We’re hitting the rump of spring, which traditionally means a load of weird and wonderful weather. Here’s a bunch of places to go and visit, with no real theme other than they serve up delicious grub. Remember: table outside when it’s sunny, inside during the hailstone and showers.
Grab a pen and take notes, here’s this month’s food and drink guide to Manchester and the North.
Kong’s is a classier affair than most modern chicken shops. More about the mise en place than junk for drunks (although it ticks that box too) or gaming the algorithm. In other words, the Northern Quarter take on fried chicken.
Lennox is a smart idea from Nico, with bags of potential. The staff are as upbeat and helpful as ever, and, free of the “six” constraints, the kitchen team are free to come up with interesting dishes of all sizes and costs. One to watch, for sure.
Dimitri’s is old Manchester at its best. Remember kids, not every restaurant needs to be bleeding edge and AI-optimised. Sometimes it’s nice to settle into a place that’s been around for decades, physically, but centuries in spirit.
The roast dinners at Trading Route don’t reinvent the wheel, but, like Spokey Dokeys, they do improve on it. Time-honoured Sunday grub tradition done in a modern Manchester style.
Caroline Martins opens BRASA this spring, a second Manchester site following the twelve-course tasting menu format of SAMPA. The venue is an à la carte Brazilian barbecue concept centered on traditional churrasco grill techniques. It is a fire-driven operation that moves away from fine-dining refinement in favour of direct, grill-focused cooking.
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
Eat your way through the dairy based delights of Manchester, with the Manchester Cheese Crawl walking tour.
From £25
Take a journey through 300 years of pub and brewing history in Leeds, with a heritage Pub and brewery tour.
From £35.00
Step into the majestic Blackpool Tower Ballroom for an experience like no other. With stunning architecture, live music and treats galore, Afternoon Tea here is highly recommended.
From £60.00
Munch your way through two cities for the price of one with the Taste of Two Cities tour from Flavours of Manchester.
From £49.00
Stagger across three hundred years of Manchester’s drinking history in one of the city’s most fun-loving walking tours.
From £25.00
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
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 Sorcery is a popular cookery school now opening in the centre of Manchester after years of success in East Didsbury.
Seconds Carvery at Freight Island serves up the city’s heartiest Sunday roast dinners.
A fine-dining restaurant combining Japanese influences, with seasonal British produce.
Snazzy Manchester outpost of the globe-straddling Japanese-meets-Peruvian restaurant brand.
Longstanding Italian restaurant in the snazzy bit of 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.
Formerly known as P3 Annihilation Eve, Impiety Hour is a bohemian bar and bookshop with vintage reads and records.
Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.
Spring has sprung a wealth of great exhibitions in the North West, from intimate photographic shows to huge installations.
Closer, riskier, more immediate. Our small-scale theatre picks stretch from unsettling fables about nationhood to the inner workings of a mind trying to hold itself together.
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.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.
This month’s live music picks move between ambitious new work, grassroots celebrations and a few memorable settings.
