10 editor picks in Manchester.
10 restaurants in Manchester, editor-picked for restaurants open monday. Open on monday, the day most kitchens go dark. All restaurants in Manchester.
The upstairs kitchen earned a Top 50 Gastropubs spot in the UK; Gabe Lea took over as head chef in late 2024. Located in Ancoats. Priced at £££.
OrderWhatever protein is hung in the room that week; ask the pass.
TipDownstairs handles walk-in pints; the restaurant upstairs needs a booking.
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.
OrderMargherita first, then a Diavola with Italian salami if you want heat.
TipWalk-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.
OrderRice and three curry: pilau plus chana, saag and a meat curry.
TipOpen 12:00-19:00 weekdays; takeaway queue moves fast at lunch.
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.
OrderSet lunch with featherblade and the parkin pudding with butterscotch.
TipSundays book out; mid-week is calmer and the kitchen serves the same menu.
Simon Shaw's tapas room landed on King Street in 2016 and held its Bib Gourmand through the 2026 guide. Three floors: bar, counter kitchen, roof terrace.
OrderWhatever is grilled over the open coals upstairs; sherry by the copita with it.
TipThe counter on the first floor faces the kitchen; reserve there.
Mohammad Arshad opened Mughli on Manchester's Curry Mile in 1991. Family-run, focal charcoal pit, Mughlai cooking, lamb chops by the platter.
OrderCharcoal lamb chops and the chargrilled paneer; finish with kulfi.
TipKitchen runs to 00:30 Friday and Saturday; Sunday is family-lunch crowd from 14:00.
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.
OrderVada pav with chilli butter, okra fries and a pint of Bundobust Mango Lassi sour.
TipAll vegetarian; gluten-free options marked. Bookings rare on weekends; arrive at 17:30.
60-cover Northern Quarter room just off Stevenson Square from The Pen and Pencil team. Theatre-style open chargrill kitchen, flatbreads from scratch.
OrderFlat iron steak kebab with whipped blue cheese, truffle and pickled raisins.
TipBook ahead Thursday to Saturday; basement Honey Trap Club for after-dinner cocktails.
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.
OrderHar gow, siu mai, char siu pork and the chiu chow dumplings.
TipSaturday and Sunday lunch packs out; weekday lunch is calmer and the kitchen is just as sharp.
Nineteenth-floor restaurant and rooftop terrace above Hardman Square. Modern British menu against panoramic Manchester views; DJs play weekend evenings.
OrderSunday roast on the dining-room side; the bar terrace handles cocktails.
TipResident DJs play from 17:00 on Thursday and Friday and from 13:00 on Saturday; book ahead for groups of up to 12.
