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Top 100 Restaurants In The North

The best of the best

Our Top 100 in the North guide is a ranked list of the very best restaurants in the North of England. The finest produce cooked to absolute perfection with top-notch service and ambiance to boot. Our independent team of food writers and industry leaders rank the top 30 and agree on all of the unranked 31-100 entries. If it’s in here, you want to be in there.

The following restaurants are unranked and randomly ordered.

The sun shining on Maray restaurant on Bold Street, Liverpool city centre.

Maray Bold St

Ropewalks Restaurant - European

Serving irresistible Middle Eastern fusion small plates, Maray is a slow-burning smash hit. Inspired by (and named after) the Middle-Eastern...

A dish served with a glass of wine at Oystercatcher - a seafood restaurant in Chorlton, Manchester.

Oystercatcher

Chorlton Restaurant - European

“Doing lots of little things right” is a definition of perfection. And Oystercatcher - a simple seafood restaurant in Chorlton...

A dish served at Yu Copster Green - an acclaimed Chinese restaurant in the Ribble Valley

Yu Copster Green

Lancashire Restaurant - Chinese

Yu Copster Green (formerly known as Yu and You) is an established, upscale Chinese restaurant serving British favourites and house...

Pavement cafe dining outside Bistrot Verite in Birkdale, Southport

Bistrot Verite

Southport Restaurant - French

Bistrot Verite is a Brittany-influenced bistro with a penchant for fish. Brassy flavours meet seaside standards at this Gallic enclave...

One of the mains served at Old Stamp House - the Michelin star restaurant in Ambleside, the Lake District.

Old Stamp House

Cumbria Restaurant - Modern British

Head to Ambleside's Old Stamp House for regional cooking in a heritage space by one of Cumbria's most promising chefs.

A pub with a view: The White Hart at Lydgate is 700 feet above sea level on the edge of Saddleworth Moor

The White Hart at Lydgate

Lydgate Restaurant - Modern British

The White Hart at Lydgate is a rustic dining pub with an excellent reputation and wine list. Located 700 feet...

The Refuge

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - European

Winning small plate fusion in an iconic and glamorous setting. Housed in Manchester's iconic The Refuge Assurance Company dating back...

Fresh tomato and olives on a Neapolitan-style pizza at Tre Ciccio - an Italian restaurant in Altrincham

Tre Ciccio Altrincham

Altrincham Restaurant - Italian

Translating as ‘three chubby friends’ (a self-effacing reference to owner Francesco Scafuri and a pair of his portly pals from...

One of the dishes served at Andrew Nutter's gastropub Bird At Birtle, on the edge of the Lancashire moors

Bird At Birtle

Heywood Restaurant - British

The big, first-floor window at the rear of Andrew Nutter's Bird At Birtle frames the moors – and this gastropub,...

Inside Hispi bistro in Didsbury - one of Confidential Guides' recommended Manchester restaurants.

Hispi

Didsbury Restaurant - European

Hispi is, quite simply, a great bistro. Fifth in a growing chain of restaurants conceived by Gary Usher, the concept...

One of the colourful dishes served at the Ox Club restaurant in Leeds city centre.

Ox Club

Leeds Restaurant - British

The Ox Club offers sumptuous, grill-based cooked from the Belgrave gang.

Steak at San Carlo - one of the Hot 50 Restaurants in Manchester for March.

San Carlo Manchester

Deansgate Restaurant - Italian

San Carlo is Manchester's most famous and, some say, best Italian restaurant. Run by the Distefano family, it's said to...

A colourful small plate served at Volta in Didsbury: a Confidential Guides' recommended restaurant

Volta

Didsbury Restaurant - European

Volta is owned by Luke ‘Unabomber’ Cowdrey and Justin Crawford - the DJ-restauranteur duo behind Chorlton’s Electrik bar, the Electrik...

The light and airy dining room at Alderley Edge Hotel with its centrepiece: an indoor tree

Alderley Edge Hotel

Alderley Edge Restaurant - Modern British

This new incarnation of the restaurant at the Alderley Edge Hotel delivers good Modern British food in a light, airy...

Inside Bacaro, the Liverpool bar that serves Venetian-inspired small plates

Bacaro

Liverpool City Centre Restaurant - European

Like the backstreet Venetian tapas places which inspired this central Liverpool bar and restaurant, there is something about Salt House...

The River Restaurant

Salford Restaurant - Modern British

The River Restaurant at The Lowry Hotel is Manchester's classic fine dining restaurant. Huge names that have run the kitchen...

Sunset at Australasia in Manchester city centre

Australasia

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - Pan Asian

Pacific Rim fusion fare for the fashion set. The undeniable theatre of the place, the approach of the staff and...

One of the dishes served at Aiden Byrne's gastropub The Church Green in Lymm, Cheshire

The Church Green

Cheshire Restaurant - British

The Church Green is Aiden Byrne's countryside pub where excellent meat comes as standard. Fifty ounce tomahawk, for example, and...

The Allotment Vegan Eatery

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - Vegan

The seeds of Matthew Nutter's fine dining adventure were sown when he set out to "make veg taste better than...

The glass-fronted dining room at The Samling has views of Lake Windermere

The Samling

Cumbria Restaurant - Modern British

The Samling is a delightful lodge and fine-dining restaurant oozing exclusivity. A favourite of Hollywood celebs (like Tom Cruise), it’s...

Inside Albert's Schloss, the Bavarian-inspired cook haus and bier palace in Manchester city centre.

Albert’s Schloss

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - European

Albert's Schloss is a Bavarian-inspired fun palace of extraordinary dimensions and clever design. Behind the glistening tiles of the former...

Fischers Baslow Hall, a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in a manor house in the Peak District

Fischers Baslow Hall

Derbyshire Restaurant - Modern British

Fischers Baslow Hall delivers fine Michelin-starred dining with local foraged aspects in homely, romantic surrounds. Using the fruits of the...

A negroni and passion star martini at Cicchetti

Cicchetti

Deansgate Restaurant - Italian

As the first San Carlo Cicchetti, the Manchester restaurant had a lot to prove on opening in 2011. Over a...

One of the dishes served at Sticky Walnut in Hoole near Chester

Sticky Walnut

Chester Restaurant - European

Located in Hoole, just outside Chester, this contemporary bistro falls under the Elite Bistros empire of chef-turned-restaurateur, Gary Usher. Having...

Rice with a range of chutneys at Tharavadu, the popular Indian restaurant in Leeds city centre.

Tharavadu

Leeds Restaurant - Indian subcontinent

Tharavadu, an unassuming Keralan restaurant, has charmed everyone from celebrities (Andrew Lincoln, Sanju Samson) to the inspectors of the Michelin,...

The private dining room at London Carriage Works

The London Carriage Works

Georgian Quarter Restaurant - Modern British

Born in the early 2000s, The London Carriage Works is Liverpool's original Modern British restaurant. Driven by a passion for...

The homely interior of The Roebuck Inn in Mobberley, Cheshire

The Roebuck Inn

Mobberley Restaurant - British

Multi-award-winning pub in the Cheshire countryside. Winner of countless ‘best pub’ awards, and established in 1708, the latest incarnation of...

A table laden with dishes from Mughli - one of the first Indian restaurants in Manchester to embrace street food.

Mughli

Rusholme Restaurant - Indian subcontinent

Mughli is the contemporary, social media embracing, second generation Curry Mile restaurant that paved the way for the likes of...

Inside the Eagle & Child in Ramsbottom with its views of the Lancashire moors

Eagle & Child

Ramsbottom Restaurant - British

The Eagle & Child is famous for offering excellent Sunday lunches and award-winning pub grub in the hills above Manchester.

The entrance to Prashad restaurant in Bradford, which is known for its vegetarian Indian food

Prashad

Bradford Restaurant - Indian subcontinent

Prashad is a Gordon Ramsay-rated thrill for anyone craving Gujarati vegetarian food. Since starring on Ramsay's Best Restaurant show, the...

Asparagus as served at The Swine That Dines - an inventive restaurant in Leeds city centre

The Swine That Dines

Leeds Restaurant - Modern British

Adventurous cooking at one of Leeds' most respected restaurants. The Swine That Dines is driven by a passion for extremely...

One of the dishes served at Vice & Virtue: A Confidential Guides recommended restaurant in Leeds city centre

Vice & Virtue

Leeds Restaurant - Modern British

At Vice & Virtue, cocktails are a savvy delight, the tasting menus are a sprightly revelation - and it would...

Chef's Table in Chester is the brainchild of local chef Liam McKay

Chef’s Table

Chester Restaurant - European

This independent, 30-cover restaurant in Chester is the brainchild of local chef Liam McKay. Sourcing is a priority at Chef's...

Fresh pasta at Rigatoni's, an Italian restaurant in Manchester.

Rigatoni’s Altrincham

Altrincham Restaurant - Italian

Rigatoni’s is a neighbourhood pasta place serving homemade rigatoni with a variety of sauces. Their trio of venues (in Ancoats,...

Neapolitan-style pizzas being prepared at Rudy's Pizza in Ancoats, Manchester

Rudy’s Pizza Manchester Ancoats

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - Italian

Listed amongst the world’s best pizzerias in international pizza guide, Where To Eat Pizza, Rudy’s Pizza has grown from a...

Outside dining at Porta Altrincham - a tapas restaurant recommended by Confidential Guides

Porta Altrincham

Altrincham Restaurant - European

Spanish small plates and a menu that really delivers. Porta Altrincham might be another tapas place - but this one...

Masons

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - Modern British

Nestled in the Grade II Listed former Freemasons Hall, Masons Restaurant and Bar serves retro fine-dining fare in princely surrounds.

A dish served at Yuzu, a Confidential Guides' recommended Japanese restaurant in Manchester's China Town

Yuzu

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - Japanese

Yuzu is a neighbourhood-style Japanese restaurant offering refreshingly uncomplicated dishes served in Zen-like surroundings. You won’t find a conveyor belt...

The unpretentious interior of Spire restaurant near Liverpool's Penny Lane.

Spire

Mossley Hill Restaurant - European

Spire, a grown-up bistro near Liverpool’s Penny Lane, is the brainchild of chef-patron and award-winning regional ‘Food Hero’ Matt Locke.

A tableful of dishes at Belzan in Liverpool

Belzan

Mossley Hill Restaurant - European

Following punchy reviews in the local and national press, it has been hard to secure a table at Liverpool’s Belzan.

The Angel at Hetton

Skipton Restaurant - British

One of the stars of TV’s The Trip with Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan - and awarded a Michelin star...

Inside Crafthouse, the roof-top restaurant from D&D group in Leeds

Crafthouse

Leeds Restaurant - Modern British

The slick Crafthouse restaurant serves up seasonal British fare from a roof-top perch. It's a D&D group restaurant, and like...

Venison steak at Wood Manchester.

Wood

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - Modern British

The eponymous restaurant of Simon Wood, MasterChef winner and local lad from Oldham, is an accomplished affair. The décor -...

The Pen Factory

Georgian Quarter Restaurant - European

The Pen Factory specialises in bistro food with a mix of main dishes and small plates for sharing. Everything is...

The team responsible for the street food magic served at Indian Tiffin Room Cheadle

Indian Tiffin Room Cheadle

Cheadle Restaurant - Indian subcontinent

Indian Tiffin Room Cheadle was one of the first local places to step away from the typical menu of the...

Tapas at Lunya, a Catalan restaurant and deli in Liverpool.

Lunya

Liverpool City Centre Restaurant - Spanish

World-class Catalan deli and restaurant Lunya is a wonderful place to hang out, with tapas and full-bodied meals on offer....

Asha's Indian Restaurant, Manchester

Asha’s

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - Indian subcontinent

Modern Indian restaurants come with their own USPs such as street food, home cooking and regionally-specific cuisine. Asha’s, near the...

The private dining room at 20 Stories, Manchester.

20 Stories

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - European

Manchester’s highest – and possibly finest – restaurant, bar and terrace. D&D London’s flagship Manchester restaurant, 20 Stories was the...

One of the fine-dining dishes served at James Martin in Manchester city centre.

James Martin

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - British

A fine-dining restaurant inside a casino with a celeb chef name above the door? Alarm bells. Yes, James Martin has...

One of the dishes served at Lily's Indian Vegetarian Cuisine in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Lily’s Indian Vegetarian Cuisine

Ashton-under-Lyne Restaurant - Indian subcontinent

Lily's Indian Vegetarian Cuisine is an unassuming restaurant in Ashton-under-Lyne that happens to serve some of the best South Indian...

A table set for dinner at Instagrammer's paradise Tattu restaurant in Manchester, Spinningfields

Tattu Manchester

Manchester City Centre Restaurant - Chinese

Located in the heart of the Spinningfields business district, Tattu Manchester is an Instagrammer’s dream. Think penumbral lighting, body art-inspired...

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