Greater Manchester has just had three more restaurants placed in the Michelin Guide, marking a sensational year for our city’s hospitality industry.
This month, the prestigious restaurant guide has added Stow, Climat, and Bangkok Diners Club to its list of the top quality restaurants across the UK.
It brings our total to 18, after three others were added to the guide back in August (Winsome, Pip, and Cantaloupe).
Manchester also now boasts two Michelin stars after going decades with none, thanks to the opening of Skof last year.
While stars remain the most prestigious accolade in the hospitality industry, Michelin also dishes out Bib Gourmands, and Michelin Guide entries to recognise excellent restaurants at lower price points.
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The first big Manchester name added to the guide this month is Stow, a brilliant new restaurant on Bridge Street where everything – even the desserts – is cooked over fire.
It’s technical and utterly brilliant and has received rave reviews across the board since its launch.
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Stow in Manchester has been added to the new Michelin Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
The Michelin Guide said of Stow: “With its winning combo of cocktails and cooking over fire, Stow feels like a restaurant for our times. Start (and end) your visit with a drink in the front bar, before taking your seat at the counter in the tucked-away dining room.
“The small size gives it the feel of an intimate secret supper club, as you watch the chefs close-up, extracting maximum flavour from their ingredients.
“Prime cuts of meat, including ex-dairy beef, are a feature, but don’t miss the imaginative vegetable dishes too. Finish with the smoked cream tart, its gentile smokiness coming through in every mouthful.”
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Stow wrote: “Today marks a very proud moment for us and the team.
“This time last year there wasn’t even a barbecue in the kitchen or furniture in the restaurant. Today, we’re officially a recommendation in the @michelinguide.
“We’re so proud of our team. Up the f*cking Stow.”
Next up is Bangkok Diners Club, a fantastic Thai restaurant tucked up above the Edinburgh Castle pub in Ancoats.
It’s headed up by Chef Ben Humpheys – formerly of the futuristic Thai restaurant District – and his wife Bo, and fuses his 20-year obsession with Thai cuisine with a ‘new-found love for low-n-slow cooking’ inspired by the BBQs of Miami.
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The Michelin Guide says: “A taste of Thailand has arrived, of all places, above a Victorian pub in Ancoats. Sitting on the first floor of the characterful Edinburgh Castle inn, it’s a lively, deservedly popular place with a cool rustic-meets-retro vibe.
“Despite the name, the cooking takes inspiration from all over Thailand, including several dishes from the northeastern Isan region, such as raw bass with calamansi nam jim or a classic papaya salad. Each plate looks neat and vibrant, delivering an array of well-balanced flavours and the occasional hit of creativity.”
Bangkok Diners Club said: “We are delighted to be included in The Michelin Guide 2025 alongside the very best of Manchester. Thank you to everybody who has visited so far and we look forward to meeting many more of you.”
And last but definitely not least is Climat, a sky-high restaurant famed for its vast wine collection and fabulous views across the rooftops of Manchester city centre.
Here’s what the Michelin Guide had to say about Climat: “You have to be in the know to come across Climat, tucked away on the eighth floor of a city centre office building. You arrive at a dedicated entrance and make your way up to the chic penthouse, where stunning city views await you.
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“An open kitchen is the focus of the room, with its aromas filling the air, and the concise fixed-price menu includes well-executed dishes such as halibut with spinach and sorrel velouté, where the ingredient quality shines through.
“Wine is a feature with one side of the room acting as a bar and the carefully curated list deftly mixing traditional and modern styles.”
Climat said: “Pleased as punch! We’re very happy to have been included in the @michelinguide.
“Thank you to all the team for their hard work and to our suppliers for their fantastic produce. Santé!”
A huge congratulations to all three new additions to the Michelin Guide – another very proud moment for Manchester.
Smash-hit sandwich shop Earl’s is set to open another site in Bolton
Danny Jones
Yes, beloved Bolton butty shop and bar, Earl’s, is set to open up their second location in the Greater Manchester borough, taking the food from the town centre over to Farnworth.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a metropolitan expansion either this year or next, but for now, we’re just glad to hear we’re getting more of the good stuff.
Earl’s Day and Night Deli, to give them their full name, is the latest name to join the lineup of new foodie faces joining the culinary boom over at the Farnworth Green development.
Soon, the stacked sandwiches, quality coffee and laid-back vibes will be coming to one of the best up-and-coming new neighbourhoods.
Founded by two local lads, Jonny Eckersley and Andy Partington, the first venue only opened back in December of 2024, but has gone on to become a North West-wide sensation.
Carb connoisseurs will literally travel for this scran, and having tasted it for ourselves a couple of times now, it’s no wonder.
Taking inspiration not only from regional food and drink, but also from the wider atmospheres and culinary cultures of Lisbon, Sydney, Antwerp and more, if they can translate even half the levels of chill from the OG Earl’s into this soon-to-open sister site, we’re sure it will hit the ground running.
As per an official press release, fans and those who’ve never tried it before can “expect a menu packed with freshly made sandwiches, alongside a line-up of hot and cold options available for both grab-and-go and delivery.”
Crucially, they’re also looking to carry over that feeling of a seamless transition between services, blending everything from morning coffee runs and the lunch rush with casual evening hangs.
Co-founder Jonny said in a statement: “We are staying true to our roots by bringing a second Earl’s in Bolton. This new venture helps to fuel our expansion plans and widen our catchment area so even more local people can enjoy the Earl’s experience.
“We have big plans for the space and can’t wait to get started.” An exact opening date hasn’t even been confirmed yet, but we’re already getting excited.
Tom Wilmot, joint managing director at Capital and Centric (the developers behind Farnworth Green) added: “We back standout local operators, and Earl’s is right up there – great food, loads of energy and a proper following already behind them.
“Farnworth Green is shaping up to be a neighbourhood with real character, and Earl’s is only going to add to that. Expect it to be busy.”
Crown and Kettle set to take over another former Northern Quarter bar
Danny Jones
The team behind beloved Ancoats pub The Crown and Kettle have announced that they are set to take over another former bar and restaurant location in nearby Northern Quarter.
We were gutted to see the old place go, but at least we can’t think of many better to take over the unit.
The historic watering hole on the corner of Oldham Road and Great Ancoats Street is said to have stood in that spot since the 18th century, but now the present owners have confirmed they’ll be taking on a third venue, having also opened The Rat and Pigeon back in June 2024.
Many of you may have been to one or multiple of its previous iterations of the site in question over the years, but most recently, it was the Calcio sports bar – and soon it’ll become ‘The Badger’.
Revealing the news online last week, Crown and Kettle wrote: “We’re delighted to announce that our new pub, The Badger, arrives on Dale Street this spring!
“Once home to Calcio, Allotment & Nickelbys, this beautiful old building first served as The Haunch of Venison public house back in the early 1800s. Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work, quietly bringing it back to life & returning it to its roots as a community pub.
“With The Badger, we’ve set out to create the kind of place we love most, warm, welcoming, full of character, with all the charm of a great countryside pub in the heart of the city.
“Expect cosy corners, traditional pub foods, fine ales & the warmest of welcomes. Made for regulars. Open to all. Worth returning to. We can’t wait to welcome you to your new city centre local. GET SET(T)…” Oh, very good indeed.
We visited Calcio many times over the past couple of years, both for work and pleasure in our own free time; it was a great place to watch the footy, enjoy some matchday scran and roll back the years with retro videogames.
As mentioned, though, not only did it used to be one of multiple Allotment vegan and vegetarian eateries in Greater Manchester – thankfully, their presence still remains in multiple buildings – but it has a past long before that which many people bring up on social media.
Insert, “I remember when…’ post.
While we might not know much about what they have in store for this next chapter, knowing how much we love their current city centre favourites, we’re very excited.
As it stands, we’re also yet to hear anything about a more precise opening date, but at least we know it’s coming sometime soon, and we have every faith they’re going to smash it.
Daisy Jackson -
30th October 2025 
