Almost all the winners of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards 2026
By Sarah Tierney
Published 27 January, 2026
The Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards were announced last night at a big do somewhere or other that I wasn’t invited to. Oh well. I’m happy to see that the winners are almost all on Confidential Guides already – with only two embarrassing omissions: Rack in the Arndale Food Market, which won Food Trader of the Year. (We’ll be heading down there to try their doorstopper sandwiches asap).
And Rustica in the NQ, which, shockingly, I haven’t written about yet despite it playing a major role in keeping me fed over the years. How it got missed in our Sandwich Shop Guide, I don’t know. (Confession: it was on the list but I ran out of time). The team there deservedly won the Howard and Ruth Award for Outstanding Achievement. It’s not easy keeping a business running in the Northern Quarter nowadays while still keeping your prices at lunch-break level and your portion sizes huge.
The Foodie Neighbourhood of the Year was awarded to, no surprises, Stockport. Take a look at Jo’s guide to this once-mocked, now-envied town here.
To see the rest of the winners and get our thoughts on them including links to scored reviews, read on.
