HOME

One of Manchester’s flagship buildings, HOME is many things including cinema, theatre, art gallery and, of most interest to Confidential Guides, a restaurant and bar. In fact, make that a restaurant and two bars.

Like at Cornerhouse (HOME’s much-loved previous incarnation on Oxford Road), you’ll find a bar on the ground floor and a restaurant above. The Ground Floor Bar spills out onto a large pavement terrace that existed long before Covid rules made outdoor drinking spaces essential. It’s a popular place to meet, and thanks to the cinema programme, tends to be busy and buzzing even midweek. Food available here includes a good quality range of burgers, poutine, posh kebabs, salads, and pizzas.

Head up the central staircase and you’re in the First Floor Restaurant which manages to combine striking architectural design with a sense of warmth and informality. Get a window seat (the glass curved walls are one of the restaurant’s defining features) and order from a menu best-known for pizzas with inventive toppings such as crab, king prawn and asparagus, and Greek lamb. Hearty salads, Buddha bowls and Sunday roasts are other big draws here.

Go up another level and you’ll find the petite Cinema Bar and roof terrace where you can dissect the art house film you just saw over a couple of negronis or Manhattans.

With everything else going on at HOME, you might imagine that the food and drink would be an afterthought. It’s not: it’s consistently decent. Not spectacular but reliably good.

It’s this, combined with the sleek setting and welcoming atmosphere, that makes HOME a favourite spot for many Mancunians.

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