Ancoats & New Islington

Creative Tourist

Ancoats, just off the Northern Quarter in Manchester, is one of the city’s most increasingly desirable neighbourhoods. In fact, it recently made Time Out’s ‘11th coolest neighbourhood in the world’.

Layer upon layer of history makes Ancoats, an Area of Conservation since 1998, really special. Once home to the textile mills that established Manchester’s reputation as ‘Cottonopolis’, the district was also a centre of manufacture for machinery, glass and newspapers, with a population of over 50,000 in the mid-1800s.

The street signs are named after the notorious street gangs, or ‘scuttlers’ who once patrolled and fought here; so Bengal Street for the Bengal Tigers, Angel Meadow for the Angels. As industry moved on, however, the area declined, leaving 80% of business space vacant in the 1990s. Now, the beautiful red-bricked factory buildings are being renovated as flats, and small, independent businesses are opening all over the place.

Ben Williams, Creative Tourist
Ben Williams, Creative Tourist

Ancoats is undergoing a period of rapid change – it may well look very different in just a few years’ time. Cutting Room Square is currently Ancoats’ hub, a wide open space with public art and benches that used to be where bales of cotton were cut. But the neighbourhood stretches way beyond this, and takes in everything from grassroots theatres to Grade-listed churches via many, many eateries and drinking holes.

It’s a fantastic area to explore, if you know what you’re looking for. And that’s where we come in.

Our top picks

Athanasia Kontou / Brick Smyth / Dove Ellis at Hallé St. Michaels

Athanasia Kontou / Brick Smyth / Dove Ellis at Hallé at St Michael’s, Manchester, 4 April 2025, from £5.00 - Book now

Greek award winning comedian, pianist and composer Athanasia Kontou brings a new set of virtuosic piano and stand up comedy to Halle St.Michaels.

Athanasia Kontou
Athanasia Kontou

Hope Mill Theatre

Hope Mill Theatre, Hope Mill, 113 Pollard Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 7JA - Visit now

Sitting in a Grade II-listed former Mill on Pollard Street, Hope Mill brings exciting fringe theatre productions to Manchester’s thriving live theatre scene. The kind of risk-taking venture we love.

Parade ensemble

Canto

Canto, Fairbairn Unit A, Fairbairn Building, Henry Street, Manchester, M4 5DH - Visit now

Canto is a stalwart of Ancoats’ Cutting Room Square, with an ever-growing reputation based on its inspired take on Mediterranean tapas.

KERB

KERB, 49 Henry St, Ancoats , Manchester , M4 5DH - Visit now

KERB has the lot. It’s a neighbourhood natural wine store and bar with an online delivery service plus the occasional exhibition by talented local artists.

Hallé St Peter’s

Hallé St Peter’s, 40 Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 6BF - Visit now

Ancoats’ most iconic building, this Grade-II listed church was recently renovated by the Halle Orchestra to be used as a venue and rehearsal space.

Image of Halle St Peters from across Cutting Room Square in Ancoats, Manchester.
Ben Williams

Mana

Mana, 42 Blossom St, Manchester, M4 6BF - Visit now

Mana is the proud owner of Manchester’s first Michelin star since 1977. With chef and co-owner Simon Martin (who cut his teeth at Noma, food fans) at the helm, this is a hugely-respected fine-dining restaurant, and a must for gourmands visiting Ancoats.

Erst

Erst, 9 Murray St, Manchester, M4 5BN - Visit now

Mana might have won the Michelin star, but while that’s more a destination event for those with deep pockets, Erst is the true heart of Ancoats – a neighbourhood restaurant with delightfully friendly staff, affordable small plates and a wine list for everyone from the amateur drinker to true boffins.

 

The Hip Hop Chip Shop

The Hip Hop Chip Shop, 44 Blossom St, Manchester, M4 6BF - Visit now

The Hip Hop Chip Shop is a hip hop-inspired, non-traditional chip shop, after moving from Spinningfields to the Northern Quarter, it now has a perminent home in Ancoats.

Café Cotton

Café Cotton, Flint Glass Wharf, 35 Radium Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 6AD - Visit now

Famed for its lunch time deals, Café Cotton is a welcome canal-side Mecca for sandwiches, coffee and cake.

Stacks of croissants

Flawd

Flawd, 9 Keepers Quay, Manchester, M4 6GL - Visit now

Flawd is one of Ancoats’ most exciting young venues, offering beautifully prepared small plates alongside a range of natural wine that rivals any other in the city.

Rudy’s Pizza

Rudy’s Pizza, 9 Cotton Street, Ancoats, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 5BF - Visit now

Founded in 2015 by Jim Morgan and his partner Kate Wilson, you’ll find Rudy’s Pizza in cities all over England these days. But there can only be one original…

Image of Rudy's Neapolitian Pizza, Ancoats
Ben Williams

Companio Bakery

Companio Bakery, Unit G.06 Flint Glass Wharf, 35 Radium Street, Ancoats, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 6AD - Visit now

Started by artisan baker Russell Goodwin, Companio Bakery sells freshly-baked bread from a small unit in Manchester’s Ancoats. They are open Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9am to 3pm, and then from 4pm to 6pm at Victoria Train Station where homeward bound commuters snaffle up any remaining bread.

St Michael’s

St Michael’s, 36-38 George Leigh Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 5DG - Visit now

Also under the management of the Hallé, St Michael’s was founded in 1859 and became the heart of Ancoats’ Little Italy Community. Now it plays host to some unmissable events.

The Edinburgh Castle Pub

The Edinburgh Castle Pub, Henry St &, Blossom St, Manchester, M4 5AW - Visit now

The Edinburgh Castle has a new executive chef in Shaun Moffat. Born in South Africa, Shaun has concocted an all-new menu that lives up to the high standards of this great restaurant, and then some.

Ancoats General Store

Ancoats General Store, 57 Great Ancoats Street , Manchester, M4 5AB - Visit now

Ancoats General Store serves the local community as a (largely) sustainability-focussed convenience store. They also play host to rotating street food venders, creative workshops run by makers or local brands, events, plant stalls and more.

The Jane Eyre

The Jane Eyre, 14 Hood St, Ancoats, Manchester , M4 6WX - Visit now

The Jane Eyre bills itself as a neighbourhood bar, but it’s much more than that. This Ancoats venue has an impeccable reputation, with the kind of word-of-mouth hype money can’t buy. Why? Because the food and drink options here are as first-rate as it gets.

The Horsfall

The Horsfall, 87-91 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, M4 5AG - Visit now

The Horsfall is a venue and programme of activity building on the work of 42nd Street, an innovative Greater Manchester young people’s mental health charity.

Cask Ancoats

Cask Ancoats, Cottonfield Wharf, 2 New Union St, Manchester, M4 6FQ - Visit now

The sister venue to the original Cask on Liverpool Road. Situated in one of the many, many new-builds in Ancoats and New Islington, Cask Ancoats doesn’t retain much of the original’s shabby chic, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing and the beer choice is brilliant.

Cask Ancoats

More Ancoats events

Set Dressing Press Image
MusicManchester
Set Dressing at P3 Annihiltion Eve

An exciting new project is born as Scott Fair – the guitarist and producer of Manchester’s hyped noise band Mandy, Indiana – announces a new musical venture in Set Dressing.

free entry
Glorious! at Hope Mill Theatre
Until
TheatreAncoats
Glorious! at Hope Mill Theatre

EXCLUSIVE TICKET DEAL AVAILABLE. Wendy Peters shines in this glorious comedy charting the true story of “the world’s most famously terrible singer” Florence Foster Jenkins.

from £10.00

Where to go in Manchester

GET BAKED Opening Day
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
GET BAKED

Newly opened cakery in Stevensons Square, Northern Quarter Manchester. Get Baked brings all the Yorkshire charm and sweetness one of the city’s most popular squares.

Winsome
Manchester
Restaurant
Winsome

Winsome delivers modern British food, cooked beautifully by chef-owner Shaun Moffat and his team.

Image of the outside of Altogether Otherwise at night with people inside
Manchester
Event venue
Altogether Otherwise

Altogether Otherwise is a haven of activity where all are encouraged to make, do, dance, read and enjoy pursuing creativity with no pressure.

Renae Logo
Manchester
Restaurant
Renae

Introducing Renae: A new music-led bar and creative hub in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Chakalaka
Manchester
Restaurant
Chakalaka

The very best of South African cuisine in an intimate, friendly space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

The Daisy
Manchester
Restaurant
The Daisy

The Daisy is one of Manchester’s more in-demand basement bars, offering an underground Paris-inspired night out.

Manchester
Restaurant
Sampa

Colourful Brazilian fine dining at Caroline Martin’s intimate restaurant, Sampa.

Hinterland bar and cafe
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Hinterland

Alcohol-free bar and cafe in the heart of Northern Quarter. Serving mocktails, 0% beer and all your alcohol free favourites.

Chancellors Hotel is a Grade II listed Victorian mansion located in South Manchester surrounded by five acres of beautiful landscaped gardens, in a relaxed, scenic and picturesque setting.
Manchester
Hotel
Chancellors Hotel

Chancellors Hotel is a Grade II listed Victorian mansion located in South Manchester surrounded by five acres of beautiful landscaped gardens, in a relaxed, scenic and picturesque setting.

Manchester Visitor Guides

Afternoon Tea in Manchester
Afternoon Tea in Manchester

The finest places in Manchester to sip Darjeeling, eat dainty finger sandwiches and slap extra clotted cream on a freshly baked scone.

Malmaison Manchester
Boutique Hotels Manchester

Some of the most unique places to stay in Manchester. We pick out the top upscale accommodations with a twist.

Sunday Roasts in Manchester

Looking for the finest roast dinners in Manchester? Look no further. We've picked out the very best Sunday dinners in the city.

Manchester Restaurant Deals

Manchester's restaurants are bending over backwards to create deals that take the sting out of eating out. Here are the best of the bunch for January.

Mother's Day in Manchester and the North
Spotlight on

Mother's Day in Manchester and the North

From bespoke bouquet workshops and poetry royalty to slap-up Sunday roasts and gin tastings, check out our guide of things to do with your mum this Mother's Day.

Take me there

Culture Guides

the artist
Music in the North

The outsiders, the oddities and the outrageous – we’re keeping it weird with a hot new batch of underground gigs about to hit Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool.

A woman with black curly hair sings on stage in front of a red curtain
Cinema in the North

David Lynch, International Women's Day and Manchester Film Festival are amongst our cinematic highlights this March.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

DaDaFest’s 40th anniversary line-up, contemporary reimaginings and outlandish fringe, check out our top theatre picks for spring onwards.

A large sphere floats in a dark room with an ornate wall pattern, flanked by two arched windows and a checkered floor.
Exhibitions in the North

From precarious ceramics to photography festivals, spring is here and brings with it a breath of fresh air in visual art and exhibitions.

Poet Imtiaz Dharker. Photo by Ayesha Dharker
Literature Events in the North

It's like the Woolies pick'n'mix counter this month in live literature land – so much choice, we're not sure where to start digging in.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.