From Michelin-starred fine dining to gastropubs and street food, there are plenty of gems to discover on the Manchester food scene.
And some of the country’s top food critics have been quick to heap praise on establishments located right across the city.
ManchesterWorld has looked through the reviews given out by some of the biggest names in restaurant and food and drink criticism over the past few years and picked out seven places that they have raved about. It’s a varied list from places serving experimental and ambitious tasting menus to pubs serving up terrific dishes to one of the newest additions to the city centre’s dining scene.
Hospitality is continuing to experience a tough time with the cost of living crisis and rising expenses for businesses, so if you’re thinking about heading out for something to eat and supporting the Manchester restaurant scene, here are some suggestions for where you could go.
1. The Spärrows
Located in a railway arch near Victoria station, The Spärrows’ selection of pasta dishes and German spätzle prompted Jay Rayner to write in the Guardian: ”Is it the kind of food you would want to eat every day? No, unless every day your main meal is followed by a long lie down. But sometimes in a complex and brutal world...this is the food we need to make everything right again.” Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps
2. The Alan
This restaurant located in a hotel on Princess Street received this verdict from Jay Rayner in the Guardian in 2022: “Come for the small plates; stay for dessert, because the short list includes...a seriously well-made Arctic roll with a scoop of blackberry ice-cream, to remind me gently of what it was to once have been an easily pleased seven-year-old.” Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps
3. Mana
Ancoats’ Mana is a Michelin-star fine dining experience inspired by legendary Copenhagen restaurant Noma. Grace Dent in the Guardian said: “Yakitori eel glazed with yeast and deep, red blackcurrant vinegar is a certain star of the show: it is so incredibly funky. A funk that curls your toes with its all-powerful, umami thrust.” Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps
4. Pho Cue
Vietnamese eatery Pho Cue, located in Chinatown, impressed Jay Rayner in the Guardian in 2021, when he wrote: “The pho is everything it should be: a huge bowl, steaming with the sort of 24-hour simmered stock that helps you conclude everything is right with the world. Its rich savoury depths are profound and restorative and all consuming.” Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps