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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
A new champagne bar, and the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’, is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester next week, boasting more than 250 different champagnes to our city.
Portfolio will be a new bar and ‘immersive wine experience’, which will have one of the largest and most diverse champagne collections in the UK.
Mancs will be able to order champagne by the glass from just £12.50, along with plenty of accessible bottles.
To kick things off, Portfolio will open with a bar food offering that includes Welsh charcuterie, British cheeses and accoutrements, created by co-founder Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and the Edinburgh Castle.
But later down the line, there’ll be a run, relaxed tasting menu, ranging from a few bites to a full dining experience, obviously paired with the best champagne list in the country.
Inside Portfolio, you’ll be greeted by a striking champagne wall of 100 different bottles, plus a wall of photos from the team’s trips to Champagne in France.
Every drink will be served in exclusive Lehmann glassware imported from Reims, with more than 10 different glass styles and a strict no flutes policy.
There’ll be an open chef’s pass and sommelier station with bar seating, plus a working champagne cellar that will function as a private dining room and event space.
Julian Pizer has created Portfolio with Cameron Foster, founder of Duex Six which specialises in providing exclusive grower champagnes to the UK.
They’ll be joined by Wayne Baxendale as food and beverage director, who has more than 30 years of global wine experience including from Michelin starred restaurants, and Nikolai Kuklenko as general manager, who previously held a role as Head Sommelier at Mana.
Portfolio will be a wine boutique packed with rare grower bottles and vintage prestige cuvées and hopes to ‘strip away the snobbery and make champagne accessible’.
As well as well known names, guests will be able to enjoy rare and highly sought-after cuvées, including Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, Jérôme Prévost, Cédric Bouchard, Larmandier Bernier and Egly Ouriet.
There will also be vintage prestige cuvées from Cristal, Philipponnat, Pommery, Jacquesson, Pierre Peters and Bollinger, some dating back to the 1990s.
As Cameron Foster explains: “We want to strip back the snobbery of Champagne and make it a wine for everyone, whether that’s a quick glass after work, a special celebration, or discovering grower champagne for the first time.”
Portfolio will open on 9 December at 67 Bridge Street, Manchester, with the full restaurant experience launching in February 2026.
A build-your-own banana pudding bar is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s now-viral banana pudding brand, Buttercup, is opening its first permanent spot – with a build-you-own pudding bar.
The local business has brought banana pudding – a dessert made world-famous by the Magnolia Bakery in New York City – to our city.
And now Buttercup is making things permanent, opening a banana pudding bar at Deansgate Square where you can customise your perfect pot of this nostalgic dessert.
Each pot comes with a base of vanilla custard whipped with cream, soft sponge, and fresh banana, which you can then customise with rotating flavours and toppings (previous signatures have included brown butter Biscoff, matcha and white chocolate, and tiramisu).
Expect toppings like homemade cookie crumb, brownie bites, chocolate chips, and pretzels, and drizzles like cinnamon honey, raspberry, and pistachio.
This cult dessert spot will be taking on a permanent residence at General Store Deansgate Square, in partnership with HUBB Coffee.
It’s the first permanent home for Buttercup since founder, 22-year-old Natasha Black, launched the idea from home in July 2025.
A build-your-own banana pudding pot from Buttercup. Credit: The Manc Group
Buttercup founder Natasha Black at a recent pop-up. Credit: The Manc Group
Since its inception, Buttercup has sold thousands of banana puddings around Greater Manchester, hosted sell-out pop-ups, and collaborated with big local brands.
Classic puddings will start at £5.50, with rotating flavours at £6, and toppings from 50p. There’ll also be a range of other homemade bakes.
To celebrate the launch, Buttercup and HUBB will be offering free classic banana puddings to the first 20 customers on Saturday 6 December from 12pm, followed by a special £5 combo deal offering a pot of classic banana pudding paired with HUBB’s banana latte, running until 3pm.
Natasha Black, Buttercup founder, said: “This residency feels like the perfect next step for Buttercup. I’ve been absolutely blown away by the response to our banana pudding in just three months and wanted to give our customers a regular spot to enjoy it.
“General Store and HUBB have created such an amazing, supportive space for independents and I’m so excited for people to build their own pudding pots and try all the new flavours we’ve been working on.”
Mital Morar, founder of General Store, also commented: “Buttercup has been a standout example of the collaborations we love to support. Their rapid growth and loyal following have been incredible to see.
Buttercup banana pudding pots. Credit: The Manc Group
Buttercup banana pudding pots. Credit: The Manc Group
“We’re delighted to welcome them in-house alongside HUBB Coffee as a permanent fixture. Natasha and her team bring real creativity and commitment, and we’re excited to work with them through Christmas and into the New Year.”
Dean Hans, Co-founder of HUBB Coffee also comments: “We’ve had a fantastic introduction to Manchester since launching our coffee bar in September. Teaming up with Buttercup strengthens the whole concept – it allows us to focus on what we do best: delivering top-quality coffee, matcha, and beverages, while Buttercup shines on the sweet-treats and pudding side.
“Bringing the two brands together just makes sense, and we’re excited to explore the mash-ups we can create between our coffee and Buttercup’s pudding range.”
The residency will open 12pm-7pm at General Store Deansgate Square, opening on Wednesday 3 December.
Daisy Jackson -
19th February 2025 
