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Summer is officially over and that means it’s time to start working on your ‘winter coat’, aka putting on a few pounds in preparation for those cold dark nights.
And, yet again we have a bumper crop of places to recommend this month, including newcomer to the thriving Ancoats food scene, Canto, courtesy of the team behind the widely-lauded El Gato Negro Tapas restaurant; highbrow but delicious lunch offerings at the Manchester Art Gallery restaurant; Polish food on Deansgate Mews in the Great Northern Warehouse; truly authentic Sicilian food at T’Arricrii in Hatch; quality steak at Alston Bar And Beef for all you meat-lovers; top-class vegan and vegetarian options at Manchester’s cultural hub, HOME; low-down and dirty bar food and drinks at Bunny Jackson’s Juke Joint on First Street; and many more.
At our reckoning, that gives you two places a week to explore – more than enough to check out the best that the North has to offer while the autumn nights draw in.
Be sure to check back next month for yet more of our top-recommended places to eat and drink in the North of England.
Here are our picks
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1. Manchester Art Gallery Cafe
Manchester Art Gallery -
2. Canto
Ian Jones Canto, Fairbairn Unit A, Fairbairn Building, Henry Street, Manchester, M4 5DH - Visit now
Simon Shaw, founder and Creative Director of the acclaimed tapas restaurant El Gato Negro, has teamed up with Porto-born Head Chef Carlos Gomes to create a space and menu that feel authentically Portuguese.
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3. Platzki
Ian Jones -
4. T’Arricrii
Ian Jones T’Arricrii, Hatch, Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M1 7ED - Visit now
T’Arricrii is ran by Sicilian brothers Romeo and Riccardo Rizzo, who specialise in food from Sicily. This means the two key items on the menu are arancini and cannoli – both staples of the Sicilian diet. You’ll likely have tried both before, but not like this.
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5. First Floor Restaurant at HOME
Paul Karalius First Floor Restaurant at HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M15 4FN - Visit now
There are a number of meat and seafood dishes on the menu, but even hardened carnivores and pescatarians should dive into the veggie and vegan dishes. Much like The Cornerhouse in its day, this is what the HOME restaurant truly excels at.
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6. Alston Bar & Beef
Charlie Spargo Alston Bar & Beef, Cathedral Street, Manchester, M4 3TR - Visit now
This Corn Exchange steak and gin joint is doing a lot of things very well and has bags of potential. After only about a year in its spot, we can expect to see it make its name known locally, keep improving and make its mark.
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7. Bunny Jackson’s Juke Joint
Martin Kevill -
8. James Martin Manchester
Ian Jones James Martin Manchester, 2 Watson St, Manchester, M3 4LP - Visit now
James Martin’s Manchester restaurant delivers a solid top-quality experience. It hovers around that hinterland between high-end and middle-brow dining, serving up impressively detailed dishes, while never being overly fusty or wallet-drainingly expensive.
More in Food and Drink
The Village Screen presents Halloween screenings at Kenwood Hall Hotel
This Halloween, Sheffield’s Kenwood Hall Hotel is inviting people to experience two spooktacular film events, with screenings of The Witches and The Shining on Wednesday 31st October in the wooded grounds of the hotel.
Cinemagoers are encouraged to don their best fancy dress and immerse themselves in the ultimate autumn outdoor film experience. Ahead of each event, there will be a live band performing quirky, acoustic covers as well as food by some of the North’s best street food traders.
Leeds International Festival 2019
Leeds International Festival, the UK’s leading metropolitan festival of new ideas and innovation, is back for its second year, this time featuring more than 50 events and 40 speakers over 15 days.
Vintage by the Sea in Morecambe
Celebrate the brilliance of 20th century design, fashion, vehicles and entertainment at this award-winning festival set around Morecambe’s famous art deco Midland Hotel.
Culture Guides
Tours and Activities
In this month’s top picks of Tours and Activities in Manchester, we are featuring the guides who take you into the darker underbelly of the city, as well as some of the more macabre activities.
Exhibitions
Autumn is festival season in the visual art world. We preview some familiar favourites alongside a brand-new addition to the scene – brainchild of Manchester’s resident prize-winning peace activist, Qaisra Shahraz.
Literature
More spoken word nights are emerging to join our favourite regulars, there are lots of launches and one-offs and workshops and conferences and even walking tours, and tickets are selling like hot cakes for Manchester Literature Festival, the Rochdale Literature & Ideas Festival and Chester Literature Festival.
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If you’re looking for theatre in Manchester, these are our top places to explore.
Shopping
Like retail therapy? Well, don’t we all. Here’s our guide to the best shopping in Manchester.
Shopping
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City Centre, Sheffield
Welcoming visitors as soon as they step off the train to Sheffield is the Sheffield…
Food and Drink
Food and drink in Leeds is a contrast of old-fashioned and cutting edge contemporary. Hearty traditional food can be found alongside innovative street food, all preferably served with a beer from one of the city’s many local breweries.
