I will survive: the best hangover food in Manchester

Almost Famous is a legend in its own lunchtime. Manchester’s original purveyor of OTT stacked dirty burgers and in-your-face attitude has now opened a fifth outpost in Withington.

Atlas Bar is known as one of the originals of Manchester’s modern cafe-bar scene. And for its extensive collection of gins – over 570 varieties and counting.

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.

Describing itself as a full-time party bar and part-time pizza parlour, Crazy Pedro’s is hot on super-chilled drinks, from frozen margaritas to ice cold beers. It’s also the place to head if you haven’t settled the Hawaiian-pizza-isn’t-a-real-pizza argument.

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.

The Koffee Pot is a true Mancunian institution, serving up hearty British classics to the people of Manchester. Established in 1978, this café by day and taco bar by night is a beloved local hangout for anyone looking for a satisfying meal and a good time.

Born in Edinburgh and now in Glasgow and Manchester, Maki & Ramen is a high-quality, quick-eats-style place that easily holds its own amongst the plethora of Japanese restaurants that have opened in the city centre recently.

“Banging out killer eats and rare soul beats” seems to have done the trick as, where once there was one lone outpost in the Church Street “market”, now there’s a string of Northern Soul get-ups, each as cheesy as the last – and that, in spatula-brandishing world, is a compliment. 

Rigatoni’s is a neighbourhood pasta place serving homemade rigatoni with a variety of sauces. Their trio of venues (in Ancoats, Altrincham and Exhibition in the city centre) are known for taking humble pasta dishes to another level of flavour. Expect beautiful combinations of fresh ingredients and budget-friendly prices.

Everyone’s heard of NQ backstreet gaff This & That, even if they’ve not actually found it (it’s up the ginnel by Trof’s empty barrels) – renowned for its daily changing “rice and three” meal deal and winning vegan and vegetarian choices, it’s been an institution since 1984.

Trove Marble Street joins the Trove family; a selection of cafes with great bread and coffee that are dotted around Manchester.

This neon-lit, old-school tiled chippy on Cross Street is owned by local couple Trisha and Marcus and has plenty of fans including a few celebrities. There are queues out of the door regularly for their traditional fare done very, very well.

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.