An Insider’s Guide to Eating and Drinking in Chorlton

At Ruyi’s, you can expect traditional Chinese and Oriental cuisine and fusion food – the only difference is this traditional Chinese is all vegetarian, and most of the dishes are vegan to boot. Mock meat, soy-based substitutes and tofu plus veggies pure and simple are the USP here, for plant-based, guilt-free eating.

The Little Yeti is one of the newest dining spots on Barlow Moor Rd, but from the well-oiled team behind Didsbury veterans Gurkha Grill. It’s an establishment of the ‘limited menu but executed very well’ variety, which is more common in Asia than over here, where ‘all things to all people’ is perhaps too often attempted.

“Doing lots of little things right” is a definition of perfection. And Oystercatcher – a simple seafood restaurant in Chorlton – is just that.
The kitchen’s Inca grill is masterfully handled by co-owner Recep Canliisik, who churns out dishes such as char-grilled whole sea bream, and Tandoori-barbecued monkfish tail.

Beech Road’s Bar San Juan is almost always bursting at the seams with customers. This unassuming little tapas bar is one of those hidden gems of almost cult-like status that locals just love to recommend. Rightly so.

An authentic Neapolitan-style pizzeria, Double Zero in Chorlton has been lauded as one of the best in the UK.

Serving up Po Boys and great cocktails, Henry C is a cosy neighbourhood bar in Chorlton with a heavy New Orleans influence.

Elektrik is an award-winning independent bar with great coffee and a wide selection of beer, wine and cocktails. They offer a people-pleasing menu of freshly made Italian-style pizza and, er, ‘pizza doughnuts’ (or fried gnocchi with cheese and tomato sauce).

Passionate Keralan-Indian-Brit fusion. A great place to eat can make the back end of nowhere worth visiting – and (largely) Keralan restaurant Amma’s Canteen, on the outskirts of Chorlton, feels like a destination.

The folks at Barbakan have been nose to the grindstone for over 50 years – they were here long before Chorlton became a hip coffee culture destination.

Chapati Cafe is a gem in the tradition of the good-old ‘rice and three’ that every true Mancunian holds dear.

The Beagle is a bustling, eclectic, neighbourhood boozer which has recently replaced its Tex-Mex trash food menu with NYC-style pizza and ice cream sandwiches from local indie Nell’s Pizza. 

“Music is in our blood” proclaim the team behind Dulcimer, the Chorlton bar named after a funkily shaped hammer-struck string instrument, whose moniker, in turn, comes from the Latin for sweet melody.

Mary & Archie Chorlton is a well-loved neighbourhood cafe bar, sourcing the best local ingredients for their famous ‘all-day’ brunch menu.

While the city centre Font Bar is often typecast as ‘that student place with the really cheap cocktails’, The Font Chorlton is like a more sophisticated older sibling who’s just got back from a year or two backpacking around the world. Yes, their Happy Hour is resplendent with two-for-one dayglo cocktails, and they have a dazzling array of beers, but there’s more.

Tea Hive is a quaint little cafe celebrating the nation’s favourite cuppa, and cake, lots of cake. As you’d expect, aside from good old English brekkie, there are Kilner jars full of loose leaf tea in all manner of strains. There’s coffee too, and they recently launched an inventive little cocktail menu utilising their house brews. Think espresso martinis with Origin Coffee Roasters’ coffee, black chai white Russians and Earl Grey gin fizzes.

The name is a reference to the fact that South Koreans are statistically one of the biggest consumers of spirits in the world – ahead of Russia, the US and even us reprobates in the UK. The Thirsty Korean brings this distinct drinking culture to Chorlton – but it’s a lot less boozy than you might imagine from those stats.