New bar and restaurant openings in Manchester are among the highest in the country, according to some recent stats. It shows that there are some positive green shoots starting to emerge, following the devastation caused by the pandemic.
So with that in mind, these are the best new places to eat in town.
The Butcher
Hailing from Amsterdam, The Butcher landed in Manchester last month, its first location in the UK after successful forays in Berlin and Ibiza. We’re not impoverished when it comes to burger choices in the city, so it was either a brave or foolish move. Luckily, The Butcher pulls it off. These are robust lads, the beef pleasingly aged and sitting proudly in its non-brioche roll like a glistening hockey puck. And because it’s Dutch, the fat fries arrive with mayonnaise, and rightly so. Not merely a burger joint, The Butcher sits in the ‘Urban Playground’ in the Arndale, so once you’ve finished stuffing your face, you can play 27 holes of mind-bendingly upscale crazy golf or The Cube, like on the telly.
Pesky
Established by an alumnus of city centre staple The Alchemist, Zaide O’Rourke has been inspired by the fresh flavours of Scandinavia for his pop-up project. There are ‘drunken oysters’ with pickled rhubarb and herb oil, paired with shots, and the small plates are divided into ‘seafood’ and ‘land food’. So that’s panko cod cheeks and hake with chimichurri sitting opposite grilled aubergine and labneh. Throw in some seaweed martinis, and a stunning location - at the foot of the Deansgate Square towers - and the job's a good'un. Be quick though, it’s only open for another couple of weeks.
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Another Hand
The excellent 3Hands deli on Deansgate Mews has now transformed to become the intimate Another Hand, with owners Julian Pizer and Danny Foggo joining forces with Max Yorke, formally of Ancoats’ Edinburgh Castle and Gary Usher’s Hispi, and majoring on locally sourced and low-intervention ingredients. Small, but perfectly formed with just 24 covers (maybe best to book rather than just turn up then), this could be anything from beef tartare with celeriac or rare breed pork belly with burnt apple, to white beans and Jerusalem artichoke, or fat mussels with cider and cream.
Hello Oriental
A subterranean celebration of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and all manner of other South East Asian cuisines, Hello Oriental is a fabulous addition to the new Circle Square development off Oxford Road. On the first mezzanine floor is Rice Paper Pho, celebrating the vibrant flavours of Vietnam, with steaming bowls of noodles and fresh papaya salads. Then head into the basement and it’s all Chinese roast meats (think suckling pig and iberico char sui), Malaysian curries, Korean fried chicken and cocktails. If that wasn’t enough, there’s a Chinese bakery on the way in, and a supermarket on the bottom floor.
Lily’s Deli Ancoats
Finally, Ashton’s much-loved vegetarian Indian has arrived in town, and it’s slap bang in the middle of Ancoats. After a successful launch in Chorlton, the Sachdev family has replicated its deli concept, offering up freshly prepped chaats, perfect samosas, its terrifying ‘atom bomb’ potatoes and the best - and most varied - Bombay mixes outside of Mumbai. There are also daily curries to take out, but be warned, when they’re gone, they’re gone, and often sell out early. You can also pick up a wealth of other Indian produce from its grocery shelves, from a head-spinning range of dried spices to frozen parathas.
Campagna at The Creameries
Mary-Ellen McTague’s neighbourhood restaurant The Creameries in Chorlton is now Campagna, a celebration of Italian country cookery, with her head chef Mike Thomas at the helm and fresh produce coming from the Cinderwood Market Garden and meat from the excellent Littlewoods Butchers in Heaton Chapel. So as you’d expect, the rustic beef shin and wild rabbit ragus, served with pappardelle, are first rate. Also essential are the panisse - delicate chickpea fries showered with rosemary salt, which you won’t be able to stop eating.
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Petisco
Part of the enviable rejuvenation of Stanley Square in Sale, Petisco - so named after the Portuguese equivalent of tapas - is among those bringing vibrancy into this formerly tired shopping centre. Order a few dishes to share, the only issue being which to choose. There’s unctuous pork belly and pig cheek, scorched flat iron with molho cru, a Portuguese-style chimichurri, salt cod and Feijao a Portuguesa, a hearty bean stew, best washed down with a Super Bock, but the wine list is decent too.
Mira
Not strictly a restaurant, but Mira does have a couple of tables tucked away in the corner of the Ancoats General Store, so it’s near enough. Taking over from the much-missed hoagie makers Bada Bing, these Neapolitan cuzzetiello sandwiches, made using the hollowed out heel of the loaf, are immense. They come jammed with meatballs, aubergine, slow-cooked lamb, salsicce and all things good, basically.
Le Social
The tiniest wine bar in town, Le Social is tucked away in a shipping container on Pollard Yard in New Islington. Once inside, proprietor Jérôme Boullier will introduce you to his lovingly curated selection of natural wines, as well as a fine selection of very classy European antipasti, like Catalan sardines in olive oil, duck rillettes, black Basque hummus and cheeses from the Butcher’s Quarter on Tib Street. Pretty heavenly, really.
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