Cheshire


<p>Consistently voted one of the UK’s coolest neighbourhoods, Ancoats packs more culinary clout into a few square streets than anywhere else in Manchester.</p>



<p>This former industrial powerhouse has undergone one of the most dramatic transformations in the country. Once characterised by crumbling mills, empty warehouses and a reputation that kept many Mancunians away after dark, it&#8217;s now the city&#8217;s undisputed foodie capital. The handsome red-brick buildings remain, but these days they&#8217;re filled with natural wine bars, destination restaurants and neighbourhood hangouts that regularly feature on national best-of lists. Here are some of the best restaurants in Ancoats. </p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="682" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/RJ7_5638-medium-1024x682.jpg" alt="Cutting room Square Manchester " class="wp-image-9114" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/RJ7_5638-medium-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/RJ7_5638-medium-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/RJ7_5638-medium-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/RJ7_5638-medium.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mana"><a href="https://manarestaurant.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mana</a></h2>



<p>Manchester&#8217;s only Michelin-starred restaurant continues to draw diners from across the UK. Chef-owner Simon Martin cut his teeth at Noma before opening Mana in 2019, and the influence is clear. Here, diners are treated to a meticulously choreographed tasting menu that celebrates British ingredients through inventive techniques and plenty of theatrical flourishes. A proper treat sort of place that will never let you down. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-erst"><a href="https://erst-mcr.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Erst</a></h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/Erst26_2-1024x576.jpg" alt="Erst" class="wp-image-9071" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/Erst26_2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/Erst26_2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/Erst26_2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/Erst26_2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


<p>A beloved restaurant that’s made a name for its Nordic-leaning plates and sharp wines. The stripped-back dining room on Murray Street has become one of the city&#8217;s most influential restaurants, serving seasonal small plates paired with one of the best natural wine lists in the North. Menus shift constantly according to what&#8217;s available, but the cooking is consistently intelligent, complex and utterly delicious.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-elnecot"><a href="https://elnecot.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elnecot</a></h2>



<p>Always try and nab a table on the outdoor terrace spilling onto Cutting Room Square. It&#8217;s here, you&#8217;ll find punters hovering like thirsty&nbsp;bees, glugging drinks in the sun or wandering inside this sweeping industrial-style bar and open kitchen&nbsp;from chef Michael Clay.&nbsp;He’s&nbsp;taken the&nbsp;formula of small-plates&nbsp;with globally-inspired&nbsp;flavours but&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;wholeheartedly generous with his portions&nbsp;–&nbsp;churning out&nbsp;seriously good dishes&nbsp;with&nbsp;surprising pops of flavour.&nbsp;You can order your own plate or two, but the joy of&nbsp;Elnecot&nbsp;is&nbsp;digging your fork into every dish that comes to&nbsp;your table.&nbsp;Also, the weekend brunches are insane. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-jane-eyre"><a href="https://www.thejaneeyre.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Jane Eyre</a></h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="903" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/IMG_7906-1024x903.jpg" alt="The Jane Eyre" class="wp-image-9115" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/IMG_7906-1024x903.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/IMG_7906-300x265.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/IMG_7906-768x677.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/IMG_7906.jpg 1179w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


<p>One of the original names on Ancoats’ now-thriving food and drink circuit, The Jane Eyre has been a neighbourhood fave since long before Cutting Room Square became a destination in its own right. Created by brothers Joe and Ben Jones and named after their mother, it’s a softly lit, Scandinavian-leaning space and very much a drinks-first affair. The focus is on expertly mixed cocktails, a tight but thoughtful wine list, and a handful of bar snacks: it’s the kind of place you drift into for an aperitif and accidentally stay all evening.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://brucomanchester.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bruco</a></h2>



<p>If Ancoats has a transportive escape hatch to southern Italy, it’s Bruco. Occupying the former Trove site on Murray Street, this all-day Italian bar and kitchen leans hard into laid-back Mediterranean living, dishing up sun-drenched spritzes and a menu built for grazing and sharing, with arancini, focaccia and antipasti setting the tone before bigger, heartier plates arrive. Handmade pasta dishes and slow-cooked classics sit alongside standout plates like rich lasagne, seafood-led specials and generous boards piled high with cured meats and cheese. There’s also a brilliant line-up of panuozzo – essentially pizza-sandwich hybrids stuffed with things like mortadella and burrata or slow-cooked beef and nduja – best eaten with fingers, and washed down with a wine or three.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="801" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/IMG_7908-1024x801.jpg" alt="Bruco" class="wp-image-9116" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/IMG_7908-1024x801.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/IMG_7908-300x235.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/IMG_7908-768x601.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2026/06/IMG_7908.jpg 1164w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rudy-s"><a href="https://www.rudyspizza.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rudy&#8217;s</a></h2>



<p>Some restaurants become victims of their own success. Rudy&#8217;s has somehow avoided that fate. Despite expanding far beyond Manchester, the Ancoats original still feels special in a space that rustles up some of the best Neapolitan pizza in the city. There may be trendier newcomers, but few places deliver such consistently satisfying food.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-edinburgh-castle-pub"><a href="https://www.ec-ancoats.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Edinburgh Castle Pub</a></h2>



<p>Pitched between the Northern Quarter and the fringes of Ancoats you&#8217;ll find this  former dilapidated pub that’s been rejigged and reopened to high acclaim. Punters fall over themselves to bag a table here and it’s not hard to see why. Dickensian interiors, flickering candles and insanely good food, this spruced-up boozer knocks my socks off every time. Bangkok Diners Club were helming the food – a smoky, inventive Thai concept from chefs Ben and Bo Humphreys combining traditional Thai flavours (especially from the Isan region) with barbecue influence and vibrant, sharing-style plates. But the pub is soon-to-annouce a new foodie concept. We can’t wait to hear about it!</p>


The best restaurants in Ancoats, Manchester

You may also like