Armenian Taverna and Restaurant
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
The longstanding Armenian Taverna dates back to 1968, when Bez was in nappies and the city skyline looked more like Mordor than Singapore. I recall visiting back in 2006 when it was dark, dusty and deep underground, with a crew of old blokes wandering around playing accordions and suchlike at tables.
Skip forward to 2024 and it’s all change. The Taverna has emerged from its subterranean bunker and transformed into a glitzy glass-fronted restaurant, with what we’re reliably informed is the biggest glass chandelier in Manchester. Even more impressively, every single one of the hundreds and hundreds of lights works. (Yes I did check, what of it?)
Happily, the original eccentric spirit is present and correct. We’re served by Erik, a teenage Armenian who proudly tells us he’s in training to be a Catholic priest and continues to entertain and inform throughout the meal. First winery in the world? Armenia. First Christian country in the world? Armenia. Absolute best place in the world? You better believe it’s Armenia.
And that’s all part of the experience. There’s a pride and joyfulness found in the staff and venue that you simply don’t get anywhere else.
The other part of the experience is the wonderful food. The wide-ranging menu isn’t restricted to just Armenian cuisine – it deftly skips around that area of the world, bringing in the likes of Ukrainian flavour combinations, Greek dishes, and Middle Eastern marinades.
It makes for an entertaining meal that encourages repeat visits. Best of all, it manages to be globetrotting and varied without ever feeling unfocused.
Standout dishes? The selodka pod shuboy (known in some parts of Eastern Europe as ‘furry herring’, wonderfully) is salted herring, served cold and covered with layers of cooked vegetables, eggs and mayonnaise. It’s fresh, punchy, and ideal fuel as winter marches in, but possibly a bit out there for some British palates.
But the yerevan khachapuri is something that everyone apart from the most lactose intolerant will love. Essentially Georgian cheese on toast, it’s served with a welcome slice of table theatre from our budding clergyman. It involves the softest loveliest bread ever, fresh from the oven, opened up then swirling egg and cheese together to make something I’ll certainly be going back for again and again.
The garan mater is another must-try dish – a pile of piping hot, tender lamb chops, cooked in a pomegranate sauce and served with rich, creamy mashed potatoes. Pair it with a glass of Tor-Tori Areni red and you’ll be in Armenian heaven. This wine is a homage to the long-lost Tor-Tori grape, connecting the dots between now and the world’s first wine.
Don’t leave without trying the honey cake. A fluffy, nutty cake, made with multiple layers of sweet, fluffy dough, it wows my dining partner to the extent that our hosts invite us back to teach us how to make it. And they mean it too – when it comes to family-style hospitality, you won’t find better in the city centre.
The Armenian Taverna is one of Manchester’s true gems. It might be reaching its sixth decade, but it’s kept with the times while continuing to deliver a menu full of authentic, diverse dishes, all served up by the most likeable staff this side of Cheers. At the time of writing, the restaurant has only been in this new glamourous ground-level space for a handful of weeks, but it still feels like dropping in on old friends, and likely always will.
