Why Underbanks and Central Stockport is one of the UK’s coolest neighbourhoods for 2026

While it may have been a forgotten market town filled with boarded up shops over a decade ago, a neighbourhood in Stockport is now one of the coolest in the country.

That’s right, not somewhere in Manchester city, but the centre of nearby riverside town Stockport has been picked as the coolest in the UK – right behind neighbourhoods in Glasgow, Belfast and London.

Time Out’s experts across the UK have weighed in on which locales are the buzziest right now. These ’hoods are not just trendy to live in, but they also offer plenty of top-notch restaurants, cafes, bars and cultural delights to keep visitors entertained, as well as all-important community vibes.

Govanhill in Glasgow was crowned the coolest for its art and literature scene. Cathedral Quarter in Belfast came in second and London’s Newington Green was at number three. The fourth best, which may come as a surprise to those who haven’t been to the city before, is the Underbanks area of central Stockport.

Benefitting from recent investment, this area has transformed into a creative and cultural hub with cheaper rents attracting artists from all walks of life. Manchester-based DJ Luke Una even referred to it, jokingly, as the ‘new Berlin’. While there are no hedonistic techno clubs (yet) in Stockport, it does hold some similarities with the German city’s sexy bars and café culture.

This part of Stockport is home to cafes with rotating art exhibitions (The Apple Core), Belgium beer bars (Thread), and a few small plate offerings, one with an interesting negroni selection (Dilly Deli). Time Out contributor Kyle MacNeill said the area is ‘rapidly becoming the place-to-move-to for the Second City’s creatives’.

He added: ‘The Underbanks, a cobbled high street once home to hat-makers and hosiers, has been transformed into a bustling hub of forward-thinking vendors, while various local institutions have embraced Euro-style cafe culture, midcentury decor, sustainable fine-dining (at Michelin Green-star restaurant Where The Light Gets In), small plates snacking and chic drinking dens. All of which, actually, come to think of it, is very Berlin…’

Read the rest of Time Out’s guide to the coolest neighbourhoods in the UK right now.

ICYMI: This ancient cathedral is officially the most beautiful building in the UK. 

Plus: Manchester’s Warehouse Project is taking a year off in 2027. 

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.