Manchester restaurant Higher Ground gets another honour from Michelin Guide ahead of awards at Midland Hotel

A Manchester restaurant is one of 20 to be handed a prestigious accolade from the Michelin Guide. Higher Ground has been given a Bib Gourmand in the latest gong for the eatery that isn't even a year old.

The award is given to restaurants that serve high-quality, great-value food. The name of the accolade is taken from Bibendum, the real name of the Michelin Man. The announcement comes just a week before the 2024 Michelin Star Awards Ceremony takes place at The Midland Hotel in Manchester. The big night is on Monday, February 5. 

Higher Ground is owned by three friends who provide a menu full of good-valued small plates. The restaurant has been located on New York Street since February having initially started life as a pop-up. It was included in the Michelin Guide in September having been also named among the Good Food Guide's top 100 restaurants in the country.

The menu, devised by chefs that have worked in some of the best Michelin-starred restaurants in the world such as noma, Relæ and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York, includes a variety of modern takes on classic British cuisine.

Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of The MICHELIN Guide, said: “It is a joy to see 20 restaurants newly awarded the Bib Gourmand in the 2024 edition of The MICHELIN Guide Great Britain & Ireland. These are establishments that deserve recognition for their  continued commitment to offering affordable, delicious cooking. 

“The generosity and value for  money they offer is wonderful to see during these challenging economic times for the restaurant industry.”

On Higher Ground's honour, Michelin said: "There is no better place to start than in Manchester, the host city of this year’s MICHELIN Guide Ceremony. One of the new jewels in the city’s culinary crown is Higher Ground, a great value restaurant run by a trio of friends who provide friendly service alongside a selection of full-flavoured small plates."