The best restaurants in the Northern Quarter

From laid-back ramen bars to revolutionary vegetarian restaurants, these are the best Northern Quarter restaurants.

By Steven Pankhurst | Last updated February 7th '22

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Northern Quarter is the Manchester neighbourhood with the most game-changing foodie spots and some of the best restaurants in the city. Whether you fancy a slap-up meal or are just in the market for a pitstop, the choice of where to eat here is never ending.

63 Degrees

Parisian-style brasserie fine dining with a menu of innovative Modern French dishes. The signature dishes are cooked at 63°, making the poultry incomparably tender with unforgettable flavours. Expect French classics like Escargots, Terrine de Foie Gras, Côte de Boeuf and Crème Brûlée. They also have a pigeon burger on the menu which is like nothing you have ever tasted before-a real culinary experience that any self-proclaimed gastronome should not miss.

63 Degrees, 104 High St, Manchester, M4 1HQ

Photo by Pear Comms

District

The second you enter District you’re transported into a kitsch Neo-Bangkok eatery, like something out of Blade Runner, complete with video projections, meticulous touches and a huge open kitchen that dominates the space. This ‘New Wave Thai Kitchen’ provides a progressive approach to Thai food using their wood-fired barbeque to create a multi-sensory tasting menu experience for diners – which perfectly encapsulates a journey through a great many Far Eastern influences, dishes, flavours, spices and cooking techniques. Easily one of the most interesting and exciting menus that we’ve seen in the city for a very long time.

District, 60 Oldham St, Manchester M4 1LE

Ducie Street Warehouse

An all-day affair with everything from classic brunches to late-night cocktails with views of Manchester’s canals at the Outdoor Terrace to the rear. Chef Andrew Green and his team has designed each plate to be shared so you can avoid food FOMO and try a bit of everything.

Ducie Street Warehouse, Ducie St, Manchester, M1 2TP

Tokyo Ramen

The owners have drawn on inspiration from Japanese ramen-houses to create a quaint, authentic dining experience that is about as close to the real thing as you’re going to get. Pretty much everything on the menu is made from scratch, including their speciality Tantanmen, an adaptation of Chinese Sichuan Dan Dan noodles which are deliciously spicy and bursting with flavour.

Tokyo Ramen, 55 Church St, Manchester M4 1PD
tokyoramen.co.uk

Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun

Ramen, Bao Buns, Beer and Cocktails until 2am on Oldham Street – what a time to be alive!

Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun, 101-103 Oldham St, Manchester, M4 1LW

Trof

A Northern Quarter staple with a fantastic all-day breakfast and incredible roast dinner on Sundays.

Trof, 8 Thomas Street, Manchester, M1 1EU

The Bay Horse Tavern

A modern take on a Victorian Pub, with probably the best pub grub in the city. There’s pies a-plenty, fish finger butties. sausage, mash and gravy, thrice cooked chips and an all day Sunday roast menu featuring a vegetarian mushroom wellington and a meat roast sharer for two with all the trimmings.

The Bay Horse Tavern, 35-37 Thomas St, Manchester, M4 1NA

Black Leaf

A plant-based restaurant in the basement of Alvarium, with innovative flavour combinations and striking dishes that combine intricate cooking techniques to create a fully vegan menu that you’ll struggle to find anywhere else.

Black Leaf, 8 Dorsey St, Manchester M4 1LU

Yadgar Cafe

A staple of the Northern Quarter for around 30 years now, and it has stood the test of time because of the quality, authentic dishes sold at reasonable prices. ⁠⁠Trendy new places come and go in the NQ but this takeaway with a legendary rice and three is still standing for a reason.

Yadgar Cafe, 71 Thomas St, Manchester, M4 1LQ

TNQ

Bold & thought provoking contemporary British cuisine with a menu that changes every 3 months to work with the seasons.

TNQ, 108 High St, Manchester M4 1HQ

Sicilian NQ

Traditional Sicilian fare nestled in the back streets of the NQ. These guys ship their pasta sauces over from a tiny town in Sicily where they’re made in an old family artisan laboratory. As well as the main dishes, the bar here serves up some hard-to-find Sicilian and Italian liqueurs, and there’s even Gelato out front. Everything you could ever need for a full-on Sicilian experience.

Sicilian NQ, 14 Turner St, Manchester, M4 1DZ