As a third-year student with a passion for Manchester’s vibrant culture, I’m taking it upon myself to provide a comprehensive guide to our city’s bountiful food and drink offerings. There’s some you’ll grow to love, and others that you certainly won’t, but all of which are worth trying if you want to experience the melting pot of speciality coffee, tasty curries, and two-for-one cocktails. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I encourage you to explore as much as you possibly can. The most important thing is that you do not just go to Maccies every time you want to treat yourself.
Fallowfield, Withington, and Didsbury
Fallowfield, despite the demolition of Oak House, remains a vibrant place for students to spend their free time. Its proximity to Withington, Didsbury, and the Curry Mile (all respectable scenes in their own right) gives students living there plenty of options to whet their whistles and appetites.
256
It has taken me some time to come around to 256, but there are plenty of reasons why plenty of students love and swear by it. Housed in a Grade II-listed former church dating back to the 19th century, it has the largest range of draught beers in Fallowfield, regular cocktail offers, a large beer garden that catches the sun just right during its brief visits to our rainy metropolis, two working, albeit slightly wonky, pool tables, darts, and a ping-pong table. What else could you need? Oh wait. Like a twisted Cinderella story, 256 transforms into a club as the evening draws on. Listening to 2010s bangers whilst stepping on sticky floors is a rite of passage for students across the country, and Manchester is no different.
Something More Productive
A cosy, wood-panelled, independent speciality coffee shop serving a homemade selection of soups and sandwiches to customers of all kinds, Something More Productive recently won Cafe or Coffee Shop of the Year at the Manchester Food Festival. Their coffee rotation is undoubtedly the best that you can find outside of the city centre. There’s outdoor seating here; they host arts-and-crafts classes, sell art and ceramics made by local creatives, and offer a monthly Jazz evening (check their socials). Sometimes this can be a good place to study for a little while, but they are often too busy to let people lock in with laptops all day long.
Haus
Haus sits in the heart of Fallowfield, just off Wilmslow Road next to Papa John’s. A jack-of-all-trades spot, they offer a range of drink options (one of the few spots in Fallowfield that sell Jubel), mostly employ student staff, and often host open-mic nights in their upstairs room. Their coffee is tasty and comes from Ancoats Coffee, but the food, however, is usually a highlight for me when I want a tasty breakfast. They have vegetarian options in the morning, and from 2 pm, they serve homemade Neopolitan-style pizzas. You could easily have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and evening drinks here, with the balcony serving as a great spot for people-watching.
Oxford Road
As a student in Manchester, you’ll likely become familiar with Oxford Road as your main learning hub. It also has many nice spots for food and drink between lectures.
Lücky Ramen
Lücky Ramen is a lovely restaurant on Oxford Road serving incredibly tasty sushi and ramen. It has become one of my favourite additions to Oxford Road, and they’ve had a few ventures across the city (RIP, the Ancoats site). It is really tasty and a great place to take friends or family. Open from 11 – 3 pm for lunch and 5 – 9 pm for dinner, their space is full of natural light and tasty food, plus some good deals (drink + ramen for £13).
Federal
Pretty much next door to Lücky Ramen is Federal. They have 3 sites across Manchester (Oxford Road, Deansgate, and the Northern Quarter), and for good reason. In 2014, their Australian-style brunch and coffee hit the streets of Manchester, and they’ve been a mainstay since. I’ve lived in Melbourne, where Federal’s founders take inspiration, and they’ve done a great job of replicating the culture. There are almost always queues out of the door at their Oxford Road site, and I believe they’re a walk-in-only restaurant, which might explain it. Some of their options can be a bit pricey, but if you’re the type of person looking for top-quality avocado on toast, you’ll find it at Federal.
Sandbar
I have been to Sandbar a few times; they offer some of the most interesting beer options in and around Oxford Road. It dates back to the 90s, predating much of the current Oxford Road corridor, making it something of a veteran of the scene. As I write this list, I realise how easily impressed I am by craft beer offerings and freshly made pizza.
In the City
Crazy Pedro’s
Speaking of which, Peds offers huge pizza slices, plenty of drink options, friendly staff, and an outdoor seating area at its sites on Bridge Street and in the NQ. Both sites stay open until 4 am, so you can settle in here for the evening, use it for pres or even afters. My drink of choice here? Ask the bartender for a ‘Gooch’, you won’t be disappointed.
Artista Perfetto
If you take coffee seriously or enjoy trying new things, go here. I love this place so much. The staff here are absolutely lovely, and they have some options for coffee and cakes you won’t find anywhere else in the city. Noddy and Cyrus, the cafe’s friendly husband-and-wife owners, bring style from Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan to rainy Manchester. They have a rotational menu, but the Iced Blackcinno looks like a pint of Guinness, which is objectively fun.
Blinker
Manchester is more than just student bars, and Blinker is one of the city’s best spots for cocktails. Beware, they do not come cheaply. The name originates from a prohibition-era cocktail, and the bar’s entire philosophy is based around seasonal ingredients. Clearly a working philosophy, as it was ranked the 22nd-best cocktail bar in the UK this year. If 256 is where you go when you want to make some slightly questionable decisions whilst dancing to Justin Bieber, this is where you go to take your cocktail incredibly seriously.
