Mid-Range in Manchester

Rudy's Pizza Napoletana Ancoats ★ 4.8

ancoats · 9 Cotton Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5BF

Started as a 2014 Cotton Street pop-up; now an AVPN-listed pizzeria with branches across the UK. Dough ferments 24 hours, sixty seconds in the oven.

Tip: Walk-in only at Ancoats; arrive by 17:30 weekends or expect a queue across Cutting Room Square.

Caravan Manchester ★ 4.8

deansgate · 6 Goods Yard Street, St Johns, Manchester M3 3BG

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.

Cloudwater Brew Co ★ 4.8

deansgate · Unit 9, Piccadilly Trading Estate, Gidding Road, Manchester M1 2NP

Manchester's modern brewing flagship since 2015, on the Piccadilly Trading Estate. Unit 9 taproom: 20 keg lines, walk-in cold store, weekend tours.

This and That ★ 4.8

northern-quarter · 3 Soap Street, Manchester M4 1EW

Manchester's original rice-and-three canteen on Soap Street since 1984. The Northern Quarter late-night pre-bar fuel until 19:00 daily, under ten pounds.

Erst ★ 4.8

ancoats · 9 Murray Street, Manchester M4 6HS

Bib Gourmand natural-wine room on Manchester's Murray Street since 2019. Short menu of seasonal plates, twenty natural reds and the same in whites here.

Tip: Kitchen closed 15:00-16:30 for the gap shift; weekday early dinner is the calm slot.

Ezra & Gil ★ 4.7

northern-quarter · 20 Hilton Street, Manchester M1 1FR

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.

Tip: No bookings; put your name on the list and walk the Northern Quarter blocks until they text.

Lily's Vegetarian Indian Cuisine ★ 4.7

rusholme · 85 Oldham Road, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7DF

P G and Lilawati Sachdev opened Lily's in 1972; pure vegetarian, family-run, packed with Manchester regulars. Best Vegetarian 2018 award winner.

Tip: Twenty minutes by tram from Piccadilly; closed Monday and Tuesday.

Track Brewing Co ★ 4.7

deansgate · Unit 18, Piccadilly Trading Estate, Manchester M1 2NP

Manchester taproom under Piccadilly Station arches. Twenty keg, three cask lines, freshest Track beer plus occasional guest pours, pizza served alongside.

Mughli Charcoal Pit ★ 4.7

rusholme · 30 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 5TQ

Manchester's Curry Mile classic since 1991, kitchen open until 00:30 on Friday and Saturday. Charcoal lamb chops, tandoori platters, mango lassi at all hours.

This and That ★ 4.7

northern-quarter · 3 Soap Street, Manchester M4 1EW

Manchester's most-loved budget curry counter on Soap Street since 1984. Family-run, canteen-style, under ten pounds for rice and three curries today.

Tip: Open 12:00-19:00 weekdays only; cash and card accepted at the counter.

Pollen Bakery Cinnamon Bun ★ 4.7

ancoats · Cotton Field Wharf, 8 New Union Street, Manchester M4 6FQ

Sunday Times-listed Ancoats bakery by Manchester's New Islington marina. Sourdough loaves, croissants, the cinnamon morning bun is the city's hidden bake.

Tip: Arrive by 10:00 weekdays for the cinnamon bun out of the case; sell by noon.

Pollen Bakery ★ 4.7

ancoats · Cotton Field Wharf, 8 New Union Street, Manchester M4 6FQ

Manchester's flagship Ancoats bakery and brunch room by the marina. Sausage-egg-hash buns, sourdough toast, brunch eggs, take-home cinnamon morning buns.

The Sparrows ★ 4.6

noma · 16 Red Bank, Manchester M4 4HF

Kasia Hitchcock and Franco Concli run a Bib Gourmand kitchen under a Manchester railway arch. Tyrolean spaetzle, Polish pierogi, Russian pelmeni.

Tip: Bookings open one month ahead; weekday lunch is the calm shift.

Rudy's Pizza Napoletana ★ 4.6

ancoats · 9 Cotton Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5BF

Started as a 2014 Cotton Street pop-up in Manchester; now an AVPN-listed pizzeria. Dough ferments 24 hours, sixty seconds in the wood-fired oven.

Tip: Walk-in only at Ancoats; arrive by 17:30 on weekends or expect a queue running across Cutting Room Square.

Lily's Vegetarian Indian Cuisine ★ 4.6

rusholme · 85 Oldham Road, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7DF

P G and Lilawati Sachdev opened Lily's in 1972; pure vegetarian, family-run, packed with regulars. Best Vegetarian at the 2018 Food Festival.

Tip: Ashton-under-Lyne is twenty minutes by tram from Piccadilly; closed Monday and Tuesday.

Federal Cafe and Bar ★ 4.6

northern-quarter · 9 Nicholas Croft, Manchester M4 1EY

Australian-style brunch room in the Northern Quarter, Manchester, packed from 09:00. Banana bread with whipped ricotta is the menu's calling card.

Tip: No reservations; arrive at opening or expect a thirty-minute wait at weekends.

Bundobust ★ 4.6

northern-quarter · 61 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2AQ

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.

Tip: All vegetarian; gluten-free options marked. Bookings rare on weekends.

Mughli Charcoal Pit ★ 4.6

rusholme · 30 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 5TQ

Mohammad Arshad opened Mughli on Manchester's Curry Mile in 1991; family still runs it. Focal charcoal pit, Mughlai cooking, lamb chops by platter.

Tip: Kitchen runs to 00:30 Friday and Saturday; family-lunch crowd from 14:00 Sunday.

Ancoats Coffee Co ★ 4.6

ancoats · Royal Mills, Redhill Street, Manchester M4 5BA

Manchester's Royal Mills roastery, founded 2013. Warehouse City espresso blend, single origins from Ethiopia and Colombia; on-site cafe and bean shop.

Pomona Island Brew Co ★ 4.6

salford · 3 Coral Street, Salford M5 4UN

Salford brewery on Coral Street. Pomona Island's pales and dark beers are the regulars' pour at Manchester pubs; taproom open Friday and Saturday only here.

Hawksmoor ★ 4.6

deansgate · 184-186 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WB

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.

Rudy's Pizza Ancoats ★ 4.6

ancoats · 9 Cotton Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5BF

Manchester's Cotton Street Ancoats pizzeria, kitchen until 22:30 daily. Margherita pizza in sixty seconds, walk-ins only; Ancoats arrives here after the bars.

The Sparrows ★ 4.6

noma · 16 Red Bank, Manchester M4 4HF

Tyrolean spaetzle, Polish pierogi and Russian pelmeni in Manchester's Green Quarter. Kasia Hitchcock and Franco Concli run a Bib Gourmand kitchen here.

Tip: Bookings open one month ahead; weekday lunch is the calm shift, fast enough to walk in without a reservation.

Lily's Vegetarian Indian ★ 4.6

rusholme · 85 Oldham Road, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7DF

P G and Lilawati Sachdev opened Lily's in 1972 in Ashton-under-Lyne; pure vegetarian, family-run, daily-changing thali, no meat ever on the menu, ever.

Tip: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays; Sunday family lunch is the long shift, book ahead.

Hispi ★ 4.5

didsbury · 1C School Lane, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6RD

Gary Usher's Didsbury bistro is the southern outpost of his Sticky Walnut group in Manchester. Two-course set lunch at sixteen pounds, ambitious for price.

Tip: Sundays book out; mid-week is calmer and the kitchen serves the same menu.

Mughli Charcoal Pit ★ 4.5

rusholme · 30 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 5TQ

Mohammad Arshad opened Mughli on Manchester's Curry Mile in 1991. Family-run, focal charcoal pit, Mughlai cooking, lamb chops by the platter.

Tip: Kitchen runs to 00:30 Friday and Saturday; Sunday is family-lunch crowd from 14:00.

Bundobust ★ 4.5

northern-quarter · 61 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2AQ

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.

Tip: All vegetarian; gluten-free options marked. Bookings rare on weekends; arrive at 17:30.

Cibus ★ 4.5

levenshulme · 847-849 Stockport Road, Manchester M19 3PW

Levenshulme neighbourhood Italian on Stockport Road that grew from a market stall. Kitchen leans regional italian. At 847-849 Stockport Road.

Tip: Closed Mondays; book the back room on Saturdays for the wider tasting plates.

BAB ★ 4.5

northern-quarter · 14 Little Lever Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M1 1HR

60-cover Northern Quarter room just off Stevenson Square from The Pen and Pencil team. Theatre-style open chargrill kitchen, flatbreads from scratch.

Tip: Book ahead Thursday to Saturday; basement Honey Trap Club for after-dinner cocktails.

BAB ★ 4.5

northern-quarter · 14 Little Lever Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M1 1HR

60-cover Northern Quarter room just off Stevenson Square from The Pen and Pencil team. Theatre-style open chargrill kitchen, flatbreads from scratch.

Tip: Book ahead Thursday to Saturday; basement Honey Trap Club is the after-dinner option.

Cibus ★ 4.5

levenshulme · 847-849 Stockport Road, Manchester M19 3PW

Stockport Road neighbourhood Italian that grew from a Levenshulme market stall. Priced at ££. Kitchen leans regional italian. At 847-849 Stockport Road.

Tip: Twenty minutes south of Piccadilly by train; pair with a Levenshulme Market stroll on Saturdays.

ManCoCo ★ 4.5

deansgate · Hewitt Street, Manchester M15 4GB

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.

Bundobust Brewing ★ 4.5

oxford-road · St James Building, 61-69 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 6EQ

Bundobust's own brewery, taproom and restaurant on Oxford Street, Manchester. Located in Oxford Road. At St James Building. Booking recommended.

Mei Dim ★ 4.5

chinatown · 45-47 Faulkner Street, Manchester M1 4EE

Manchester Chinatown basement dim sum room, kitchen open until 22:00 weekdays. Har gow, siu mai, char siu pork and chiu chow dumplings late into the evening.

Fort Coffee ★ 4.5

deansgate · 255 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN

Speciality coffee roaster cafe tucked under Deansgate Mews. Slayer espresso, single-origin filter and pour-over, plus in-house pastries from a tiny bakery.

Tip: Sister sites Another Hand and Dormouse Chocolates are two doors down on the same mews; do a triple.

Companio Bakery ★ 4.5

ancoats · 35 Radium Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 6AD

Manchester Ancoats bakery run by Baneta Yelda and Neil Large. Cardamom buns and cheese-filled doughs; locals queue outside before opening hour.

Tip: Open Wednesday to Saturday morning; loaves usually sold out by 12:00.

Ezra & Gil ★ 4.5

northern-quarter · 20 Hilton Street, Manchester M1 1FR

Open since 2014, the Hilton Street original Ezra & Gil is Manchester's Northern Quarter brunch room. Sourdough, avocado, eggs benedict, single-origin filter.

Federal Cafe ★ 4.5

northern-quarter · 9 Nicholas Croft, Manchester M4 1EY

Australian-style brunch room in Manchester's Northern Quarter, packed from 09:00 daily. Banana bread with ricotta, Turkish eggs, single-origin coffee here.

Long Boi's Bakehouse ★ 4.5

levenshulme · 40 Forest Range, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 2HP

Old corner-shop bakehouse on a leafy Levenshulme street, founded by a former Pollen baker. Order the cardamom morning bun with a flat white.

Just Between Friends ★ 4.5

northern-quarter · 56 Tib Street, Manchester M4 1LG

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.