Here are some of our favorite restaurants in Mancunia.

There has never been a more fascinating blend of dependable, seasonal food, references to the city's proudly mixed populace, and chefs who are fiercely imaginative than in Manchester. Here are our top suggestions for the greatest eateries in Manchester, including bakeries, street food, and steak. And it's no surprise that the northern city's eateries are up to standard and attracting customers given its collection of some of the greatest hotels in the UK, lively pubs, and excellent venues for vegan snacks. To top it off, there are a ton of wonderful attractions for every traveler to enjoy on the streets, including modern art, historic buildings, and lots more.

Are there any Michelin-starred restaurants in Manchester?

Yes. Simon Martin's Michelin-starred restaurant, mana, is located in Manchester. Manchester received its first Michelin star in 42 years because of this restaurant's 14+ dish-tasting menu. Bookings open at noon on the first of every month for two months in advance, so be sure to plan if you're going to Manchester for a major occasion or just a weekend getaway.

1. Pollen Bakery.

Ideal for: Upcoming pastries
Served to order: The cruffin

Both the restaurant and more informal food scenes in Manchester are in great shape. After years of loyal customers waiting in line for up to an hour under a railway arch for Pollen Bakery's superior pastries, particularly the signature cruffin, a horrifying hybrid of a croissant and a muffin filled with curd or crème patissière, the bakery finally opened its first permanent location in Ancoats. Due to its popularity, a new bakery and café in the Kampus neighborhood have been established.

Location: Cotton Field Wharf, 8 New Union Street, Manchester M4 6FQ, Pollen Bakery
Web address: pollenbakery.com

2. Siop Shop.

Ideal For: Breakfast bites
Order this dish: a freshly baked doughnut.

If you're still not satisfied, visit Siop Shop, a café in the Northern Quarter that serves gooey morning muffins and famous custard doughnuts from Blawd bakery.

Location: Siop Shop, 53 Tib Street, Manchester M4 1LS
Web address: siopshop.co

3. Richmond Tea Rooms, North Tea Power, and Sugar Junction

 Ideal For: Morning tea

The simple pleasure of a cup of tea has become an art form in recent years. Now, leaves and mixes are stirred in city locations. Take your pick from retro-style tableware at Sugar Junction (seen above), in front of industrial lighting fixtures at North Tea Power, or the Alice in Wonderland-themed Richmond Tea Rooms in a back alley in Gay Village.

Addresses: Richmond Tea Rooms, 46 Sackville Street, Manchester M1 3WF; North Tea Power, 36 Tib Street, Greater; Sugar Junction, 60 Tib Street, Manchester M4 1LG
Websites: richmondtearooms.com; northteapower.co.uk; sugarjunction.co.uk

4. Bundobust.

Ideal for: fiery street food
rdered dish: bundo chaat

The specialty of Bundobust, which is situated in a basement off Piccadilly Gardens, is Gujarati street cuisine. Although it appears unassuming, this restaurant could be the greatest in Manchester. It's uncommon to find a menu without a single dud item, but this charmingly utilitarian restaurant, established by two Bradford boys, does so with its lovely Victorian atrium. Even more unusually, not a single dish exceeds £7.25. Consume every last bit of chaat, bhel puri, and the unbelievably crisp bhindi fries served in paper tubs, then wash it all down with robust IPAs from renowned local brewers like Cloudwater and Track. It's well done and long-lasting. Each city ought to have one. The Bundobust Brewery on Oxford Street in Manchester has a new, gleaming location where you can eat near stainless steel brewing tanks inside of a different glass atrium.

Address: 61 Piccadilly, Bundobust, Manchester M1 2AG
Web address: bundobust.com

5. Tast

Ideal for: a tribute to Catalonia
Ordered dish: arros de calamar (rice with squid)

Tast on affluent King Street was created by Catalan chef Paco Pérez of Girona's Michelin-starred Restaurant Miramar with support from Pep Guardiola and Ferran Soriano of Manchester City, who upon moving to the city felt devoid of their food. They are no longer abandoned. The octopus with romesco and Oloroso sherry is astoundingly superb, while the basics like charcuterie and croquettes are without flaw. The fluids from the prawn heads are drizzled over a dish of red prawns and rice, which has the flavor of dark, roasted shells and is cooked in a shallow oven dish to make the edges crunchy and chewy (similar to baked risotto). A bone-in "old cow" sirloin is the stuff of carnivorous daydream, while pressed Ibérico pork with a sweet demi-glace promotes audacious, public plate-licking.

Location: Tast, 20-22 King Street, Manchester M2 6AG
Web address: tastcatala.com

6. Seoul Kimchi

Best for comfort in Korea
Dish to order: bulgogi squid and pork dish.

Unquestionably the best Korean BBQ and hotpots in Manchester can be found at this modest location next to the Manchester Royal Infirmary. The food is served to sizzle in bowls resembling cauldrons. If there is room, they crowd in with the visiting students and order the tender galbi ribs or the bulgogi pig belly, which has been tenderly cooked, intensely flavored, and served with squid. Both the jeon, which are chewy fried pancakes liberally sprinkled with shrimp, and the sweet and sour fried chicken are excellent. The set dinners for two persons offer an absurd value for the money.

Address: Seoul Kimchi, 275 Upper Brook Street, Manchester M13 0HR
Website: seoulkimchimanchester.facebook.com

7. The Spärrows.

Most suitable for cozy comfort food
Ordering dish: spätzle

If you blink, you could miss the black door leading to Manchester's Green Quarter eatery The Spärrows. It's worth the effort to find this restaurant's winning blend of hearty continental cuisine, combined with lager on tap, sake, or wine, located around five minutes walk from Victoria train station, under some railroad arches. Make sure to get the spätzle, a kind of tiny noodle that is their house specialty. It is daily produced and served with the sauce of your choosing. It goes well with a green salad with plenty of Alpine salt or sauerkraut with pumpkin seeds on top. Book in advance because it is consistently busy, especially throughout the week.

Address: The Spärrows, 16 Red Bank, Green Quarter, Manchester M4 4HF
Web address: thesparrows.me

8. Manchester food courts: Hello Oriental, Mackie Mayor, and Escape to Freight Island

Best for: having a lot of options

Manchester has a fantastic and growing variety of dining halls. On the outskirts of Ancoats, the Grade-II listed Mackie Mayor offers a wide range of alternatives, from the renowned flat iron steak and fries from Tender Cow to Honest Crust's sourdough pizza. Enormous In a former freight depot close to Piccadilly station, Escape to Freight Island offers both indoor and outdoor dining, daily entertainment, and food that includes Champagne and oysters as well as kebabs prepared by Michelin-starred chef Brad Carter. A Vietnamese restaurant, a bakery and café with Asian influences, and the newest child on the block, Hello Oriental, are all located in an underground complex off Oxford Road. Hello, Oriental is a store that offers items from East Asia.

Address: Mackie Mayor at 1 Eagle Street in Manchester, M4 5JY, Escape to Freight Island at 11 Baring Street in Manchester, M1 2PZ, and Hello Oriental at Circle Square and South Pavilion in Symphony Park in Manchester, M1 7FS.
Websites include hofoodhall.com, escapetofreightisland.com, and instagram.com/mackiemayor

9. Hispi

Best for daring bistro cooking
dish to order: Braised featherblade.

Thanks to a passionate crowdfunding effort, patrons of chef Gary Usher's excellent work at the Sticky Walnut in Chester and the Burnt Truffle on the Wirral were instrumental in making Hispi a reality. More than just a good neighborhood restaurant, it offers a set menu at a fantastic price in addition to the seasonal à la carte. Duck ham and pickles are served as tempting appetizers before the main courses, and Usher and his colleagues delight in cuts like the underappreciated feather blade. If everything looks fantastic when it is placed on the table. Usher's restaurant Kala in the city's center is likewise highly recommended.

Address: Hispi, 1C School Lane, Manchester M20 6RD
Web address: hispi.net

10. Refuge by Volta

Ideal for: a relaxing treat
Ordered dish: creamed beets with smoked feta, hazelnuts, and dill.

One of the best-looking restaurants in the city center is Refuge by Volta, located inside the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel. It features soaring ceilings, glazed tiled pillars, and a stunning Victorian Grade-II listed setting. However, it also manages to have a relaxed, casual vibe. The cuisine, which consists of shared portions called voltini, is inspired by the travels of its curators, DJs the Unabombers. Carnivores will gobble up the luscious, slow-cooked ox cheek, mole, and crispy onions, while the little plate of whipped beetroot, smoky feta, hazelnut, and dill is a hit. Give yourself ample time before or after dinner so that you may have a beverage in its charming winter garden area.

Address: Oxford Street, Manchester M60 7HA, Refuge by Volta
Web address: refugemcr.co.uk

11. Mi & Pho

Ideal For: Vietnamese heat.
Served to order: goi du du

Mi & Pho in Northenden, which is only a short distance from the airport and is worth the cab ride from central Manchester, is a straightforward neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant with huge potential. It serves home-style favorites like fresh and vibrant summer rolls, traditional bánh xèo pancakes stuffed with pork, and a classic, restorative pho. It is consistently packed even during the lunch hour on weekdays, something that restaurants many times as flashy - and not in Northenden - struggle with. The most stunning dish, though, is a goi du du which is as outstanding as any in Vietnam and is precisely balanced between sweet, sour, and sharp flavors.

Address: Mi & Pho, 384 Palatine Road, Northenden, Wythenshawe, Manchester M22 4FZ
URL: miandpho.com

12. Nell's Pizza & Bar in New York

The best for pizza with a conscience
Ordered dish: greens

There are several great places to have pizza in Manchester. However, Nell's, which was established in 2020 by Jonny and Charlotte Heyes from the popular Northern Quarter restaurant Common, is one to try. Visit the restaurant's newest location in the waterfront Kampus neighborhood and place an order for a stunning 22-inch pie made in the manner of New York (slices and 14-inch pizzas are available too). Carnivores might appreciate the sour and spicy "do you 'roni honey?" which is covered with n'duja and pepperoni and finished with chili honey and parmesan. "Greens" has a roast garlic cream base topped with seasonal greens, smoked Lancashire cheese, evoo, and parmesan. You may feel good about your slice since Nell's works to reduce waste, use less meat and electricity, and get its ingredients from reputable British vendors.

Location: Nell's New York Pizza & Bar, 20 Minshull St, Kampus, Manchester M1 3EF
Website: nellspizza.co.uk

13: The Bull & Bear.

Best for a regal environment
Ordered dish: raw steak and crème fraîche-topped baked Linda potatoes.

When it debuted in 2019, Tom Kerridge's Bull & Bear restaurant, located within the opulent Stock Exchange Hotel, promised to "be a piece of Marlow up north." Kerridge's unique style of upscale British classics is evident on the menu. Its location is a large, domed chamber with marble pillars, stained glass, and a headless statue by Beth Kerridge named Superdude in its center on the grand trading floor of Manchester's former stock exchange. Just make an effort to ignore the sports on the wall-mounted TVs. Try its set lunchtime or early evening menus (£24.50 for two courses, £29.50 for three), which change seasonally, to experience the atmosphere and food for a fraction of the cost. After your lunch, have a beverage at the bar while people-watching.

Location: The Bull & Bear, 4 Norfolk Street. Manchester M2 1DW.
Internet address: thebullandbearmcr.com

14. Mana

Ideal for: special-occasion meals

Ancoats, a trendy neighborhood in Manchester, is becoming a popular destination for dining and drinking. The southern Italian Sugo Pasta Kitchen and natural wine bar and restaurant Erst are also worthwhile stops, but the jewel of this neighborhood is Simon Martin's mana, which received Manchester's first Michelin star in 42 years in 2019. In this 24-seat minimalist setting, reservations must be made well in advance. Bookings begin at noon on the first of every month two months in advance. Upon arrival, you'll be given a hot broth and a bunch of flowers (think juniper, pine, and rosemary). Then, relax as cooks prepare your 14+ course tasting menu utilizing British ingredients, with a focus on seafood dishes, in the open kitchen. Plates are fun and appealing.

Address: 42 Blossom Street, Mana, Manchester M4 6BF