Sometimes a meal should just be that: a meal. Simple but still great and well worth your hard-earned quids.
Save the Michelin star airs and graces for another time, this guide is all about those drop-in, quick bite (or long, lazy meals if you feel like it), with friends and family.
On food alone, The Blues Kitchen is one of Manchester’s better casual dining spaces. When you add in the live music, the weekend-on-a-midweek-night vibe, and the friendly, freewheelin’ staff, it becomes one of the best options, full stop.
The philosophy of Butter Bird is “Do one thing, and do it well.” And that thing is rotisserie chicken. This is PhD-grade poultry.
The V&A Restaurant and Bar’s experienced kitchen crew are flexing their culinary muscles with the weekend brunch menu: ‘Brunch, But Make It Northern’ running every Saturday and Sunday from midday to 5pm. The concept is simple: regional comfort food, with a flourish.
At heart, Beeswing is a wine bar with a tapas menu, but one that gets all the elements right. Think relaxed backstreet-in-Barcelona rather than hectic modern ‘Manny’.
Ethiopian food is one of Manchester’s more prominent sub-Saharan cuisines, and affordable Northern Quarter restaurant Asmara Bella is one of the most quietly respected of the lot.
Come for the drinks, stay for the food. The new Head Of Steam in the Northern Quarter has messy, award-winning food from Salford superstars That Burger Place. We strongly, strongly recommend the chicken wings (and hot honey).
Sure, it’s a pub, but it’s a cut above typical pub grub. The newly revamped Horse & Jockey has a quality menu, designed for drop-in dining with friends and family.
In Japanese, Yane – or rather, 屋根 – means roof, as in the roof of the owner’s home. It fits. There’s a family-style feel here, where the welcome is warm and friendly and the food is unfussy but meticulous, all at the same time.
Kallos is as kallos does. In ancient Greek, it means beauty, and from top to bottom – food to drinks, venue to service – it looks and feels stunning.
Chakalaka is one of the Northern Quarter’s more unique restaurants, offering the very best of South African cuisine in an intimate, friendly space.
In an area packed with excellent restaurants, Pho Cue stands proud. It might not be the showiest place on the block, but, name aside, greatness doesn’t have to mean gobby too.
Maray never disappoints. Its menu is full of loosely Levantine creations that seem simple but have fascinating hidden depths. It’s the kind of place you can pop in for one, two, hell, five or six dishes, and feel like you’ve experienced something special.
WakuWaku in a nutshell: easy on the eye, with drinks and dishes that more than live up to the looks. Kawaii meets washoku, all the way down.
This is fast food that you can choose to be light on oil and fat – classic street food, served up in vibe-appropriate foldable boxes. And don’t stop there. Salt & Pepper’s menu has some of the best dine-and-dash dishes in Manchester. Try one, try them all.
Kong’s isn’t like other chicken shops. This much-loved Northern Quarter restaurant is all about high-grade ingredients and expert preparation.
Trading Route serves up time-honoured Sunday grub, in a modern Manchester setting. Worth a visit for the expertly-curated soundtrack alone.
Butter Bird is a newly opened casual but stylish restaurant in Ancoats, based around the very delicious concept of tea-brined chicken.
The Head of Steam chugs into the Northern Quarter showcasing high-quality drinks, and cult burger smashers That Burger Thing manning the kitchen.
Eritrean & Ethiopian Restaurant in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, serving up traditional food from the Horn of Africa.
Humble restaurant on Curry Mile that serves superb quality food.
Chorlton’s magnificent Horse and Jockey has had an almighty do-over, transforming it into one of South Manchester’s top must-visit drinking and dining destinations.
A new alternative Manchester Christmas market from the well-seasoned team behind our street food faves Grub.
Manchester’s latest must-visit multipurpose venue, offering top-level food, drinks and live shows.
A new cocktail bar from the crack team behind 10 Tib Lane and Henry C.
Longstanding Italian restaurant in the snazzy bit of Manchester.
Snazzy Manchester outpost of the globe-straddling Japanese-meets-Peruvian restaurant brand.
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The best cafés and coffee shops we’ve drank and idled in across Manchester. You might even describe them as 'damn fine'.
Manchester has a ton of food halls that all do a great job of making hungry people happy. Here are our top picks.
Whether you’re a proud vegan or merely curious, let us guide you towards the best vegan food in Manchester.
Pint of mild, limited-run natural wine or cocktail drowning in dry ice? You'll find them all in Manchester. But maybe not together.
Manchester’s food and drink scene is thriving. Here are the recently-opened venues who are worth your pounds, shillings and pence.
Manchester's restaurants are bending over backwards to create deals that take the sting out of eating out. Here are the best of the bunch for January.
The world's at your fingertips with free history, art, science and creative capers for all ages in Manchester.
Looking for the finest luxury multi-course restaurants in Manchester? Look no further. We've picked out the very best tasting menus in the city.
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
Across Manchester and Salford, exhibitions are thinking hard about how things are made – and how materials carry stories.
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.
Spring has arrived, bringing with it al fresco dining and a rush of high-profile food and drink-related events in Manchester.
Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.
