekends.
Family-run Indian cafe since 1984, on Soap Street behind the Arndale. The original rice-and-three counter, served canteen-style, still under ten pounds.
Signature: Rice and three curry, Chana masala
Order: Rice and three curry: pilau plus chana, saag and a meat curry.
Tip: Open 12:00-19:00 weekdays; takeaway queue moves fast at lunch.
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.
Signature: Vada pav, Okra fries
Order: Vada pav with chilli butter, okra fries, and a pint of the Bundobust Mango Lassi sour.
Tip: All vegetarian; gluten-free options marked. Bookings rare on weekends.
Basement dim sum in Manchester's Chinatown. No-frills round tables, har gow and siu mai by the bamboo basket, roast duck and char siu in the window.
Signature: Har gow, Siu mai
Order: Har gow, siu mai, char siu pork and the chiu chow dumplings.
Tip: Weekday lunch is calmer; weekend yum cha books out from 12:00.
Mohammad Arshad opened Mughli on Manchester's Curry Mile in 1991; family still runs it. Focal charcoal pit, Mughlai cooking, lamb chops by platter.
Signature: Charcoal lamb chops, Tandoori platter
Order: Charcoal lamb chops; tandoori paneer; finish with kulfi.
Tip: Kitchen runs to 00:30 Friday and Saturday; family-lunch crowd from 14:00 Sunday.
P G and Lilawati Sachdev opened Lily's in 1972; pure vegetarian, family-run, packed with Manchester regulars. Best Vegetarian 2018 award winner.
Signature: Gujarati thali, South Indian dosa
Order: The Lily's thali, a daily-changing tour of Gujarati and Punjabi vegetarian plates.
Tip: Twenty minutes by tram from Piccadilly; closed Monday and Tuesday.
1886 Salford pub, derelict for fifteen years, resurrected 2021 with chef Ben Chaplin. Pub classics, one AA Rosette, the best beer garden in the city.
Signature: Sunday roast, Pub classics
Order: Sunday roast with beef rib; the deep-fried mac and cheese starter.
Tip: Book the back-room dining; the front pub takes walk-ins for drinks and pies.
