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AJ Handley-Rowe -
10th November 2021
AJ Handley-Rowe -
10th November 2021 The best restaurants and bars in Manchester have been named at the MFDF Awards 2025
Daisy Jackson
The winners of this year’s Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards have been named, in a night of celebration of our city’s hospitality scene.
The prestigious awards have highlighted 18 winners across Greater Manchester tonight, including the best restaurant, chef, newcomer, bar, and loads more.
In a glittering ceremony held at New Century, hundreds of hospitality insiders gathered together to toast one another and to celebrate another year of brilliant work.
The MFDF Awards, sponsored by Therme Manchester, had a whopping 130 nominees this year, with categories that recognise both the businesses and the talented individuals who shape the region’s culinary scene.
Therme Manchester will be a huge wellbeing destination with pools, saunas, waterslides, and wellbeing therapies – and they’ve sponsored the new Community Food and Drink Project of the Year, which recognises initiatives making a real difference in Greater Manchester.
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The winners of this award will receive a £1000 funding boost from Therme, as well as a further £2000 to kick off a joint legacy project.
The awards were handed out based on a combination of public votes, and anonymous visits by a judging panel made up of food and drink experts, writers, and critics.
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Alexa Stratton-Powell, Awards Director of Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards commented: “We’re incredibly proud to announce this year’s winners, who together represent the excellence, creativity and resilience of Greater Manchester’s hospitality sector.
“At a time when the industry continues to face tough head winds, it’s more important than ever to recognise and celebrate the people and venues doing exceptional work every day.
“We’re hugely grateful to Therme for their support of the awards, and for backing a sector that plays such a vital role in the life of the city. Manchester continues to lead the way as one of the world’s most exciting food destinations, and we hope this year’s winners and nominees inspire food lovers to go out and support the brilliant venues right on their doorstep.”
Ben Dutson, Head of Food Operations at Therme RPC, added: “We’re delighted to have sponsored this year’s awards and play a part in supporting and celebrating the brilliant food and drink businesses that make Manchester such a phenomenal place.
“It’s been fantastic to also recognise those incredible organisations that give back to the community with our brand new award – we’re looking forward to working with the winner and creating an ongoing legacy.
“Therme is all about living well and having fun – and making wellness more accessible for the community, so I can’t think of a better way of embodying that than by supporting all the great businesses and community groups that we have recognised tonight.”
All the winners in the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards 2025
Affordable Eats Venue of the Year
WINNER: Double Zero
SHORTLISTED VENUES: Noodle Alley, Pho Cue, Cafe Sanjuan, Hong Thai, Seoul Kimchi, Wow Báhn Mì, Rabbie’s Thai
Takeaway of the Year
WINNER: This & That
SHORTLISTED VENUES: Ceresis, Ad Maiora, Home Chinese, Viet Deli, Pancho’s Burritos, Rack, Mughli Charcoal Pit
Café or Coffee Shop of the Year
WINNER: Something More Productive
SHORTLISTED VENUES: Cafe Sanjuan, Oscillate Coffee, Federal Cafe Bar, Just Between Friends Coffee, Sipp Coffee, à bloc, The Old Fire Station Bakery
Wine offering of the Year (new for 2025)
WINNER: Flawd Wine
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Ad Hoc, Higher Ground, The Beeswing, Salut Wines, Reserve Wines, Where the Light Gets In, Kerb
Food Trader of the Year
WINNER: Rack
SHORTLISTED VENUES: The Little Sri Lankan, House of Habesha, Baity, Rita’s Reign, Taiko Ramen, Thatziki, Little Scarfs
Foodie Neighbourhood of the Year
WINNER: Stockport
SHORTLISTED NEIGHBOURHOODS: Urmston, Levenshulme, Chorlton, Monton, Salford, Altrincham, Sale
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Independent Drink Producer of the Year
WINNER: Track Brewing Co
SHORTLISTED VENUES: Balance Brewing & Blending, Pod Pea Vodka, Stiff Tea Brewing Company, Sureshot Brewing, Runaway Brewery, Seven Bro7hers, Weekend Project Brewing Co
Independent Food Producer of the Year
WINNER: Pollen Bakery
SHORTLISTED VENUES: Long Boi’s Bakehouse, Holy Grain Sourdough, Littlewoods Butchers, Lily’s Vegetarian Indian Cuisine, Wong Wong Bakery, Half Dozen Other, Mayya Bakery
Neighbourhood Venue of the Year
WINNER: Stretford Canteen
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SHORTLISTED VENUES: Fold Bistro & Bottle Shop, The Pearl, Lupo, Cantaloupe, Tawny Stores, The Perfect Match, Gladstone Barber and Bistro
Pub or Beer Bar of the Year
WINNER: The Marble Arch
SHORTLISTED VENUES: Victoria Tap, Runaway Brewery, City Arms, The Magnet Freehouse, Café Beermoth, North Westward Ho, Track Taproom
Great Service Award
WINNER: Maray
SHORTLISTED VENUES: Tast Catala, Atomeca, Higher Ground, Adam Reid at The French, Federal Cafe Bar, Blacklock Manchester, Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar
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Low or No Offering of the Year (new for 2025)
WINNER: Nell’s Pizza
SHORTLISTED VENUES: Cloudwater Brew Co, Dishoom, Red Light, Blinker Bar, Hinterland, Lina Stores, Speak in Code
Bar of the Year
WINNER: Speak In Code
SHORTLISTED VENUES: Stray, Schofield’s Bar, Red Light, Pray Tell, Renae, Libero, Flawd Wine
Newcomer of the Year
WINNER: Stow
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SHORTLISTED VENUES: Cantaloupe, Bangkok Diners Club, Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar, Café Continental, Winsome, Royal Nawaab Pyramid, Kung Fu Noodle
Chef of the Year
WINNER: Matt Bennett (The Pearl)
SHORTLISTED NAMES: Rosie Maguire (Higher Ground), Shaun Moffat (Winsome), Adam Reid (Adam Reid at The French), Mary-Ellen McTague (Pip), Patrick Withington (Erst), Jamie Pickles (Stow), Jack Fields (Restaurant Orme)
Restaurant of the Year
WINNER: Skof
SHORTLISTED VENUES: mana, Adam Reid At The French, Winsome, Higher Ground, Stow, Erst, Cantaloupe
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Community Food & Drink Project of the Year (sponsored by Therme)
WINNER: Platt Fields Market Garden
The Howard and Ruth Award for Outstanding Achievement
WINNER: Rustica
Read more: All the Greater Manchester restaurants included in the Michelin Guide
Featured image: The Manc Group
Chester Zoo announces new spring date for its popular running event to help UK wildlife
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this year, and this time, there’s a new spring edition.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo seen success with this event in the past few years, with thousands of runners signing up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences and all funds raised going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
This year though, the much-loved event’s focus brings conservation ‘a little closer to home’ and will protect some of the UK’s most threatened species instead – with all funds helping to safeguard hedgehogs, kingfishers, otters, harvest mice, and more.
It comes as the UK is currently considered one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth.
Participants will first get to wind through the zoo and enjoy glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Adults can choose from a 10K or 5K route, while younger runners are invited to take part in a one-mile ‘Zoom’ race, open to children aged four-15, which takes place entirely within the zoo’s incredible 130-acre grounds.
All runners will receive free entry to the zoo for the rest of the day as part of their registration, along with a 25% discount for friends and family who come along to show support.
Lorraine Jubb, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo, called the Run For Nature a ‘really special event’.
“In previous years, runners have already supported conservation efforts for Asian elephants, Eastern black rhinos and Northern giraffe,” she explained. This springtime though, we’re turning our attention much closer to home in the UK, and to the wildlife we share our gardens, parks and countryside with.
“With one in six species now at risk of extinction in the UK, every runner will be playing a vital role in helping us protect animals and supporting our growing nature recovery work across right across Cheshire.
Read more:
- A scenic trail run event from Manchester to the Peak District is happening this summer
- Chester Zoo named UK’s best zoo for second year running after more than 11,000 ‘excellent’ ratings
- You can now sign up to be part of the biggest Great Manchester Run ever in 2026
Run For Nature will take place on the new springtime date of Sunday 29 March 2026, and there’s 3,000 places to sign up for.
You can find out more and register on the Chester Zoo website here.
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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