10 Of The Best Places To Eat In Manchester

Renowned for being a diverse and multicultural city, Manchester’s restaurants, like its residents, are bold and colourful. An array of flavours all intertwine together to create a vibrant and dynamic food scene all located within the city centre.

1.) TERRACE NQ

Becoming a great addition to the bar scene current in the Northern Quarter, Terrace features a stripped-down aesthetic highlighted through bare brick walls while being complimented through the vintage décor. Although branded as a bar, it’s the food they ultimately serve that showcase its talent and going there multiple times allowed me to try different things to prove that this place is no one trick wonder!

The club sandwich is heaven with a whole meal triple decker sandwich stacked against all odds, filled with streaky yet smoked bacon, portions of chicken, egg mayonnaise and baby gem lettuce and tomato. All main meals are accompanied with seasoned (to perfection) fries and their homemade coleslaw that encapsulates the right amount of mayonnaise, onion and cabbage. The fish finger butty is also another asset to the bar; with its homemade fish fingers being sandwiched together with tartar sauce and fresh white bread.

2.) MOOSE COFFEE

As soon as you set foot in Moose Coffee, you are instantaneously enticed through the scent of crispy bacon followed by the bitter yet sweet aroma of coffee. This Canadian influenced restaurant offers a wide variety of breakfast food. Butter waffles are an instant hit while the double dutch pancakes (pancakes containing chorizo and bacon) are gorgeous with (multiple) dollops of syrup.

With myself being an avid coffee drinker, I ordered a cappuccino and was pleasantly surprised. The fresh orange juice is a gorgeous accompaniment to what my friend had, “One-Eyed Moose” – creamy scrambled eggs served with two slices of toast. Pricing is slightly affordable with most dishes being priced at around £7-£8 (excluding beverages)

3.) PAPUS PLACE

Located just past Manchester Central Library, Papu’s Place is a great lunch stop for those passing through. It offers affordable authentic Greek cuisine – something that is rarely found unless you are actually stood on the sands of Greek Island – as well serving fantastic traditional Greek coffee and other beverages. Although lacking a large area for customers to sit and eat, it offers the option of take-out as well as already made salads and pasta pots. When tasting the flavouring of the chicken gyros and bitterness from the garlic in the tzatziki it immediately transcends me to the glistening beach of Vasiliki is where I spent the summer just gone.

4.) JAMIES ITALIAN

The former bank turned restaurant Jamies Italian, located on Kings Street. Although I’m a student (with an overdraft I might add), when visiting here it has always been for a special occasion. Having been here for mine and my boyfriend’s anniversaries a few times, we are always greeted by the same happy-go-lucky waitress and served up some seriously good food. The architecture itself within the building is beautiful and exudes sophistication while the central bar offers a variety of cocktails. The food choices they offer are a great asset to the restaurant itself; from steak to seafood based pasta dishes, whatever mood you’re in most likely Jamie will cater to it!

5.) MOWGLI STREET FOOD

Nestled away just off Oxford Road, Mowgli Street Food is a mouthwatering and aesthetically pleasing Indian restaurant. You could call it more of a twinkling grotto with fairy lights draping from banisters and stairs while intertwining around tables. The menu is made up of small plates ranging from classic Indian street snacks such as bhel puri and chat bombs to curries and daals. Think tapas but Indian!

6.) 20 STORIES

This glamorous restaurant is situated on the 19th floor of No.1 Spinningfields. It houses a gorgeous and elegant rooftop restaurant with an array of cocktails and an expansive terrace. What’s best about this restaurant is the unparalleled 360-degree view of the Manchester skyline. Imagine casually perched on a chair, sipping a margarita and nibbling on some tapas, while you can see the entire skyline of Manchester as the sun sets. Perfect! 

7.) BLACK MILK CEREAL DIVE

Hidden away in the alternative department store that is Affleck’s’, Black Milk Cereal Dive is a small yet welcoming and quirky café that challenges everything the standard, everyday café does. For starters, this a café completely dedicated to all the sweet tooth’s out there. With no savoury items (bar a piece of toast) making an appearance on the menu, the café itself focuses on cereal and all the weird and wacky combinations one can make when given cereal, toppings, and sauces. Offering cereals from Froot Loops to Kraze to the simple yet appeasing Corn Flakes, you can then go even wackier and add whatever toppings you want as well as flavoured sauces; these range from Jaffa Cakes to mini eggs to banana foams.

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8.) COSMO

Have you ever fancied a specific cuisine but your friend / significant other fancies something different? So you argue until you choose something where you’re both happy? Well fear not, the COSMO restaurant located near Deansgate is here to save the day! With over 160 dishes and numerous cuisines to choose from it’s the perfect place for picky and specific eaters. Fancy an Indian but your girlfriend wants Chinese? No worries! Cosmo is the one! The plates are divided into four sections (which is possibly the smartest idea) so you can literally go from a loaf of Indian naan bread to a Chinese spring roll in a matter of seconds.

9.) RUDY’S

Tucked away at the end of the Northern Quarter, Rudy’s provides an authentic slice of Naples right in the heart of Manchester! The light and flavoursome pizzas are 14 inches which are more than enough for even the hungriest of customers (me) Everything is made on site and the pizza dough is cooked for a mere 60 seconds in the wood-fired ovens resulting in a chewy yet delicate base. 

10.) YARD AND COOP

Located in the Northern Quarter, Yard & Coop is a chicken restaurant that specialises in southern US-style buttermilk fried chicken. Just like KFC the restaurant houses a closely kept secret recipe. On the main menu, you’ll only find three options: breast, boneless thigh and ‘not chicken nuggets’. You can choose which ‘dusting’ you would like and all dishes are served with chips and a sauce of your choice. The skin is crispy yet bubbly, and the breast was moist with a generous amount of seasoning. This place is perfect for chicken lovers so vegans and veggies beware…

Have you been to any of these? Or have we missed any other amazing places to eat in Manchester? Let us know in the comments!

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