Where to celebrate graduation in Manchester

With its mix of traditional pub architecture and a modern atrium that brings the outside in, The Black Friar is great for summer celebrations, whatever the weather. It has a very photogenic flower-filled entrance too – perfect for posing for a family photograph.

Celebrate your graduation in style at Kaji with their four-course ‘Flame of Achievement’ menu for just £40 per person, and the graduate dines for free. Enjoy fire-cooked dishes, a glass of champagne and stunning flavours.

Enjoy a complimentary bespoke Graduate celebratory cocktail and a beautifully presented Graduate Plate when you book a family meal at The Laureate Restaurant or The Graduate Bar at the Hyatt Regency Manchester. Location-wise, this is the pick of the bunch, a mortar board’s throw from the University of Manchester.

Lock 84 is the all-day restaurant and bar inside four-star hotel The Reach, which opened on Ducie Street in summer 2024. With its preference for locally-sourced ingredients and chic, characterful design, it feels more Northern Quarter independent than international hotel chain. In reality it sits somewhere between the two.

If your parents are staying over for the graduation ceremony, why not book a meal at Loom & Ladle Bistro?

Keep it local with graduation celebrations in Didsbury. Namaste Nepal is a great option for a family curry.

A first class degree (in fact any degree) deserves first class cooking and that’s what you’ll find at this fine dining hotspot.

Wing’s is Manchester’s famous restaurant that takes Chinese cooking to another level. It’s the ideal place for a family celebration.

20 Stories is one for high achievers. The sky-high restaurant offers great views, cocktails and impressive dining.

You may have eaten plenty of curries during your time at university but Asha’s makes it really special. This is a high-end place for refined Indian food.

Get your parents to treat you to a quality steak at Blacklock Manchester – much better than subsisting on budget mince.

Climat is a grown-up restaurant with top service, top wine and top food as well as rooftop views. A good way to celebrate becoming a proper grown-up.

Louis is a traditional restaurant but not in a chintzy or old-fashioned way. It evokes NY glamour with Rat Pack cool.

Porta Didsbury is a classy option if you want to stay in South Manchester rather than celebrating your graduation in the city centre.

Sexy Fish offers an OTT glamour take on Pan-Asian dining that is a lot of fun. If you’re looking for accommodation over graduation, there’s also an unmissable deal with The Alan Hotel that also includes dinner at Sexy Fish.

Every graduate receives a free glass of bubbly when they make a booking at Tender in Manchester’s Stock Exchange Hotel. It’s a sumptuous restaurant headed up by Michelin-starred chef Niall Keating.