dutyfree

I have a 3 day layover in Manchester UK next month and am looking for a great restaurant to spend Thanksgiving dinner and a birthday dinner with my husband and adult kids. does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you!

Hez

ummmm - you realize they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK, yes?

Robert2533

As noted, Thanksgiving is an American celebration. Finding somewhere to have a Thanksgiving dinner in Manchester might be difficult at best.

flanneruk

I'm no Mancunian, so can't suggest anywhere.

But even if I were, how can I or anyone else, since "a birthday dinner" doesn't give anyone much to work on.

Presumably you're American, and therefore know enough about your country's mythology to realise Thanksgiving's got nothing to with turkey or pumpkin pie - so you can give your thanks for "the many and signal favours of Almighty God", as your guerilla leader put it, any way you like.

You presumably realise ethnic traditions in Britain are publicly celebrated only where there's a concentration of the ethnicity concerned. Diwali's the only foreign holiday celebrated almost everywhere in Britain during November. It's close to certain there'll be no special Thanksgiving events in Manchester, though it might be worthwhile checking locally a few days before.

So presumably what you're asking for is just a decent restaurant, and you're expecting a bunch of strangers to know how you define "decent"

Obviously impossible.

Try toptable, http://www.restaurantsofmanchester.com/ or http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...staurants.html

sparkchaser

Find the local American expat community in Manchester and see if you can join in whatever they have planned.

Or, you could just pretend it was a regular old Thursday.

sparkchaser

flanneruk, add one tic ma<rk to the beer tally I owe you.

Rubicund

Good morning from Manchester. As everyone points out, Thanksgiving is not a UK celebration, though you might find the odd US themed fast food type place offering something, but it won't be a US meal with all the trimmings. Also I don't think we have a US expat community here of any size (if at all) that would mean somewhere would find it worthwhile to make such a meal offering.

However, Manchester has a lot to offer, especially at the end of November as the Christmas Markets will be in full swing across the City. They offer food, gifts, clothing, leather etc etc and are well worth the visit.

As far as food goes, what sort of restaurant do you want? Fast food, formal dining? What cuisine, as we have restaurants that offer food from across the world. Give me a clue and I'll offer you 3/4 alternatives. If you're looking for hotel recommendations, give me a budget.

Ackislander

If I wanted to celebrate a birthday with a Thanksgiving theme in the UK, I would find a restaurant that featured game. I would order oysters, pheasant or guinea fowl with game crumbs and bread sauce if stuffing were not available, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and Cumberland Sauce. Covers all the bases. Dessert? Well, no pumpkin pie, but you might find something with mincemeat but more likely spotted dick or sticky toffee pudding. Or just a glass of good port.

A relative and friend connected with the Expat community in London at a Thanksgiving service at St Paul's.

We were in Aix en Provence one Thanksgiving and ate at restaurant that happened to have dinde on the menu, though a cutlet rather than a bird, but since we eat "Thanksgiving food" at Christmas, we don't miss it if we don't have it in November.

rialtogrl

The Doubletree Hotel has a "holiday menu" which, while not specifically Thanksgiving, does have turkey on it. Here's the menu - http://tinyurl.com/mykyzv7

I stayed in this hotel last year but only had room service so I can't really comment on the restaurant. Maybe Rubicund can, since he lives there.

chartley

Any London hotel that advertises its special menus for November and December as a "Holiday Menu" must be principally attracting customers from the U.S. Patronise or avoid according to your view.

In London, this season of the year is usually known as Christmas.

rialtogrl

I don't know about that, chartley. I was in Manchester in August last year and it seemed like a LOT of restaurants had signs up about holiday menus, holiday parties, etc. I seriously doubt the Doubletree is targeting an American clientele in this particular case.

Gordon_R

Sorry, but I've never come across any UK person or company that refers to "the Holidays". To our ears this is still a strange transatlantic expression. Here, holidays are what you call vacations and Christmas is Christmas. From what I can gather (alas I've never been to one), your Thanskgiving Dinner includes a roast turkey. This is a popular item on the menu of British pubs/restaurants on Sunday lunchtime, and the Christmas period. Maybe that's a good way to search for what might approximate to what you are thinking of.

By the way, outside London (and Aberdeen - oil industry town), I'm not aware of any specific US "ex-pat communities". That's not to say there aren't Americans living in other cities such as Manchester, but just not enough to make any noticeable impact on what traditions are celebrated locally.

Gordon_R

>> I was in Manchester in August last year and it seemed like a LOT of restaurants had signs up about holiday menus, holiday parties<<

In <b>August</b>? Then they probably meant summer holidays (in the normal UK usage of this word). LOL!

rialtogrl

Gordon I probably saw signs for "book your Christmas party now" and just remember it as a holiday thing. Sorry about that confusion. It was over a year ago and I still remember the signs just not how they were worded

Gordon_R

Oh OK, I opened the link rialtogrl and you are right they are talking about Christmas - sorry. How very odd the see them using the expression "holiday" in this context.

rialtogrl

Yes, in August. It seemed to me that they wanted to get those bookings in for the Christmas parties. That is why I remember it because it seemed, uh, a little early. But then I thought well, maybe they love a good Christmas party in Manchester and want to get the ball rolling.

Of course, maybe it really did say "holiday party" and they like a party in August too...

Rubicund

"oysters, pheasant or guinea fowl with game crumbs and bread sauce if stuffing were not available, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and Cumberland Sauce"

I think that you'd find it almost impossible to find a menu here in the UK that offered all that lot. What's a game crumb by the way? Sprouts might be offered at Christmas, not otherwise. Cumberland sauce is rarer than hen's teeth.

nytraveler

I think the OP needs to settle on finding a place that will serve roast turkey - and give up on everything else (dressing, cranberry sauce, yams. green beans with crispy onions, hot dinner rolls and pumpkin pie - and all the nuts, dates and mints that my dad always dragged out).

tjhome1

Manchester is doing comparatively well for great restaurants at the moment. Here are a few:
Aumbry - lovely little place out in the suburbs but accessible on our Metrolink.
The French - At the Midland Hotel - fantastic reviews and the chef has Michelin star pedigree.
Manchester House - same excellent reviews as above.
Also all 3 are the kind of place where, as long as you book early enough would do a little something special for you re a traditional US Thanksgiving meal.
Very happy to give more advice is these don't suit.

tjhome1

Just found this:
http://www.manchesterconfidential.co...e-Gordo-Review