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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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).
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
New Almost Famous owners praised for ‘honest’ statement about burger joint
Daisy Jackson
The new owners of Almost Famous have released a lengthy statement addressing the legendary burger joint’s shock closure and sudden reopening.
The statement touches on everything from hiring back old teams to reopening those remaining venues that didn’t survive the takeover.
And this ‘transparent and honest communication’ has earned them a wave of praise from fans, who say it’s a ‘breath of fresh air’.
In their statement shared a week after reopening Almost Famous, D2 – the company behind PINS Social Club bowling bar in Liverpool – addressed plenty of the rumours and noise surrounding the high-profile closure.
“No, it wasn’t a publicity stunt,” they stressed, adding: “It wasn’t a pre-planned takeover – we saw the news at the same time everyone else and acted quickly.”
Addressing the staff who were made redundant when former Almost Famous operator Beautiful Drinks shut the brand down, D2 assured followers that they have ‘hired as many of the old team as we could’.
And as for their outstanding wages, they added: “We moved heaven and earth to get them a pay check in February as we knew they hadn’t been paid since December.
Food at Almost Famous since D2’s takeover of the legendary burger brand. Credit: The Manc Group
“It was really important to be able to reopen the venues quickly – we wanted to get staff back into their jobs and keep the existing suppliers -otherwise it wouldn’t have been the same brand we all loved, would it?
“If we hadn’t been able to reopen at the speed that we did – then the existing teams would have had to look at new jobs and we’d have risked losing brilliant people. If you don’t believe us ask them.”
When D2 took over Almost Famous, they had initially toyed with the idea of having it as the food operator in its PINS Social Club, but instead swiftly reopened the restaurants in the Northern Quarter and in Liverpool – though its Leeds and Great Northern sites never got back to slinging burgers.
On that, they said: “Leeds – we’ve not forgotten you. Ideally we’d have all four sites reopen now but the lease agreements were more complicated for Leeds and Great Northern. We had to prioritise the sites we knew we’d be able to save and we’re hoping that we’ll be able to look for new sites soon.”
Since sharing their statement on Instagram, Almost Famous has been flooded with praise from customers for their honest take.
One person wrote: “Great to read such an open and transparent statement about everything, especially regarding the old staff, and their pay, the staff at the NQ have always been one of the reasons I’ve kept visiting anytime I’m up in Manchester.
“I’m looking forward to making a visit at the end of the month when I’m up in the city for an overnight stay.”
Another commented: “This is awesome! I love how upfront and honest you have been with all of this. Taking the OG team back too – more businesses need to take this lead! Good luck with your amazing future, I’ll be bobbing in to get my AF fix ASAP.”
And someone else said: “This is honestly such a positive sign. The fact you’re being completely transparent is a breath of fresh air – I had no idea the previous owners hadn’t paid their staff. I really hope the Leeds branch opens again.”
Manchester’s Joy Division-inspired bar has shut down, to be replaced with ramen restaurant
Daisy Jackson
A bar in the heart of Manchester that was inspired by the legendary Joy Division has quietly closed its doors, and its spot in the Northern Quarter already snapped up by a new operator.
Disorder opened in 2023 on High Street, taking over the former Walrus bar and turning it into a restaurant and bar inspired by one of the city’s most famous bands, with decor including a mural of Ian Curtis himself, painted by the legendary local street artist Akse-P19.
Disorder has now quietly closed its doors, with its social media pages falling silent.
But the site itself won’t stay quiet for long – a new application has already been lodged for a popular ramen and sushi spot to move in.
Maki and Ramen have submitted plans to open another of its Japanese restaurants here in the Northern Quarter, pretty much down the street from their existing, and very busy, York Street.
The brand started life in Edinburgh, before opening more restaurants across Glasgow, Leeds, and arriving in Manchester in 2023.
Founder Teddy Lee spent time studying the art of both ramen and sushi making in the heart of Tokyo to hone the menu at Maki and Ramen.
Maki and Ramen is taking the former Disorder site in the Northern Quarter. Credit: The Manc Group
Now you’ll find sushi, side plates and other mains, including classic tonkotsu ramen, steak tataki and salmon miso.
The interior of the existing restaurant is filled with pink cherry blossoms, and the walls are adorned with post-it notes that customers sign and leave well-wishes on.
Disorder had been serving an Asian fusion menu, which features items like Japanese sandos, loaded skewers, and tostadas, but was best-known for its live events down in its basement.
Daisy Jackson -
19th February 2025 
