Manchester, Liverpool, and the Peak District Restaurants

Dining options in Manchester and Liverpool vary from smart cafés offering Modern British, Continental, or global fare to world-class international restaurants for all budgets. Manchester has one of Britain's biggest Chinatowns, and locals also favor the 40-odd Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Indian restaurants along Wilmslow Road in Rusholme, a mile south of the city center, known as Curry Mile.

One local dish that has survived is Bakewell pudding (never called "tart" in these areas, as its imitations are elsewhere in England). Served with custard or cream, the pudding—a pastry covered with jam and a thin layer of almond-flavor filling—is a real joy of visiting Bakewell.

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  • 1. Bakchich

    $ | City Centre

    Those who like good food at great prices head to Bakchich, a Lebanese and Moroccan street-food joint featuring a large communal table with smaller tables dotted around it for convivial or more intimate dining. On offer are delicious hot and cold meze, meshawi charcoal grills (chicken, lamb, and seafood), wraps, salads, and a small but tasty kids' menu. The nonalcoholic drink list includes fresh lemonade and smoothies.

    54 Bold St., Liverpool, Liverpool, L1 4ER, England
    0151-707–1255

    Known For

    • Middle Eastern breakfasts
    • Fresh juices and mocktails
    • Huge portions
  • 2. Hispi Bistro

    $$ | South Manchester

    Part of a small group of famously crowd-funded restaurants (yup, people liked the owner-chef's concept so much they raised money so he could open a place in their 'hood) found across northwest England, this neighborhood bistro offers ambitious dining at remarkably fair prices. In pared-back surroundings, expect the likes of pastrami-style trout with sour cream, dill, and pickled green beans or braised featherblade of beef with wild mushroom ketchup, truffle and parmesan chips, and red wine sauce, plus wonderful accompaniments including hard-to-find vegetables. Gary Usher has another crowd-funded venue in the city center, KALA Bistro.

    1C School La., Manchester, Manchester, M20 6RD, England
    0161-445–3996

    Known For

    • Great-value early dinners
    • Exceptional kids’ menu
    • Sunday lunch
  • 3. Lunya

    $ | City Centre

    An 18th-century warehouse on the edge of the Liverpool One shopping district houses this impressive Catalan fusion restaurant and deli, where you can feast on classic and creative tapas dishes. An extensive breakfast menu makes this a great place to start your day, while the children's menu tempts those with junior foodies. There's a second venue, Lunyalita, overlooking the Albert Dock, with a sun terrace.

    55 Hanover St., Liverpool, Liverpool, L1 3DN, England
    0151-706–9770

    Known For

    • Suckling pig, designed to be shared by 6 to 9 people
    • Catalan breakfasts and brunches
    • Deli platters to share
  • 4. Mowgli

    $ | City Centre

    Indian street food and home-cooking are the draws at this fun and colorful spot that has lights upcycled from old birdcages and a bar created from former railway sleepers. Many of the vibrant dishes, such as the hugely popular yogurt chat bombs (crispy, filled bread puffs), are served in tiffin boxes (traditional Indian lunch containers) to charming effect. There are also great vegan, gluten-free, and kids’ menus. There's a second Liverpool branch at Water Street and branches in Manchester and around the country; founder Nisha Katona has now been awarded an MBE both for her services to the food industry and to charity (her Mowgli Trust donates more than £300,000 to local and world causes every year).

    69 Bold St., Liverpool, Liverpool, L1 4EZ, England
    0151-708–9356

    Known For

    • Innovative cocktails
    • Enthusiastic, informative staff
    • Handmade ice-cream cones
  • 5. Penny Pot Cafe

    $

    Nestled away in the trees beside Edale Station, this charming little spot has outdoor seating and cozy interiors warmed by a log-burner in the chillier months. Walker-, cyclist- and dog-friendly, it serves everything from delicious panini and fresh soups to homemade cakes and scones amid images of local spots accompanied by poems.

    Station Approach, Edale, Derbyshire, S33 7ZA, England
    01433-670688

    Known For

    • Warm, personal welcome
    • Live music
    • Nice starting/finishing point for wonderful walks
  • Recommended Fodor’s Video

  • 6. Salt House Bacaro

    $$ | City Centre

    This stylish restaurant, charcuterie, and Campari bar—a lively take on the workingmen's canteens of backstreet Venice, known as bacaros—offers highly creative small plates. Options include croquettes, fried mixed fish, and pizzette (mini-pizzas).

    47 Castle St., Liverpool, Liverpool, L2 9UB, England
    0151-665–0047

    Known For

    • Cicchetti (sharing plates)
    • Casual eating at the bar—great for solo diners
    • Fabulous cocktails, some with Italian bitters
  • 7. Stones

    $$$

    This charming restaurant with its riverside terrace serves top-notch Modern British food. The tasting menus (with or without a paired wine flight) take regional flavors and infuse them with contemporary flair.

    1C Dale Rd., Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3LT, England
    01629-56061

    Known For

    • Bespoke vegetarian dishes
    • Alfresco dining
    • Emphasis on seasonality

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Tues.
  • 8. TAST

    $$$ | City Centre

    Financed by one-time Barcelona soccer legend and Manchester City FC manager Pep Guardiola, this Catalonian restaurant pulls no punches when it comes to contemporary cooking, with dishes courtesy of two Michelin-star chef Paco Pérez. The unifying overall concept is "tastets": small tastes of food with greater complexity than tapas, some cooked in a charcoal oven, including butifarra, a Catalan Duroc pork sausage. Highly theatrical, TAST is an ideal choice for very special occasions.

    20–22 King St., Manchester, Manchester, M2 6AG, England
    0161-806–0547

    Known For

    • Groundbreaking cuisine
    • Quirky, dramatic presentation
    • Special occasion dining

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
  • 9. The Refuge

    $ | City Centre

    This glamorous spot serves eclectic global food amidst the original features of a stunning Victorian Gothic building that's been given new life as the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel. Expect dishes such as halibut ceviche with red onion, lemon crème fraïche, almond, and sumac or lamb shawarma with roasted garlic, toum, zhug, slaw, green chili, onions, and lahuhua. The bar is a beauty, too (the restaurateurs are former DJs, so think hip).

    Oxford St., Manchester, Manchester, M60 7HA, England
    0161-233–5151

    Known For

    • Sunday lunches
    • Local ingredients
    • Hip atmosphere
  • 10. Where the Light Gets In

    $$$$

    Much-loved by food critics, this groundbreaking "New Northern" restaurant in a former coffee warehouse offers a no-choice tasting menu (£95) that depends on “the day’s catch, harvest, and slaughter.” Regular ingredients include Macclesfield trout, cured Middle White pork, and salt-baked beets in delicious combinations; much of the produce comes from the restaurant's own farm.

    7 Rostron Brow, Manchester, Manchester, SK1 1JY, England
    0161-477–5744

    Known For

    • Immense creativity
    • Excellent wine flights
    • Hip atmosphere

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Tues. No lunch Wed.–Fri.
  • 11. Wreckfish Bistro

    $$ | City Centre

    Part of the same crowd-funded group as Manchester’s Hispi Bistro and KALA Bistro, this hip spot serves up seriously good modern global cuisine from an open kitchen in a once derelict building in the Ropewalks district. As with its sister restaurants, think excellent local products taken to the next level through pairings with unusual vegetables including heritage tomatoes and hispi cabbage. Breakfast is great, while Sunday lunch can be as traditional or as inventive as you like.

    Slater St., Liverpool, Liverpool, L1 4BS, England
    0151-707–1960

    Known For

    • Great value lunch and early dinner menu
    • Fantastic service
    • Traditional and more inventive Sunday lunches

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