Food to fall in love over: 20 great date night restaurants in Manchester

San Carlo is perhaps Manchester’s most celebrated restaurant with a chic Italian style that’s always in fashion. Knockout seafood, 10/10 service and the finest, freshest produce mean San Carlo is a top choice when it comes to impressing.

If you think a pub isn’t romantic, you’ve never been to The Black Friar. From the snuggly traditional inn to its modern and airy restaurant counterpart, The Black Friar is a versatile date spot. It mixes warmth, style and a dedication to great British ingredients.

KAJI showcases contemporary Asian cooking with an emphasis on live-fire cooking. It’s moody, dramatic and sexy as hell with a soundtrack that makes it feel like a real night out, not just dinner.

Wing’s is the city’s most exclusive Chinese restaurant with a wine list to match. If you feel seafood and steak is a bit, you know, obvious, why not plan a date with dim sum? The dishes here have a stellar reputation. We love the sui mai.

Lock 84 is the canalside restaurant and bar inside four-star hotel The Reach so you can match up a romantic dinner with a night away. With its preference for locally-sourced ingredients and chic, characterful design, a meal here is always a good bet.

Loom & Ladle Bistro is the restaurant in Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly. It’s a place where Manchester’s heritage and passion for food come together. The restaurant serves classic dishes made with fresh, local ingredients. Add extra romance to your date by booking an overnight stay.

20 Stories is a big romantic gesture of a date with sweeping vistas, beautiful people and quality food. Flavours play it safe but sometimes you just want to share a lobster with your other half, not a chemistry experiment.

Chotto Matte brings more high-rise, high-glam energy to Manchester. With stunning city views and swish Nikkei cuisine, it’s a place to see and be seen with instagrammable small plates bedecked with tiny flowers and chic cocktails.

Stay local for low-key dates and you’ll have a more chilled out evening. Canteena Bar & Grill is a Sale favourite that specialists in steak and other crowd-pleasing classics that won’t break the bank.

Pip is a relaxed place for a date with a slightly twee charm. The food is outstanding and there’s a sense of comfort and well-being which is an underrated part of the whole romantic restaurant experience. Dinner for two – for people not posers.

If date night excitement has got you all aflutter, you’ll certainly feel like your head is in the clouds at Climat. This sky-high dining spot combines amazing city views with superlative food and impeccable service. I absolutely love this place.

Fumo is the choice when you want a date that’s a little bit more dynamic than plain and simple dining. The Italian food is very good – this restaurant has a reputation for its charcoal-grilled steaks – but Fumo is also renowned for its vibrant atmosphere.

Hawksmoor is renowned for its steak and the oysters are pretty damn good too. If that’s not too much of a cliche romance-wise, this classic restaurant is perfect for carnivorous assignations.

Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar is a low-key date night option but it’s in the Michelin Guide so you’re certainly not slumming it. The excellent Greek wine list and the meze plates make for a relaxed yet romantic evening.

Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay gets the balance right. It’s fancy enough to be special but casual enough to be enjoyable. It’s a great date if you’re happy using chopsticks in public.

Mana pushes boundaries of culinary invention, justifying its Michelin star, Manchester’s first of the modern era. For food lovers, this is the ultimate place to book a table.

Skof is the first restaurant from chef Tom Barnes who, as head chef at Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume, helped it win its third Michelin star. In February 2025, he secured a Michelin star for Skof. It’s a restaurant for impressing but there’s also a gentleness to the experience.

Tucked under the railway arches, The Sparrows looks industrial from the outside but once through the door it’s like a cocoon of loveliness. This one’s a personal favourite.

With twinkling lights and a French bistro vibe, TNQ is the Northern Quarter’s most romantic dinner destination.

If you’re after gutsy, classic cooking with plenty of heart (see what we did there) then Winsome is the ideal date night restaurant.