Food and Drink in Manchester and the North

The Allotment Vegan Restaurant, Lloyd’s house, 18-22 Lloyd St, Manchester, M2 5WA - Visit now

The Allotment is a vegan restaurant, but it’s not trying to replicate or even replace non-vegan dishes. It takes a wide range of vegan produce and turns it into something quite unique and as a result, some of the dishes are like nothing you’ve seen before. Stockport’s loss is very much Manchester’s grain and yes we did mean to write grain.

Marco Pierre White’s English Chophouse, 2 Canal St, Manchester, M1 3HE - Visit now

The latest restaurant from the legendary Marco Pierre White offers great artistry in British cooking, with a French flair and combination of amazing flavours. And yes, the exquisite food more than justifies the price tag.

Tattu, Gartside Street, 3 Hardman Square, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M3 3EB - Visit now

A new menu at Tattu, Spinningfields’ leading restaurant (sorry 20 Stories, maybe next year), is always a cause for celebration. They’ve been reliably putting out some of the most elaborate and intricate – but above all delicious – dishes for years, and this winter sees some of their chefs most inventive creations yet.

Peaberry Coffee House & Kitchen Albert Dock, Albert Dock, Units 1/2a The Colonnades, Liverpool, L3 4AA - Visit now

Liverpool’s Albert Dock has a reputation as something of a tourist haunt, but with the likes of Peaberry, things are certainly changing. Fiercely independent, without being too niche or too obvious, it’s a shining example of an exciting forward-thinking eatery.

Albert’s Restaurant & Bar, 120-122 Barlow Moor Rd, Manchester, M20 2PU - Visit now

Albert’s is the right kind of small chain, the kind of place that you know you’ll always enjoy a similarly high-level experience, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like the personality has been emptied out to the gods of a regimented handbook.

Evuna Deansgate, 277-279 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 4EW - Visit now

Time is generally one of the truest tests of a restaurant’s calibre. It takes both quality output and a local touch to not just exist, but thrive. At tapas restaurant Evuna – who’ve recently celebrated 15 years of operating – that’s exactly what’s on offer.

PLY, 26 Lever Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M1 1DW - Visit now

The waft of pizza and the soft music make PLY perhaps the most welcoming of all the current pizzerias in Manchester. A Christmas special, the Fairytale pizza features little roast potatoes and the probably controversial addition of raw sprouts. Admittedly this is not going to be for everyone but, come on, the concept is fun and actually adds a nice bitter note.

Liverpool Christmas Ice Festival at Pier Head, Liverpool, 10 November 2018–6 January 2019, from £6 - Book now

The third annual Liverpool Christmas Ice Festival is back and it’s better than ever. As well as a bunch of high-octane funfair rides and ice-based events for all you thrill-seekers, there’s a range of excellent pop-up food and drink stalls. Our favourite? The Sausage Swing Grill with its endless range of high-quality bratwurst dishes. Warm yourself up this Christmas, grab a tray of their mouth-watering currywurst.