Where to eat and drink in Manchester
My favourite restaurants and bars in Manchester city centre
If you guys have followed me for a while, you will know that Manchester is my favourite place to eat out. It has the best selection of restaurants to suit absolutely everyone. So many different types of foods, loads of cool restaurants with great atmospheres, and also amazing places to go out for drinks too! I’ve included all of my favourites in this blog post, which I will of course keep updating as I try new places too!
Enjoy!
LUNCH/DINNER:
Mackie Mayor - Located in the Northern Quarter, this is an amazing building with loads of different food stalls. You can get anything from sandwiches, fish and chips, pizzas, pies, Korean food, this place really has it all! It’s a great place to go to if you can’t decide what to eat, just have a wonder around and see what takes your fancy! Or if all your friends fancy something different, Mackie Mayor is great for that too! It always has such a good atmosphere and I love how you can eat here for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and also theres a bar section too! (There is also a sister company to Mackie Mayor in Altrincham!)
Australasia - one of my all time favourite restaurants in Manchester. It has it all, the dreamy interiors, good service, amazing cocktails and of course delicious food. The food is a mix between Japanese and Australian cuisine. It does gorgeous sushi and sashimi but also main meals too. The pork belly is to die for!
El Gato Negro - A gorgeous little Spanish restaurant with a cosy atmosphere and great authentic Spanish dishes. I love this place best out of all the Spanish restaurants in Manchester. Definitely book in advance though, this place gets really booked up!
Rosso - A fancy Italian restaurant with beautiful decor and lovely food. This one is pretty fancy, especially on a weekend. It is beautiful at Christmas especially when it’s all decorated for the festive season! Also, the toilets are really good for taking selfies…
Rudy’s Pizzeria - Somewhere I haven’t yet been (it’s on my list to go asap), but apparently it’s meant to be one of the best pizza places in town! You can’t book in advance so get here with enough time especially on a weekend!
Peter Street Kitchen - A recent find for me in Manchester and one I absolutely love! It has an amazing vibe on a weekend, with a DJ and a massive bar with loads of cool cocktails. The food itself is a mix of Mexican and Japanese tapas. Every single dish was delicious, particularly the sea bass and the wagyu beef.
Luck, Lust, Liquor and Burn - One of my favourite Mexican restaurants. Located in the Northern Quarter it does everything from Tacos, to Burritos, to some amazing loaded Nachos. A really fun vibe in there too.
Gaucho - I love Gaucho for a special occasion. It’s super cool inside, with lots of cow print etc and it does a really good steak! There’s also a private room here which is so nice if you have a bigger group - I think it sits around 14.
Menagerie - A really fun place for dinner and drinks too, with amazing entertainment and decor. If you haven’t had a photo in the bath at Menagerie, have you even been to Manchester? Definitely one to check out. On a weekend it gets very lively and people get really dressed up.
Dimitri’s - This is definitely one of my favourite restaurants in town. It’s a greek restaurant and has such a good authentic greek vibe. The main seating area is towards the back in a kind-of green house type area, which is so cute on an evening with lots of cosy lights etc. The menu is MASSSSIVE and the staff were all so brilliant.
San Carlo - A real traditional Italian which has been going forrrreeever and has branched out to other locations across the country, but it still has amazing food. The service isn’t incredible but the food does make up for it!
SUNDAY ROAST:
Albert Schloss - An absolute favourite of mine and their Sunday roast is to die for! It always gets super booked up, but it is sooo worth it! They do the best cauliflower cheese ever. It’s also got a lovely atmosphere on a Sunday with live music sometimes too.
Hawksmoor - I mean one thing is for sure, these guys know how to do meat. Their roasts are presented on massive serving boards, which not only look impressive, but taste very impressive too. This place is also a great steak restaurant during the week too!
Dukes 92 - One place I haven't been to yet, but when I asked for roast recommendations on Instagram, this one came up loads so I thought I should include it! I’m definitely going to check it out asap!
DRINKS:
Alchemist - Such a fun atmosphere, with an amazing list of cocktails. It has a periodic table theme to the cocktails and a lot of them come out steaming and smoking which is so much fun. They also do a cocktail masterclass here!
Sunset - This is above Australasia, and is maybe one of the most instagram-able spots for a drink in Manchester. It’s all pink and gold interiors and does one of the best pornstar martini’s.
Albert Schloss - I listed this one as a favourite Sunday Roast place but it’s also a favourite Saturday night place too! I may as well just move in. It always has live music and the energy in there is always fun, with people dancing on the tables. I always have a good time in there and I love how you can sit and have a drink and a chat or you can go and have a boogie too!
The Oast House - This is a favourite in the summer months. Located in Spinningfield, as are the others above, it has a massive outdoor area with lots of pub tables and benches as well as an Aperol Spritz bar. The atmosphere is really fun and also has live music sometimes too!
Menagerie - Mentioned this one above, but wanted to pop it in here too as it’s great for drinks too!