Restaurants & bars in Manchester

Discover our pick of the best bars in Manchester and best restaurants in Manchester this season

Our favourite restaurants this spring

1. Sam’s Chophouse. This is a traditional pub-cum-restaurant whose fabulous British menu is regularly lauded in the national and local press. Kids are welcome, while its clientele ranges from business bods to young ‘uns on their way out – anyone, basically, who likes good food served in a great (and historic) setting. It gets busy here over weekends and holidays, though, so you’d be advised to book. Sam’s Chophouse, Back Pool Fold, Chapel Walks, off Cross Street, Manchester M2 1HN.

2. Dukes 92. When the sun shines, there’s only one place to head for in Manchester: Dukes 92. Famous for its man-size plates of cheese and paté, good pizza and beer, it is also loved for its peaceful, canal-side setting. Duke and its neighbour, Albert’s Shed (both are part of the same operation), are also amongst the best places for open-air eats in Manchester. As soon as the sun comes out, so do the sizzling sausages on their barbecue. Dukes 92, 18 Castle Street, Castlefield, M3 4LZ.

3. Zouk. Curry in Manchester usually means one of two things: that you take your chances along Rusholme’s Curry Mile or you plump for ‘rice and three’ in a slightly shabby eatery in town. But Zouk brings an altogether different Asian dining experience to the city. Zouk cost £1 million to fit out and it shows: inside, it’s all luxurious seating and glittering chandeliers. The kitchen serves as an all-action centrepiece, letting diners ogle the chefs as they roast meat on a charcoal grill. Zouk is a family owned chain that originally hails from Bradford; its father-and-sons-team injects new life into traditional Pakistani cooking. Forget greasy sauces that sit heavy on your stomach: Zouk’s lightness of touch and depth of flavour is impressive. What’s perhaps most welcome, though, is the fact that all this high-end eating comes with a mid-range price tag. **We’ve just spotted that Zouk is offering monthly cookery lessons, three hour sessions with their chefs that might just mean you’ll learn the difference between a Bhuna and a bhaji. £60.**  Zouk, The Quadrangle, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5QS.

Top three art bars

1. Common: Inspired by Berlin’s dive-meets-chic bar scene, Common has established itself over the past five years as a social club for the city’s cultural set. Kitted out with plywood booths and wonky graffiti (courtesy of artists such as Chris Gray, Guy McKinley and currently, Rob Bailey’s bold geometrics), the ‘anything goes’ atmosphere is the main draw – although the menu isn’t bad either. Serious, dark rums and German ales typify the alcoholic offering, while hot snacks such as soup and chilli are the building blocks of a good night out. Pushing the recession firmly out the door, the venue has recently doubled in size, taking in a new section called The Kestrel Suite. As spokesperson Duncan Sime suggests, it’s ideal for private parties, as well as being ‘just another dodgy-sounding room to hang out in’. Common, 39 – 41 Edge Street, Northern Quarter, M4 1HW

2. Cornerhouse: Pre-film drinks used to be what Cornerhouse did best, but cinephiles no longer have the first floor to themselves. Food, booze and tunes all got a revamp, and the result is a simple, stylish restaurant and bar made to fit the glass-bound space. Music is cribbed from kooky film scores, while tarts, tagines and cupcakes are the stuff romantic suppers are made of. And the selection of Spanish reds is definitely worth getting to know better. Head downstairs for screenings of the latest independent releases, while upstairs three art galleries (open until 8pm Tue to Sat), address the edgy and the promising. Current exhibitions include David Macintosh’s drawings and the warped photographs of Lucy Ridges and Adam Vaughan. Cornerhouse, 70 Oxford Street, M1 5NH.

3. Trof at The Deaf Institute: Rising from South Manchester’s skyline like a wooden cathedral, Trof was originally the city’s Deaf and Dumb Institute. Founded in 1878, this Victorian haunt is now home to two bars and a 260-person capacity live lounge. The city’s largest mirror ball looms high overhead, while around you surreal wallpaper and dark waxed wood combine to fashionable effect. Original lecture hall seating adds to the experience of watching acts such as The Juan MacLean or The xx do their thing, and the couple behind the venture are as kooky as the décor: Adelaide Winter is an artist while Joel Wilkinson is a former Motörhead roadie. Lending equal weight to music, design and architecture, the third bar in their growing stable proves there’s more to a night out than what’s in your tumbler. The Deaf Institute, 135 Grosvenor Street, M1 7HE.

Best for tea and cake

1. Teacup on Thomas Street. Once a purveyor of funky goods as well as hot drinks, this Northern Quarter favourite has refined its purpose. Now that Teacup is solely a stylish café, it’s considerably better. Carefully-coiffed bohemian types preside over a counter stuffed with pies and hearty cake wedges; give them your table number and someone will amble over bearing a teapot for one, full of Mr Scruff’s decent teas, or a livener from coffee company Union Hand-Roasted. This place is always popular, not just with hungover local residents, but a hearteningly mixed crowd of tourists, paper-reading ladies and parents with buggies. Teacup on Thomas Street, 53-55 Thomas Street, M4 1NA.

2. The Whitworth’s cafe. It may be a bit of a trek out of town but the award winning cafe at the Whitworth Art Gallery, run by chef Peter Booth, makes the walk worth it. It is a warm, homely place with fresh flowers at every table and handwritten chalkboard menus. All meals are prepared in front of you in the open kitchen, and all ingredients are fresh, local, and where available, organic. The daily cakes are hearty and as good as your mum ever made – but only if your mum’s first name happens to be Delia. Peter Booth also runs the nearby Gabriel’s Kitchen. The Whitworth Art Gallery, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER.

3. Cafe Aromat. A dinky little cafe stuffed inside the gorgeous surrounds of Manchester Craft and Design Centre, Cafe Aromat is another Northern Quarter gem. Great coffee, hot meals (such as an impressively authentic Thai curry) and to-die-for homebaked cakes make this a popular place – come lunchtime it can be hard to get a seat (and be prepared to share your table if you do). If you do find yourself having to wait for a table, it’s no great hardship: the  joy of Cafe Aromat is its location. It shares a home with 19 studio boutiques that sell everything from jewellery, handbags and accessories to artwork, sculpture and furniture. Manchester Craft & Design Centre, 17 Oak Street, M4 5JD.

Images (top to bottom): Sam’s Chophouse; Common, courtesy Tim France, Teacup on Thomas Street, courtesy Susie Stubbs