Top 30 Best Gourmet restaurants in Manchester

“I was working in the area, ordered as it was the nearest pizza place to my hotel. I eat a LOT of pizza from all over the UK, but this was outstanding!! Packed with toppings and heaps of cheese. Just wish I lived nearer!!!”

“Top one. One of the best Italian restaurants I have ever been; very tasty and fresh foods, interesting bar with really good choices of drinks , friendly staff (owners), nice and cosy place. Highly recommended. I will be back soon!!”

“We had an amazing experience...it was my husbands birthday and Roberto and staff went above and beyond . Great food...entertainment by Victor Haynes....amazing singer...we had the best time. Please visit Icons ....you won't be disappointed ...thankyou xx”

“Myself and my partner took my parents here on Saturday night when they had come up to visit. It was a fairly last minute booking so the only time available was 8.30pm but it was so worth it. We arrived a little early and it was very busy! There was a large group leaving and there were another large group sat down at the table. We were told we could wait at the bar and order a drink. The man at the bar was lovely, though clearly very busy dealing with drinks orders for tables as well as the 6 people standing at the bar, but we were happy to wait. By the time our drinks orders were done a table was ready and we were taken to be seated. Every member of staff was a delight in there. And the food? AMAZING. As we finished up our meal the chef came out to ask how our meal was. What a lovely guy! We had a little chat with him before leaving. As we left and got in a cab the chef came running out with my dad's phone and glasses he left at the table. Can't wait to go back. So glad we booked here.”

“Well having seen plenty of attempts by many to pretend to be an Italian restaurant we finally have one !!!!……. Here in Hale. Delicious food home cooked and the restaurant owned by the chef, his mother in the kitchen and his wife front of house. Kid yourself no more this is the real deal and delicious- a must try !!!!”

“We went for the first time on Saturday night..... Frenjabi is so good that we booked for NYE there and then, the food is incredible and no hesitation in recommending you all go. NYE has an amazing menu and 1st class entertainment planned.”

“We were in the area and booked last minute for Sunday lunch. We were recieved with a warm welcome, and the staff were friendly and attentive. The Sunday menu has a fabulous options from a variety cuisines. The food was excellent, a 10/10 per course. I will definitely return. Thank you.”

“I don't think they deliver, but it's worth collecting from as it's a very friendly, welcoming, nice place. I've ordered for pick up quite afew times and the food's ready not long after I arrive. This is a top Indian restaurant, I always order knowing the food will be top quality because they never let us down. It's always clean, it can get very busy during the bank holidays. There is parking at the back of Sainsbury's.”

“The food was out of this world! Lived beyond the expectations. Quick service and polite staff.”

“As ever with Hawksmoor, fabulous steak. This experience was really great to us thanks to Benedicts amazing service. Knowledgeable about anything on the menu and a pleasure to be served by. Always order the sticky toffee pudding. Trust me.”

“Lovely restaurant- really well prepared, thoughtfully cooked food. I’ve been twice now in August 2022, the quality is consistent - really nice taste to everything. Just a little pricey (it is Hale I suppose).”

“Went to Cotto to celebrate friend birthday, they made us really feel welcome since the moment of the arrival.Service was pleasant and really skilled.Whats more all the food were tasty and well presented from the starter to the dessert. Definitely will be back.”

“My partner and I had a wonderful evening at Borage. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming and Veronika runs the dining room with warmth and efficiency. The food is superb with first class flavours and presentation accompanied by excellent wine. All of this at incredibly affordable prices makes it an experience not to be missed! Congratulations to the whole team!!”

“Definitely recommend the curry half rice and chips xx staff are one of the nicest you will meet. Becoming a regular as its so so good x absolutely good value for money and really tasty xx”

“Fabulous food and service, full restaurant with pretty much one waitress who did a sterling job and kept everyone happy, no delays prompt service. Outstanding food had 3 courses and all fabulous. Nutella crumble for dessert absolutely delicious! Will be back soon!”

“We had our wedding at Park Manor and the day went perfectly - all down to Parag and the staff. Parag is very attentive to detail - much so that he had to rearrange the table settings which the venue dresser I hired for the day left in such a mess. The food was beautiful as always and Parag made everything so easy and relaxed for us and our guests on our special day. We have visited the restaurant on several occasions, mostly to celebrate a special day - as we are always guaranteed excellent food and lovely service. Mr & Mrs Snowdon-Gill”

“Went to Rokka for Mothers Day lunch. Lovely food, nice atmosphere, staff were friendly and welcoming. Would definitely recommend.”

“Bought a Groupon. Lovely meal couldn't fault it for the price and especially the free Limoncelo. Staff were lovely and friendly. Our first visit and would come back”

“Just tried the Vegan option - this pizza is to die for! the pizza bases are made on site and are far superior to the big name pizza operators - honestly the best pizza I’ve ever had!!!”

“Superb food, great dining experience and friendly staff. Never had a bad experience. All the staff are very welcoming and remember faces which is always a nice touch. Two of my favourite menu items (Rabbit starter and Beef Short Rib Starter) have been removed, but you are still inundated with choice. Servings are also great for an Italian. When you are inside, you actually forget that you are in Oldham. Highly recommended.”

“This is the best italian restaurant in the area. The service is fab and the food. Most of the staff have been there a long time which shows they are treated right. One of the staff members stands out, Claire she is super friendly and fantastic at her job, thank you for always making us feel welcome.”

“Love this place amazing food and great host family run so friendly and welcomeing. Highly recommended”

“We visited Jafra last week after walking past it several times. Menu is easy with many options. We had the 5-item Mezze which came with warm bread. This was amazing as a starter and we kept this as a side whilst having mains. For main, we had the Mixed Grill- nice and tender meat. We also tried Manakeesh which is a Palestinian bakery item. We haven't tried anything similar before, taste was a bit overpowering but it was a new experience nevertheless. The atmosphere inside was great, expect local Palestinian music. Service was great start to finish. Food didn't take long to arrive. I would highly recommend Jafra, and I'd go back again.”

“Excellent food and service. The restaurant has a good, relaxed atmosphere and a good ambience. The quality of food is matched by the quality of service. I will definitely be visiting again.”

“What can I say? Incredible doesn't quite cover it. My niece and I went yesterday as a treat for her 30th birthday. We were greeted with a smile, the door opened for us, and promptly taken up to homage on the mezzanine level above the glorious and very impressive restaurant. We were seated in the most exquisite room, and both felt very special indeed. Our jackets were taken and hung, the menu's described to us. We each ordered a cocktail to start, and these were delicious . Amy had the special cocktail of the day which was aptly called lovely lady ( very fitting for my niece) and I really wanted something with an almond flavour, so one was created for me, very impressive. We then ordered our cheeses, 3 to start, and we paired these with wine. We followed this with even more of the extensive cheese selection. Again paired with wine. Each cheese has a chutney alongside it to pair with the flavour of the cheese. Some little bread roll, and some biscuits that basically melted in your mouth. I even had a dessert which was incredible, unfortunately I cannot remember the name of this, but it was a little like a creme brulle, with tonka bean flavour ( similar to vanilla) it had the perfect combination of sweet and salty. The room we were in was absolute luxury. There was relaxing background music, candlelight everywhere, very comfortable chairs, an extremely intimate feeling to it. We literally had the room to ourselves which made it feel even more special. The bathroom is situated on the same floor which is great. Last but by no means least , Michael was our incredible host, very knowledgeable about every wine and cheese, extremely professional, attentive and I would say an absolute asset to Wood. Thank you Michael for making our visit so memorable and special. I would highly recommend homage at Wood. You will not be disappointed.”

“I don't know why I travel all the way into Manchester City Centre when there are local places like this!! This place is a hidden gem! My friend ordered the potato kibbeh - these were small and delightful with a thin crusty texture on the outside and the mashed potato and lamb mince on the inside. I ordered the sucuk, thin slices of a spicy beef sausage - the flavours were strong and moreish. These were served with a basket of homemade white flatbread which were incredibly fresh and soft - they were pitta shaped but were fluffy and pillowy, not the hard dry white stuff you get in supermarkets! The waiter assured us that there was always plenty of bread available and sure enough we had another basket of lovely bread with our main courses. We both ordered the Chef's Mix which were skewers of charcoal grilled marinated meats - chicken, minced lamb and lamb shish pieces, served on a bed of onions and parsley and a chilli sauce.We also ordered a mudjadara rice between us as a side dish - a mix of lentils and rice cooked in spices and topped with crispy fried leeks. Yummy. We both agreed that although the flavour profile of the meats were quite similar to other nearby places (e.g. Turkish restaurants), the seasoning was better balanced here and most importantly, the cooking of the meat was excellent. Here, the chicken was succulent and tender, not dry and hard, and overall it looks like they know when to take it off the grill! At other places the charcoal grilling has left the meat hard and burnt at the edges with a bitterness - here everything was cooked just right. Although we were stuffed and were only considering an Arabic coffee, we both encouraged each other to go for a dessert. Unfortunately my friend's Halwa wasn't available so he joined me in a Muhallebia. Now normally I'm not one to bother with a dessert - I prefer crisps to chocolates and would rather have starter and main instead of main and dessert! And we were already incredibly stuffed! But this dessert blew my mind - a delicious milky pudding, not too dissimilar to a panna cotta but fluffier and less silky in texture. However, the flavours - wow the sweet vanilla with a tint of rose water, it was truly heaven and I haven't felt that way about any dessert for years! Garnished with chopped pistachios, this was for me the surprise star of the meal! Followed by strong and fragrant Arabic coffee, it was a fantastic end to a great dining experience. The service was friendly and attentive throughout, and I thought the decor, lighting and music was just perfect for the place. I highly recommend this place - it's small and relaxed and deserves attention. I hope it keeps these high standards up as I definitely want to come back and try the other offerings (and the Muhallebia again!).”

“Visited following a recommendation and it didn't disappoint. Food was really lovely, service was great, had a great evening. Weve booked to come back for my husband's birthday in Jan, can't wait!”

“Beautiful restaurant, brilliant service and great food, thank you - Maria was amazing and she loved our singing”

“This was my second visit, and this time I decided to try the Kinoko Ramen. Even though it only contained veggies, the broth was rich and scrumptious. The shiitake mushrooms and tomatoes were not just cooked in the soup but also marinated and grilled, which add intensity and complexity to the flavor. Overall, I have no regrets about coming back to this restaurant and I am already hyped to go again.”