Restaurant Photo

Making My Way to Manchester: Best Eats

May 06, 2022

Time to talk about my favorite thing … food! When thinking of great food in Europe, I'm sure your head goes straight to Italy, Spain or France, however, Manchester has a lot of cool, fun, and delicious food spots to try out. Any kind of cuisine you want, you can definitely find it in Manchester. Below are some of my favorites:

Dining on a Budget
  • Southside Tequila Joint (Fallowfield)
    • Southside not only sells delicious one pound tacos, but they also have buy one get one free drinks. You will have to order multiple tacos because they're pretty small. The restaurant also has great vibes and is always playing great music. Southside is definitely a must-try, but careful, their tacos are spicy!

 

Tacos

 

  • Bunny Jacksons (Deansgate)
    • Bunny Jacksons sits in the heart of Deansgate and has amazing wings (5 wings in an order) for under 2 pounds! They are also known for serving the hottest wing in Manchester ... try it if you dare. The venue often has live music playing, and has great energy. Get the animal fries - you won't regret it. 
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Italian

Italian food is my favorite cuisine, so I feel as though I am qualified to give you some of the better Italian restaurants in Manchester. Granted, they're not your authentic Roman Italian restaurants, but they're delicious.

  • San Carlo
  • Don Giovanni
  • Piccolino
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    • Piccolino is more on the expensive side, but it's delicious. It's a great place to take parents if they visit.
  • Rudy's
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    • AMAZING pizza. A must have in Manchester!
  • Ramona
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    • If you go to Ramona, you're definitely going for the atmosphere of the restaurant. It's loud and young and fun. Ramona has good drinks, although a little expensive, and decent food. Go to Ramona's for the vibes (Firehouse next door also looks fun, but didn't have the chance to go).
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Coffee Shops

My last couple of weeks in Manchester I tried out a different coffee shop just about everyday, so I'd like to think I'm an expert when it comes to this territory.

  • PRET
    • A classic. When you arrive in Manchester get the PRET subscription. You get a free one month trial period once you sign up and then you pay, I believe, 25 pounds every month. With the subscription you can get up to 5 custom coffees a day. It's a total steal. PRET also has really good food. Some of my favorites are the ham and cheese toastie, almond croissant, chocolate mousse, mango cup, and tuna salad.
  • The Foundation
    • This is my favorite coffee shop in Manchester. The Foundation has great food and coffee. It reminds me a lot of American coffee shops/cafe's. It's a great place to work/study if you don't mind a lot of noise (I prefer this kind of environment, but I know not everyone does). I recommend getting a breakfast sandwich - I get one on a bagel with a fried egg, bacon, cheddar, and avocado. The French toast is also delicious.
  • TAKK
    • TAKK has really delicious food and the one near the City Centre is great for studying - they have desks set up in the back where you can sit and do work!

 

Breakfast Food

 

  • The Green Lab
    • The Green Lab is definitely one of the healthier cafe's in Manchester, it actually reminds me a lot of LA. The Green Lab is also great because it closes later than most other coffee shops.
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Brunch
  • Blanchflower
    • Blanchflower is pretty far from the City Centre and student accommodations, but it is so worth the trip over. Blanchflower is situated in a posh little area in the suburbs of Manchester. It has a number of little shops in the area and a market right in front where you can do some small-business shopping. Blanchflower has some of the best brunch I've had - I still dream of their focaccia. I highly recommend trying it out.

Salmon BenedictFrench ToastAvocado Toast

 

  • Cafe 19
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    • Really yummy brunch that is served all day. They also have bottomless brunch, which is always a plus.
  • Pen and Pencil
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Others
  • Dishoom
    • If you're looking for good Indian food, Dishoom is the place to go! It is a bit on the pricier side, but very delicious! Another great place to bring parents if they visit.
  • The Ivy
    • Aesthetically, The Ivy is super cool. You'll definitely get an Instagram photo or two (especially in the bathroom). Each floor of the Ivy has a different menu and theme. I was only able to try Asia and the Brasserie, but both were great.

 

Dining RoomStatueThe Ivy Restaurant

 

  • Navarro Lounge
    • Navarro is a great place to get food when coming out of class because it is right next to the business school. Navarro has a broad menu, but I enjoy their tapas menu. You'll see that many people take advantage of dining and working at Navarro, as they have a cozy atmosphere and outlets everywhere.

 

Navarro Tapas

 

 

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While this is by no means an exhaustive list of all the great eats in Manchester, I hope that it will get you started on the right foot.

Happy munching!

Cheers xx