9 Best Restaurants in Manchester, Manchester, Liverpool, and the Peak District

Part of a small group of famously crowd-funded restaurants (yup, people liked the owner-chef's concept so much they raised money so he could open a place in their 'hood) found across northwest England, this neighborhood bistro offers ambitious dining at remarkably fair prices. In pared-back surroundings, expect the likes of pastrami-style trout with sour cream, dill, and pickled green beans or braised featherblade of beef with wild mushroom ketchup, truffle and parmesan chips, and red wine sauce, plus wonderful accompaniments including hard-to-find vegetables. Gary Usher has another crowd-funded venue in the city center, KALA Bistro.

Financed by one-time Barcelona soccer legend and Manchester City FC manager Pep Guardiola, this Catalonian restaurant pulls no punches when it comes to contemporary cooking, with dishes courtesy of two Michelin-star chef Paco Pérez. The unifying overall concept is "tastets": small tastes of food with greater complexity than tapas, some cooked in a charcoal oven, including butifarra, a Catalan Duroc pork sausage. Highly theatrical, TAST is an ideal choice for very special occasions.

This glamorous spot serves eclectic global food amidst the original features of a stunning Victorian Gothic building that's been given new life as the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel. Expect dishes such as halibut ceviche with red onion, lemon crème fraïche, almond, and sumac or lamb shawarma with roasted garlic, toum, zhug, slaw, green chili, onions, and lahuhua. The bar is a beauty, too (the restaurateurs are former DJs, so think hip).

Much-loved by food critics, this groundbreaking "New Northern" restaurant in a former coffee warehouse offers a no-choice tasting menu (£95) that depends on “the day’s catch, harvest, and slaughter.” Regular ingredients include Macclesfield trout, cured Middle White pork, and salt-baked beets in delicious combinations; much of the produce comes from the restaurant's own farm.

Tasty Gujurat-inspired vegetarian street food lures the budget-conscious to this colorful and vivacious canteen-style restaurant tucked away in a basement on Piccadilly Gardens. Order from the bar, and watch chefs get busy in a semi-open kitchen on Indian dishes both classic and modern. There's a second Manchester branch (and a Bundobost brewery) on Oxford Street, plus a branch in Liverpool.

This airy suburban dining room in a former bakery with polished concrete floors, grey walls, wooden benches, trailing foliage, and chalkboard menus is presided over by local chef Mary-Ellen McTague (who cooked under Heston Blumenthal at the legendary Fat Duck for many years). It offers southern European comfort food based on seasonal produce; think the likes of cucumber, fennel, tarragon, and ricotta salata or fazzoletti with walnut sauce.

Located in a 19th-century market building, this food court brings together several casual dining experiences under one stunningly restored roof. Choose from sourdough pizza, ramen and bao, rare cuts of beef, tortillas, tacos and margaritas, and more, enjoyed at long shared tables. There’s a similar venue, Market House, in the market town of Altrincham eight miles southwest of Manchester city center, and another sister venue, Picturedrome, in Macclesfield just outside Greater Manchester in Cheshire.

The first opening by former MasterChef winner Simon Wood, this scene-setting restaurant in the pedestrianized First Street arts and leisure complex serves up high-end, creative British tasting menus from an open kitchen. Think adventurous ingredients such as red deer, Douglas fir, and crapaudine beetroot combined with modern takes on traditional dishes like neeps and tatties (Scottish mash).