Dimitri’s

Dimitri’s is a family-run institution – a rare gem in modern Manchester. It began life as a small deli counter and expanded over the years to become a sprawling taverna-style restaurant with multiple rooms and a prized terrace area. 

You’ll find it on the end of Victoria Campfield Arcade, a short walk from the Hacienda. Dimitri’s first opened its doors in 1990, meaning it’s quite likely that Bez nipped in for sustenance before or after one of his famously energetic nights out on the town. 

The menu has meze, grill and tapas options, but if you’re drunk and hungry, trust in the Mediterranean platters. The ‘veggy’ one is a great shout, featuring falafels, fried halloumi and patatas baravas, but it’s always difficult to resist ribs and chorizo. Ask nice, and they might mix things up for you. 

The food is simple and satisfying. You don’t come here for elaborate gastronomy; you come here for rustic dishes that aren’t a million miles away from something you’d find in a village on a cliff edge in Crete. The goal is to fill you up and make you happy – equal parts ambience and salty succour. 

It couldn’t be more different from Fenix, a much fancier – and pricier – Greek restaurant a five-minute walk away in Spinningfields. Where Fenix is an emblem of Modern Manchester at its best, Dimitri’s is old Manchester, also at its best. Hard to imagine that the twain shall ever meet. 

As the nearby St Johns district expands, like Poseidon emerging from the Irwell, these are the kind of institutions that are worth protecting. 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, materially, but centuries in spirit.