11 of the best restaurants in Manchester for 2025

Times

2 days ago

Manchester is buzzing right now, and you can feel it throughout the city. While the UK economy lags, the city's projected 2.2 per cent annual growth through 2027 is one of the fastest in the country, and with this comes an influx of culinary talent and more space for experimental, independent restaurants.
When I was growing up in the leafy suburbs of the city in the Noughties, reliable but generic Italian favourites at restaurants such as San Carlo were considered the crème de la crème. Fast-forward to 2025 and the food scene has been through a significant transformation, driven by ambitious, exciting modern British cuisine and the increasing celebration of global flavours.
Manchester has always thrived when it comes to fast-food concepts, such as Rudy's, whose legendary Neapolitan-style pizza is now a hit in the capital — but now there really is something for everyone. Big London names such as Dishoom and Blacklock are now here, but it's homegrown spots that are really putting Manchester on the map. To help you navigate this thriving new restaurant landscape, here's our selection of some of the best across different neighbourhoods, budgets and preferences.
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£££ | BOOK AHEAD | Best for a hot fine-dining ticket
If a chef has passed through L'Enclume — Simon Rogan's genre-defining, three Michelin-starred restaurant in Cartmel, on the edge of the Lake District National Park — you can bet their cooking will be meticulous and progressive. Tom Barnes, who served as head chef in the Cumbrian spot from 2014 to 2017, later honed his skills at Geranium in Copenhagen, further augmenting an already formidable pedigree. His Manchester restaurant Skof, which opened in 2024, earned a Michelin star in less than a year — and it's easy to see why. From the first bite of a Dexter beef bavette tartlet to the last spoonful of a tiramisu (a tribute to his late father), the level of precision here is striking. Flavours are vivid, naturalistic and often so deep they leave you momentarily breathless. Brace yourself.
skofmanchester.co.uk
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£ | BOOK AHEAD | BAR | Best for a unique atmosphere and exploring a trendy suburb
The bohemian Manchester suburb of Chorlton has a distinct energy worth exploring — independent cafés, a co-operative vegetable grocers and a laid-back creative crowd — and there are few better ways to begin than with a glass of sherry and some jamon croquettes at this lively haunt. It may not be the absolute best tapas you've ever had, but there's ample deliciousness on offer, the buzz is hard to beat, and the posters, vintage photos and tiles create a maximalist decor so charming you'll feel momentarily transported to Seville. Highlights include the garlic-heavy gambas al pil-pil and the carrilleras de ternera — meltingly soft beef cheeks in a rich sauce, pleasingly topped with crispy leeks.
barsanjuan.com
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£££ | BOOK AHEAD | Best for an ethics-driven tasting menu
The Manchester-adjacent town of Stockport has undergone a revival in the past decade, and it all began with this restaurant, opened in a converted coffee house in 2016. The chef-owner Sam Buckley's Nordic-inspired, hyper-sustainable cuisine delivers elemental dishes such as asparagus custard tart with raw stems and pickled nibs in elderflower vinegar, or a corn financier with crispy honey corn, corn custard and damson jam. Current menus are built around the Landing, a kitchen garden atop a nearby car park. If tasting menus aren't your thing, visit their casual offshoot, Yellowhammer, a bakery, pottery studio and café.
wtlgi.co
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£ | BOOK AHEAD | BAR | Best for dinner with a view and fine wine
On the top floor of Blackfriars House, Climat offers fabulous city views and a high-end yet relaxed dining experience. The fare is a melding of British produce and a more liberal, global approach to the integrations of flavours. You might find gougeres made with an English cheese called Lord of the Hundreds, alongside cured halibut with orange and Turkish ezmesalad, and tempura asparagus with kumquat and furikake seasoning. One of the other perks here is the extensive wine list, which is award-winning and includes over 400 references, as well a specialisation in Burgundy.
restaurantclimat.co.uk
£££ | BOOK AHEAD | Best for locavores and natural wine lovers
Steam rises from the open kitchen in this minimal, post-industrial restaurant, as a vibrant, disco-driven playlist provides the soundtrack. Other than the auburn seats juxtaposed against the ivory bar, colour comes on the plates, and the cool space leaves plenty of room for the food to do the talking. The fare is ambitious. Highlighting vegetables from the restaurant's market garden, Cinderwood, as well as other British cheeses, meats and fish, what otherwise might feel like a pan-European tour presents dishes where every bite is deeply rooted in British seasons and flavours. This ethos translates into the drinks menu too, where English spirits find company among an all-star natural-wine list.
highergroundmcr.co.uk
£ | FAMILY-FRIENDLY | BAR | Best for families
At the southern end of the metro line is Altrincham's Market House, a transformational concept that boosted artisanal food culture in the suburb and beyond. But the good news for visitors to the city centre is that Mackie Mayor in Smithfield Market Hall provides an almost carbon copy of the OG. A food hall with something for everyone, it's ideal for families due to the casual atmosphere, space for buggies and child-friendly options. You can dive into the best sourdough pizza in the city at Honest Crust — Neapolitan style, with seasonal toppings — as well as very good tacos at Pico's, and gyozas, sandos, baos and ramen bowls at Taiko, brought to the hall from the much–celebrated New Wave Ramen.
@mackiemayor
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£ | FAMILY-FRIENDLY | Best for excellent value in a long-standing Curry Mile institution
Open since 1991, this spot remains one of the few enduring Indian restaurants on the famed Curry Mile. Rebranded in the early 2010s by the late owner's sons, the updated decor's vintage Bollywood posters channel Mumbai's hipster vibe. The shorter menu now focuses on the tandoori grill, featuring must-orders such as flavour-packed lamb chops, leopard rolls (fire-kissed rotis filled with juicy seekh kebab) and rich butter chicken with tender, charred meat. There's even deliciousness for the veggies too, such as a charred broccoli tree with a pleasingly sweet and piquantmalai sauce. Don't miss the silky tarka dal, which may not come from the flames but is essential alongside any spread.
mughli.com
££ | BOOK AHEAD | BAR | Best for bold flavours delivered with flair
When Erst opened in March 2018, there was nothing like it in Ancoats, a once industrial area with little to offer. Today, the neighbourhood is buzzing with spots to enjoy natural wine, but Erst stands out for its matured selection and consistently excellent food. The menu showcases the best of British produce, transformed with the punchier flavours of Turkey, Italy, Spain and the Mediterranean side of France. It's big-flavoured cooking delivered with a surprising lightness of touch. The grilled flatbread with beef fat and urfa chilli is a must-order standout, with rotating raw fish, pasta and grilled meat and seafood dishes to follow. Be sure to save room for dessert, as treats such as caramel flan and chocolate tart offer as much joy as the mains.
erst-mcr.co.uk
£££ | BOOK AHEAD | BAR | Best for subtly impressive cooking and expertly crafted cocktails
In an intriguing listed building on a central Manchester side street, you'll find some of the most quietly compelling cooking in the city. The deceptively simple menu showcases pitch-perfect technique applied to the highest-quality ingredients, served in a space of dark woods and black, steel panelling. The balanced menu changes regularly, and ranges from delicate dishes such as cured sea bream with smoked crème fraîche to heartier ex-dairy rib-eye, cooked to tender perfection. A seasonal pudding will seal the deal. Downstairs, the cocktail bar serves well-balanced drinks including the smooth Cream no Coffee — an ideal digestif after a hearty meal.
10tiblane.com
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£ | BOOK AHEAD | FAMILY-FRIENDLY | Best for Vietnamese food with contemporary edge
There's a lot of excellent and diverse Chinese food in Manchester's Chinatown, but the most-loved restaurant in the neighbourhood happens to be Vietnamese. Finding that ideal balance between innovation and tradition — with some dishes clearly inspired by the Cantonese flavours nearby — expect dishes with a twist. Pho Cue has Vietnamese tacos and roasted char siu banh mi alongside traditional numbers such asthit kho tau (braised pork with eggs), and roasted duck spicy bun pho. On Sundays only, it offers limited portions of sumptuous lobster pho noodles, in both broth and stir-fried form.
phocue.co.uk
££ | BOOK AHEAD | FAMILY-FRIENDLY | BAR | Best for a Mediterranean fantasy to escape the Manchester rain
On (likely) dreary and (almost certainly) wet Manchester days, teleporting to Mykonos has its appeal. The decor at Fenix is a monochrome of cream, with guests often garbed in the same shade, surrounded by faux-olive trees, ceramic crocks and the kind of repetitive tech-house you hear on the island. Yes, it's a bit crackers, but the Greek-ish cooking is well executed and refined. To start, lean into the Greek side of the dip, such as a silken tarama adorned with trout roe. The menu caters to herbivores and carnivores alike, but one standout is the wagyu stifado — it's not particularly Greek, nor is it inexpensive, but it melts in the mouth alongside a potato puree with a butter content best left unknown.
fenixrestaurants.com
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