BAB is a modern kebabs restaurant in Northern Quarter, Manchester.
60-cover Northern Quarter room just off Stevenson Square from The Pen and Pencil team. Theatre-style open chargrill kitchen, flatbreads from scratch, mezze with locally-sourced marinades and sauces.
Signature dishes: Flat iron steak kebab, Lemon garlic halibut kebab
Must order: Flat iron steak kebab with whipped blue cheese, truffle and pickled raisins.
Tip: Book ahead Thursday to Saturday; basement Honey Trap Club for after-dinner cocktails.
Address: 14 Little Lever Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M1 1HR
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.
Signature: Vegetable plates, Pan-Asian and Mediterranean
Order: Confit chickpeas on toast with whipped feta; the saffron and turmeric chicken.
Tip: Brunch crowds 10:00 to 13:00; the late-afternoon shift is the best time for a quiet table.
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.
Signature: Vegetable plates, Pan-Asian and Mediterranean
Order: Confit chickpeas on toast with whipped feta; the saffron and turmeric chicken.
Tip: Brunch crowds 10:00 to 13:00; the late-afternoon shift is the best time for a quiet table.
Simon Martin opened Mana in Ancoats in 2018. Manchester's first Michelin star in over forty years when it landed in 2019. Open-kitchen tasting room.
Signature: Tasting menu, British seafood
Order: The full tasting menu; British produce-led, often built around coastal seafood and seasonal vegetables.
Tip: Reserve six weeks ahead for Friday and Saturday; weekday lunch slots open the same season.
Tom Barnes, formerly executive chef at Simon Rogan's L'Enclume, opened Skof on Federation Street in May 2024. Michelin star inside ten months.
Signature: Tasting menu, Cumbrian produce
Order: The set tasting menu, Cumbrian and Northern produce cooked with L'Enclume precision.
Tip: Only 36 covers; book six to eight weeks ahead for weekend service.
Adam Reid runs the Belle Epoque dining room of the Midland Hotel in Manchester. Listed in the Michelin Guide; the historic 1903 room is the booking here.
Signature: Tasting menu, Northern British produce
Order: The ten-course tasting menu, Northern produce reframed.
Tip: Dinner only, Wednesday to Saturday from 18:00. The Midland's lobby bar handles aperitif.
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.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Seafood cooked over coal
Order: The set sharing menu at lunch, fifteen pounds cheaper and fast-paced; pasta and grilled seafood lead.
Tip: The team also runs Flawd wine bar and Bar Shrimp; the trio works as a city-centre crawl.
Kasia Hitchcock and Franco Concli run a Bib Gourmand kitchen under a Manchester railway arch. Tyrolean spaetzle, Polish pierogi, Russian pelmeni.
Signature: Pierogi, Spaetzle, Pelmeni
Order: Pierogi of the day and the goulash; finish with poppy-seed dumplings.
Tip: Bookings open one month ahead; weekday lunch is the calm shift.
