Race day eats: Where to refuel after the Great Manchester Run

The Blues Kitchen Manchester is the first opening outside the capital for Columbo Group, which also owns the Jazz Cafe chain. And while we always enjoy treating cut-and-paste transplants from London with a healthy dose of scepticism, this one serves Manchester’s food (and music) scene well.

Comptoir Libanais serves up the bold flavours of Lebanon, its fresh and healthy plates providing much to tempt those following plant-based and gluten-free lifestyles. Non-vegetarians needn’t be shy, either, with grilled meats a well-spiced speciality in themselves. 

This Manchester institution was a much-respected destination for Spanish food long before tapas became a common sight in the city centre.

The opening of Ezra & Gil Peter Street in 2021 was greeted with glee by brunch and coffee hunters this side of the city centre. Like their NQ venue, this new place is well-run and well-thought out, with a menu that suits weekend loungers and grab-and-go office workers. 

With five cinemas, two theatres, a bookshop, and over 500 sqm of gallery space, HOME is one of Manchester’s biggest and most dynamic arts venues. 

Manahatta is a New York-inspired cocktail bar on Deansgate. It’s well known for its party atmosphere, great drinks and bottomless brunches. The food menu focuses on American classics like burgers, dogs and BBQ chicken as well as healthier options like the superfood burger and the lean green powerbowl.

The clue’s in the name and My Thai serves up dishes inspired by the street food markets of Bangkok – as bright and vibrant as the bunting-adorned decor in Manchester’s original “shack”, the first after the small chain branched out from Leeds, York and Bradford.

As you might expect from the name, Vietnam’s national dish pho (pronounced “fuh”) is at the heart of the menu here. Just shy of 20 versions of the nutritious and aromatic noodle soup are cooked fresh daily in the Corn Exchange kitchen.

One of two The Real Greek restaurants in Manchester (the other is at the Trafford Centre), The Corn Exchange venue brings Greek and Mediterranean cuisine to the city centre – from the same company that brought Franco Manca pizzas to the north.

Starting out in a no-frills East End caff already called Rosa’s, Khao Kho-born Saiphin dished up authentic Thai flavours with a friendly smile to create a relaxed atmosphere, which now extends nationwide. While it’s suggested that Rosa’s food is best enjoyed as a Thai-style meal where dishes are shared, no one will mind if you order just for yourself.

The second of their city centre venues, Tampopo Manchester Corn Exchange has the same wok-fresh East Asian menu as its older sister on Albert Square, but with a bigger, more style-led setting. Think statement lighting and tiles, splashes of bright colour, and low-lit individual tables instead of the shared bench seating of the original.