Blacklock Manchester

“Party Hawksmoor.” That’s the verdict of one of my companions about Blacklock, during our launch week visit. They’re not wrong. This high-end steakhouse has elegance in spades, but the open-plan design brings that all-important buzz.

To put it another way, walking downstairs and into the venue is the closest thing Manchester has to the single-take Copacabana restaurant scene from Goodfellas – minus the mob bosses but with just as good a soundtrack.

The energy of the place comes from the staff – all effortlessly charming and entertaining, totally unphased by hundreds of the city’s great and good hopped up on red meat and redder wine. Every guest is made to feel uniquely welcome, no glass stays empty. For an opening night event, it runs like clockwork – a remarkable feat.

This isn’t out of the blue. Blacklock cut its teeth in the capital, launching in Soho in 2015 and quickly making a name for itself. A handful more branches later, Manchester was chosen as the first Blacklock site outside London. It’s the obvious choice – right now, more than ever, Manchester feels like the centre of the food and drink universe.

Yes, yes I hear you cry, but what about the meat? Calm down carnivores, it’s glorious: soft, salty, rippled with fat where it matters. There’s a long list of 55-day dry-aged cuts of steak, but let us decide for you – go All In.

This is the sharing option, and it’s the best group dining deal we’ve seen in many years of eating around Manchester. For a pocket-friendly £27, you get the following: an enormous stack of beef, pork and lamb skinny chops piled onto some thick slabs of charcoal-grilled flatbreads, plus a side dish each.

These sides are magnificent in their own right. The beef dripping chips are hot, crunchy and an absolute must, while the 10-hour ash roasted sweet potato would be a main act on other menus. Greenwise, there’s a great mix: broccoli and walnut salad, autumn slaw, kale and parmesan, or, best of all, barbecued baby gem lettuce with anchovy dripping.

Not only that, this £27 per head option, comes with some ‘pre-chop bites’, aka three dainty high-end morsels: potted beef and kimchi; egg and anchovy; and goats cheese and red pepper. All delicious, on a par with many Michelin amuse-bouches, and a grand lead-up to the main act.

In terms of intoxicating joy, a feast at Blacklock is up there with Manchester’s best. They’ve caught lightning in a bottle: food with a timeless feel that doesn’t bow to trends, and an atmosphere that sparkles.