15 family-friendly restaurants in Manchester City Centre

Almost Famous Manchester Great Northern is a local legend. It’s OTT in every way. It’s brash, bold and doesn’t seem to care about pissing people off. None of that attention-grabbing means a thing if the burgers aren’t worth the hype. But they are. Almost Famous is the original dirty burger guru and it is by far the best.

Bill’s has come a long way since it was a market café. The family business is now a sizeable chain but in Bill’s Manchester at least, you’ll still find a warm welcome, some pretty special specials and a crowd-pleasing selection of dishes that sometimes manage to deliver rather punchy flavours. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Döner Haus brings Berlin Kebabs (or kebaps as they’re known) to the Corn Exchange. The menu is supplemented with platters, schnitzel and bratwurst dishes, plus salads if you must.

There’s a bit of a 70s motorway services vibe going on at Döner Haus, all tan leather banquette seating and lots of brown. It looks good nevertheless and the food looks great, or as great as doner meat, flatbread and their various accoutrements ever can look.

A National Fish & Chip Award winner, the Manchester street food heroes opened up their first bricks ‘n’ mortar outlet in trendy Ancoats late in 2018, following a hard fought crowdfunding campaign. A kicked-back dining experience with proper comfort food, cool artwork and a cracking soundtrack, the HHCS collective have reworked the national dish with inventive additions like Jerk batter, Louisiana spiced crab cakes and their chilli battered sausage. Obviously the traditional fish ‘n’ chips are bang on too, livened up by their trademark flavoured salts and vinegars.

One of Manchester’s flagship buildings, HOME is many things including cinema, theatre, art gallery and, of most interest to Confidential Guides, a restaurant and bar. In fact, make that a restaurant and two bars.

Kala describes itself as a humble bistro but humility is not usually a word associated with Gary Usher, the chef behind the Elite Bistros group. Having said that, perhaps the social media motormouth has every reason to feel pretty darn perky. Some very well-regarded chefs have only good things to say about him, such as former boss, Angela Hartnett, and the supposed ‘humble bistro food’ at Kala is elegant and impressive. It’s more fine dining than simple fodder, that’s for sure.

The dishes sound simple but they have a flair and a verve that can’t fail to delight. Expect starters such as baked goat’s cheese with purple carrots and smoked garlic or crispy pig’s head croquette. Typical mains range from miso glazed squash to pan-roasted cod with curry and almond sauce but the rightly famous featherblade of beef is a mainstay.

This Brooklyn-style pizza joint was born out of a love of using the best ingredients with care and attention. Nell’s is known for its 22-inch pizzas with fresh, crisp bases and toppings that range from bright and fresh to classic and meaty.

Purveyor of healthy and often vegan Indian street food and home cooking, former barrister Nisha Katona’s Corn Exchange Mowgli was the second after launching on Liverpool’s Bold Street in October 2014, so this is Manchester’s original branch and technically pre-chain.

Winning small plate fusion in an iconic and glamorous setting. Housed in Manchester’s iconic The Refuge Assurance Company dating back to 1858, this DJ-run restaurant and bar is large and sassy.

Scene was one of the first of the new wave of Indian restaurants that left the flock wallpaper and the dodgy neon behind to offer street food and authentic cooking. It’s still got it. Inside, it’s cool and contemporary but still casual, outside there’s a large terrace. The cocktail menu has been thought about carefully and the menu is full of the sort of real Indian food we’ve come to expect from our curry houses.

Sixes Social Cricket opened in the Corn Exchange in August 2021, bringing a different kind of sporting experience to Manchester City Centre. Already a popular concept down south, Manchester might not be quite as bowled over with Cricket as it is with football, but don’t let that stop you.

Tampopo Albert Square is the original venue in this Manchester-born chain from restaurateur David Fox. It was here that they devised and tweaked their winning formula of fast, fresh and affordable East Asian food served in an informal, canteen-style environment, ideal for quick lunches or evening meals with groups of friends.

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.