Controversial because it is considered unhealthy but delicious, Manchester cuisine in recent years has made use of European contaminations, especially French and Italian, which have allowed it to offer its diners diverse dishes, with a chic touch and a more careful eye on calories and cooking methods, but which have not affected the originality of British dishes.
1 - Manchester Egg
Undoubtedly the city's most iconic dish is the Manchester egg, a pickled egg covered in sausage meat, breaded and fried, created in 2010 by chef Ben Holden. A must-try.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €9.00
Main ingredients: egg, breadcrumbs, sausage meat
2 - Lancashire Hotpot
Hot, nutritious, tasty, the Lancashire hot pot is one of the most popular stew variations in Manchester. The advice is to order it as a single dish, as it satiates excellently.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €30.00
Main ingredients: meat (lamb or mutton), onions, potatoes
3 - Pie
An evergreen of Manchester gastronomy is the pie, stuffed with meat and vegetables and enriched with the inevitable touch of cheese.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: from €6.00
Main ingredients: puff pastry, potatoes, meat (chicken, beef)
4 - Eccles Cakes
Butter, sugar, puff pastry are some of the ingredients used to make the simple yet luxurious Eccles cakes: a mouth-watering sweet treat!
Recommended for: snack
Average cost: €3.00
Main ingredients: puff pastry, sugar, currants
5 - Fish & Chips
Once again, we couldn't include the world-famous fish & chips in the exclusive top ten of must-eats in Manchester!
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €12.00
Main ingredients: breaded fish (cod), potatoes
6 - Manchester Caviar
No, we are not talking about fish specialities, although the name of this side dish may mislead even the most attentive readers. Manchester's famous 'caviar' is nothing more than a delicious pea-based puree, an inseparable 'partner' to dishes like fish & chips or meat specialities.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €0.60
Main ingredients: water, dried peas
7 - Manchester Tart
So beautiful that eating it without admiring it would be a crime, the Manchester tart is one of the city's sweet specialities. Its balanced mix of crunchy and soft will win your palate over, giving it a more unique than rare experience. Try it to believe.
Recommended for: as a dessert at the end of a meal, or as a snack
Average cost: €6.80
Main ingredients: shortcrust pastry, raspberry jam, custard
8 - Chip Barm
A savoury example of the perfect combination of soft and crunchy in the mouth is the chip barm, as basic as it is tasty with French fries. It has to be said: simplicity is the form of true greatness.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €3.40
Main ingredients: soft bread, potatoes
9 - Black Pudding
A close relative of our black pudding, black pudding is a kind of black sausage made from different parts of the pig (as well as the blood of the animal itself), a compendium of delicious starters and the undisputed star of Manchester tables.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €7.90 (served with other foods to make a starter)
Main ingredients: meat and pork blood
10 - Manchester Brunch
The English brunch is more than a meal between lunch and breakfast: it is a real ritual. In Manchester, this mix of sweet and savoury offered in coffee bars and restaurants is particularly popular, thanks to the variety of food on offer, accompanied by a typical English coffee or the beloved cup of tea.
Recommended for: between breakfast and lunch
Average cost: from €6.00
Main ingredients: toast, tea, eggs, fruit
Where to eat in Manchester: best restaurants, cafes and street food
In Manchester and throughout the UK there is not much of a culinary tradition. The cuisine is mainly based on fried food, such as fish & chips, the British dish par excellence, perhaps the best known in the world. Among the best-loved dishes in the area are meat and kidney pudding (a savoury pudding) and Cheshire Gammon Steak (roast pork).
But there is no shortage of restaurants, especially international ones, offering all kinds of cuisine. Your every craving will surely be satisfied!
You'll also find plenty of breweries where you can drink great craft beers, and don't forget to treat yourself to a gin produced by the city's many distilleries!
1 - Mackie Mayor
Description: an unmissable stop, a food court in an old building with several vendors offering all kinds of food, from pizza to burgers; perfect for any time of day, breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner
Speciality: each vendor has its own speciality
Average price: from €5.00 per person
Address: 1 Eagle St, Manchester - Get directions / Facebook page
2 - The French
Description: one of Manchester's most renowned and popular restaurants; modern British cuisine in an elegant venue, inside The Midland Hotel; reservation required
Speciality: you can choose from three pre-created menus,"Initials","Signature" and"Great British Menu".
Average price: from €50.00 per person
Address: 16 Peter St, Manchester - Get directions / Facebook page
3 - Trof Northern Quarter
Description: venue on three different floors, serving as a restaurant, pub but also as a bar to spend the evening after dinner; mainly known for brunch; happy hour with beers and gin and tonics for £3.50 (about €4.00)
Speciality: brunch (until 16:00)
Average price: from €10.00 per person
Address: 8 Thomas St, Manchester - Get directions / Facebook page
4 - Hatch
Description: a place with shops, small places and restaurants, ideal to try English and international street food; sophisticated, original, different place
Speciality: street food, each retailer has its own speciality, recommended fish & chips
Average price: from €10.00 per person
Address: 103 Oxford Rd, Manchester - Get directions / Facebook page
5 - The Refuge
Description: Eclectic and carefully designed restaurant; offers innovative cuisine with mainly local ingredients, but with dishes that take inspiration from all over the world.
Speciality: dishes inspired by different culinary traditions
Average price: from €10.00 per person
Address: Oxford St, Manchester - Get directions / Facebook page
