Food and Drink in the North

Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor

You lucky lot. We have a month’s worth of imbibing delights for you this August. The means various food festivals across the North, swanky new cocktail bars, rustic old(ish) pubs and some of the most eye-catching (and delicious) food this side of Belshazzar’s feast.

Grab an ice pop and put your feet up, here’s this month’s food and drink guide to Manchester and the North.

Our top picks

Six By Nico Deansgate

Six By Nico Deansgate, 2 John Dalton St, Manchester, M3 2BY - Visit now

Say it loud: the new Mad Hatter menu at Six By Nico is their best since Chippy Tea – the legendary spread that kicked the whole Six By Nico phenomenon off.

Fell Bar Chorlton

Fell Bar Chorlton, 518 Wilbraham Rd, Chorlton , Manchester, M21 9AW - Visit now

Fell Bar is a firm favourite of the Chorlton masses, offering hand pumped ales and distinguished fixtures and fittings. Think green tiles, dark wood panels and traditional bits and bobs. It’s an old-school pub in all the right ways.

Fell Bar Chorlton
Ian Jones

Bolton Food & Drink Festival

Bolton Food & Drink Festival, 22–25 August 2025 - Book now

Bolton Food & Drink Festival returns for its landmark 20th edition this August Bank Holiday weekend, taking over this Lancashire town with the standard of eye-catching line-up we’ve come to expect from these award-winning organisers.

Bar Lina Manchester

Bar Lina Manchester, 17 Quay St, Manchester , M3 3HN - Visit now

Manchester’s cocktail scene has sharpened in recent years, with standouts like Stray and Speak In Code leading the charge. Bar Lina slots effortlessly into that top tier.
Bar Lina
Ian Jones

Ndoh Sasua: A West African Farm to Fork Feast

Ndoh Sasua: A West African Farm to Fork Feast at Northern Roots Urban Farm and Eco-Park, Oldham, 14 August 2025, From £25.00 - Book now

On Thursday 14 August at Northern Roots in Oldham, Chef Ngwafu Tansie presents Ndoh Sasua: A West African Farm‑to‑Fork Feast. “Ndoh sasua” refers to a celebratory communal meal in Cameroon and, that’s precisely what this is: a vegan supper entirely built around produce grown on site at what’s soon to be the UK’s largest urban farm.

Ndoh Sasua: A West African Farm to Fork Feast
Ndoh Sasua: A West African Farm to Fork Feast

WakuWaku

WakuWaku, 54 Portland St, Manchester, M1 4QU - Visit now

Manchester’s WakuWaku is the UK’s only “2D” Japanese restaurant and one of a mere handful in the world – New York, Berlin and Singapore, at last count.

WakuWaku
Ian Jones

Manor House Alsager

Manor House Alsager, Audley Rd, Alsager, Stoke-on-Trent , ST7 2QQ - Visit now

A revamped 17th‑century country house, containing 50 or so modern rooms, including spacious king and four‑poster suites that come with all the expected trappings: comfy beds, Nespresso machines and nicely-sized bathrooms.

Sampa

Sampa, 24 Dale Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M1 1FY - Visit now

Sampa has released reservations for the months of September, October, November and December – plus tickets for their NYE party. Act quick. It’s a small chef’s table restaurant, and seats will fill up quickly.

The Temple Newsam Food Festival 2025

The Temple Newsam Food Festival 2025 at Temple Newsam, Leeds, 16–17 August 2025, From £5.95 - Book now

This August sees the launch of the first Temple Newsam Food Festival, a two-day outdoor event set in the grounds of one of Leeds’s most recognisable estates. Taking place over the weekend of 16-17 August 2025, the festival brings together quality street food, independent bars, live chef demos and music, all against the backdrop of a 500-year-old stately home.

The Temple Newsam Food Festival 2025
Leeds Museums & Galleries

Festa Italiana at Cathedral Gardens

Festa Italiana at Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, 22–24 August 2025, Free entry - Find Out More

Manchester’s most joyous summer celebration is back. From Friday 22 to Sunday 24 August 2025, Festa Italiana returns to Cathedral Gardens for its eighth edition.

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
Africana and Caribbean Food Fest
FestivalsLeeds
African & Caribbean Food Fest 2025

Calling people of Leeds and beyond! The city’s favourite African and Caribbean Food Fest is back, and this year it’s turning up the heat with Harmony of Colours, a celebration…

Free entry
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
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.

Take me there

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.

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.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Briton’s Protection

Standing on the corner of a junction opposite The Bridgewater Hall, The Briton’s Protection is Manchester’s oldest pub. It has occupied the same spot since 1795, going under the equally

Yard Bar at District
Baltic Triangle
Event venue
District Liverpool

District Liverpool is a multi-purpose venue in the Baltic Quarter, hosting gigs, club nights, films, cabaret, festivals and much more.

Culture Guides

Blondshell by Hannah Bon.
Music in the North

From Lyra Pramuk’s sacred synths to the sugar rush of YAANG, our latest music picks bring ritual, rebellion and ridiculous levels of fun.

Two women stand next to an orange car.
Cinema in the North

August brings a huge LGBTQ+ film festival, plus a reggae classic and a spotlight on Japanese animation.

Theatre in Manchester and the North.
Theatre in the North

From outdoor shows to drama in the dark, our theatre guide celebrates genre-pushing work, new writing and contemporary performance.

Author portrait
Literature Events in the North

Our latest round-up features plenty of one-off live literature events to wrap your ears about, so get those diaries ticking over...