27 upscale places in Manchester, editor-picked. occasion restaurants in Manchester: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All Manchester food.
Higher Ground ★ 4.7
deansgate · Faulkner House, New York Street, Manchester M1 4DY
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.
Tip: The team also runs Flawd wine bar and Bar Shrimp; the trio works as a city-centre crawl.
Erst ★ 4.7
ancoats · 9 Murray Street, Manchester M4 6HS
Bib Gourmand on Murray Street since 2019. Short menu of seasonal plates, twenty natural reds and the same in whites, most bottles under fifty pounds.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday only, kitchen closed 15:00-16:30 for the gap shift.
Hawksmoor Manchester ★ 4.7
deansgate · 184-186 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WB
Manchester branch of Will Beckett and Huw Gott's London steakhouse. Native-breed British beef dry-aged in cellar; weekday Steak and Sides at nineteen.
Tip: The £19 Steak and Sides lunch runs weekdays 12:00-17:30; book ahead.
Schofield's Bar ★ 4.7
deansgate · Sunlight House, 3 Little Quay Street, Manchester M3 3JZ
Joe and Daniel Schofield's Art Deco cocktail bar on the corner of Sunlight House, Manchester. Top 50 Cocktail Bars list since opening. Walk-ins welcome.
Erst ★ 4.7
ancoats · 9 Murray Street, Manchester M4 6HS
Bib Gourmand Manchester wine bar on Ancoats' Murray Street. Twenty natural reds, twenty whites, a handful of pet-nats; small plates change weekly.
The Edinburgh Castle ★ 4.6
ancoats · 23 Blossom Street, Manchester M4 6AN
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 £££.
Tip: Downstairs handles walk-in pints; the restaurant upstairs needs a booking.
Port Street Beer House ★ 4.6
northern-quarter · 39-41 Port Street, Manchester M1 2EQ
Northern Quarter craft beer pub in Manchester since 2011. Eighteen keg, seven cask lines, hundreds of bottles, RateBeer's top Manchester bar most years.
Flawd ★ 4.6
ancoats · 7 Murray Street, New Islington, Manchester M4 6HS
Canalside Manchester wine bar by Ancoats Marina. Light, brick room, communal tables, leafy courtyard, low-intervention bottles from small European growers.
El Gato Negro ★ 4.5
deansgate · 52 King Street, Manchester M2 4LY
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.
Tip: The counter on the first floor faces the kitchen; reserve there.
Another Hand ★ 4.5
deansgate · Unit F, 253 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN
Max Yorke and Julian Pizer run a 24-seat Michelin-listed bistro on Deansgate Mews in Manchester. Vegetable-forward plates, low-intervention wines.
Tip: Tiny room, two services only. Bookings via the site, no walk-ins.
Restaurant Orme ★ 4.5
urmston · 218 Church Road, Urmston, Manchester M41 9DX
Neighbourhood tasting room in Urmston; Michelin Guide listed. Small kitchen, regularly changing menu, walking distance from the Metrolink stop.
Tip: Dinner Wednesday to Saturday; the room is small, book three weeks ahead.
La Bandera ★ 4.5
deansgate · 2 Ridgefield, Manchester M2 6EQ
Family-run Canarian-Spanish restaurant on Ridgefield off Deansgate, in the heart of Spinningfields. Tapas counter, seven-course tasting at the chef's table.
Tip: Book the kitchen table for the seven-course tasting; bar walk-ins fine for tapas.
Speak in Code ★ 4.5
deansgate · 7 Jackson's Row, Manchester M2 5WD
Brick-lined Manchester speakeasy on Jackson's Row off Albert Square. Hip-hop soundtrack, vegan-friendly cocktails, sustainable in-house ingredients.
Cork of the North ★ 4.5
stockport · 66 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport SK4 4NX
South Manchester wine bar in Heaton Moor with 450 bottles on the wall. Hundred-plus by the glass, Mediterranean snacks, sister site in Sale on the same model.
The Temple ★ 4.4
deansgate · 100 Great Bridgewater Street, Manchester M1 5JW
Tiny converted public toilet on Great Bridgewater Street in Manchester, now one of the city's most loved dive bars. Steps lead down to a one-room basement.
The Washhouse ★ 4.4
northern-quarter · 19 Shudehill, Manchester M4 2AF
Speakeasy hidden behind a laundrette front on Shudehill in Manchester. You pick up a phone, ask the operator for a slot, and a door opens to a bar inside.
Mr Thomas's Chop House ★ 4.4
deansgate · 52 Cross Street, Manchester M2 7AR
1867 Victorian Manchester chop house and pub on Cross Street. Cask ales, steak and kidney pudding, original tilework and the city's oldest dining room.
Reserve Wines ★ 4.4
northern-quarter · Mackie Mayor, 1 Eagle Street, Manchester M4 5JZ
Wine shop and bar inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor food hall. Hundreds of bottles, keg wines, glass pours, regular tastings and Sunday cheese pairings.
Cuckoo ★ 4.4
prestwich · 395-397 Bury New Road, Prestwich, Manchester M25 1AW
Prestwich neighbourhood bar and pizza room on Bury New Road. Low-intervention wines, sourdough pizza, small plates and a daytime coffee programme.
20 Stories ★ 4.3
spinningfields · No 1 Spinningfields, 1 Hardman Square, Manchester M3 3EB
Nineteenth-floor restaurant and rooftop terrace above Hardman Square. Modern British menu against panoramic Manchester views; the bar opens later.
Tip: Book a window table; ten minutes before sunset is the slot worth holding.
Cane and Grain ★ 4.3
northern-quarter · 49-51 Thomas Street, Manchester M4 1NA
Thomas Street, Manchester, three-floor bar: rum and tiki at the top, cocktails on the middle, ribs and craft beer on the ground floor below.
Hula ★ 4.3
northern-quarter · 11a Stevenson Square, Manchester M1 1DB
1950s-inspired tiki hideout under Stevenson Square in the Northern Quarter. Basement booze paradise with tropical fish tank, fishbowl cocktails and DJ.
Cottonopolis ★ 4.3
northern-quarter · 16 Newton Street, Manchester M1 2AE
Northern Quarter cocktail bar in Manchester on Newton Street. Japanese-leaning drinks list, pan-Asian small plates, late-night kitchen until midnight.
Vino Cafe ★ 4.3
northern-quarter · 30 Tib Street, Manchester M4 1LA
Italian wine bar on Tib Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter. Italian-leaning list, Burgundy by the glass, antipasti and pasta plates daily.
Twenty Twenty Two ★ 4.2
northern-quarter · 20 Dale Street, Manchester M1 1EZ
Manchester basement bar on Dale Street with ping-pong tables, cocktails and pizza by the slice. Late-night Northern Quarter standby for the post-dinner shift.
Common ★ 4.2
northern-quarter · 39-41 Edge Street, Manchester M4 1HW
Edge Street stalwart in Manchester's Northern Quarter since 2009. Pub plates, craft beer, a chalkboard of guest taps that changes weekly. Locals' bar.
Black Jack Taproom ★ 4.2
noma · 36 Gould Street, Manchester M4 4RN
Brewery taproom on Gould Street in Manchester's Green Quarter. Black Jack's own range plus rotating guests, dog-friendly, opens at 16:00 weekdays.