Greater Manchester has just had three more restaurants placed in the Michelin Guide, marking a sensational year for our city’s hospitality industry.
This month, the prestigious restaurant guide has added Stow, Climat, and Bangkok Diners Club to its list of the top quality restaurants across the UK.
It brings our total to 18, after three others were added to the guide back in August (Winsome, Pip, and Cantaloupe).
Manchester also now boasts two Michelin stars after going decades with none, thanks to the opening of Skof last year.
While stars remain the most prestigious accolade in the hospitality industry, Michelin also dishes out Bib Gourmands, and Michelin Guide entries to recognise excellent restaurants at lower price points.
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The first big Manchester name added to the guide this month is Stow, a brilliant new restaurant on Bridge Street where everything – even the desserts – is cooked over fire.
It’s technical and utterly brilliant and has received rave reviews across the board since its launch.
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Stow in Manchester has been added to the new Michelin Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
The Michelin Guide said of Stow: “With its winning combo of cocktails and cooking over fire, Stow feels like a restaurant for our times. Start (and end) your visit with a drink in the front bar, before taking your seat at the counter in the tucked-away dining room.
“The small size gives it the feel of an intimate secret supper club, as you watch the chefs close-up, extracting maximum flavour from their ingredients.
“Prime cuts of meat, including ex-dairy beef, are a feature, but don’t miss the imaginative vegetable dishes too. Finish with the smoked cream tart, its gentile smokiness coming through in every mouthful.”
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Stow wrote: “Today marks a very proud moment for us and the team.
“This time last year there wasn’t even a barbecue in the kitchen or furniture in the restaurant. Today, we’re officially a recommendation in the @michelinguide.
“We’re so proud of our team. Up the f*cking Stow.”
Next up is Bangkok Diners Club, a fantastic Thai restaurant tucked up above the Edinburgh Castle pub in Ancoats.
It’s headed up by Chef Ben Humpheys – formerly of the futuristic Thai restaurant District – and his wife Bo, and fuses his 20-year obsession with Thai cuisine with a ‘new-found love for low-n-slow cooking’ inspired by the BBQs of Miami.
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The Michelin Guide says: “A taste of Thailand has arrived, of all places, above a Victorian pub in Ancoats. Sitting on the first floor of the characterful Edinburgh Castle inn, it’s a lively, deservedly popular place with a cool rustic-meets-retro vibe.
“Despite the name, the cooking takes inspiration from all over Thailand, including several dishes from the northeastern Isan region, such as raw bass with calamansi nam jim or a classic papaya salad. Each plate looks neat and vibrant, delivering an array of well-balanced flavours and the occasional hit of creativity.”
Bangkok Diners Club said: “We are delighted to be included in The Michelin Guide 2025 alongside the very best of Manchester. Thank you to everybody who has visited so far and we look forward to meeting many more of you.”
And last but definitely not least is Climat, a sky-high restaurant famed for its vast wine collection and fabulous views across the rooftops of Manchester city centre.
Here’s what the Michelin Guide had to say about Climat: “You have to be in the know to come across Climat, tucked away on the eighth floor of a city centre office building. You arrive at a dedicated entrance and make your way up to the chic penthouse, where stunning city views await you.
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“An open kitchen is the focus of the room, with its aromas filling the air, and the concise fixed-price menu includes well-executed dishes such as halibut with spinach and sorrel velouté, where the ingredient quality shines through.
“Wine is a feature with one side of the room acting as a bar and the carefully curated list deftly mixing traditional and modern styles.”
Climat said: “Pleased as punch! We’re very happy to have been included in the @michelinguide.
“Thank you to all the team for their hard work and to our suppliers for their fantastic produce. Santé!”
A huge congratulations to all three new additions to the Michelin Guide – another very proud moment for Manchester.
Chinatown restaurant issues CCTV appeal after customer literally RUNS away without paying
Daisy Jackson
Noodle Alley, a cosy restaurant in Chinatown, has shared CCTV footage of a customer literally running away with an unpaid bill.
The noodle bar is famed for its spicy dishes, hailing from co-owner Wendy Ren’s native Sichuan province.
It’s become a firm favourite in Manchester’s Chinatown since launching in 2023 – but the team have been left stung by a customer dine-and-dash this week.
And it’s the most literal case of a dine-and-dash we’ve ever seen, with CCTV footage shared by Noodle Alley showing the moment the customer sprints out the door, with impressive speed for a man in sliders.
The video also shows the staff chasing the runaway customer, to no avail.
In a heartfelt statement shared online, Noodle Alley said that ‘every meal matters’ when small businesses like theirs are struggling with rising costs.
They also said that the CCTV has been sent to the police in the hopes of catching the man.
In their full statement, Noodle Alley wrote: “Today, someone ran away from our restaurant without paying.
“This isn’t just about the money. Small independent businesses are already struggling with rising costs, and dealing with people who deliberately run away without paying makes it even harder.
“Every meal, every member of staff, and every genuine customer matters.
“Our team reacted immediately and tried to catch him, but he disappeared within seconds.
“We have a very clear CCTV image of the individual, and all the evidence has been passed to the relevant authorities.
“To everyone who chooses to support small independent businesses like ours, thank you. Your kindness and support help keep businesses like ours going.”
Massive rock, paper, scissors tournament with BIG pizza prizes takes over Trafford Centre this week
Emily Sergeant
A thousand free pizzas will be up for grabs to celebrate one of Greater Manchester’s newest restaurant openings this week.
That’s right – award-winning Neapolitan pizzeria Forbici is officially opening at the Trafford Centre.
From 11am until 12:30pm this Wednesday (5 August), Forbici will be giving away up to 1,000 full-sized pizzas, so visitors to the shopping centre will have the chance to taste what has recently been declared one of the best pizzas in the world without needing to spend a penny.
Following the opening of its first site on Cross Street in the city centre last year, before expanding over to Sheffield, this new 7,000-capacity Trafford Centre space at The Orient will be Forbici’s third restaurant in the UK and the second in Greater Manchester.
Crafted with signature three-generation ‘biga dough’, slow fermented to create a light, airy crust, alongside carefully sourced Italian ingredients, it’s no secret that Forbici offers some of the finest pizza in town.
Forbici is opening at the Trafford Centre this week / Credit: The Manc Group
And staying true to its name, every pizza is cut with scissors before being served.
The celebrations will then continue on Friday (August) as Forbici’s newest restaurant transforms into the home of Europe’s biggest Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament hosted by Manchester’s viral foodie content creator, Zack Hipps.
Across four sessions, you’ll have the chance to test your luck, speed, and strategy in a bid to be crowned champion – with tournaments taking place every hour from 11:30am.
Inspired by the pizzeria’s name, Forbici – which is, of course, the Italian word for ‘scissors’ – competitors will go head-to-head in fast paced knockout battles throughout the afternoon, with prizes up for grabs at every session and the winner of each game getting to take home a year’s supply of Forbici pizza.
There’ll also be a couple of exclusive local-themed pizza specials to celebrate the new opening too, including Forbici’s indulgent Manchester Tart pizza, and the Lancashire Hotpot pizza, which combines Fior di Latte, slow-cooked Lamb Ragù, and cracked black pepper on Forbici’s signature Biga base.
The Manchester special pizzas are also available at Forbici’s city centre restaurant as well, so you can feast wherever you find yourself.
Toni Dennan at Forbici said: “We’re incredibly excited to bring our innovative pizza craft to the Trafford Centre. To celebrate, we’re giving away 1,000 pizzas, inviting guests to experience Forbici on us.”
“Forbici is all about pushing pizza craft to new heights,” commented Forbici’s Toni Dennan. “Opening at Trafford Centre gives us the opportunity to share our passion for proper pizza with even more people.”
Simon Layton, who is the Centre Director at Trafford Centre, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Forbici to Trafford Centre, offering an innovative pizza concept to shoppers and leisure seekers alike. With a huge giveaway and exciting Rock, Paper Scissors tournament, Forbici’s opening week is not one to be missed and we look forward to welcoming customers down to the centre to celebrate its arrival.”
Forbici Trafford Centre is opening this Wednesday 5 August, and bookings are now live online here.
Daisy Jackson -
30th October 2025 
