The 14 best restaurants in Manchester

With dark, wood-panelled rooms and frosted windows, Hawksmoor Manchester is the first branch of the upscale steakhouse to make its delicious mark outside of London. Yet like its southern brethren, it’s a place to blur day with night over ginger cocktails and the country’s finest meat.

There are few things more wonderful in life than a good neighbourhood bistro and Hispi is top of the pack in Manchester. Hidden away in the suburb of Didsbury in south Manchester, this is the kind of place you wish you had on your doorstep. Reliable, confident, classic cooking makes this relaxed spot many people’s go-to for special occasions or a fancy Sunday roast. Be warned: the custard tart is addictive.  

Indian street food and craft beer: it doesn’t get much better than that. Bundobust started out in Leeds and chose Manchester for its second outpost – how lucky are we? Inside, it’s casual and hip with a smattering of retro Bollywood; long communal dining tables groan under the weight of dishes which fuse northern produce with Gujarati street food. The menu is vegetarian, though we reckon even the most hard-headed meat-eater wouldn’t notice.

Among the colour and noise of Chinatown lies a single Japanese restaurant, Yuzu. It’s refined and simple, both in terms of décor and food, and the lunch deal is a proper steal. It was once one of Manchester’s best-kept secrets, before a glowing review from food critic Jay Rayner changed all that. Now, reservations are harder to come by, particularly at peak times, but they’re worth the wait.

Until Mana’s 2019 award, Manchester’s lack of a Michelin star was always a hot topic and the arrival of Simon Rogan at the French was intended to change all that. Sadly, that didn't happen and Rogan departed some time ago – leaving The French in the very capable hands of head chef Adam Reid. Reid has since made the Grade II-listed dining room his own, shaking off any stuffy fine dining preconceptions and serving his own inspired take on modern British cuisine.  

Amid the flurry of new restaurants in Manchester, old favourites sometimes don’t get as much press as they should and 63 Degrees is one of the most under-appreciated. Based in the hip ‘n’ happening Northern Quarter, you can find a little slice of Paris in the shape of this family-run restaurant. The Moreaus have left the glamour of their home city to bring a taste of the French capital to Manchester, and we forever thank them for it.

Not so much a restaurant as a market trader in the acclaimed food hall Mackie Mayor, Honest Crust still deserves a place on this list for knocking out the city’s best pizza. The Neapolitan-style base is light, chewy and dotted with charred bubbles like leopard’s spots. Toppings are always, well, top quality – think things like San Marzano tomatoes and locally made fennel sausage.

There’s a well-trodden path to Lily’s from the nearby IKEA, a handy parting gift for hungry shoppers who’ve finally escaped the Scandi maze. But even if you don’t need another Billy bookcase, this humble little Indian restaurant merits its own trip thanks to affordable prices, accomplished flavour combinations and an epic menu of more than 100 dishes.

This & That has been serving the speciality rice ’n’ three (rice topped with three curries of your choice) to hungry Mancs since 1984 and it’s still going strong. The family-run restaurant was revamped a while back – a controversial move that made it fit in with the trendy cafés surrounding it – but their back-alley diner is still just as popular. Expect no-frills dining and hearty portions, and look out for the special Sunday nihari.