When it comes to dining out in Manchester on a budget, there are plenty of great restauraunts offering deals and set menus to help you save a few pennies without comprising on taste.
This May, we’ve handpicked some of the best Manchester restaurant deals, discounts and offers to help you head out and support your local independents without breaking the bank.
From bottomless brunches and wing feasts, to 50% off the whole menu at Northern Quarter favourites Trof and The Pen and Pencil and half-price tasting menus at Masterchef winner Simon Wood’s First Street restaurant, there’s so much to get stuck into this May.
Keep reading to find out the best Manchester bar and restaurant deals to put on your list this month.
50% off food and drink – Manchester May dining deals
Image: Bab
Image: Bab
Bab
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What is it: Casual venue with an industrial vibe, prepping meze & kebabs with homemade sauces & marinades.
The offer: Two courses and bottomless drinks for £40.
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T&Cs: Available Fridays only in May between 3-10pm (last sitting at 8pm).
The Blues Kitchen
What is it: Dedicated blues bar serving hickory-smoked comfort food, plus regular live music & DJs.
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The offer: 90 minutes of bottomless wings for £12.
T&Cs: Offer available every Sunday from 12-6pm.
La Bandera
What is it: Market-fresh, classic Spanish cuisine in airy, contemporary space with yellow booths and banquettes.
The offer: Drink and pintxos for £5.
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T&Cs: Available from 4pm until close every Thursday and Friday.
The Pen and Pencil
What is it: New York-influenced all day kitchen serving imaginative menus, as well as craft beers & cocktails.
The offer: 50% off all food.
T&Cs: Available every Monday in May when you pre-book.
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Trof
What is it: Venue with a dedicated bourbon bar, gigs, open-mic nights and quizzes, plus food from breakfast on.
The offer: 50% off food.
T&Cs: Available all day on Tuesdays throughout May when you pre-book.
Wood
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What is it: MasterChef Simon Wood’s high-end restaurant down at First Street, perfect for a pre-theatre treat.
The offer: 50% off Wood’s tasting menu (£110 down to £55).
T&Cs: Available every Wednesday throughout May.
More Manchester May dining deals
Image: Volta
Image: Volta
20 Stories
What is it: High-style destination in a shopping complex for modern British dining & cocktails & sweeping views.
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The offer: Three courses for £22.50.
T&Cs: Available Monday to Friday between 12-3pm.
The Alan:
What is it: Hotel and restaurant favoured by Jay Rayer, located across the street from Manchester Art Gallery.
The offer: Four dishes for £25.
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T&Cs: Available seven days a week between the hours of 12-4pm and 5-6pm.
Image: Albert’s Schloss
Image: Albert’s Schloss
Albert’s Schloss
What is it: Bavarian-style beer cellar for traditional German food and pilsner beers on tap and in bottles.
The offer: Three courses for £27.
T&Cs: Available every Sunday from 12-9pm.
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Asha’s
What is it: Contemporary Indian cuisine in a sophisticated, low-lit venue with plush drapes and gold finishings.
The offer: Three courses for £23.95 and a complimentary glass of Indian lager.
T&Cs: Available every Friday between 1-5pm.
Bird of Prey
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What is it: Fried chicken and smashed burger joint at Circle Square on Oxford Road.
The offer: Selected burger, fries and soda for £10 / Three wings, fries and a soda for £5.95.
T&Cs: Available seven days a week from 11.30am-2.30pm.
Block Steak Shop at Canvas
What is it: Affordable steak shop that doesn’t comprise on quality.
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The offer: Two mains and house wine for £25.
T&Cs: Available every Wednesday, no bookings required.
Bundobust
What is it: Casual craft beer bar serving Indian street food menu amid bare brick and wooden benches and tables.
The offer: Two dishes for £8.50.
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T&Cs: Available Monday to Friday, 12-4pm.
Cibo
What is it: Modern cafe/restaurant and prosecco bar, for Italian pizzas, grill dishes and sharing plates.
The offer: Three courses for £19.99.
T&Cs: Available Sunday to Friday between 5-7pm.
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Colleen’s Ramsbottom
What is it: A modern British restaurant located in Ramsbottom, north of Manchester.
The offer: Three courses for £18.
T&Cs: Available from the ‘menu of the day’ only, Wednesday to Friday between 5-6.30pm.
Image: Cottonopolis
Image: Cottonopolis
Cottonopolis
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What is it: Lively destination for Asian-inspired menus in a warehouse-style venue with a full bar.
The offer: Two dishes and a side for £13.
T&Cs: Available on the express lunch menu, served from 12-3pm Monday to Friday.
Dokes Pizzeria
What is it: Restaurant serving seasonal pizzas using the finest British ingredients from the team behind Manchester favourite Elnecot.
The offer: 30% off bottles of wine when dining in.
T&Cs: Available all day Wednesday throughout May.
Edinburgh Castle
What is it: Historic 19th-century haunt offering pub grub, plus weekly live folk music & outdoor seating.
The offer: Two courses for £30.
T&Cs: From the set menu, served 5-6.30pm Wednesday to Thursday, and 12-3pm and 5-6.30pm Friday and Saturday.
El Capo
What is it: Mexican and Latin American dishes, plus tequila menu, in casual, bare-brick space with a tiled bar.
The offer: £1 tacos (usually £7.50 for three)
T&Cs: Available Monday – Thursday from 5pm.
Elnecot
What is it: Narrow, industrial spot offering cocktails, British small plates, weekend brunch & Sunday roasts.
The offer: Soup and a sandwich for £8. 30% off bottles of wine.
T&Cs: Lunch deal available weekdays from 11am to 3pm. Wine deals available every Wednesday throughout May.
Image: Elnecot
Image: Elnecot
El Gato
What is it: Tapas & drinks are provided in this 3-storey converted townhouse that has stylish interiors.
The offer: Three plates for £18.
T&Cs: Available between 12-4pm Monday to Friday and all day Sunday.
Hawksmoor
What is it:
The offer: Three courses for £29, £5 corkage on Mondays.
T&CS: Set menu available during lunch opening hours only (except Sundays).
Tattu
What is it: Modern Chinese cuisine and cocktails in sophisticated, dark wood bar/restaurant with carved screens.
The offer: Three plates for £28.
T&Cs: Available Sunday to Friday from 12-4.30pm and Saturday 12-2.45pm from the Moon Stand menu only.
The New Cross
What is it: Anew taproom style beer bar in Manchester city centre not far from Ancoats serving up chargrilled kebabs and beers.
The offer: Kebab and a pint or selected drink for £10.
T&Cs: Available every Thursday from 5-9pm.
Volta
What is it: Small plates, deli boards and charcuterie in an intimate bistro bar with wall lamps and a terrace.
The offer: £30 for eight to 11 sharing dishes, designed for a minimum of two.
T&Cs: Available all day every day at Volta throughout May.
Featured image – Volta
Eats
First Look | Grué Pastry – Alty’s real introduction to ‘entremet’, a.k.a one of our new foodie obsessions
Danny Jones
We might have a new sweet treat obsession, and it’s all Grué Pastry’s lovely fault: the small but pretty new pâtisserie and café over in Altrincham.
Located just off the busy Stamford Quarter, you’ll find Grué’s stylish little shop and already plenty of nosy passersby being seduced in by its pristine white counter.
While they do more familiar traditional desserts like tarts, cookies and tiramisu, their signature item is the wide range of ‘entremets’.
Even tinier than the venue, but packed full of different fillings, textures and layers (SO many layers), these picture-perfect treats almost look too stunning to eat, but of course, we did.
It’s not just a shiny little chocolate, nor is it merely a posh miniature cake with some clever decorations – this is quite literally an art form, and it takes time and precision – lots of it, in fact.
Requiring plenty of technique and patience, anyone who has the talent and persistence to pursue this very specific genre of pastry has our eternal admiration.
A rather painstaking process, split over a number of days, each carefully designed and layered entremet is a real labour of love.
For instance, not only is everything made from scratch right down to the most minute detail possible, but the inserts have to be mixed, assembled, frozen and then allowed to fully set before any of the finishing touches can be put on.
We’ve seen these kinds of ‘fake fruits’ and cakes with surprise interiors before, but nothing as delicate and nuanced as these.
Co-owner Wissam Jedar joked that they can’t exactly grow their own pistachios, but they can flavour and roast them themselves, control every how much sugar, spice, and everything nice goes into these perfect few bites.
He also told us about how many people have been surprised by just how filling these things are.
They’re not just a small mouthful or two, as some people expect; the various considered and contrasting layers of rich and varied textures inside an entremet are like biting into something entirely new each time, especially when the appearance can often be intentionally deceptive.
It’s also impressive how many of these aren’t as naughty calorie-wise as you might expect.
They rely almost entirely on all-natural sugars only, and the flavours come through fresh, clean, not too sweet and often super sharp. Picture biting into what you think is ‘obviously’ lemon dessert in a light chocolate shell shaped like an actual lemon, only to taste fresh, chilled and tart apple with fragrant mint…
Are you kidding? Incroyable.
But this is just the start. Wissam also told us that both he and his partner, Farah Bioche, have to try their hardest not just to create consistently uniform entremets, but also not to let their imaginations run too wild and come up with concoctions as crazy as some of those they think up.
He says that Farah, in particular – the master baker behind their incredible workshop in Salford and the in-house bakery in their new Alty kitchen – has some seriously BIG ideas, but they’re trying to drip feed and nail them before fully introducing them to the menu.
They cater for events, do larger-scale desserts and are perfect for Valentine’s Day. (Credit: The Manc)
Another example of this is when it comes to the hot drinks menu. There’s a simple but classic coffee menu too – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? – but they’re also planning to add coffees with special meringue and even tiramisu toppers. Yum.
With Wissam’s sister running the social media, word of mouth spreading fast, and locals quickly catching on to the buzz behind this new opening, we reckon it won’t be long before you see this place all over your timelines.
They’ve also noted that despite raising a few eyebrows over price points at first, once someone has tried one (however speculatively), it usually isn’t too long before they come back to hold their hands up and sample another one.
So, if you’ve a bit of a sweet tooth but don’t want to be left feeling like you’ve overindulged in something slightly too sickly, trying an entremet from Grué in Altrincham town centre might just be your ticket.
TWO Greater Manchester restaurants awarded prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmands
Daisy Jackson
Two restaurants in Greater Manchester have been presented with one of the most prestigious accolades in hospitality – a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
Both Erst in Ancoats and Cantaloupe in Stockport have been awarded the distinction, alongside Almanac in Glossop (technically just outside the region, but close enough).
The new additions bring our region’s total to five Bib Gourmands in total, joining El Gato Negro, Higher Ground, and The Sparrows.
Michelin Bib Gourmand recognises ‘restaurants that serve high-quality food at great value’ and are often much more accessible than the Michelin Star selections.
The news of the extra additions comes ahead of the Michelin Guide ceremony, where the ultimate accolade of the Michelin Stars will be awarded.
Michelin inspectors said that Erst is ‘inch perfect’ and a ‘great fit’ for the local dining scene.
Erst is one of the Greater Manchester restaurants awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand
They wrote: “A restaurant that feels inch perfect for 2026, Erst combines a natural wine bar with small plates and stripped-back industrial design.
“It’s a great fit for the Manchester dining scene and is another success for the city after receiving several other accolades in recent years.
“Bold flavours burst out of every dish, with the signature topped flatbreads being just one highlight.”
As for Cantaloupe in Stockport, the guide pointed out that the North West has a glut of wine bars and small plates restaurants, but praised this one in particular for its ‘welcome simplicity’.
They wrote: “Another wine bar and restaurant designed for sharing – anyone living in northwest England is certainly spoilt for choice.
“It’s Stockport’s turn this time, with Cantaloupe offering locals and visitors alike a daily changing menu packed with bright Mediterranean flavours and a welcome simplicity. The chefs know when to hold back and their dishes are all the better for it.”
Addressing their win, Cantaloupe wrote: “Well, wow, what fantastic news. Today we’ve discovered we’ve been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand. We’re thrilled and are grateful to all our staff for making it happen.
“Big thanks to all our guests too for spending their hard earned money and time with us.”
And of Almanac, the Michelin Guide said: “One of three new Bib Gourmands in and around Manchester this year, Almanac has revealed itself as a gem of Glossop High Street.
“Operating as both a bar and restaurant – look out for the concise but well-curated wine list – it’s got the kind of welcoming feel that makes you want to come back again and again. The cooking is traditional and proud of it; order the mince on dripping toast for evidence.”
Georgina Pellant -
15th May 2023 
