Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards 2020

Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor

Visit now

Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards 2020

5 October 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Manchester Food & Drink Festival 2019
MFDF 2020
Book now

There’s a new format for the much-loved Manchester Food and Drink Awards in 2020, following an extraordinary year for the hospitality industry.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has had upon the hospitality sector, the 2020 awards have been adapted for this year with changes to format, award categories and the MFDF Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony.

Voting will be carried out entirely by the public

The MFDF Awards 2020 will be presented in partnership with festival sponsors Just Eat, and will be the culmination of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival (24th September-5th October). The awards will celebrate the innovation, resilience, altruism and successes that have taken place since the last awards, particularly in light of the vast challenges that the industry has faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Voting will be carried out entirely by the public via the MFDF website and the brand new MFDF app which will be downloadable from early September. The shortlists have been compiled by the MFDF judging panel, made up of the region’s leading food and drink critics, writers and experts.

An extraordinary year for the hospitality industry

The awards ceremony itself will be taking place at a venue to be announced and live-streamed so that, for the first time, the industry and public alike will be able to watch at the same time. More details will be announced soon.

The closing date for votes is midnight on the 26th September and the winners will then be announced in October at the virtual Awards ceremony on 5th October.

Where to go near Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards 2020

Manchester
Restaurant
Sampa

Sampa’s underground space is the perfect place to learn about both her new mind-expanding dishes and vintage sherries, reimagined for the late 2020s.

Northern Quarter
Restaurant
Sicilian NQ

Busy backstreet Sicilian restaurant in the Northern Quarter, serving up traditional dishes with well-executed vegan versions that more than match up.

Manchester
Restaurant
Maki & Ramen

Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.

Restaurant Orme
Manchester
Restaurant
Restaurant Örme

A hidden gem in the suburbs of Greater Manchester, serving high-level British small plates to a soundtrack of indie rock and roll.

The Abbey
Manchester
Restaurant
The Abbey

Historic Hulme pub with a very good live gig space, brought to you by the very capable team behind YES, Gorilla, Now Wave and Manchester Psych Fest.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Pigeon Beer Wanderer

Pigeon Beer Wanderer brings wine-level ceremony to Manchester’s new “Beermuda Triangle”, courtesy of Joshua Lightfoot and his crack team of booze experts.

Image courtesy of Unitom.
Castlefield
Gallery
UNITOM Projects

The exhibition arm of Manchester indie bookshop UNITOM is a dedicated space for contemporary visual culture in the St John’s neighbourhood.

City Centre
Restaurant
Portfolio

Portfolio is a Champagne boutique on Manchester’s Bridge Street, offering a set menu of fine-dining small bites.

What's on: Festivals

Courtesy of CityCo.
CinemaManchester
SCENE: The Ab Fab A-Thon at New Century

Sweetie darling, join Make A Scene for a night celebrating Jennifer Saunders’ iconic sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, Hosted by Dragula’s Anna Phylactic and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s Banksie.

From £15.00
Until
FestivalsChester
Storyhouse in the Park

Four open-air productions, films under the stars and frozen cocktails in the park – Chester’s doing summer right.

Free entry
Encounter Festival 2026
FestivalsLancashire
Encounter Festival in Preston

Preston comes alive with outdoor theatre, live music, dance and family-friendly creativity in one of the North West’s most joyful festivals.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Matt Spratt.
Music

Aphex Twin-endorsed electronica, an eight-hour organ marathon and the most exciting band in Ireland's current folk revival all feature this month.

Food and Drink in the North

Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre

From intimate dramas to spectacular outdoor festivals, discover the North West performances worth adding to your diary.

Exhibitions

Summer isn’t usually a high point in the exhibitions calendar, but Greater Manchester’s small galleries seem to have made a pact to change that this year.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.