Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Manchester
Hardens guides have spent 15 years compiling reviews of the best Manchester restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 314 restaurants in Manchester and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Manchester restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Manchester Restaurants
1. San Carlo
Italian restaurant in Manchester
40 King Street West - M3
“Big and always buzzy, San Carlo sails on as ever” – this traditional city-centre Italian is “a celeb-magnet” in these parts, and its “bustling”, see-and-be-seen style carries much of its appeal. The food is by no means incidental though – “choose well from the menu, and it can be excellent, and it’s never less than pretty good”. Service takes different people different ways: one or two reports say service can “leave much to be desired” seeming “over-attentive” or even “insincere”, but most reports are of professional staff with “great front of house skills” (“helpful and always on hand”).
2. Australasia
Fusion restaurant in Manchester
1 The Avenue Spinningfields - M3
This “uber-trendy” subterranean venue off Deansgate serves an “interesting fusion menu” of “Australian tapas” with Indonesian and Japanese influences. Fans love “trying different food via sharing plates here”, but a significant minority reckon it’s “nice but overhyped and overpriced”.
3. TNQ Restaurant & Bar
British, Modern restaurant in Manchester
108 High St - M4
“Reliable” and “improving” – this Northern Quarter mainstay remains a safe bet locally for its “excellent and assured”, “seasonal and local” British cuisine “at very reasonable prices”. “Been going for years and never been disappointed”.
4. Tattu
Chinese restaurant in Manchester
3 Hardman Sq, Gartside St - M3
Everyone agrees there’s an “absolutely stunning ambience” at this glam outfit, which is a magnet for a well groomed, Instagram-conscious crowd. There’s the odd gripe that it’s too pricey, but most reports are of “excellent” Asian cuisine. Next stop Birmingham, where a big opening was announced in October 2018.
5. Namaste Nepal Tandoori
Indian restaurant in Manchester
164-166 Burton Road - M20
20% Discount if you mention "Harden's" when you book!
Our aim is to take you on a sensory journey across Nepal and the Indian subcontinent through aromas, spices and a traditional atmosphere.
Namaste Nepal is our only establishment i...
6. Wing’s
Chinese restaurant in Manchester
1 Lincoln Sq - M2
“Daintier dishes than in more traditional Chinese restaurants, but of superb quality” help draw the smart crowd to Wing Shing Chu’s “elegant” city-centre Cantonese, praised in particular for its “immaculate service”. It’s “certainly not a cheap choice”, but there are no complaints about the prices. “We alternate the banquets and are never disappointed”.
7. The Lime Tree
British, Modern restaurant in Manchester
8 Lapwing Ln - M20
Patrick Hannity’s “top-notch” Didsbury brasserie has been “the model of consistency” for more than 30 years. “It retains the perfect combination of great food with fantastic wine and brilliant service in a vibrant atmosphere” and – though somewhat overshadowed nowadays by flashier openings elsewhere in the city – still has a fan club who consider it “Manchester’s best”: “a bit of a schlep so we only go on my birthday, but I wouldn’t go anywhere else”.
8. 20 Stories
British, Modern restaurant in Manchester
No 1 Spinningfields, 1 Hardman Square - M3
“A beautiful space filled with beautiful people (yes, Manchester has them too!)” – D&D London’s 19th-floor newcomer at the top of No 1 Spinningfields, “has stunning views of the city and a soundtrack to match” (and also a “fabulous outside terrace”). But “as well as being a see-and-be-seen destination, it’s a genuinely great restaurant”, and although the odd doubter feels “it’s not sure what it’s trying to be, top class restaurant or destination bar” or says “its London backers have brought London prices to Manchester” – on most accounts Aiden Byrne’s “very accessible” cuisine is repeating the success he found at Manchester House. STOP PRESS: In November 2018, just as it was all going so well, it was announced that Aiden Byrne has stepped down, for reasons that are not yet clear.
9. Bar San Juan
Spanish restaurant in Manchester
56 Beech Rd - M21
“Tiny, cramped and you always have to queue but that’s all part of the fun” at this “brilliant” tapas joint on Chorlton’s back streets, which feels “like being in Spain”. “Unusual” specials are “worth looking out for” – it’s all good and “very affordable” too.
10. 63 Degrees
French restaurant in Manchester
20 Church St - M4
“A taste of France in Manchester’s Northern Quarter” and thus sticking out a touch amid the burger and pizza joints, the Moreau family’s classy brasserie relocated to this larger, more prominent site two years back; by all accounts it offers Gallic cooking “at its best” and ably accompanied by “fine wines”.
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