The best restaurants in the Northern Quarter

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.

The Northern Quarter has never been short of Instagrammable spots with its litany of graffitied walls and shop fronts but bar and cafe, On the Hush, has taken the style inside its doors, bringing a mix of pretty floral drapery and inner-city spray-painted style to its interior.

The Pen and Pencil is the Northern Quarter’s cool all-day hangout, modelled on the New York bar of the same name popular with the city’s journalists and ad men in the 1950s and 1960s. It has a reputation for great cocktails, quality food and an atmosphere that makes it stand out from nearby imitators.

Located in the Northern Quarter, this friendly neighbourhood bistro and bar is the place to avanti if it’s a taste of traditional Sicily you fancy – from authentic street food snacks through to big plates of pasta to desserts and holiday memory gelato, eat in or take away.

Now a few minutes walk from its original site on High Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Almost Famous Manchester NQ is the original and best. The new wave of burgers started here – OTT, in your face and, most importantly, absolutely top notch. Believe the hype. These burgers are memorable and meaty. You’ll be left with sauce all over your chin and one big, happy smile.

Another Heart To Feed in Manchester’s NQ is one of our top brunch spots. It’s a coffee shop inspired by coffee culture capital of the world, Melbourne. There’s a tempting array of breakfasty-stuff where many dishes have a Middle Eastern slant. You’ll find ingredients like dukkah, labneh, hummus and halloumi sprinkled across a menu that has more than its fair share of Ottolenghi-style magic.

The Bay Horse Tavern, to give it its full moniker, describes itself as a modern take on a Victorian Pub. With its dark hues and warm woods, puttering candles and kitschy knick-knacks as well as its range of gins, craft beers and ‘other libations’, it may well straddle the eras.

Cult pizzeria Ciaooo may not be as well-known as some of its beautifully blistered-based brethren, but that’s all to the good. At least there’s a chance of getting a table. As it is, it’s often full of savvy locals who know just where to get some of the best pizzas in Manchester – on Swan Street at the top of Great Ancoats Street it transpires.

Service is excellent and the pizzas are even better. There is a wide selection with a mix of classics and modern inventions. Most importantly, the dough rises above its competitors. It is puffed-up pillowy perfection.

One of the Northern Quarter’s original hipster hangouts, Common – bar, eatery, coffee spot – has been at its Edge Street address since 2005. Having spearheaded the booths and booze with bright colours and bold murals trend, Common has since gone stripped back and muted, decor wise. The drinks menu has always been easy to navigate and carefully curated, and food now comes courtesy Nell’s Pizza.

Dakota Grill Manchester is the work of former Malmaison owner, Ken McCollough and it is as dark-hued and handsome as the successful boutique hotel chain. It’s an inviting place with flickering candlelight, very retro-sexy – sure to be the setting for many a first date.

The focus at Dakota is on steaks which are very good – all grass-fed, 28 day-aged, hand-cut Aberdeenshire beef cooked over hot coals.

Ducie Street Warehouse is all sorts of things, but one of those things is a restaurant. It’s an all-day affair with everything from classic brunches to late-night cocktails. On the menu you’ll find a good selection of small sharing dishes and large plates – it’s a sociable kind of place. And of course, you’ll also find Ducie Street Warehouse’s signature focaccia flatbreads.

Evelyn’s is a very clever restaurant. It’s from the chaps behind Mughli so expect a quality operation although it is very different to the standout star of Curry Mile.

It’s a light and leafy sort of place, both in the surroundings and on the plate. Evelyn’s offers a fresher, healthier take on dining out but it won’t leave you feeling like you’re at a well-being bootcamp.

If you’re a fan of brunch and baked goods but it just has to be Instagrammable, Gooey should be top of the list.

Founded in May 2019 by Manchester sisters Nikita and Kanika, The Green Lab is described as a health and well-being lifestyle store. Upstairs it’s a cafe specialising in juices and salads, while downstairs, it’s a health studio, called The Health Lab, which focuses mainly on reformer pilates.

This greasy spoon with indie cool is a true Mancunian institution. Established in 1978, the Koffee Pot used to live on Stevenson Square before it moved round the corner to Oldham Street. Nowadays it’s a café by day and taco bar by night. Think bar that does fry-ups and you’re on the right track.

Kong’s NQ is the chicken shop done good. From a pop-up to a permanent home on Oldham Street, this place has built a reputation for serving quality food with depth and flavour.

Mackie Mayor is a cosmopolitan food hall located in an 1858 Grade II listed market building on the edge of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

If it’s a taste of Italy you’re after, think NQ for proper pizza – Noi Quattro, to be precise. Meaning “us four”, Noi Quattro is owned and run by four friends from Turin who wanted to share their proud Italian heritage through the food they put on your plate.

Seasonal and made from scratch – there’s a homeliness to the food at The Pasta Factory that belies its industrial-sounding name.

Sitting in the old Dough Kitchen spot in the Northern Quarter, Purezza is yet another pizza restaurant for Manchester – but one with the distinction of offering solely vegan pizza and a menu that has many gluten-free items.

Ramen Shop is the new name for Tokyo Ramen but little has changed. Spartan and stripped back is the only description for this place – and that’s both the menu and the restaurant itself. With barely enough space to swing a noodle, the place only accommodates 20 walk-ins. It’s not a sociable place, more a utilitarian slurping station.

Sampa seems an unlikely concept – a Brazilian/Modern British chef’s table fusion restaurant. Even more unlikely, it’s found in the basement of Calcio!, a sports bar in the Northern Quarter. Chef Caroline Martins is the driving force that makes everything come together perfectly.

For Street Urchin, think less about raggedy kids hanging about Victorian mills and more about seafood delicacies. Fish is plentiful on the menu at this English market diner, although meat gets a look-in too.

This unassuming, independent restaurant overlooking the historic Smithfield Fish Market is a stalwart of the Northern Quarter’s dining scene. Co-owner and chef Anthony Fielden has been cooking up a storm at TNQ since 2004, winning various awards and accolades along the way. 

Longstanding Thomas Street bar Trof has got ‘top Manchester night out’ written all over its labyrinthine three storeys. But it’s just as well known for its morning-after comfort feeds as its cocktails. The Sunday Roast has a reputation for greatness, and the weekend brunch menu is popular. Go for the full English breakfast or the confit duck hash with sriracha and honey glaze.

We’d rather see a restaurant that does one thing well than one that does a wide variety of dishes to the same average standard. Yard & Coop Manchester is firmly in the former category. It serves buttermilk fried chicken and that’s about it, unless you’re a veggie in which case you can have halloumi instead.