Mei Dim is a cantonese dim sum restaurant in Chinatown, Manchester.
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 dishes: Har gow, Siu mai, Cantonese roast meats
Must order: Har gow, siu mai, char siu pork and the chiu chow dumplings.
Tip: Saturday and Sunday lunch packs out; weekday lunch is calmer and the kitchen is just as sharp.
Address: 45-47 Faulkner Street, Manchester M1 4EE
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.
Signature: Margherita, Diavola
Order: Margherita first, then a Diavola with Italian salami if you want heat.
Tip: Walk-in only at Ancoats; arrive by 17:30 on weekends or expect a queue running across Cutting Room Square.
Family-run Indian cafe since 1984, on Soap Street behind the Arndale. Rice-and-three counter, canteen-style, still under ten pounds a plate.
Signature: Rice and three curry, Vegetable curry
Order: Rice and three curry: pilau plus chana, saag and a meat curry.
Tip: Open 12:00 to 19:00 weekdays; takeaway queue moves fast at lunch.
P G and Lilawati Sachdev opened Lily's in 1972; pure vegetarian, family-run, packed with regulars. Best Vegetarian at the 2018 Food Festival.
Signature: Gujarati thali, South Indian dosa
Order: The Lily's thali, a daily-changing tour of Gujarati and Punjabi vegetarian plates.
Tip: Ashton-under-Lyne is twenty minutes by tram from Piccadilly; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Neighbourhood tasting room in Urmston; Michelin Guide listed. Small kitchen, regularly changing menu, walking distance from the Metrolink stop.
Signature: Tasting menu, Local produce
Order: The six-course tasting; vegetarian version is the kitchen's strong second.
Tip: Dinner Wednesday to Saturday; the room is small, book three weeks ahead.
Levenshulme neighbourhood Italian on Stockport Road that grew from a market stall. Pizza, regional pastas, cicchetti, weekly specials and Italian-leaning Sunday roasts under chef-owner Lorenzo Liveri.
Signature: Pizza Napoletana, Italian Sunday roast
Order: Pizza of the week; the Italian-style Sunday roast on a Sunday afternoon.
Tip: Closed Mondays; book the back room on Saturdays for the wider tasting plates.
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: Flat iron steak kebab, Lemon garlic halibut kebab
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.
