Food & Drink in Manchester

Restaurants

Over 30 national cuisines are represented in restaurants across Manchester, reflecting the city’s vibrant culture and diverse history.  With so many restaurants in Manchester city centre it would be impossible for us to cover them all in this brief guide.  Instead, we have restricted ourselves to providing some recommendations of places within easy reach of the conference venue.  Price guides are approximate.

The Midland Hotel

Midland Hotel; +44 (0)161 236 3333;

Two restaurants are located within the Midland hotel.  The Colony (£**) is the hotels main dining room, offering a range of gourmet meals in a relaxed atmosphere.  The French (£***)  is one of Manchester’s most prestigious restaurants and boasts two AA Rosettes.

Tampopo

16 Albert Square, +44 (0)161 819 1966; £**/ £* V

Airy, minimalist basement restaurant serving a wide range of south-east Asian foods, including Japanese, Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese.  Bookings are taken for large parties only, but a fast turnover of tables generally means only a short wait to be seated.  Service is friendly and efficient.  Highly recommended.

Croma

1 Clarence Street, off Princess Street; +44 (0)161 237 9799; £*  V

Without a doubt the best pizzeria in Manchester, Croma combines elegant dining and excellent value for money.  Dishes range from the traditional to the eccentric (in particular, the cheekily named Inglese pizza, topped with bacon and free range egg!). 

Armenian Taverna

3 Princess Street; +44 (0)161 834 9025; £**

Excellent Armenian cuisine in a charmingly cosy basement restaurant. 

Rajdoot

18 Albert Square; +44 (0)161 834 7092; £** V

Well recommended Indian restaurant, located nearby the Midland Hotel.

Livebait

22 Lloyd Street, off Albert Square; +44 (0)161 817 4110; £**

Livebait serves an array of fish and seafood dishes, including their seafood platter, which includes oysters, crab, prawns, crevettes and mussels. 

Gio

Peter House, Lower Mosley Street; +44 (0)161 228 2030; £**

Reliable Italian restaurant, conveniently located close to the Midland Hotel.

Sam’s Chop House

Back Pool Fold, Chapel Walks, off Cross Street; +44 (0)161 834 3210; £**  

This is the perfect place to sample traditional British food.  Sam’s comprises a cosy pub and a sumptuous restaurant.  Dishes include wild game mixed grill, homemade steak and kidney pudding and Sam’s famous corned beef hash.  The deserts are rib-sticking and delicious.

Grinch

5-7 Chapel Walks; +44 (0)161 907 3210; £** / £*  V

A lively and ever so slightly kitsch bar and restaurant, which serves a mixture of Mediterranean modern British food.   

Wagamama

The Printworks, Corporation Street; +44 (0)161 839 5916; £* V

A cavernous basement noodle bar, with traditional bench seating and tables.  Wagamama serves a range of Japanese noodle and rice dishes, specialising in fragrantly delicious ramen soups.  Fast, efficient service and excellent value for money. 

Simply Heathcotes

Jacksons Row; +44 (0)161 835 3536;  £***

One of Manchester’s finest restaurants, Heathcotes is a pioneer of modern British food.  Main courses include roast breast of Goosnargh duck with buttered leeks and white wine and mushroom sauce, deserts include bread and butter pudding with compote of apricots and clotted cream.

The Olive Press

4 Lloyd Street; +44 (0)161 832 9090;  £**

Sister restaurant to Simply Heathcotes, serves Mediterranean food in convivial surroundings.

The Restaurant Bar and Grill

14 John Dalton Street;  +44 (0)161 839 1999; £***

Highly recommended elegant bar and restaurant.  Dishes range from traditional to eclectic, but with an overall modern British theme. 

Dimitri’s

Campfield Arcade, Deansgate, (near Liverpool Road); +44 (0)161 839 3319  £**

Atmospheric Greek restaurant with food ranging from simple tapas to Mediterranean banquets.  Live jazz is played until late in the bar on Saturday nights.

Rusholme: The Curry Mile (Wilmslow Road)

Just a short bus or taxi ride from the Congress venue, Rusholme, affectionately termed the curry mile, contains the largest concentration of Asian (mainly Pakistani) restaurants in the UK.  Booking is rarely necessary.  Follow your nose, or try one of these recommendations.

Shere Khan     50-52 Wilmslow Road     +44 (0) 161 256 2624

The Darbar      65-67 Wilmslow Road     +44 (0) 161 224 4394

Royal Naz        Unit 18, IFCO Centre, Wilmslow Road  +44 (0) 161 256 1060

Lal Haweli       68-72 Wilmslow Road     +44 (0) 161 248 9700

Hanaan            54 Wilmslow Road         +44 (0) 161 256 4786

China Town

Manchester’s China Town area is located on and around Faulkner Street and George Street.  Below are just a few recommendations from a choice of many.  The Yang Sing, Little Yang Sing, and New Emperor serve Cantonese cuisine.  Pacific contains two separate restaurants serving Chinese and Thai food.  Pan Asia’s menu contains Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian dishes.

Yang Sing        34 Princess Street         +44 (0) 161 236 2200    

Little Yang Sing  17 George Street        +44 (0) 161 228 7722    

The New Emperor 52 - 56 George Street   +44 (0) 161 228 2883   

Pacific             58 George Street           +44 (0) 161 228 6668    

Pan Asia          45-47 Faulkner Street     +44 (0) 161 236 6868    

Pubs and Bars in Manchester

Just a small selection of recommended pubs and bars close to the congress venue.

Traditional Pubs

The Briton’s Protection

50 Great Bridgewater Street; +44 (0)161 236 5895

Traditional multi-roomed pub serving superb cask ales and over 170 whiskies. 

Sinclair’s Oyster Bar

New Cathedral Gate; +44 (0)161 834 0430

Oysters and ale are highly recommended at this pub, which dates back to the first half of the 1700s. 

Pevril of the Peak

127 Great Bridgewater Street; +44 (0)161 236 6364

Cosy traditional pub, with a striking emerald-tiled exterior.

Mr Thomas’s Chop House

52 Cross Street, City Centre; +44 (0)161 832 2245

Attractively tiled traditional pub.

The Circus Tavern

86 Portland Street; +44 (0)161 236 5818

Tiny pub with a 200-year history.

Bars

Cask

29 Liverpool Road (Castlefield); +44 (0)161 819 2527

Relaxed bar with an excellent jukebox.

Cornerhouse

70 Oxford Street; +44 (0)161 200 1508

Pleasant bar within Manchester’s small art-house cinema.

Kro 2

Oxford Road (next to BBC); +44 (0)161 236 1048

Huge bar with outdoor seating area warmed by heat lamps.

The Temple

Great Bridgewater Street; +44 (0)161 278 1610

Quirky underground bar that was once a public lavatory!  Excellent jukebox.