The best restaurants and bars to open in Manchester in 2022
From divine pasta kitchens and stunning rooftop restaurants, to award-winning bars, street food stalls, backstreet sandwich dealers and quirky cafes, Manchester's food scene delivered in spades this year.
After a few dreary years of Covid lockdowns and weird rules on what constitutes a ‘substantial’ meal, 2022 brought some brilliant new openings to Manchester as UK operators got a spring back in their step.
From DIY furlough dreams made into a reality to big-time movers and shakers upping sticks from other cities to make their mark over here, despite rising living costs leading squeezed consumers to spend less Manchester’s restaurant and bar scene hasn’t shown much sign of slowing down.
Yes, there were some heartbreaking closures too – but for every place that shut its doors, it seems that two more opened in its stead.
Keep reading to discover our top picks of the best restaurants and bars that opened in Manchester in 2022.
Ornella’s Kitchen
Run by Sicilian-born Ornella Cancila, formerly head chef at Ancoats bakery and cafe Pollen, this tiny Tameside pasta kitchen has been getting everything right since opening its doors in Denton.
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Having first begun life as a takeaway service during the pandemic, owner Ornella made the leap to open her own cafe earlier this year and has been inundated with praise ever since. It’s not hard to see why.
Opened by seasoned street food operators Mama Z and Wok’s Cluckin, aka Zos and Yen, this little shop and cafe selling Filipino, Malaysian and other ESEA (East or South East Asian) dishes has made a great addition to Didsbury in 2022.
Bringing pan-Asian food and drinks, retail, workshops, and supper clubs together all under one roof, Yes Lah sees the friends realise a long-held dream – and we’re very much here for it.
Gooey Cafe
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
When Gooey first arrived in Manchester in 2020, it did so in perfect step with the pandemic.Tentatively launching the same month the country plunged into lockdown, no one knew just how much its salty-sweet treats would shape the course of our isolation.
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Beginning life as a small pop-up in borrowed space, its bakers soon became Manchester’s go-to sugar dealers as the business pivoted into home delivery. In 2022, owners launched their own cafe – light, airy, and modern, with a full kitchen and on-site bakery.
Petisco
Pork belly, pig cheek, curly quaver, artichoke puree at Petisco. / Image: The Manc Eats
Battered fried runner beans with peri-peri salsa, aioli. / Image: The Manc Eats
Opened by four friends who’ve all known each other since childhood, Petisco has more than held its own against Stanley Squares’ more established new residents this year. The Portuguese-inspired restaurant, opened inside a former Greenhalgh’s bakery as part of the transformation of Sale’s brutalist concrete shopping complex, wowed diners in 2022 with its tapas-style plates and gorgeous wine list.
Longtime Liverpool favourite Maray finally made its way over to Manchester in 2022, opening a stylish new restaurant on the newly-developed Lincoln Square.
Known for killer cocktails and adventurous small plates like its ‘Disco Cauliflower’ – served whole and doused in chermoula, harissa, tahini, yoghurt, pomegranate, almonds and fresh herbs – the La Marais-inspired eatery combines Middle Eastern flavours with Parisian chic and has been a real hit with Mancs.
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Rise
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Before we met Sam at Rise, we had no idea what our pizzas had been missing: a cheesy parmesan crust. No word of a lie, this Michelin-trained one-man pizza band made us fall in love with slices all over again and cured our 2022 flatbread fatigue. We look forward to seein what his next adventure brings in 2023.
More street food stall than restaurant, Takoyaki Master took over the old Wholesome Junkies unit at the Arndale Market earlier this summer.
Run by former Hong Kong residents Violet and Pong Ho, Takoyaki Master brought something entirely new to Manchester: little fried balls of batter stuffed with diced octopus, sweetcorn and bonito soup. Topped with scallions, bonito and seaweed flakes, Japanese mayo and Okonomi sauce, they’ve proven a real hit with locals.
Yum Cha
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Another Liverpudlian baddie to make its mark on Manchester this year, Yum Cha brought the heat with a new restaurant inside Kampus – just across from the Gay Village.
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With handmade dim sum to die for (made by a chef with over 30 years experience, who’s worked under two Michelin-trained chefs no less), its own house-roasted Cantonese meats and some very reasonably-priced large plates, this was one of our favourite new openings of 2022: no doubt about it.
Blinker
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Bringing everything founder Dan Berger learned from his time at the 5-star London hotel The Ned and overseeing the bars for Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant group, Blinker has earnt its stripes in no time at all after being named one of the best in the UK just six months after opening.
Whilst the news took some by surprise, for anyone who has visited the accolade is a real no brainer. Inside, you’ll find an exquisitely compiled cocktail list combining seasonal favourites and a solid, dedicated martini menu.
From the team behind the acclaimed Covino in Chester comes Climat, Manchester’s newest rooftop restaurant boasting panoramic views of the city. At just 100 covers, the new restaurant boasts a comprehensive wine cellar featuring more than 250 different vintages – 40% from one specific Burgundy vineyard.
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On the menu, classic vol-au-vents are resurrected alongside a selection of small plates and large sharers designed to share such as whole turbot, slow-cooked lamb shoulder, and ex-dairy cuts on the bone. Hailed a triumph following its opening weekend, it may have arrived late in 2022 but is one of Manchester’s most exciting new openings of the year nonetheless.
Exhibition
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Housing a premium cocktail bar, fine wine list, fresh beer straight from in-venue Manchester Union lager tanks and three of Manchester’s best cheffing talents under one roof, at swanky Peter Street food hall Exhibition diners can tuck into fine Brazilian-British fusion, Scandinavian and Basque dishes.
Home to the Michelin-recommended Osma team, Michelin-trained Carlone Martins of the Sao Paulo Bistro, and Ramsbottom’s lauded Basque fire cookery restaurant Baratxuri, Exhibition comes from the team behind the aperitivo and coffee bar Haunt and has already proven a hit with Mancs.
MUSU
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Japanese fine dining restaurant MUSU makes a welcome addition to Bridge Street, transforming the site formerly home to Ed Baine’s Randall & Aubin.
Here, you can dine from specially created 7 and 11 course tasting menus with wine pairings, or opt for a traditional ‘chef’s choice’ experience at its six-seat Omakase counter. Expect exquisite service, sashimi, sushi wine and more as part of the restaurant’s ‘multi-sensory’ experience.
Neon Tiger, Bridge Street
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Inspired by the sort of cool New York neighbourhood joints where you can just pop in and enjoy quality plates with good wine and cocktails, Neon Tiger got off to a slow start when it opened on Bridge Street at the start of the summer – then wowed with the introduction of a new Northern Thai-inspired breakfast and brunch menu later in the year.
Think muffins loaded with big-flavour fillings like crispy pork belly, tempura and sautéed mushrooms and roast topside of beef, the latter served with a red curry dipping sauce. The site has also since launched a seasonal six-course tasting menu for under £20.
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Now That’s A Burger
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
From the team behind Batard bakehouse and Super Happy, Manchester’s best burger came and went at the speed of light.
From the most perfect house baked potato bun, to the homemade pickles, elite ‘Super’ sauce, gorgeous patties and a fried buttermilk chicken thigh dipped in Szechuan chilli oil, its residency at Ducie Street Warehouse may have been shortlived but it still overshadowed every other burger we ate in 2022. Now we just have to wait for them to find a new home to 2023.
Sterling
Marking the start of an exciting new journey for Manchester’s eminent Schofield brothers inside the Stock Exchange hotel, Sterling bar quickly became one of the swankiest places to drink in the city in 2022.
The third site in the city for the brothers, who have also opened Schofield’s Bar and Atomeca off Deansgate in the past few years, in 2023 it will be joined by upstairs dining concept the Stock Market Grill – the brother’s first venture into the restaurant world.
Hello Oriental
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Housing an Asian-inspired bakery and cafe, a Vietnamese restaurant, a Chinese supermarket, and a huge food hall serving East Asian street food, this multi-storey ‘super-venue’ beneath Symphony Park on Oxford Road introduced Manchester to something entirely new in 2022.
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Inspired by dining destinations like Bang Bang Oriental in London, and 1800 in Miami, at its heart is Downtown Oriental, a vast market hall with a fast-paced open kitchen where diners feast on everything from Chinese roasts to dim sum, baos to noodles, and fried rice to seafood.
Pollen
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
The second Manchester cafe from bankers-turned-bakers Hannah Calvert and Chris Kelly, Pollen is the bakery that needs no introduction. In 2022, they levelled up with a new garden-side site at Kampus and what a beauty it is.
Housing a sleek glass kitchen that allows diners to watch pastries being rolled and shaped whilst they brunch, the new site also saw owners roll out a new menu that introduced us all to the ‘squegg’ bun – with a perfectly formed square egg, oozing with added Westcombe cheddar and flecked with a sprig of watercress.
Thie hole in the wall sandwich spot drew fans from near and far in 2022. Technically not a restaurant, nor a bar, we still felt that Fat Pat’s deserved a mention as one of 2022’s great new openings.
The allure of a hidden alley walk-up, combined with mouth watering Philly Cheesesteaks, Hot Honey Fried Chicken and Meatball Parm baguettes earnt it the lauded title of ‘Manchester’s best sandwich’ by many – including our former Takeaway Champions host Joe McGrath. If you visit, make sure to order in advance online.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
Eats
The best cheese tasting party in the North is BACK at a new Manchester venue
Danny Jones
That’s right, one of the biggest and best cheese tasting nights in the entire land is returning to Greater Manchester at a brand new city centre venue.
Not to be over-the-top, but this isn’t just another experience sampling possibly the greatest foodstuff on Earth, it’s a fully-fledged cheese-lovers’ party.
Some of you may have come across Homage2Fromage before, but for anyone unaware of the Yorkshire-born event, it started out as a monthly cheese tasting club and went on to expand across the dairy-adoring North at large.
Relaunching here in Manchester for 2026, all you lactose-intolerant people better watch, because Home2Fromage is coming back with a vengeance and heading to the Northern Quarter. Here’s how it went down the last time we visited one in Leeds:
Leeds, Sheffield, Harrogate, Manchester and who knows where else next.
Posting up in a relatively recent addition to NQ‘s bar and restaurant scene, The Faraday – a pub on Lever St that replaces the old Seven Sins back in October – it looks set to be an ideal venue for the regular evening series.
Homage2Fromage will be making its Manc return this month, and better still, they’re holding a cheeky little giveaway to sweeten the pot.
As in the deal, we mean – not the inevitable bowls full of olives, chutney, oil and various other dips…
To welcome this celebration of all things cheese coming back to Manchester city centre, they’re giving away a bunch of free tickets: 20 pairs in total.
Worth over £50 a piece for each twin set of tickets, you’d be a fool not to at least throw your hat in the ring for this one.
As you can see, the competition closes this Thursday, 19 February, ahead of the full relaunch party next week (Wed, 25 Feb), and all you have to do to enter is fill out this super quick survey.
It really is as simple as that; a few quick words are all that stand between you and a potential mountain of cheese and more.
You can find all you need to know about the event right HERE, and in case you haven’t popped into The Faraday just yet, see more down below.
It’s still somewhat early days, but we can see ourselves spending a fair bit of time in this up-and-coming Manchester watering hole, especially when there’s cheese nights involved.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Publicity pictures (supplied)
Eats
The best pancakes in Manchester and where to find them
Danny Jones
Pancakes might traditionally be a relatively simple staple, but here in Manchester our restaurants and cafes go large, with dozens of different styles, flavours and toppings to choose from– and we have some of the best places going in the North West.
There’s a pancake to suit everyone if you know where to look, from sweet to savoury, miniature to fat and thin to fluffy.
We’ve broken down some of our favourites below to help you get your pancake fix all year round. Yes, it may be Shrove Tuesday is looming, but one day is hardly enough to sample them all.
There are some relative newcomers to check out, too. Keep reading to discover the best places for pancakes in and around Manchester.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, La Vie Cafe, just at the end of Deansgate on the corner of St Mary’s Gate and Blackfriars Street, is one of the most sleek and stylish little corners you’ll find flipping perfect pancakes anywhere in Manchester.
While they’re well known for everything from the hot and cold brews, to luxurious topped waffles, French toast and more, their berry and Kinder combo stack might be one of the best desserts in town, full stop.
Us lot here in The Manc office would happily eat and drink here for hours – and many people do – but our wasitlines woudn’t thank us for it.
Now, if you’re more of a crepe person than a fluffy stack fan, then this increasingly viral and trending spot on Brazennose Street, just between two of the city’s most resurgent squares, might be a good alternative for you.
Putting a somewhat lighter and more delicate Japanese twist on the classic French-style dessert, these thin but flavourful little pancakes feel like a happy medium between treating yourself and pure decadence and potential overindulgence.
Their creme brûlée matcha flavoured crepe is absolutely to die for and an absolute must-try.
3. Hampton and Vouis – Central and Northern Quarter
Credit: The Manc Group
This cute little cafe next to Albert Square used to be very easy to miss, but with a second venue in the Northern Quarter now too, they’re more worth seeking out than ever. Venture inside, and you’ll find great coffee, a counter full of bakes from local suppliers and an excellent year-round pancake menu.
Here, fluffy American-style pancakes are loaded with sauce and sweet treats like Jammy Dodger biscuits, raspberries, caramel sauce and strawberry jam.
There’s also a Lotus Biscoff stack, a special apple crumble and custard stack, Biscoff and Bueno stacks, as well as plenty more – all come with vanilla ice cream on the side.
4. Cafe North – Shudehill
Heading over to Shudehill now, and just on the edge of the Northern Quarter, you’ll find Cafe North, which manages to be one of the cosiest and somehow still rather quiet city centre spots for good pancakes, even despite sitting on a busy main road.
It’s a no bookings kind of place, and it does fill up pretty quickly around breakfast time on weekends, and they do savoury just as well as they do sweet, but when it comes to the pancake game, the level of variety is unreal.
Summer fruits with mascarpone and honey, streaky bacon and maple syrup, fruit and Nutella, pistachio cream, Biscoff and more – the list is massive.
Next up is another NQ spot that often gets forgotten about, perhaps because it’s down the ‘quieter’ stretch of Tib Street that is so typically busy with deliveries and cut-through traffic that people just want it pedestrianised.
However, if you haven’t tried Sugar Junction before, you’re seriously missing out. It also happens to be ‘r Amy’s favourite, and trust us, this girl knows what she’s talking about.
The rest of their menu is also jam-packed with all the sugary goodies you’d expect from a gaff with this name, but it’s well worth a visit if you want your pancakes just about as sweet as they come.
7. Moose Coffee – Piccadilly Approach and Central
Credit: The Manc
Canadians are famous for their pancakes, and the selection at Moose in Manchester is up there with the best. Made fresh to order, think a stack of three dusted with icing sugar and served with Canadian butter.
Whether you opt for savoury or sweet toppings, maple syrup on the side is pretty much a given (yes, even with your eggs and bacon), and we’re absolutely here for it.
The only thing that could make it more authentic is if the staff often split the bill for you unrequested. A nice little touch.
8. Ezra and Gil
In at number eight is arguably one of the original contemporary brunch spots during Greater Manchester’s biggest foodie boom over the past decade, Ezra and Gil, who smash both day and night when given the chance.
They’re another one of those where you’ll always find a queue coming out the door and for good reason, as they’ve been reinventing the pancake game here in the city centre for a long time.
We’ve been Ezra and Gil die-hards since day one. Exhibit A:
Still as good now as it was back then.
9. 19 Cafe Bar
This blink-and-you ‘ll-miss-it spot has become an absolute go-to for naughty pancakes, thanks to its chocolate bar-laden menu.
The Biscoff and Kinder Bueno pancakes are the big draws here at 19 Cafe Bar. Loaded with the likes of Biscoff crumb and spread, banana, ice cream and salted caramel sauce, or homemade Kinder sauce, Bueno, chocolate sauce, roasted hazelnuts and vanilla ice cream.
There are healthier pancake options, too, and a strong list of brunch cocktails available from the bar. Familiar Brett from our ‘On The Street’ series is a big fan:
A greasy spoon cafe, but make it Northern Quarter.
The Koffee Pot has long been a go-to breakfast spot, way before it moved up from Stevenson Square to its newer premises on Oldham Street.
It’s been known for fry-ups and breakfast tacos for nearly half a century now, but you can get a solid pancake stack here, too. Think all-American buttermilk pancake stacks with added sausage patty, smoked streaky bacon, hash brown, fried egg and maple syrup.
It’s basically a full English in a pancake stack, and who doesn’t want that?
Credit: The Manc
11. Bruncho – Deansgate
Our penultimate pick of top-tier present-day pancake houses in central Manchester is the ever-filing out the door, Bruncho, who work magic with their Middle Eastern twists on brunch staples.
This spot also serves as just one stop among Deansgate’s growing brunch triangle. In fact, make that quadrangle – quitangle? Not sure, all we know is there’s a lot to choose from along here, and plenty serving pancakes.
Honestly, does this place even need an introduction at this point? The Northern Quarter staple brunch does some of the best breakfast plates and more in Greater Manchester, let alone just here in the city centre, so it’s no surprise they have some super pancakes, too.
We’re personally partial to their milkshakes, to be completely honest, but know people who still refuse to suggest anywhere else for some naughty stacks that Fress on Oldham Street, even after all these years.
You can see the full menu HERE, but we’d recommend going for the duo delight offer and getting your pick of whatever two flavours you think pair best.
Credit: The Manc
13. Leo and Roobs – Salford
Just over on the edge of Salford, as you leave the glitzy reaches of Spinningfields behind, this beloved breakfast spot has become increasingly popular since it opened back in June 2024.
They’re not for solid coffee, great deals on various brunchy bits, and in case you didn’t know, some very tasty pancakes. Specifically, that tiramisu one you might have heard about, which is nothing short of unreal…
For context, when we asked our resident taste-tester EmJ on the day what she made of it, all she could repeat was “BANGIN'”. Says it all really, doesn’t it?
Georgina Pellant -
30th December 2022 
