Two Manchester restaurants have been named in The National Restaurant Awards 2025

Higher Ground

Placed at number 36, Higher Ground is located in Manchester’s Chinatown and is run by Joseph Otway, Richard Cossins and Daniel Craig Martin, who met at Dan Barber’s renowned New York restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Higher Ground has a focus on regenerative farming and local produce, of which around 90% is sourced from Cinderwood, the trio’s partner farm in nearby Nantwich.

Otway, creates experimental dishes designed for sharing, with meat from Belted Galloway cows and pigs from its neighbour Jane’s Farm in Cheshire.

The wine list, meanwhile, is made up of small-scale of European wines with a strong selection of grower champagnes. Higher Ground is modern and minimalistic with a long island that runs along one side of the room that serves as an open kitchen, pass and bar, as well as a counter where people can sit and eat and drink.

Skof

Skof was placed at number 60 and is one of the most talked-about restaurants in Manchester. Owned by Tom Barnes, former executive chef at Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume, this 36-cover restaurant brings fine dining with energy, warmth, and a personal touch.

Named as One to Watch in the 2024 awards, Skof offers two tasting menus alongside a four-course lunch menu, all rooted in hyper-seasonal British produce.

Dishes include, Dexter beef tartare with coal oil to miso custard with mushrooms and roast duck with fig leaf. The dining room is stripped-back with parquet floors and exposed brick. Skof is supported by Rogan’s Umbel Restaurant Group but operated independently by Barnes. Some personal touches include artwork referencing his life and a tiramisu dessert that pays tribute to Barnes’s late father.