Manchester always comes alive each winter for the Lunar New Year celebrations, which are right around the corner again, and Chinese restaurants across the city are gearing up for a busy one.
With the upcoming celebrations firmly on the brain, we thought now as good a time as any to point you in the direction of some of Manchester’s best Chinese eateries so, if you are planning on popping in, you’re not left with hungry bellies.
Of course, Chinatown is probably the first place you think to head – and for good reason, but there are also some cracking spots further afield we’ve included here too for posterity.
From dim sum to roast meats, hot pots to hand-stretched noodles, here’s where to eat when you’re craving Chinese food in Manchester.
Whole roast ducks hanging in the window at Happy Seasons, the most famous spot for roasted meats in Manchester/ Image: Happy Seasons
Where to eat in Chinatown
More than 60 years since the first Anglo-Chinese restaurant opened in Chinatown, chefs here are still putting a modern British twist on traditional recipes and cooking methods – but the scene has changed a fair bit since the 1940s.
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Once dominated by Cantonese cooking, today the area’s offering is more varied with dishes from provinces like Beijing, Shanghai, Hunan and Szechuan growing in popularity.
Happy Seasons
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Happy Seasons is renowned locally for its roast meats, which range from fatty cuts of pork belly to rich, lacquered whole ducks. Go early, though, as these start selling out from as early as 12pm.- they’re that popular.
For seriously good dim sum, a staple at any good Chinese restaurant, try Mei Dim – a nondescript-looking basement canteen with massive laminated, pictorial menus.
Ignore the grumpy naysayers online, the fact that the customer base here is 99% Chinese speaks volumes as to the true quality of the food.
A relatively new addition to the famous Faulkner street, hot broth steams at the centre of your table – ready for you to cook whatever you like in it. Options for veggies and vegans are numerous, as are traditional choices like tripe, ox tongue, mutton and prawn mash with bamboo fungus.
Spicy crayfish, one of the top three dishes at Hunan restaurant above Woo Sang Supermarket, / Image; Hunan Restaurant
Hidden on the first floor above Chinatown’s Woo Sang supermarket. Hunan restaurant is the only one of its kind to serve traditional Hunan cuisine from the mainland – not just in Manchester, either but in the whole of the north west, according to its owner.
Chinese restaurants further afield
Glamorous restaurant, Ancoats
A selection of dishes from Glamorous restaurant. / Image: @amberosehe via Instagram
Found above the gargantuan Wing Yip, this no-frills dim sum spot is all about the food – not the service, nor the decor. Very much nose to tail, the menu is extensive – spanning roast meats, seafood, sizzling dishes, a bakery and more – including all those delicacies hardcore foodists like to order, from chicken feet to intestines and tripe.
Chef Diao, Northern Quarter
Relatively new to the Northern Quarter, Chef Diao opened on Oldham street inside the former Penang space in October last year. Its online presence is almost nonexistent, but we have it on good authority that the dim sum here is not to be messed with.
One Plus, Charles Street
Image: One PLus
Another great place for hot pot in the city, One Plus is loved by all who visit. You can cook your own dinner from a conveyor belt (not as chaotic as it sounds), or opt to dine from either the Chinese BBQ or rice and hand-stretched noodle and rice menu.
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Live Seafood, Beswick
Image: Live Seafood
Described by Guardian critic Jay Rayner as both “utterly, delightfully nuts” and “a parade of the best and freshest Chinese dishes’, Live Seafood specialise in seafood that is, well, alive. A former Victorian boozer, today it’s filled with tanks of live fish> Customers handpick their meal, straight from the water. Not for the faint of heart.
Salt and Pepper, Northern Quarter
Having relocated to a new home across the road from its original Arndale market, Salt and Pepper offers a modern take on Chinese favourites. As the name suggests, everything gets the patented salt and pepper treatment here served either stuffed into wraps or atop rice, salad and/or chips.
Blue Eyed Panda, Ancoats
Blue Eyed Panda Chinese restaurant in Ancoats, ManchesterBlue Eyed Panda Chinese restaurant in Ancoats, Manchester
Highly rated by diners in Ancoats and further afield, Blue Eyed Panda is run by the same pair that once operated popular takeaway Chop Chop.. Favourites here include crispy chilli beef and salt and pepper chicken, but you’ll find everything from roast meats and dim sum to Szchezuan dishes on the menu.
Hea Toast and Dessert, Prestwich
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
If you’re a fan of milk tea and thick, white sandwich bread slathered in condensed milk, peanut butter and lashings of golden syrup, Hea Toast & Dessert is the place for you.
Opened by owner Jack Lau in June, here you’ll find butter-drenched toast, Hong Kong’s famously silky milk teas (inspired by our very own British cuppa) and Yeun Yeung – an iced drink that’s typically made from two-parts milk tea and one-part black coffee.
If you love a bottomless brunch, this could be for you. WowYauChow is the home of “the first Chinese bottomless brunch in Manchester”. Prices start at £23 for an ‘endless lunch’, for which you’ll get 90 minutes of endless bao buns, ‘salt n pepper’, cocktails, wines, and beers – including gin fizz, blushing dragon and prosecco.
Yum Cha, Kampus
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Specialising in dim sum, roast meats and flavourful big plates, Yum Cha first opened in Liverpool in July 2020 and made its way over to Manchester last year. As its name suggests, dim sum is a big thing here – all made by hand by a specialist chef who trained in Hong Kong.
Unlike many of its competitors, Yum Cha sells its bite-size dim sum (which loosely translates to “touching the heart”) all day and all night – and has built up quite a following as a result.
Elsewhere, large plates (and trust us, they really are large) can be bought for around a tenner. Fiery dishes like Singapore vermicelli and king prawn or char siu firecracker sit alongside the likes of sweet and sour chicken,, dan dan noodles and grilled chicken satay.
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.
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.
Get your cameras ready, because the whole interior at Tattu screams “Instagram me”. Its huge pink sakura trees undeniably help draw a crowd, but the food’s not to be sniffed at either. Fans rave about its Singapore noodles, lobster, short ribs and prawn toast.
Pulp at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Britpop band Pulp is heading over to Manchester for a night of singing along right through to ‘Sunrise’ or until Co-op Live’s curfew.
Jarvis Cocker and co., known more famously as UK cult classic band Pulp, are heading on the road, stopping off at various arenas up and down the country.
Their latest discography addition, their comeback LP, More, just debuted on the UK’s Official Album Charts and in pole position, no less: a very impressive feat that makes that a total of three number ones in their career.
Their eighth album is remarkable in more ways than one, as not only has it become a talking point in the music world, it’s also the band’s first new release in 24 years – an absolute banger as well, by the way.
Cocker and his bandmates are no strangers to the North either, much like our friends over at The Sheff, the Pulp frontman and several members of the lineup, both past and present, are Steel City natives.
As Britpop lovers and fans of the band ourselves, we’re buzzing about their chart-topping return, but no way as proud as their home city.
Pulp gig guide – all the key info you need to know
Pulp’s last visit to Manchester took place at Castlefield Bowl when they played a show as part of the impressive summer music series, Sounds of the City. Fast forward to 2025, and now they’re taking on the region’s biggest indoor entertainment and live music arena.
Let’s all imagine this picture of Jarvis is him checking the road signs on his way to Manchester
Are there tickets left for Pulp at Co-op Live?
If you’re suffering from ‘The Fear’ of not getting your seat ahead of Pulp’s ‘You Deserve More’ tour, there are limited seats for the Co-op Live show in Manchester HERE.
Don’t wait around, though; these won’t be around for long.
And if you fancy feeling all special and setting yourself apart from the rest of the ‘Common People’ for once (not that the mixer isn’t still the best place to be), why not treat yourself to a luxury concert experience thanks to SeatUnique, where you have access to your own private lounge?
Pulp 2025 ‘You Deserve More’ tour setlist
Spike Island
Grown Ups
Slow Jam
Sorted for E’s & Wizz
Disco 2000
F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E
Tina
Farmers Market
This Is Hardcore
Sunrise
Something Changed
The Fear
O.U (Gone, Gone)
59 Lyndhurst Grove
Acrylic Afternoons
Do You Remember the First Time?
Mis-Shapes
Got to Have Love
Babies
Common People
A Sunset
What are the stage times for Pulp in Manchester?
Pulp are set to perform at Co-op Live, Manchester on 21 June.
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning everyone can stay for the final ‘Slow Jam’ or two without worrying about getting home too late.
Anyone attending can expect the doors to open at 6:30pm with a kick-off time of 7:30pm, which gives you an hour to turn to your friend and ask, “‘Do You Remember the First Time’…we watched Pulp?”
Pulp x Co-op Live afterparty
If you’re not ready go home after the encore and you really do think ‘You Deserve More’, you can always cop yourself a ticket to the afterparty inside Co-op Live’s Backstage Club’ too.
With a DJ set to play indie favourites straight after the show and until late, the party doesn’t stop until you say it does. Tickets are available now.
We recently got to experience it ourselves on our last visit to the arena to watch the one and only Lionel Richie, and it certainly left an impression on us.
We didn’t meet him backstage, but he did call us his ‘cousins’…
How to get to the venue
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre, and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes via the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Work finally begins on site of UK’s first majority LGBTQ+ housing scheme in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Work has finally got underway on the start of the UK’s first majority LGBTQ+ housing scheme here in Manchester.
The exciting new £37 million flagship development – which is being built on the site of the former Spire Hospital on Russell Road, in the Whalley Range area of Manchester – will be comprised of 80 one and two-bedroom apartments for older people over the age of 55 for social rent, alongside an additional 40 affordable shared ownership apartments.
Plans for the scheme have been co-produced in partnership with the Russell Road Community Steering Group, Manchester City Council, and the LGBT Foundation.
Delivered in partnership with contractors Rowlinson, and funded through Great Places, the Homes England Strategic Partnership, GMCA Brownfield Housing Fund, and Manchester City Council, the high-quality and sustainable building will offer a ‘safe and welcome feel’ with an ‘inviting presence’.
While the goal is to create an inclusive space, the scheme has also been designed to respect the surrounding conservation area.
On top of this, the low carbon scheme will also feature shared communal facilities including lounges, treatment rooms, and landscaped gardens.
The Council says the new scheme is part of its ambitious target to deliver at least 36,000 new homes across the city region by 2032 – at least 10,000, of which, will be social rent, Council, or considered ‘genuinely affordable’ housing.
It comes after more than 800 ‘Extra Care’ homes have been built in Manchester in recent years, and are another 1,000 are in the pipeline – to meet the demand for older people in the city.
A CGI of the newly-approved LGBTQ+ Extra Care housing scheme development in Whalley Range / Credit: Manchester City Council
“This is a real milestone moment for this development,” commented Cllr Gavin White, who is the Executive Member for Housing and Development at Manchester City Council.
“The Council has believed in the positive impact an LGBTQ+ majority housing development could have for this community for many years, and to celebrate the social rent homes officially starting on site is a great moment for the city.
“Working with the LGBT Foundation, we know that older LGBTQ+ people worry about being able to access appropriate and inclusive housing later in life. Although we hope all older person’s accommodation is welcoming to everyone, this scheme will provide safe, secure and affordable housing for LGBTQ+ people to live with dignity.
“We look forward to the completion of these homes that will complement and enhance this part of Whalley Range, and be an important part of this community.”
The project is scheduled to be completed in Summer 2027.
Georgina Pellant -
9th February 2024 
