Suburban stars: 25 top neighbourhood restaurants near Manchester

Once a stall at Levy Market, then a pop-up pizzeria above Fred’s Ale House, Cibus took baby steps to get to where it is today; a fully-fledged and much-praised Italian restaurant and bar on Levenshulme high street, and the winner of The Good Food Guide’s award for Best Local Restaurant North West 2024.

When a fish restaurant has the local fishmonger behind it, you can bet that those scallops were sitting in their shells until very recently. And when the chef has a stint at Whitstable’s award-winning The Sportsman under his apron strings, then you are in for a treat.

The Fisherman’s Table is in Marple so that fisherman must have a long commute. It’s over 40 miles to the seaside. Nevertheless, this is some of the freshest fish you’ll eat.

Piccolino Grande Wilmslow is an elegant and glamorous restaurant with an airy open-plan design, a Tuscan terrace and luxurious furnishings. Service is excellent and a meal here always feels special.

Zen Sushiya is a delightful Japanese restaurant specialising in sushi. It’s a charming place, with helpful staff dressed in traditional kimonos and the sushi is exquisite.

Namaste Nepal on West Didsbury’s Burton Road is a relaxed Nepalese spot that is the definition of a much-loved neighbourhood restaurant.

Rigatoni’s is a bustling 25-seater Southern Italian pasta kitchen at the top of Shaws Road in Altrincham. Their rotating blackboard menu combines both their deep-rooted southern Italian heritage and their own creativity. They say that their simple pledge is to put their hearts and minds into every plate they serve.

Alfredo’s Social is a buzzy bar and restaurant in the parade of independents on Little Underbank in Stockport town centre. It’s a charming location and Alfredo’s Social is the most charming of them all, housed in the historic Grade II listed Winter’s building.

Beech Road’s Bar San Juan is almost always bursting at the seams with customers. This unassuming little tapas bar is one of those hidden gems of almost cult-like status that locals just love to recommend. Rightly so.

The ‘Burbs is exactly the sort of informal neighbourhood spot you want round the corner from your house.

Fold Bistro and Bottle Shop is a new addition to the foodie scene in Marple Bridge, and has already gained a reputation as a must-visit spot in the town.

Gaijin Dumpling House is a hidden gem in the heart of Levenshulme’s main strip, serving authentic halal-friendly East Asian dishes.

GupShup serves food from across India in a setting of laid-back luxury; this is Hale, after all. The menu is relatively small for an Indian restaurant, but it focuses on serving up a taste of the whole country, from the Himalayan Foothills to the Great Trunk Road, and getting the flavours spot on. Quality not quantity. In amongst mentions of Rajasthan and Lucknow, you’ll find Delchester noted as the origin of an excellent tikka pie. It’s a great cross-cultural dish and guaranteed to raise a smile.

Indian Tiffin Room Cheadle was one of the first local places to step away from the typical menu of the average flock wallpapered curry house and focus instead on Indian street food.

Isca is a natural wine bar and shop on an unassuming street in Levenshulme, brought to you by Caroline Dubois (sommelier at Where The Light Gets In) and Isobel Jenkins (Seasons Eatings supper club).

The Jane Eyre Chorlton is a neighbourhood restaurant and cocktail bar on Beech Road, Chorlton’s most charming street. This offshoot of the Ancoats original has fitted in nicely to its location which has been home to some of Chorlton’s best restaurants over the years – and a few short-lived mistakes. The Jane Eyre is definitely in the former camp.

Many of us are familiar with the vibrant cuisines of Vietnam and Thailand but Cambodian, or Khmer, food is still relatively unexplored territory in the UK. Kambuja in Marple is one of the country’s few dedicated Cambodian restaurants – and it’s a good one. It received rave reviews in the national press when it opened in 2017 under its former name of Angkor Soul.

Forget gimmicks like conveyor belts and colour-coded plates, miniature plastic fish filled with soy sauce and California rolls – if it’s authentic sushi and high-quality Japanese food you crave, you need to head to Withington and the family-run Kyotoya restaurant.

Ornella’s Kitchen is owned and operated by Ornella Cancila, who was born in Castel Di Tusa on Sicily’s north coast and later moved to Bologna at the age of 19. With her extensive experience and deep roots in traditional Italian cooking, Ornella has created a menu that truly captures the essence of Italian cuisine.

OSMA is a contraction of Oslo and Manchester, the home cities of its two owners. However this portmanteau is even more well-travelled than that. Ingredients are local, lunches are Scandinavian and evening meals are an ever-changing roster of small plates from further afield.

2023 new opening Owen’s Kitchen and Bar has fast become part of the furniture in Urmston, almost like it was always there.  

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.

Translating into “snack”, Petisco (pronounced “pe-tea-sh-co”) is much more than a bowl of nuts, serving up a variety of small plates inspired by the casual neighbourhood eateries of Portugal.

Spanish small plates and a menu that really delivers. Porta Altrincham might be another tapas place – but this one is a smash hit serving excellent food and fine wines.

Restaurant Örme is a small fine-dining restaurant situated on an inconspicuous street in Urmston. But don’t be fooled by its humble size and location – this is a restaurant that means business.

Stretford Canteen, on Chester Road at the front of Stretford Mall, is a beloved local restaurant known for its classic French and traditional British cuisine.

Volta is owned by Luke ‘Unabomber’ Cowdrey and Justin Crawford – the DJ-restauranteur duo behind Chorlton’s Electrik bar, the Electrik Chair club night, and Refuge by Volta in Manchester city centre’s Kimpton Clocktower Hotel. 

Fans of Vietnamese food are advised to travel to Northenden to check out local favourite Viet Guy. This family-run independent is proof that you don’t need a city centre patch and a big marketing budget to create a buzz about your restaurant. Fantastic food, fair prices, and consistency work just as well.