Mana

Mana is the proud owner of Manchester’s first Michelin star since 1977, and they do a mean line in high-end tasting menus. This hugely-respected fine-dining restaurant is based in Ancoats, with chef and co-owner Simon Martin (who cut his teeth at Noma, food fans) at the helm.

There were plenty of other contenders for a star back in 2019, including CT-faves Where The Light Gets In, Enxaneta at Tast, The French and Restaurant MCR. In our opinion, almost all of those are up there with Mana, but the power of the UK’s ‘trendiest’ district’ (according to every national newspaper, at least) Ancoats likely tipped the balance, and it still retains its star today.

The very best seasonal produce the UK has to offer

The evening tasting menu doesn’t come cheap — £95 per person for the reduced menu, an extra hundred for the full shebang, and the wine pairing is an extra £75. But hey, if you’ve got the money, you can expect a phenomenal meal, taking in the very best seasonal produce the UK has to offer. On the current menu you’ll find everything from N25 caviar to smoked eel and oxalis, sladesdown duck to turnip salad, but naturally, the menu’s changing all the time, so check the restaurant’s website (just hit the ‘Visit now’ below) for the latest word.

Is it Manchester’s best restaurant? It’s certainly up there, but Manchester is a big city and Mana is likely to be booked up for many months, if not years, to come so it’s also worth exploring some of the other fine dining options that have somehow flown under the radar of the Michelin inspectors.