Lunch in Manchester is a joy with our guide to the best places to enjoy your afternoon feed. Whether it’s a light bite, a blow-out meal or a generous hunk of local, artisan sourdough bread you’re after (accompanied by a respectable flat white); like coffee shops, good lunch places are one thing Manchester is not short on. Leaving no excuse for any sneaky Subways (not that we’re judging).
A ‘Time Out Food Hall’ style venue packed with an impressive array of local artisan food and drink businesses, in a stunning Grade II listed market building in the Northern Quarter.
Manchester’s legendary street food festival GRUB has set up camp just behind Piccadilly Station, where independent businesses and grassroots traders are serving up an incredible array of freshly prepared food and drink every weekend. (The Plant Powered Sundays are not to be missed!)
A great independent café in Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter. Perfect if you’re looking for high-quality homemade produce.
Big news for those who think lunch is the most important meal of the day. The Refuge has relaunched The People’s Lunch – hearty bowls of soul food for just £7.50. You can choose from meat, fish or vegan options, each week, available Monday to Friday from 12 til 3 pm. Expect dishes such a homemade parpadelle, grilled brassicas, torched mackerel and sweet potato curry. Every week features a ramen dish, from ultra-traditional pork tonkotsu to a vegan mushroom-based ‘shoyu’.
A New Zealand and Australian style café with incredible coffee, brunch, drinks and lunch options (plus: nice interior design).
A tiny Japanese restaurant on the edge of China Town in Manchester; Yuzu is simple, refined and exquisite.
The mighty North Tea Power is a Northern Quarter favourite thanks to its addictive grilled cheese sandwiches, serious good selection of teas and coffees and captivating playlist.
Alfresco dining without stepping outside. Overlooking the park and with floor-to-ceiling windows, the Whitworth gallery’s ‘Café in the Trees’ serves up some spectacular views alongside its deliciously seasonal, locally sourced menu. Run by award winning chef Peter Booth.
Not only a beautiful lifestyle store, Fig and Sparrow in the Northern Quarter also boasts a coffee bar, complete with a tantalising selection of loose leaf teas, seasonal food and homemade cakes.
Head to Northern Quarter stalwart Common Bar for cocktails, BOGOF burgers, smashed avo and popcorn cockles.
Formed by a passionate group of local food and drink vigilantes who believe in making things from scratch and by hand, this small Levenshulme café places a big emphasis on organic ingredients and locally sourced produce. And you can taste it.
Bubbling vats of soup are the order of the day here, with flavours erring towards the unusual, alongside old favourites. Stop in and perch on one of the long wooden benches, or take-away.
Not only a great place to pick up your hemp milk and agave syrup, but also a deliciously hearty, fairly priced vegetarian/vegan lunch in the laid-back downstairs café.
You may know Takk as a coffee hang-out, but this Icelandic-inspired spot is also a great place to enjoy a working lunch. Check out the satisfying range of Mediterranean sandwiches, flaky pastries and chunks of cake on offer throughout the day.
A bar, kitchen and music venue from the people who brought you Trof.
Based in a converted Methodist church, Gaucho is one of the best-looking restaurants in Manchester. If you fancy pushing the boat out for lunch, get your teeth into this steak-heavy menu.
Enjoy a gourmet lunch for whatever price you feel and help fight food waste. Overseen by acclaimed chef Mary-Ellen McTague, the Real Junk Food Project Manchester has finally found a permanent home, ideally located along Oxford Road. And business is booming.
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.
Coffee, walls of sound and smart conversation at this pop-up cafe in the Northern Quarter.
Alcohol-free bar and cafe in the heart of Northern Quarter. Serving mocktails, 0% beer and all your alcohol free favourites.
Independent, family-owned coffee shop, bringing North American breakfast and brunch to Media City.
High-level Italian food in Salford Quays, with no less than seven different lasagnas to choose from.
Friendly Coffee Shop that also hosts events in Spinningfields.
Popular craft bakery, selling freshly baked goods on Manchester’s King Street.
Factory Square is a huge beer garden, on the banks of the River Irwell, with top-quality drinks and street food selections.
Playing a powerful role in the community, this venue functions as a bookshop, café and place to meet and chat with likeminded individuals.
Sett is an art café in West Didsbury, one of the areas many thriving independent businesses.
A woman-owned and woman-ran neighbourhood bakery in Levenshulme, serving fresh cakes and pastries daily.
A one-stop-shop, Stretford Foodhall is a place for those who like to eat, drink and shop with a guilt-free conscience. Whether you fancy visiting to sample some delicious street food or to top up your refillable containers, Stretford Foodhall is well worth a visit.
Looking for somewhere to eat outside in Manchester in these hot summer months? Here's our guide to the restaurants in Manchester with the best areas for al fresco dining.
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Take me there
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