North West England
Manchester, Sunday best
Worth dressing up for
Updated
Manchester has plenty of places to dress up for. Mana in Ancoats and Skof in NOMA do long tasting menus built on British produce, and Adam Reid cooks in the grand old dining room at the Midland. Winsome on Princess Street has a big kitchen counter for watching the chefs. For a sense of occasion, Tender sits under the glass dome of the old Stock Exchange, Hawksmoor serves steak in a Victorian courthouse on Deansgate, and 20 Stories has the view. Where The Light Gets In, a short train ride away in Stockport, is worth the trip.
Our picks
Adam Reid at The French
The Midland Hotel, Peter Street, city centre
Address: The Midland Hotel, 16 Peter Street, Manchester M60 2DS- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Romantic
- Foodie
Book the tasting menu at the Midland Hotel's restaurant, where Adam Reid cooks modern British food with a northern accent in a grand old dining room.
Why it's a good date: The one to save for an anniversary or a big occasion: an evening that's all about the food, in one of the city's landmark hotels. It's open a few evenings a week, so book well ahead.
Photo: Peter McDermott, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)
Mana
Blossom Street, Ancoats
Address: Mana, 42 Blossom Street, Manchester M4 6BF- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Romantic
Book the long tasting menu at Simon Martin's Michelin-starred restaurant in Ancoats, where every table looks into the kitchen.
Why it's a good date: It's an evening built around British produce, cooked with real care and served in a calm, modern room. Tables go fast, so book well ahead for an anniversary or a birthday.
Skof
Federation Street, NOMA
Address: Skof, 3 Federation Street, Manchester M4 4BF- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Romantic
Settle in for a tasting menu at Tom Barnes's Michelin-starred restaurant in an old textile warehouse in NOMA.
Why it's a good date: Exposed brick and girders, no tablecloths and no dress code, so it feels relaxed for somewhere this serious about food. Tables are released month by month and go quickly, so plan ahead.
Winsome
Princess Street, city centre
Address: Winsome, 74 Princess Street, Manchester M1 6JD- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Big night
Sit up at the big kitchen counter for hearty, seasonal British cooking at this busy brasserie on Princess Street.
Why it's a good date: It has a proper sense of occasion without any fuss, and the counter seats let you watch the chefs at work. Ask for the counter when you book if you like a bit of theatre.
Where The Light Gets In
Rostron Brow, Stockport Old Town
Address: Where The Light Gets In, 7 Rostron Brow, Stockport SK1 1JY- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Romantic
Take the short train to Stockport for a set sharing menu cooked in the open kitchen of a loft above an old coffee warehouse.
Why it's a good date: There's no choosing to do: you sit back and the food arrives, cooked from whatever's in season. The room feels like a dinner party in someone's very good kitchen, and Stockport's Old Town is worth a stroll first.
Hawksmoor Manchester
Deansgate, by Spinningfields
Address: Hawksmoor, 184-186 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WB- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Foodie
- Big night
Book a steak dinner in the wood-panelled rooms of a Victorian courthouse on Deansgate.
Why it's a good date: Grand but warm, with service that makes a birthday feel like one. Get there early for a cocktail in the bar, which is usually quieter than the dining room.
20 Stories
Hardman Square, Spinningfields
Address: 20 Stories, No 1 Spinningfields, 1 Hardman Square, Manchester M3 3EB- Restaurant
- A treat
- Romantic
- Big night
Have dinner twenty floors up with the whole city spread out below, then step out onto the terrace for a drink.
Why it's a good date: The view is the star: on a clear evening you can see across Manchester to the hills. Book a table for sunset and ask for one by the window.
Tender at the Stock Exchange Hotel
Norfolk Street, off King Street, city centre
Address: Stock Exchange Hotel, 4 Norfolk Street, Manchester M2 1DW- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Romantic
- Big night
Dress up for dinner under the glass dome of the old Manchester Stock Exchange, in the hotel restaurant run by chef Niall Keating.
Why it's a good date: The room is the reason to go: a grand Edwardian trading floor with the dome overhead. Have a drink in the hotel's old bank vault bar before you sit down.
Quick answers
Which Manchester restaurant has the best view?
20 Stories in Spinningfields is twenty floors up, with a terrace. On a clear evening you can see across the city to the hills, so book a table for sunset.
Is there a special occasion restaurant near Manchester worth the trip?
Where The Light Gets In, a short train ride away in Stockport's Old Town, serves a set sharing menu from an open kitchen in a loft above an old coffee warehouse.
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