Hale Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: For “Sri Lankan food with clean, fresh flavours”, this Hale three-year-old (est 2017) can’t be beat; named after that country’s dramatic UNESCO site, it’s owned by industry veteran Don Buddhika, whose CV includes the Jumeirah Beach in Dubai and, more recently, Mughli in Knutsford.

2021 Review: A rare beacon amid tales of the death of the high street, the “vibrant” regeneration of Alti’s covered market – which dates back to 1290, and has been reinvented in recent years by local lad Nick Johnson – is heartening indeed. It’s now “a very exciting place to eat”, with a “massive choice of different food” under its Victorian roof – including noted sourdough pizza purveyors Honest Crust, who occupy Market House, the new market’s centrepiece.

2021 Review: “Home-style Italian dishes that are plentiful and utterly delicious” (“they regularly change the menu”) have carved a major name for this small, family-run venture near Altrincham Market, which also benefits from its “chatty and informed served”. “They have not got too big and arrogant – even though they have expanded to two sites now they have kept the quality, and I know as it’s two minutes from my house!”

2021 Review: This “excellent neighbourhood bistro” – “but with much better food than the ‘bistro’ moniker would lead one to expect” – is “a very good addition to the limited restaurant scene to the south of Manchester” (and so “very convenient for the airport”). Chef Mariusz Dobies was exec chef at Michael Caines Manchester.

2021 Review: “Superb... as always” – there’s no let-up in standards at Olivier Troalen’s classy local fave rave (est. 2000, in a posh suburb, half an hour’s drive from Manchester), where the “excellently presented French-style favourites come with a twist”.

2021 Review: This “consistently fab, tiny tapas bar” on a Chorlton backstreet provides “a top, authentic Spanish experience” – and “attracts diners from Manchester and beyond”. “The long queue to get in is all part of the fun!”

2021 Review: Former Aumbry owner “Mary Ellen McTague is no longer cooking but she has left the stoves in excellent hands” at this award-winning two-year-old – a restaurant/wine bar/bottle shop, in an Edwardian creamery, with “basic” school benches. By day, the focus is on cakes, breads etc courtesy of co-owner/baker Sophie Yeoman. Come the evening, “small, light dishes from the minimal menu are cleverly executed” – albeit “not for those expecting a robust plate of food”.

2021 Review: “We have been coming here for years with family members from children to 96 year olds, and have always enjoyed good food with the warmest of welcomes” – Patrick Hannity’s appealing modern brasserie in Didsbury has been one of Manchester’s top destinations since 1987, and “one word sums the place up: consistency” – “the menu appeals to all tastes”, and “the service is class”.

2021 Review: TV chef Simon Rimmer’s polished stalwart remains the “best vegetarian for miles”, despite the rise of far more competition since he set up in 1990; the “varied menu” spans classics and more “adventurous” fare, and “homely portions” means you won’t leave hungry.

2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.

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”.

From the man behind Manchester's Don Giovanni (and also previously Mahiki), Adam Karim, an all-day 'luxury' restaurant and bar.

Formerly a Piccolino, and popular with celebrity footballers, this restaurant is to be re-launched as the second Luciano in Gino D'Acampo's empire.