Greater Manchester is a great culinary destination, currently boasting 13 listings in the most prestigious and well-known of guides, the Michelin Guide.
These now include two Michelin Stars, thanks to Skof nabbing one less than a year after opening, plus three Bib Gourmands.
Bib Gourmands celebrate ‘high-quality food at reasonable prices’ – though they’re still not something most of us can afford to visit every week.
These are the very best restaurants in Greater Manchester, and come with a price tag to reflect that, and while they’re worth every penny there are ways to go and sample these establishments without spending your entire week’s food shop on one single dish.
We’ve pulled together a list of how you can try some Michelin-recommended restaurants in Manchester for less.
You can see the full list of all the Greater Manchester restaurants included in the Michelin Guide HERE.
Topping the list of Michelin-recommended spots is Mana, which became the first restaurant in 40 years to bring home a Michelin star for Manchester, thanks to its incredibly technical, creative tasting menus served from its stunning space in Ancoats.
The Michelin Guide says: “The personality and experience of chef-owner Simon Martin shine brightly at this stylish, modern restaurant, where every one of the well-spaced tables has a view of the kitchen.”
The normal ‘complete’ tasting menu will set you back £175 plus service – a VERY special treat for most – but if you want a little taste of what they can do, go for their ‘Extracts menu’ at £95, which will show you in nine courses a little of what chef patron Simon Martin and his team can do.
It’s very special.
Skof, NOMA
Michelin-recommended Skof scooped a star in its first year. Credit: Cristian BarrettChef Tom Barnes inside his restaurant Skof / Credit: Cristian Barrett
This relative newcomer to Manchester has already scooped itself a Michelin Star, mere months after launching – and we can’t stress enough how well-deserved that accolade is.
With a real Michelin-tinted CV, including honing his skills at three-star L’Enclume, chef Tom Barnes is destined for great things.
And you can try it for yourself at lunchtimes for a very reasonable £50, where you’re given a few courses to show off their links to Our Farm for fresh produce, fantastic desserts, and locally-sourced meat.
Of the two full tasting menus, one is priced at £120, the other at £165. Don’t scoff at me when I say they’re worth it.
Another Hand, Deansgate
Jaan by Michelin-recommended Manchester restaurant Another Hand
Another Hand is one of those restaurants that’s just quietly getting on with it and doing a fantastic job, serving, according to the Michelin Guide, ‘eye-catching’ small plates.
Another Hand has a little sister site too, in Jaan, tucked into one of the kitchens at the beautiful Exhibition food hall.
Here you can get a taste of their fantastic cooking along with dishes from other traders, with a lot of Persian flatbreads.
Higher Ground, New York Street
Higher Ground is officially one of Britain’s best local restaurants. Credit: The Manc GroupHigher Ground in Manchester has been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand
It’s not just the Michelin Guide that’s been impressed by Higher Ground – it’s also one of Rick Stein’s favourite places to eat in the UK, which is the kind of high praise we can get on board with.
Every dinner at Higher Ground is different, with a menu that rolls with the seasons, whole-animal butchery, veg from their own Cinderwood Market Garden and excellent wines.
You can order a la carte, but they recommend putting yourself in their hands with a sharing menu, which is only £40 at lunch times (compared to £58 in the evenings).
El Gato Negro, King Street
Another restaurant that’s earned itself a Bib Gourmand is Simon Shaw’s El Gato Negro, the brilliant, multi-storey Spanish restaurant right in the heart of King Street.
Famed for its great-value tapas and gorgeous interiors, they also have a decent deal that allows you to try this Bib Gourmand-level Spanish food for less.
Every weekday between 12pm and 5pm, then again all day on Sundays, you can get three tapas dishes for £20.
And if you’re feeling really patient, they also do tend to pop up at the Manchester Christmas Markets with Spanish sandwiches and street food.
Where The Light Gets In, Stockport
Sam Buckley’s incredible restaurant over in Stockport put the town firmly on the culinary map and earned itself a ‘green’ Michelin star a couple of years ago, recognised for its sustainability practices.
Over there, its full tasting menus start at £125 per person, but the team are currently running an exciting pop-up series in Manchester, including a bistro pop-up with four courses for £50.
They also hosted a fast food-inspired diner earlier this year, with every single burger made from just one cow – once the beef ran out, the restaurant closed.
Manchester Arndale is slashing prices on food and drink across the shopping centre
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Arndale’s Summer Scran Fest is back – and that means there are some absolute bargains to be had on food and drink right across the shopping centre.
Throughout the month of August, restaurants, cafes and kiosks within Manchester Arndale will be offering some serious offers and deals.
This ranges from 25% off to buy-one-get-one-free deals, plus free meals for kids and plenty more.
Venues taking part in the Summer Scran Fest include Archie’s, Subway, Barburrito, Pizza Hut, HOP Vietnamese, Michaels Coffee House and plenty more.
And the leisure destinations within Manchester Arndale are getting stuck in too – think free drinks, combos and more at venues including King Pins and Urban Playground.
There are plenty of Manchester-born businesses getting involved and offering bargains to us all, like Archie’s giving out free soft serve when you spend £10, Barburrito offering a £10 meal deal (burrito, tortilla chips and a soft drink), and Lazy Sundae giving a free scoop of ice cream with any large drink purchase.
Big brand deals include a £5 meal deal at McDonald’s (4 Chicken McNuggets, Cheese burger or Mayo chicken; fries; and medium cold drink), and 25% off at Pizza Hut.
There’s 20% off at Sides in the Manchester Arndale Summer Scran FestLazy Sundae will do a free ice cream with a large drink purchase
Then there are newcomers to Manchester Arndale taking part in the Summer Scran Fest.
HOP, a new Vietnamese street food venue on Market Street, is doing 25% off, while Michaels Coffee House will knock 15% off their seasonal favourites like an Iced Maple Oat Matcha or an Iced Rose Coconut Matcha.
There’s also a 20% discount at Sides, the chicken shop backed by YouTube sensations Sidemen.
And as for leisure destinations – Urban Playground is doing 18 Holes of putters tech-infused mini golf, plus any three small plates from The Butcher menu for £28.20.
Kind Pins has 20% off food and drink, and Immersive Gamebox will do 20% off plus a free drink when you book a 60 or 30 minute gaming session.
Pick up a voucher booklet in the centre or download your offers from the Manchester Arndale website from 1 August.
Manchester dessert and sandwich stars Gooey are set to open another city centre site
Danny Jones
0161’s world-famous dessert stars, Gooey, are set to open another city centre site – their third in Greater Manchester and soon-to-be fifth overall.
Known for their incredible cookies, doughnuts, brunch, legendary French toast and plenty more, Gooey made their first foray out of their hometown with a Liverpool location last year, and are now set to consolidate their Manc base even further.
Set to open in a prime piece of real estate, the latest Manchester Gooey store will be opening in a sizeable empty unit over on Circle Square, right next to the Asda Express and in the heart of the student living and leisure complex.
Benefitting from being easily seen from along the bustling Oxford Road Corridor, you can expect this place to be packed to the rafters from the off on day one.
The signs are already in the window.That unreal French toast dripping in syrup.Credit: The Manc Eats
There are few details on what the new arrival might have in-store beyond all the brand favourites at this early stage, but each Gooey store shop does have its own charm.
From their original bakery and cafe over in the Northern Quarter, to the three kiosks in Ducie Street Warehouse, The Trafford Centre Selfridges and over on Merseyside’s iconic Bold Street, they all offer something a little different.
As for any hints at the launch plans, fans are yet to be given an official opening date, but you best believe you’ll be the first to know the second we do.
In case you’ve never tried or even come across the indulgent and fast-growing independent business before, another popular part of their menu is the bits between bread.
Touching on the upcoming addition, Charlotte Wild, Head of Retail & Leisure at Bruntwood SciTech – the team behind Circle Square’s ever-expanding offerings – said: “Gooey is an incredible local brand who are continuing to grow, evolve and innovate, with ever more exciting desserts.
“They will make a fantastic addition to the Circle Square community, and we look forward to seeing the impact they make in the coming months.”
In case you wonder how much we love this place and just how excited you should be about another one landing here in the city centre, sometimes we just put together random appreciation posts for that one, aforementioned butty alone.
Local foodies will also be buzzing to hear that they’re not the only calorific cult favourites that are bringing more to our mouths in 2025.
First, it was Brewski, followed by American Pies; then it was Foldies, and now the beloved culinary brand is launching yet another new concept here in Manchester.
Daisy Jackson -
19th February 2025 
