Take a bao: The best Chinese restaurants in Manchester

Lincoln Square’s traditional Cantonese restaurant Wing’s has been an institution in the city centre since 2004, when it first found fame through the patronage of Premier League footballers.

It takes more than famous names to keep a restaurant thriving though – and it’s testament to the consistency and quality of the upmarket British-Cantonese food that Wing’s is still going strong 20 years later.

Azuma Manchester is both a Chinese restaurant known for its hot pots, and a Korean restaurant known for its cook-it-yourself grills. It’s yin and yang, if you like. But whichever version of Azuma you’re here for, you’ll find it packed out.

Whether it’s go-hot-or-go-home Chinese fare you’re after or something a little less tastebud blowing, Ancoats indie Blue Eyed Panda delivers on both fronts. While from the outside, the restaurant doesn’t look like much, there’s nothing bland about the food, which has tons of kerb appeal – and packs plenty of flavour to boot.

If you need a culinary lift to the spirits, the triple roasted meats at Happy Seasons in Chinatown will do the trick. This trio of char siu, crispy belly pork and roasted duck, served over egg fried rice, is one of the reasons you see queues out of the door at this Cantonese restaurant.

Harcourt is a Hong Kong-inspired pub on Altrincham’s main drag, Stamford Road. Opened by two Hong Kong couples in 2023 after they moved to the area, it’s become a popular spot for the town’s growing Chinese community and Alty’s pub-lovers alike.

Home Chinese sits on the edge of the Gay Village on Chorlton Street and prides itself on serving authentic Chinese cuisine including dim sum, Szechuan and Cantonese dishes.

Hong Thai’s small army of fans were at a loss in November 2023 when a fire meant their favourite Arndale Food Market lunch spot had to permanently closed. But come summer 2024, they were smiling once more. Hong Thai was back in business – this time in its own standalone restaurant on Oldham Road.

Cantonese and contemporary, Little Yang Sing has a relaxed feel in otherwise bustling Chinatown. It’s popular for its dim sum, and offers much for the plant-based palate along with a proper wine list. .

Mei Dim by name, dim sum by nature. If it’s the Cantonese version of small plates you’re after, look no further than this basement Chinatown establishment, where bite-sized brunch or lunch dishes in the form of dumplings and buns are proclaimed the best in Manchester.

One Plus is all about the plus; there’s nothing singular about a restaurant that serves hand-made noodles in the basement, that has a section devoted to Chinese BBQ and also, China’s answer to Yo! Sushi – a conveyor belt of comestibles that you drop into a pan of hot broth built in to your table and get cooking. Perhaps the singular thing about it is it’s almost a one-of-a-kind. There may be a similar outpost in that there London but that is all the competition there is.

This 2023 addition to George Street has already secured a place as one of the most popular restaurants in Chinatown. Spread across two floors, Only Yu is lively even at lunchtime, thanks to friendly service and well-executed Chinese food.

Sakura is a small, unassuming place in a parade of shops in Salford, more Chinese cafe than restaurant with the decor only one step up from a takeaway. But all the love goes into the food with broths and beef brisket slow-cooked for hours into rich, layered bowls of flavour.

Located in the heart of the Spinningfields business district, Tattu Manchester is an Instagrammer’s dream. Think penumbral lighting, body art-inspired cocktails and a full-size cherry blossom tree with hand-sewn silk petals. You’d be forgiven for expecting such opulent surroundings to outshine the food. Not so.

Tai Wu on Upper Brook Street has a slightly unprepossessing exterior – it sits above W.H. Lung’s cash and carry in a building that is pure industrial estate chic. Despite that, it’s always packed – even on a midweek lunchtime. The (predominantly Chinese) diners know better than to turn their noses up at a perfectly steamed prawn dumpling over a few architectural niceties.

The food at Tai Wu is fantastically good value and the menu is vast. It’s handy for the university but even a Phd student would struggle to eat their way through every dish during the course of their studies – although that may also be down to faint-heartedness at steamed tripe.

Water Lily is not the sort of place you could stumble across by chance. It sits above a parade of takeaways on Chorlton’s Wilbraham Road. From the street, you can’t tell if it’s packed to the rafters or dead as a doornail which puts off passing trade. Fortunately, Water Lily doesn’t rely on walk-ins. Those in the know book ahead for vibrant and colourful Hong Kong cooking.

“Dim sum, roast meats and big plates” promises purpose-built Kampus gaff Yum Cha’s bespoke Insta-friendly neon sign – but there are small plates too, perfect for group sharing, and loads to tempt the veggies and vegans of the party: this menu is sizeable without being scary.