Oldham Restaurant Guide

“Exceptional from start to finish” – the praise just keeps piling up year after year for Simon Martin’s Ancoats “fault-free” legend, which went down in the annals in 2019 when it won Manchester’s first Michelin star in over four decades. The local competition just gets hotter, but the “stunningly creative and beautifully executed” cuisine here still makes it the most highly rated venue in the city in our annual diners’ poll. It’s a dazzling room too, with an open- plan kitchen integrated into the dining area within a striking double-height space.

“This gem in the excellent urban revival of Ancoats” is “a very special place” with a “vibrant atmosphere” and “highly skilled and professional” cooking from acclaimed self-taught chef Richard Withington – a plumber before switching careers at the age of 27. He produces an “ever-changing menu with a choice of around 15 dishes, all designed for sharing” – and “always excellent: I’ve never been disappointed”. “Attentive, charming staff” providing “unpretentious service”, a “modern, light dining room” and “excellent” natural wine complete the picture. Top Menu Tip – “grilled flatbread and wild garlic butter with the flowers on top is as delightful to behold as to eat”.

“This place has it all” – “good vibe”, “friendly, efficient staff” and “excellent food”, say fans of this Ancoats follow-up to Simon Shaw’s El Gato Negro tapas bar, with Portuguese influences from head chef Carlos Gomes.

“You can’t go wrong with these superb, authentic Neapolitan pizzas from the original branch of Rudy’s”, the Ancoats pizzeria which this September celebrates the 10th anniversary of its opening by Jim Morgan & Kate Wilson, who had saved up for five years before finally taking the plunge (and naming it after their dog). Within two years they had sold a slice of the business to Mission Mars, which provided the investment to develop Rudy’s into a national chain with 28 branches and counting.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover: hidden away in a railway arch on a dingy street” you’ll find an “unexpectedly beautiful space” serving “incredible food at a great price”. The speciality is spätzle, ‘comforting noodle-like pasta of Schwabian origin’, served in recipes inspired by central European grannies.

“After years of being abandoned”, this iconic 1811 Ancoats establishment “is alive and kicking and playing in the premier league of traditional pubs – three cheers for the imaginative owners who have not only restored the fabric but also the atmosphere of this old city boozer, with a classic bar on the ground floor and a dining room upstairs”. They have done a “charming and stylish” job, combining “superb, unusual pub food with proper ales and an exceptional wine selection”; “dessert is served on old family china plates – a lovely touch”. Top Menu Tip – “you must try the cheese doughnuts!”

“It’s basically a food hall” where you dine in “noisy” surrounds at communal seating, but this converted Victorian venue (the name is a clever inversion of Mayor Mackie, who opened it in 1858 as a fresh produce market) is a “really great place” nonetheless (and hugely well regarded locally). The offering has extended since it launched in 2017, and “you could come here many times and not eat the same thing” – working your way patiently from Pico’s tacos to Honest Crust’s sourdough pizzas, via New Wave Ramen and a craft beer from Blackjack Brewery.

“Busy and buzzy” as the Northern Quarter in which it sits (particularly if you sit at the “really cool” bar), this decade-old corner spot is, for one reporter, “as good a tapas bar as I can imagine”, offering premium Spanish draft beer to wash it all down. There are now a trio of links in the chain: a second Manchester branch in Deansgate, and one in Knutsford, 14 miles south-west of town (the Altrincham spin-off sadly having shuttered in late 2023).

Even four decades on, this “bucket-list canteen” in the Northern Quarter is “still super value”, turning out “unimpeachable home-style curries” that “would grace anywhere” – and where, though “prices creep up, you can still get three curries and rice for about six quid for veggies”. “If you are ever in the area you need to try it” – just “get there early to avoid the social media types” (perhaps drawn by the fact it’s good “for occasional celeb spotting as actors and musicians often pop in”).

Founded in 1868, this landmark Manchester “institution” serves traditional dishes including steak ’n’ kidney pudding, corned-beef hash and a 12oz Barnsley chop. L.S. Lowry had lunch here most days – he was an art school pal of long-time proprietor Bert Knowles.