Do you sometimes struggle to pick a few dishes from a menu? It's arguably one of the hardest decisions to make when dining out. Don't worry though, we have the solution. A step up from set menus that feature two to three courses, tasting menus usually boast four or more courses - sometimes offering up to 18 dishes in one sitting - and are often made up of the chef's favourites, while also being seasonal ingredient-driven or even themed.
From Michelin star restaurants to fine dining eateries and neighbourhood
favourites, here's where to eat the best tasting menus
Manchester has to offer.
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Restaurants With The Best Tasting Menus In Manchester
1. Restaurant Örme
- Location: 218 Church Road, Urmston M41 9DX
- Best for: neighbourhood vibes and value for money
- Price: £50 for four courses (optional £40 drinks pairings), £70 for six courses (optional £50 drinks pairings)
Restaurant Örme is a bright and airy British restaurant found on Church Road in Urmston. Unassuming from the outside but with stripped-back, Scandi-influenced interiors inside and an indie playlist on in the background, it's a laid-back and accessible choice for getting your mitts on a fantastic tasting menu.
Although they've recently introduced a la carte dining here, the
tasting menus and Sunday roast still remain the core offerings.
There's a shorter and a longer version of the menu - naturally,
both with an option add-on course too - at bargain prices for the
quality and portions of dishes served. A vegetarian version of each
is also offered, which is somewhat of a rarity for tasting menus.
Attentive service and a well-crafted wine list, alongside excellent
drinks pairings, means that Restaurant Örme really ticks
all the boxes. - recommended by Lead Editor, Lauren
Cole
Tuck into seasonal British treats (left) at Restaurant Örme (right).
2. Skof
- Location: Hanover Building, 3 Federation Street M4 4BF
- Best for: a Michelin star tasting menu from one of the North's finest chefs
- Price: £55 for four courses, £130 for 12 courses, £175 for 17 courses
The first solo venture from chef Tom Barnes, Skof is an unmissable choice on this list. Barnes was head chef at Simon Rogan's three Michelin starred L'Enclume and is having great success with his own restaurant, serving meticulously crafted British dishes that sing to his Northern roots, but with Scandinavian flair (from his time at Geranium in Copenhagen) and some Japanese influences too. The restaurant has been awarded Manchester's second ever Michelin star, so you know the tasting menu is exceptional.
Skof is located within the Grade II-listed Hanover Building in Manchester's ever-growing NOMA district, fronting bare-brick walls and minimalist interiors. There are two long tasting menus and one shorter for lunchtimes. Look forward to devouring the likes of dexter beef bavette, Orkney scallops and confit Sladesdown duck served with fig leaf - although it's the lightly set miso, mushroom and truffle custard that's the winner in our eyes. We also applaud the team's efforts on the drinks list and pairings, which - at Tom's insistence - are varied across wine, cocktails, non-alcoholic options and the restaurant's very own beer in collaboration with local brewery, Track. - recommended by Lead Editor, Lauren Cole
It's hard to resist skoffing down the Michelin star food (left) at Tom Barnes' gaff (right).
3. KAJI
- Location: 64 Bridge Street M3 3BN
- Best for: Japanese tasting menus served from an open kitchen
Sitting on the former site of contemporary Japanese restaurant, MUSU, is KAJI - a new and improved version from the same restaurant group, featuring electrifying Tokyo vibes across predominantly black and red interiors. Replacing MUSU's Land of the Rising Sun tasting menu is KAJI's signature tasting menus from chef patron, Steven Smith.
Choose between nine (£120 per person) and 11 courses (£140 per person), spanning the likes of shrimp dumplings in bone and miso broth, fried oysters, Orkney scallops with sea urchin butter, a luxury sushi selection and tender rack of lamb. We'd highly recommend choosing chef's counter seating for an immersive feel too, as you'll be perched right in front of the open kitchen to bask in the ambience of masters at work. - recommended by Lead Editor, Lauren Cole
Looking for the best tasting menus in Manchester city centre? KAJI definitely has one.
4. Adam Reid At The French
- Location: The Midland Hotel, Peter Street M60 2DS
- Best for: tasting menus at a four AA Rosette restaurant from a Great British Menu winner
- Price: £145 for 12 courses Wednesday to Friday, £165 for 12 courses on Saturdays
Ever wanted to be wined and dined by a celeb? Here's your chance. Book in to try the tasting menu at The French for £145 per person, created by the restaurant's chef-patron Adam Reid - AKA the winner of the Great British Menu and (a rare) four AA Rosettes.
In true Northern style, you'll begin the meal with bread, butter and broth before tucking into the rest of the hyper-seasonal menu that changes on a weekly or, even, daily basis. The sample menu is purposefully vague to account for this, with courses titled "cold cut", "pie", "stew", "roast", "cheese" and "cake" - covering the best of the North-West in a whole new way.
With Northern tasting menu of pie (pictured), roasts and stew, Adam Reid knows how to appeal to Mancunians.
5. Mana
- Location: 42 Blossom Street, Ancoats M4 6BF
- Best for: trying Manchester's first Michelin star tasting menu
- Price: 12 courses for £175 (optional £140 drinks pairings), nine courses for £110 (optional £90 drinks pairings), 5 courses for £70
Why not visit Mana, what was Manchester's only Michelin Star restaurant for many year. It's owned by renowned chef Simon Martin, formerly of Copenhagen's three Michelin-starred venue, Noma. With a capacity of just 30 people, you can expect an intimate dining experience where between nine and 14 plates will be served in quick succession.
Indulge in everything from the finest seafood dishes to deliciously tender meats for just £175 per person for the complete menu, or £11- each if you want the shorter list of key dishes from the "extracts" version, plus added savoury and sweet snacks with both. Everything is made from fresh British produce that highlights the best culinary experience the UK has to offer, with drinks pairings to match.
Mana takes inspiration from Simon Martin's time at three Michelin starred Noma, from the food (left) to the Scandi interiors (right).
6. Where The Light Gets In
- Location: 7 Rostron Brow, Stockport SK1 1JY
- Best for: tasting menus at a Michelin green star restaurant
- Price: five courses for £75
Working directly with farmers and fishermen to curate the
perfect British dishes, Where the Light Gets
In is one to put on your foodie bucket list.
Located in Stockport in Greater Manchester, you can enjoy surprise
dishes from their ever-evolving, five-course tasting menu - a more
accessible length with a lower price point to
match.
Their sustainable efforts, such as growing natural ingredients on their farm, led to them being awarded a Michelin Green Star.
This sustainable, industrial-style hotspot in Stockport right) is the perfect place to indulge in stunning British dishes (left).
7. Six by Nico
- Locations: 2 John Dalton Street M3 2BY; 60 Spring Gardens M2 2BQ
- Best for: affordable tasting menus with fun themes to keep you coming back time and again
- Price: varies by menu, but often around the £45 mark for six courses (optional £30 wine pairing or £40 cocktail pairing)
Get ready for something spectacular. Six by Nico never disappoints when it comes to their ever-changing, six-course tasting menus - with a new one every six weeks. They've had a menu based on Tokyo with delicious chicken karaage, tempura and miso sea bass ramen, entire themes dedicated to Sunday roasts and fish and chips, and even a funfair-inspired spread. They've also recently branched out into murder mystery dinners and dining in the dark experiences too.
Better yet, these one-of-a-kind menus are often just £45 per person - meaning it's one of the most affordable ways to try out tasting menus, if you're still a bit sceptical.
Head to Six by Nico for the funkiest and yet relatively cheap tasting menus in Manchester.
8. La Bandera
- Location: 2 Ridgefield, M2 6EQ
- Best for: authentic Spanish tapas
- Price: £59 for seven courses (optional £30 wine pairing), £69 for 10 courses (optional £36 wine pairing)
La Bandera’s tasting menu is a vibrant journey through authentic Spanish flavours and is one of the most reasonably priced offerings on our list - especially the 10 course menu. That alone makes it worth the recommendation.
Try twice-cooked Galician octopus, the restaurant's multi award-winning squid and squid ink croquettes, slow-cooked oxtail with a red wine reduction and creamy mash, and indulgent crema Catalana. Each dish is perfectly complemented by carefully selected wines too.
Wines include Ugalde Rosado from Rioja and Condado de Oriza from Ribera del Duero.
9. Pip
- Location: Blackfriars St, Manchester, M3 2EQ
- Best for: seasonal British dishes with a European twist
- Price: £40
Pip is a feast for the eyes as well as the tum. Think warm, earthy tones, colourful glass windows, lamps on every table and views of an epic trunk.
Pull up a pew in this amazing ambience to tuck into its amazingly affordable tasting menu of seasonal British dishes. We're talking Old Winchester Cheese Gougères, Bedlam Farm asparagus with smoked dulse butter, Lancashire hotpot, and poached rhubarb.
There's a glass to pair with every dish at Pip.
Explore more of the best restaurants in Manchester.
