11 Christmas party venues in Manchester you might not have considered

Whatever level of hunger you’re anticipating, you’ll not have a rumbling tum for long next time you head on up to the Northern Quarter, with the host of all-day eating options on offer at The Pen & Pencil ranging from light bites to proper sit-down dinners.

If it’s a stylish lunch date destination you’re after or some suitably chic eats for dinner à deux, Rosso might be the one, resplendent in clean white suffused with natural light and with plenty of Italian-inspired vegetarian, pescatarian and meat-lover options on the menu.

The original in what is now a chain of Thai streetfood venues founded by Sukhothai province-born Kim Kaewkraikhot (also behind the Chaophraya empire), the cavernous Spinningfields Thaikhun comes complete with tuk tuk at the entrance and the promise of a true taste of Bangkok.

If you feel it’s time to spice up your life, look no further than this Northern Quarter indie, where the main offer is ‘kebabs worth sitting down for’. Yep, BAB by name, ‘babs by nature, but that’s not doing the menu full justice – there are also meze small plates to mix and match, skewers and shawarmas, and non-babs such as an epic surf & turf spread.

Nestled in the Grade II Listed former Freemasons Hall, Masons Restaurant and Bar serves retro fine-dining fare in princely surrounds.

Food hall meets music festival is how we’d describe Escape to Freight Island to anyone confused about what they’ll find at this regenerated rail depot beyond Piccadilly Station. 

Grand Pacific is the work of Living Ventures and it easily outshines its sibling venues in terms of pure glamour. Not in a big chandeliers, glass and chrome Spinningfields way, but with a decadent blend of colonial Raffles-style grandeur and some of the best of the city’s Victorian architecture.

Husband and wife team John and Carolyn Phillips held occasional supper clubs and appeared on Channel Four’s Too Many Chefs before they opened Proost in Urmston. Cheffing in a hot kitchen is a long way from John’s former life as a personal injury lawyer, but the career change paid off. Proost has become a local favourite in Urmston since opening in 2019, and it is increasingly attracting attention from further afield too.

Located on the ground floor of YOTEL on Manchester’s bustling Deansgate, Motley’s antipodean-style menu ticks all the modern boxes with its uncomplicated seasonal menu. The low-milage, local and homely offering is the brainchild of head chef Nacho Llinares whose style is described as “good for the soul”.