26-05-2025
The 21 best restaurants in Manchester
Manchester's restaurant scene is thriving, with independent venues serving imaginative dishes and big-names pulling out all of the stops to impress. One of the joys of dining in this multicultural city is the range of dishes on offer, whether you fancy a spicy Indian breakfast, an ethically-sourced British pie or a high-end tasting menu with paired wine. And neighbourhoods have their own culinary characters, from trendy Ancoats where innovative independents are constantly springing up to the canal-side micro neighbourhood of Kampus, and the city's more relaxed suburbs. Manchester expert Cathy Toogood shares her favourite places to eat in Manchester.
Find out more below, or for more Manchester inspiration, see our guides to the city's best hotels, bars and things to do.
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Best all-rounders
Higher Ground
The trio behind Manchester's popular Flawd wine bar - Joseph Otway, Richard Cossins and Daniel Craig Martin – opened Higher Ground on the edge of Chinatown in early 2023. Here, some of the best seasonal dishes in the city are made from local ingredients – many from their own farm Cinderwood Market Garden in Cheshire. Tasting menus are good value at £40 (lunch) and £60 (dinner) and you can watch chefs in the open kitchen preparing them while sipping a glass of natural wine. Interiors are modern and slick – think a mural of a bird on the exterior, floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed pipes on the ceiling above the kitchen and pops of colour from burnt orange bar stools. Pea fritters with British cheese are a must try.
Area: Piccadilly
Contact:
Prices: ££
Nearest Metrolink: Piccadilly Gardens
Reservations: Recommended
Pip
Highly acclaimed Manchester chef, Mary-Ellen McTague, is a trailblazer in sustainable restaurant practises. Her new restaurant Pip, on the ground floor of Treehouse Hotel Manchester, serves dishes made using local, seasonal produce with minimal waste. Drop in for breakfast, lunch or dinner and relax in a whimsical space with statement lights and greenery cascading from the ceiling, mismatched furniture and shelves of colourful glass bottles. A lamb Lancashire hotpot is a signature main – and, to reduce waste, it's served with oyster ketchup made from the leftover juice of the Carlingford oysters on its snacks menu. Desserts are superb, especially the treacle tart with Earl Grey and bergamot sorbet.
