Room for more: Private dining rooms perfect for Christmas parties

Manchester’s highest – and possibly finest – restaurant, bar and terrace. D&D London’s flagship Manchester restaurant, 20 Stories was the opening of 2018. Floor to ceiling windows (and a huge, outdoor terrace, the same size as the entire restaurant floor), afford breathtaking views of the city and surrounding countryside, while the menu offers modern British, seasonal dishes. 

Albert’s Didsbury always has a buzz about it. OK, so you won’t get the best food in the world but if you are after a meal that is more about meeting up with friends than molecular gastronomy, Albert’s usually gets it spot on. There’s a menu full of crowd-pleasers, great service and decent cocktails all in pleasant surroundings.

You know Annyeong is a proper Korean restaurant because the menu is full of dishes you’ve never heard of and they’re all written in Hangul as well as in a Westernised rendition.

That makes it all the more exciting. That and the fact you get to cook your own BBQ dishes. Punter participation is always fun.

Service is full of genuine smiles – and tips for those who want to cook their own Korean-style rib-eye steak but don’t know where to start.

As well BBQ dishes like thin sliced ox tongue or pork belly which you self-sear and sizzle in hot plates in the middle of the table along with other ingredients like some cheeky little sauces, Annyeong also serves up small plates, noodle dishes and traditional hot pots.

Modern Indian restaurants come with their own USPs such as street food, home cooking and regionally-specific cuisine. Asha’s, near the library end of Peter Street, has decided to go high-end with proper posh Rogan Josh nosh.

Banyan in Manchester’s Corn Exchange has something for everyone and one of the best outdoor drinking and dining spots in the city.

The Black Friar stood empty and unloved for almost 20 years before reopening in summer 2021 after a substantial renovation project. Now a modern British restaurant and a traditional pub, it has two distinct settings with menus to match.

Chez Mal Brasserie Manchester sells exactly the sort of European classics you might expect from a well-thought of boutique hotel chain. It’s not exactly full of surprises but everything is executed with a certain flair that doesn’t feel formulaic.

Dakota Grill Manchester is the work of former Malmaison owner, Ken McCollough and it is as dark-hued and handsome as the successful boutique hotel chain. It’s an inviting place with flickering candlelight, very retro-sexy – sure to be the setting for many a first date.

The focus at Dakota is on steaks which are very good – all grass-fed, 28 day-aged, hand-cut Aberdeenshire beef cooked over hot coals.

Fazenda loosely translates from Portuguese into “big farm”, but think more luxe surroundings than your average barn: dark corners and plenty of wood, yes, but lots of coppery golds, muted brown leather and cowhide upholstery, and cream church candles.

For many people, Argentinian restaurant Gaucho Manchester is the destination in the city for very good steak paired with very good wine. Housed in a converted Methodist church on Deansgate, with an open kitchen, and the original church organ still in-situ, it’s also known as one of Manchester’s best-looking spaces for dining.

Grand Pacific is the work of Living Ventures and it easily outshines its sibling venues in terms of pure glamour. Not in a big chandeliers, glass and chrome Spinningfields way, but with a decadent blend of colonial Raffles-style grandeur and some of the best of the city’s Victorian architecture.

The first Hawksmoor steakhouse outside of London opened on Deansgate in 2015 and is a confident affair. Well sourced steak and attention to detail have created a place like no other.

The Ivy Manchester is an exuberant over-the-top place that’s perfect for glamming up and going out. The décor is wild yet smart and service is smooth and professional. The roof garden is a must.

There’s an abundance about The Ivy with the costumed doorman, and the levels and levels of fun: The Ivy Asia; The Brasserie; The Ivy Roof Garden; the lurid floors; the lacquered screens; the mirrored central bar. It all adds up to a sense of occasion, a place where dining out is something special, something to dress up for.

Part of the King Street Townhouse hotel, with its luxe bedrooms and rooftop terrace boasting infinity pool and views of the Town Hall, the Tavern is an all-day dining destination that serves British classics and encourages sitting, sipping and socialising at a slow pace.

So named because of Manchester University’s 25 Nobel laureates, The Laureate Restaurant is a large and luxurious space located on one of the higher floors of Manchester’s Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Mamucium is headed up by Chef Andrew Green, formerly of The Lowry Hotel. It may be a hotel restaurant but the cooking has bags of personality and it’s full of breezy Manc confidence.

The food is traditional British fare with the added swagger that comes from knowing you’re using the finest local ingredients.

Pacifica Cantonese in Eccles is an old-school Chinese restaurant with lurid neon signage. It’s not trying to be slavishly authentic but it is fun: a real crowd-pleaser of a place with sticky sweet sauces, crispy duck and pancakes and all the other trappings of a popular Chinese restaurant.

The Japanese word MUSU translates as ‘infinite possibilities’ and while Chef Patron Michael Shaw’s quartet of menus may not be infinite they are certainly unique for Manchester at least. With a combination of Japanese and more locally-sourced ingredients, the guest is invited to choose the way they prefer to dine at MUSU.

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.

The River Restaurant at The Lowry Hotel is Manchester’s classic fine dining restaurant. Huge names that have run the kitchen include Marco Pierre White, while diners have included Jose Mourinho and Kylie.

Bright and airy, with white and pale sage tiles, dusky pink and gold rose barstools and booths, and even a private dining room – Salvi’s Deansgate Square brings a breath of fresh air to one of Manchester’s most famous and favourite restaurant brands.

San Carlo is Manchester’s most famous and, some say, best Italian restaurant. Run by the Distefano family, it’s said to have one of the largest turnovers in the UK. It’s also the place to be papped and you’ll sometimes see a bank of photographers outside to prove the point.