Top 30 Best Modern restaurants in Manchester

“We went to Terra & Mare on Christmas Day and it was absolutely amazing. I was in charge of booking a restaurant for our family Christmas Day meal. I found Terra & Mare online, and although the reviews were excellent, I was still a little apprehensive because I had never eaten there before and I just wanted everything to be perfect for ourselves and my parents. Well, thanks to all of the amazing staff at the Terra & Mare our Christmas Day was absolutely perfect. From the second that we walked through their doors, you could tell that you were in great hands. They immediately took our jackets and sat us at our table, then within a minute or two they brought us some drinks over. Every single member of staff was so attentive and couldn't do enough for you, and they did it all with a huge smile on their face. There were five of us in our party, and each and every course that we had was absolutely delicious, and there was nothing that you could fault. This was the first time that we had managed to be together as a family at Christmas for three years, so thank you to everyone at the Terra & Mare for helping to make this one absolutely perfect.”

“The suja restaurant makes the best Somalia and East African food in Manchester their is very tasty the is definitely 10+ the place is very clean and most importantly the staff they very friendly and knowledgeable of the food I would definitely recommend all”

“The food surpassed our expectations and the staff were helpful and attentive. The seafood platter was the standout dish for us - definitely worth a visit. Lovely atmosphere too.”

“We brought our friends here who were visiting from Birmingham and everyone was swept away with the quality and authenticity of the food. The service staff were super friendly and the food was delicious. This was our second visit here in the last month and the food is always amazing, top quality and makes you feel like your visiting India. Great for any occasion and always really good value for money. We won't be going anywhere else for Indian food in Trafford!”

“Great location with ample parking, clean and tidy shared spaces for breaks etc. Enjoy working here!”

“Had a great time, very welcoming! Very interesting and would definitely recommend”

“Overwhelmingly positive experience. Got recommended a rare wine from Uruguay that was the best wine I’ve tried. The meat variety and quality is ridiculously good, the waiters keep coming to offer new cuts of meat with a span of minutes until you stop them, and trust me you will. I was there for 2 and a half hours and ate all I could, nobody rushed me and the service is 10/10. I would highly recommend this place either for a date, going out with friends or family. It’s great for any case. I’ll have to fast for a day after this, but worth it!”

“Hidden gem, Great ambience, extremely friendly staff who go above and beyond to make sure that the customer is happy. Amazingly scrumptious food!! Authentic Indian flavours with richness of spices. Would highly recommend . ♥️♥️♥️. Can’t wait to return.”

“Great place to share lovely food and fantastic service. Choose from a large selection on the "set menu", something for everyone. Second time there but it is quickly becoming our go-to curry house. Thank you.”

“Had a veggie brekky, was top notch. Served with hot filtered coffee straight away and the breakfast was nice and fresh. Offered condiments and ongoing customer service while eating. Pictures of meal below cost me £4.50 including my tea/coffee. Staff, food and environment were good. Defo recommend. My second review, come here regularly now.”

“Wow. What a great find. Excellent food and v v friendly service. Great collection of dishes and decor is very classy. Shout ou lt to Adam. Ty so v much”

“Wonderful authentic Greek food, amazing taste, huge portions, quick and friendly service. Don't tell anybody, otherwise it will get too crowded :-)”

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

“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.”

“We were there to celebrate our daughter's 40th birthday. The food is lovely and fresh. Great staff who served us. Will definitely be visiting there again Thank you so much!”

“Thanks Luganas for making my birthday special. Perfect food. Staff very attentive. Really enjoyed it. First time for us at this restaurant and we will definitely go back again. My grandson said his pizza was the best he has ever had. X I don’t often do reviews but felt it was so good I thought I’d tell people. Thanks Elaine”

“Had a wonderful time at the September pop-up event, every course was absolutely delicious and presented beautifully. The menu was full of tasty ingredients from start to finish and we can’t wait to try more dishes! Laurie is obviously a talented chef and the serving team were lovely too. Great atmosphere in a cool venue. Highly recommended!”

“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.”

“Great stay at the Cornerstones guest house. Spotlessly clean room - nice decor and loads of space. Had all the comforts I needed including a hairdryer. Lovely big bathroom, excellent shower and loads of space to put all my bits and pieces out. Free parking included. Lovely welcome and top notch host. Excellent vale for money.”

“Absolutely amazing food. Ordered online, took about 30 mins if that, turned up hot and we received everything we ordered, plus free poppadoms and pickles. Paneer madras was the best I've ever had and the lamb naga was also amazing. Definitely recommend.”

“Lovely food, well cooked. We've been 3 times and always been great”

“I went here last night with my friend.Its a lovely place very welcoming and spotlessly clean.nice deco.the food was lovely presented and nice and hot.I would definitely recommend and book to avoid disappointment.also the young waitress was so polite and pleasant”

“Really nice, a bit busy as it was the last day of 50% off, food and atmosphere great. Female server forgot about us and didn't bring us our wine but it was busy. We will go again”

“A triple celebration found us heading for the Taverna. Although we had not booked ahead, the staff kindly accommodated us. The atmosphere was buzzing! Several languages could be heard amongst the diners. The food was divine and the selection of Armenian wines etc interesting. Look forward to returning.”

“As an Asian myself, I’m very picky and wary about Asian food outside of Asia, I often find them unauthentic and a bit bland but definitely not this restaurant. I have been here many times and the food has never disappointed me. Green curry here tastes better than most of Thai restaurants I have been to in Asia and in the UK, has such a deep flavour in it. Mixed starters are delicious with proper Asian dipping sauce. The members of staff are nice and friendly, especially May, I like her, she’s such an enthusiastic waitress. I will always come back and introduce this restaurant to all of my friends xx”

“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!).”

“Fabulous food, we were a party of four, we all ordered different food, it was all equally delicious. Wonderful, attentive service from a family business. Was great that we could bring our own wine. Would highly recommend”