Manchester, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Adam Reid’s food is consistently top-notch – modern, but with lots of classic technique, and there’s often a witty note to the dishes” in this updated version of the classic, grand-hotel dining room where Mr Rolls first met Mr Royce many years ago. For several years now Mancunians have complained that it has been “unfairly overlooked” for the restoration of the Michelin star it lost in 1975. There’s also the bonus of a “brilliant sound track – not least for the way it is so at odds with the grandeur of the dining room!”

“Another of Gary Usher’s triumphant bistros”, this city centre two-year-old offers “great modern British cooking at a fair price, with excellent service” – the signature of the chef’s growing Elite Bistro chain. It’s casual, too. Top Tip: “the candied beetroot and sheep’s ricotta tarte fine was superb”.

“I'd go to Hawksmoor any time of day or night, any day of the year just for a Shaky Pete’s (gin, ginger, pale ale) and a bag of chips with anchovy hollandaise…but throw in some very fine meat (and fish, don't forget the fish), invariably perfectly cooked, and it’s really just as well it’s 50 miles away, or I’d be reduced to selling internal organs to pay for it all…” – one reviewer evocatively sums up the joys of this all-rounder Mancs outpost of this über-hip (but not inexpensive) steakhouse chain.

Plying its trade since 1872, this is a beloved local icon – much like LS Lowry, whose life-size bronze towers over the bar – owing to its superb, hearty British fare (the corned beef hash is a “heart attack on a plate, but what a way to go!”). As we went to press, it was closed for refurbishment (due to add outside space) with the reopening date uncertain, but their spin-off Mr Thomas's Chop House should help to tide over the gap. (In the meantime, we have retained their historical rating).

This “beautiful building” – Manchester’s gracious Edwardian Stock Exchange – was relaunched as a five-star hotel in late 2019, making the most of the plush and traditional surroundings. In the “fantastic surroundings” of the old trading floor – complete with domed ceiling and large booths – a Tom Kerridge-branded restaurant serves a posh brasserie menu. One gripe, though: the ambience can feel “spoilt by oversized screens showing the footie!”.

2021 Review: The TV host’s “quirky” flagship restaurant wins high ratings despite its “interesting” (some would say iffy) location, upstairs at the Manchester235 casino. Head chef, Doug Crampton’s cooking here is “a real pleasure” – “all dishes are prepared with great care and are a delight to eat”. “Try the afternoon tea they recently introduced, very yummy!”.

“Always ambient and fun” – Richard Caring’s stretching (twisting?) of the Ivy brand is easy to snipe at but has so far avoided degenerating into farce. For sure, “the food is certainly nothing superior”: fans may claim it’s “more than adequate”, but its overall ratings nowadays are only just the right side of poor. That said, even critics of the cooking often feel that the “lovely” interiors and “welcoming service” provide compensation, and fit the bill for making an occasion of a meal. In the capital, the most mentioned outlets are The Ivy Chelsea Garden (“delightful garden tables and ideal for a noisy girls’ night out”); and The Ivy Kensington Brasserie (“huge fun, loads of buzz” and “always a treat”). The Ivy City Garden and Canary Wharf’s Ivy in the Park follow along in terms of volume of feedback. The newest member of the spin-off family is The Ivy Victoria – a vast space with 300 guests over two floors.

“An amazing bar and signature cocktails” are hailed in early reports on this two-year-old haunt in the characterful arches beneath Manchester Central station, from the people behind the successful Manchester Gin brand. Though its selection of small plates is not the main point, nor is it an afterthought.

The “magical views from the giant windows and terrace” are the trump card at this snazzy two-year-old from D&D London at the top of the new 95-metre Spinningfields Tower. The best bet may be to linger over a drink in the cocktail bar or on the terrace while taking in the 360-degree vista, given the mediocre ratings for the food on offer – or come for ‘Manchester’s highest tea’.

2019 Review: “A bit weird and not easy to find from ground-level” – this bar and lounge on the first floor of an indoor golf driving-range in Spinningfields (complete with ‘a suspended light installation featuring over 1000 beautifully lit golf balls’) “doesn’t immediately scream fine-dining”. The focus is on a trendy, meat-focussed small-plates menu and early reports suggest that, unlikely as it sounds, there’s “some proper high-end cooking going on here”.

2018 Review: One encouraging early report on Matthew Nutter’s (no relation to Andrew Nutter of Rochdale’s ‘Nutters’) “superb” veggie/vegan in Stockport’s Old Town: “I am a carnivore but firstly a lover of food and this restaurant is off the scale good!”

2019 Review: The eponymous Albert’s old tool shed (he’s the uncle of the owner) is now a stylish, contemporary haunt with a popular canalside terrace – hence why it’s “best in summer” – plus reasonably priced, mostly English grub. (Part of a three-strong local empire, which recently announced plans to add a Standish branch.)

Kevin & Rachel Choudhary ran a pub in Altrincham before launching this eclectic “English market diner” in Ancoats. With its “relaxing environment full of plants”, it's “a bit like dining in a conservatory”. On the menu: “hard-to-fault locally sourced food from a daily changing menu”.

In trendy Ancoats, this prominent corner boozer (built 1811 but until recently derelict), was rescued and reopened as a gastropub in late 2019, with a restaurant upstairs. Our diners give it a solid thumbs-up for “quality pub food” and a character setting, but local press reports are full-on raves, and in September 2021, it was voted Pub of the Year in the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards.

Ultra-minimalist in interior design, menu and cooking style – this Ancoats three-year-old from chef Patrick Withington and manager William Sutton (who worked together at Levenshulme’s Trove sourdough bakery) earns nothing but the very highest praise for its stripped-down sharing plates and natural wines. The Observer’s Jay Rayner was one such convert, ordering and eating all nine items on the menu and declaring it one of his “meals of the year” – “elegant, sophisticated, but with substance underpinning the gloss and shimmer (… see how good it is? It’s forced me to type utter blathering, enthusiastic bollocks!)”.

“Best dining experience ever!” – Simon Martin’s Ancoats HQ won acclaim in 2019 for securing the city’s first Michelin star in 40 years… might there one day be another? Reports are uniformly full of the highest praise for the “outstanding experience” delivered here. “Fantastic Nordic-inspired dishes” are “assembled and cooked in full view and served by the chefs to create a unique and highly enjoyable culinary concept using exclusively British products”. There’s a “very interesting wine list pairing, but also a beer pairing which is likewise delicious”. “Top marks!” (In November 2021, the restaurant celebrated the hard-to-achieve award of 4 AA rosettes).

2021 Review: “You would not realise you are in Moss Side” at the Whitworth’s “beautiful” and “family-friendly” glass-walled conservatory, overlooking Whitworth Park. Its location (above all) and victuals make it an “excellent place for lunch”, with the “three daily changing salads particularly recommended”.