The restaurants and bars on the shortlist for Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards 2024

The full shortlist for the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards has been revealed, honouring the city-region’s best restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes and more.

The long-standing awards celebrate the vibrant hospitality industry across the North West, from producer to takeaway to prestigious restaurant.

Across 17 categories, 136 food and drink businesses of varying sizes will be celebrated, with nominees in categories across venue, chef, talent, event, newcomer and more.

The shortlist for the 2024 Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards has been compiled by an expert judging panel, and the awards themselves are now open for public vote.

There will also be a series of mystery shopping visits by judges, who will anonymously score venues nominated in the awards, to be combined with the public vote.

The MFDF Awards will be held in January next year, with the winners revealed in a ceremony at the beautiful New Century.

Voting is open until midnight on 10 January, with the winners revealed at the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards 2024 dinner on Monday 27 January.

So without futher ado, here are all the amazing venues in Manchester vying for your vote.

Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards 2024 shortlist

Affordable Eats Venue of the Year

• Café San Juan, Stockport
• Nell’s Pizza, Kampus
• Wow Banh Mi, Ancoats
• Hong Thai, Ancoats
• Salt & Pepper, city centre
• Nila’s Burmese Kitchen, Stretford
• Mia’s Arepas, Freight Island
• Sips & Dips, Levenshulme

Last year’s winner – Ornella’s Kitchen, Denton

Takeaway of the Year

• Chips @ No. 8, Prestwich
• Ad Maoira, Ancoats and Salford
• Maida Grill House, Salford
• Lucky Mama’s, Chorlton
• Codi’s Kitchen, Prestwich
• Fat Pat’s, city centre
• Mrs A’s Kitchen, Eccles
• One Sushi, Oxford Road

Last year’s winner – Burgerism

Coffee Shop of the Year

• Grind & Tamp, Ramsbottom
• Fort Coffee, Deansgate
• Allpress Espresso, NOMA
• California Coffee & Wine, Altrincham
• Another Heart to Feed, Northern Quarter
• Bold Street Coffee, Cross Street
• ManCoCo, Hewitt Street
• Oscillate Coffee, Urmston

Last year’s winner – Grapefruit Coffee, Sale

Food and Drink Retailer of the Year

• Wandering Palate, Eccles
• Petit Paris Deli, King Street
• Out of the Blue, Chorlton
• Chorlton Cheesemongers, Chorlton
• Littlewoods Butchers, Heaton Chapel
• Ancoats Deli, Ancoats
• Lily’s Deli, Chorlton
• Oseyo, Manchester Arndale

Last year’s winner – Cork of the North

Food Trader of the Year

• House of Habesha, Salford
• The Little Sri Lankan, pop-up
• Cardinal Rule, Northern Quarter
• Ad Maoira, Ancoats and Salford
• Jaan By Another Hand, Peter Street
• Baity, Salford
• House of Bun, Radcliffe
• Honest Crust, Mackie Mayor

Last year’s winner – Fat Pat’s

Foodie Neighbourhood of the Year

• Monton
• Prestwich
• Salford
• Urmston
• Levenshulme
• Altrincham
• Denton
• Sale

Last year’s winner – Stockport

Independent Drink Producer of the Year

• Cloudwater Brew Co
• Pomona Island Brew Co
• Sureshot Brewing
• The Salford Rum Company
• Steep Soda Co
• Pod Pea Vodka
• Hip Pop 
• Balance Brewing & Blending

Last year’s winner – Track Brewing Co

Independent Food Producer of the Year

• Companio Bakery
• H.M.Pasties
• La Chouquette
• Great North Pie Co 
• The Flat Baker
• Long Boi’s Bakehouse
• Yellowhammer
• Half Dozen Other

Last year’s winner – Pollen Bakery

Neighbourhood Venue of the Year

• Cibus Pizza, Levenshulme
• Ornella’s Kitchen, Denton
• Fold Bistro & Bottle Shop, Marple Bridge
• The Pearl, Prestwich
• Restaurant Örme, Urmston
• Tawny Stores, Marple
• Vero Moderno, Salford
• Bar San Juan, Chorlton

Last year’s winner – Stretford Canteen

Plant Based Offering of the Year

• Maray, Albert Square
• Lily’s Indian Vegetarian Cuisine, Ashton-under-Lyne
• Wholesome Junkies, Northern Quarter
• Allotment Vegan Eatery, Cathedral
• Walled Gardens, Whalley Range
• Little Aladdin, Northern Quarter
• Herbivorous, Withington
• Sanskruti, Mauldeth Road

Last year’s winner – Bundobust

Pop up or Project of the Year

• Bungalow at Kampus
• Tartuffe, Side Street, ABC Buildings
• Midori Didsbury at Wine & Wallop
• The Landing, Stockport
• Love From, Kampus
• Root to Flower
• Sampa
• Manchester Wine Tour

Last year’s winner – Platt Fields Market Garden

Pub or Beer Bar of the Year

• Heaton Hops, Heaton Chapel
• Port Street Beer House, Northern Quarter
• North Westward Ho, Chapel Walks
• Mulligans of Manchester, Deansgate
• The City Arms, central
• The Britons Protection, Great Bridgewater Street
• The Old Abbey Taphouse, Hulme
• Café Beermoth, Brown Street

Last year’s winner – The Marble Arch

Great Service Award

• Flawd Wine, Ancoats
• The Pearl, Prestwich
• Higher Ground, New York Street
• Skof, NOMA
• 10 Tib Lane, central
• Schofield’s Bar, Quay Street
• Adam Reid At The French, The Midland
• Ornella’s Kitchen, Denton

Last year’s winner – Hawksmoor

Bar of the Year

• Red Light, Kampus
• Flawd Wine, Ancoats
• Speak in Code, Jackson’s Row
• Project Halcyon, St John’s
• Hawksmoor, Deansgate
• 10 Tib Lane
• Stray, Mackie Mayor
• Sterling Bar, Norfolk Street

Last year’s winner – Schofield’s Bar

Newcomer of the Year

• The Pearl, Prestwich
• Skof, NOMA
• Medlock Canteen, Deansgate Square
• Onda Pasta Bar, Oxford Road
• Tawny Stores, Marple
• Caravan, St John’s
• Hakkapo, First Street
• Flat Iron, Deansgate

Last year’s winner – Higher Ground

Chef of the Year

• Iain Thomas (The Pearl)
• Joe Otway (Higher Ground)
• Tom Barnes (Skof)
• Sam Grainger (Medlock Canteen)
• Patrick Withington (Erst)
• Danielle Heron (OSMA)
• Sam Buckley (Where the Light Gets In) 
• Julian Pizer (Another Hand) 

Last year’s winner – Shaun Moffat (Edinburgh Castle)

Restaurant of the Year

• Skof, NOMA
• Higher Ground, New York Street
• Another Hand, Deansgate Mews
• Where the Light Gets In, Stockport
• The Pearl, Prestwich
• Restaurant Örme, Urmston
• mana, Ancoats
• Adam Reid At The French

Last year’s winner – Erst, Ancoats

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Featured image: The Manc Group