The Beeswing Wine Bar and Kitchen

Not content with putting out some of Manchester’s most memorable Spanish small plates, this celebrated wine bar has moved into Sunday roast territory. But how does it stack up against the traditional pub roast?

It’s probably the prettiest restaurant in Manchester, with well-placed posies everywhere, huge daylight-welcoming windows and multiple walls of wine bottles. At heart it’s a tapas bar, but in reality the Beeswing team have the freedom to try out new ideas and move beyond the default Iberian dishes.

That means visit-worthy items like the chorizo sausage rolls. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: while there’s only one mini-one each, they make a big impression. Made with Basque txistorra and pork from black Iberian pigs, the filling is potent and almost fiery – an ideal match for the buttery pastry and lightly tangy homemade aioli.

The Beeswing is wine-led, so start everything off with the Discovery Flight – a bargain £15 for three 75ml glasses of expertly curated wines, or ask the team to put something together. Here, wine is treated how it should be – a joyful accompaniment, nothing fusty about it, suited for everyone from amateur to aficionado.

The Sunday menu runs to three courses, one for £20, two for £24 and three for £28, with mains that change weekly. Again, a bargain.

The standout starter ticks all the sensory boxes – crispy sinful morcilla (aka black pudding) on baguette topped with teeny fried quail’s eggs, yolks running as you cut in. Pair it with the orange Pipinot, and it’s a one-of-a-kind diminutive dish, something you could only experience here.

For mains, the Galician chestnut-fed pork belly is slow-roasted, 90% tender, well-seasoned meat, with a covetable carapace at the base, where it crisped against the tray. It’s not a boundary-bending dish, simply a superbly executed pork roast, boosted by a gossamer-light cauliflower cheese croquette.

The vegetarian option is a stuffed aubergine, big and hearty, packed with butterbeans, tomato and peppers. It does the job, delivering big, clean flavours, but the aubergine casing proves a touch flimsy for my gnashers.

There is, however, one essential item. The chorizo Yorkshire pudding. It is what it says it is – a little puffed-up baked bowl, packed with sweet, sticky chunks of Spanish sausage. It taps into the essence of a noteworthy Sunday roast – original, simple and unfussy, each mouthful a delight. That said, the sauce is on the sweet side, so think twice if your tastes veer savoury.

A lot of places try the whole less is more thing, but few execute it as well as The Beeswing. If it were bigger, it’d get boring, but as a bonus side, it’s the best £8 you’ll spend this winter.

The soundtrack is pitched well. A low-key but mood-perfect mix of disco – the ideal backing track for a quick visit or a long vino-fuelled outing. Loud enough for atmosphere, at a level you can talk over, meaning you’ll never feel rushed or hurried. It’s a hang-out-all-day kind of place.

Of all the restaurants in Manchester, The Beeswing could be the one I recommend the most. Date night, wine afternoon, family feast, and now Sunday roast. This special place does the lot and does it well.