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Food and Drink in the North

Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor

It’s officially autumn, the heating’s back on, and that can only mean one thing: time to get out there and eat some hearty grub. It’s important to bulk up to get through those cold nights. That’s what the boffins at Eating HQ told us, anyway.

With that in mind, we’re all about those big satisfying meals, including finely tuned countryside servings, glitzy Asian food, excellent small plates out in Stalybridge, Sunday roasts (of all stripes) and more.

So join us as we dive headfirst into the best places to eat and drink in this, the greatest of UK regions. Think of your taste buds and start planning your next four weeks around this month’s food and drink guide to Manchester and the North.

Our top picks

Where The Light Gets In

Where The Light Gets In, 7 Rostron Brow, Stockport, SK1 1JY - Visit now

Where The Light Gets In is one of the North’s most singular restaurants. It’s upscale dining you can’t find anywhere else.

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The Cut & Craft Manchester

The Cut & Craft Manchester, 38-42 Mosley St, Manchester , M2 3AZ - Visit now

The Cut & Craft has an all-new lunch menu for winter. Expect hearty seasonal dishes like French onion soup, cottage pie and a fish butty, alongside house favourites such as truffle potato croquettes and rump steak and chips.

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Gladstone Barber & Bistro

Gladstone Barber & Bistro, Unit 3, Pattern House, Castle St, Stalybridge, SK15 1NX - Visit now

There are a bunch of decent Middle Eastern-style restaurants in Manchester and its surrounding areas, but Gladstone takes things to a new level. All bases are covered: friendly atmosphere, great drinks, superb food.

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The Chequers Inn

The Chequers Inn, Froggatt Edge, A625, Calver, Froggatt, Hope Valley , Derbyshire , S32 3ZJ - Visit now

The Chequers Inn is the Peak District at its best. A fine mix of modern and tradition, welcoming as it gets and with food that’s more than a match for the many nearby beauty spots.

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Vermilion

Vermilion, Lord N St, Hulme Hall Lane, Manchester, M40 8AD - Visit now

Vermilion isn’t a shy, retiring type of restaurant – it’s bold, glam and sometimes silly.

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Pho Cue

Pho Cue, 52A Faulkner Street , Manchester, M1 4FH - Visit now

Family-run Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. Prepare to queue for Pho Cue.

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GRUB Manchester

GRUB Manchester, 50 Red Bank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, M4 4HF - Visit now

Sad news, guys. GRUB, Manchester’s most prominent independent street food fair and social hub, is closing its Red Bank site after five years.

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Seconds Carvery at Freight Island

Seconds Carvery at Freight Island, Ticket Hall, Freight Island, 11 Baring St, Manchester, M1 2PZ - Visit now

The Mayfield institution is delivering the ultimate Sunday roast, one that’s a million miles from the sad old carveries that dominated the Sunday food landscape at the end of the last century.

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Sunday Roasts in Manchester

Clear the next few Sundays from your calendar and get booking. Manchester has some of the finest roast dinners in the North, and we’re here to help you discover the one that’s most up your street.

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More food and drink events

Walking Tour Stock imagery
Until
ActivityCity Centre
The Manchester Music Walkabout

Manchester’s famous musical legacy comes to life in this walking tour around the city, which will take you from the 1960s to the present day.

From £25.00
Love Lane Brewery Exterior
Until
TourBaltic Triangle
Love Lane & Higsons Brewery Tour Experience!

Every weekend in Liverpool’s buzzing Baltic Triangle, Love Lane Brewery invites visitors behind the scenes for an hour-long tour through its striking, industrial space. Housed in a converted rubber factory,

From £25.00
Craft Beer Tour Around Manchester
Until
ActivityManchester
Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Join Craft Beer Tour Manchester for a journey through some of the cities best local breweries and artisanal beer serving bars. Discover the personality of Manchester’s beer through a diverse

From £45
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Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Spotlight on

Walking Tours in Manchester by Jonathan Schofield

Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.

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Food and Drink in the North

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Offering a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

Chinatown
Restaurant
Pho Cue

Family-run Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. Prepare to queue for Pho Cue.

A table with a view of Liverpool at the fine dining restaurant Panoramic 34
Liverpool
Restaurant
Panoramic 34

Panoramic 34 boasts ceiling to floor windows with a breathtaking 360 degree aspect, but there’s plenty more to get giddy about than just the views.

See all places

Destination Guides

Leeds Corn Exchange
Things to do in Leeds

Our guide to Leeds, a hub of northern creativity, the metropolis of Yorkshire and one of the greenest cities in the UK.
Things to Do in Liverpool
Things to Do in Liverpool

Our guide to the thriving city of Liverpool, where new creative futures are written against the backdrop of a unique history.
Things to do in Manchester
Things to Do in Manchester

Our guide to the best things to in Manchester, from award-winning theatre and exhibitions to the busiest music scene in the North.
Things to do in Bradford: Kala Sangam
Bradford 2025 – UK City of Culture

Bradford 2025 – UK City of Culture is a city in celebration, not just for Bradford and the surrounding districts, but the whole of the North.
Things to do in Blackpool

Fancy a day trip? Explore our guide to Blackpool and build yourself an itinerary featuring attractions, galleries, restaurants and more.
York Castle Museum
Things to do in York

We take a closer look at York, one of the UK’s most beautiful heritage cities with a wealth of contemporary culture.
Burnley's Singing Ringing Tree
Things to do in Lancashire

Our guide to the culturally rich coastal county of Lancashire, encompassing Lancaster, Morecambe, Blackpool and Blackburn.

Culture Guides

Hofesh Shechter - Theatre of Dreams at Lowry
Theatre in the North

Picks this month include bold visual art, wondrous opera and cinematic dance - plus a touch of ghostly storytelling for the Halloween season.

A white mattress is burning in a black rocky landscape.
Exhibitions in the North

Galleries in the North are far from spooky this October - instead you'll find tactile sculptures, plant magic and curatorial experiments.

Poet Helen Mort.
Literature Events in the North

One to add to your TBR pile, our latest round-up is a bumper edition and features some amazing events in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and beyond...

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

It's busy month across the cinemas of the north as Halloween programming leads into two of the region's biggest film festivals.