Gladstone Barber & Bistro

Everything’s coming up Stalybridge. Out there on the eastern edge of Manchester, this pretty market town is home to one of the region’s most exciting food and drink (and haircut) destinations. 

Yes, Gladstone is a three-piece treat: barber, bistro and bar. More alliteration? Buzzy, bustling, brilliant. 

The barber side is closed on our visit but it’s neatly sectioned off anyway, so no risk of getting stray hairs in your strawberry mojito. According to Gladstone lore, the barber side came first, earning a trillion plaudits, allowing the owners to build the food and drink side. Whisper it, plans are afoot for a boutique hotel. 

Drinkswise, it’s flawless. The wine list is well-sourced, and all the classic cocktails are there, plus a few fun ones. Best of all, there are expert-grade in-house creations, such as the Long Island iced chai – a multi-layered dark, boozy kick – and the chilli and honey margarita, which will set fire to your lips, in a nice way.

As for food, the kitchen doesn’t set a foot wrong. The food tastes as vibrant as it looks, everything tastes fresh and made with care – there’s no sense of ‘that’ll do’ here.

The showpiece dish is the lamb neck shawarma. A mighty amount of meat, rich in Arabic spices, deftly shredded at the table. It’s a whirlwind of texture: everything from charcoal-crisped edges to soft, sleek hunks of lamb. The taboon bread is wonderful, as are the auxiliary bits: whipped garlic yoghurt, pickled red cabbage and addictive pickled green chillies. 

Basically, if you eat meat, you get the neck, to paraphrase Wu-Tang Clan. 

But the other sections are well worth exploring: snacks, fish, meat, veg and sweet. Basically, stab a pin and you’re guaranteed something superb. 

The vegetable section contains two other musts. First, carrots – long and slender, soft-but-not-too-soft, smothered in a harissa honey glaze and laid on fluffy bed of whipped feta, with bonus pesto, mint and pistachio because why on earth not?

The batata harra potatoes are the true kings of carbs. These chunky new potatoes have been crushed and fried then infused with two forms of garlic – crispy and bumpy on the outside, buttery soft inside. 

A special mention to the tiger prawns – cooked with atomic clock precision timing, smothered in a balanced garlic, chilli and lemon butter, neatly prepared so you don’t have to do too much finger-messing decapitation (just a little). 

There are a bunch of decent Middle Eastern-style restaurants in Manchester and its surrounding areas, but Gladstone takes things to a new level. All bases are covered: friendly atmosphere, great drinks, superb food. And you can even get tramlines put in your hair while you wait. What’s not to love?