The best: Romantic date night restaurants to book around Manchester

Located in a Grade II-listed dining room at the heart of the Midland Hotel, The French resurrects the inimitable allure of Belle Époque Paris while serving some of the best modern British cuisine in the country.

Under the leadership of Adam Reid, the Michelin Guide-featured restaurant has swept up countless accolades thanks to its signature tasting menu; a love letter to hearty, soulful northern cuisine, transforming the finest seasonal produce into a delicious celebration of English flavours.

Check out a sample menu HERE, and book your table for two below.

Brimming with delicate splendour and unbridled passion, Manchester’s ambient cocktail capitol invites couples to try an extensive menu of hand-crafted drinks against a breathtaking panoramic view of the city.

A la carte menu highlights include sumptuous Oscietra caviar, roasted quail, seared king scallops, BBQ lamb rump, grilled spatchcocked poussin and even a whole lobster, promising an unforgettable evening of culinary delight in an intimate, intoxicating atmosphere.

Situated in the thrumming Red Bank development, Manchester’s enchantingly cosy pasta haunt delivers a ‘glorious carb-fest’ (Jay Rayner, The Guardian) of Tyrolean delights, with wildly popular noodle-based takes on the traditional flavours of Central Europe in a homely, welcoming atmosphere.

Featured in the Michelin Guide and worthy winners of the Good Food Guide’s North West Best Local Restaurant in 2023, The Sparrows specialises in spätzle prepared in a variety of ways, from bolognese and guanciale to kase and chorizo, with an extensive wine list and free-flowing sake to wash it down.

Founded on an ethos of culinary seasonality, the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand-winning Higher Ground serves the best of British produce at its peak throughout the year, with a tantalising evening sharing menu starting at just £58pp.

Dishes change regularly, but loved-up diners can expect an assortment of locally sourced treasures like four-month-aged beef bresaola, hot smoked trout, Isle of Mull cheddar tart, hand-dived Orkney scallop and more, with Manchester honey ice cream and cane sugar custard tart for dessert.

Check out a sample menu HERE.

Shortlisted for Manchester’s Best Restaurant in the 2024 British Restaurant Awards, Deansgate Mews’ acclaimed fine-dining stalwart Another Hand combines casual dining with natural wines and hand-crafted cocktails, offering couples the chance to indulge in an assortment of sublime flavour-driven sharing plates including fallow deer, salt-aged duck, butter-roasted turbot and more.

Set high against the sparkling vista of Deansgate, the achingly chic wine-led small plates hotspot Climat serves some of Manchester’s best vintages alongside immaculately curated dishes for couples to enjoy with a glittering sunset view.

Menu highlights include turbot in sherry sauce, beef tartare, prawn crackers & thai basil, porchetta & fèves à la française and a lavish black forest eclair.

Book your table below.

Billed as ‘Manchester’s premier dining destination for bold, fire-inspired flavours’, opulent Japanese fusion restaurant KAJI offers an innovative yet irresistible array of high-end dishes ranging from freshly prepared sushi, Spiced Himalayan Salt Aged Beef Tartare and Ember Cooked Duck Liver to Kaffir Lime Shrimp Dumplings, Langoustine and Shiso Spring Rolls and the divine tasting menu, billed as ‘a curated journey through the essence of KAJI cuisine’ with chef’s counter seatings available for £140.

For couples after an earlier engagement, KAJI runs an early evening menu from 5-6pm every Wednesday to Saturday priced at just £30pp.

Spacious, modern and elegantly appointed while sustaining an air of ‘old-school sauciness’ (The Guardian), the polished yet unpretentious 10 Tib Lane offers a sprawling array of classic cocktails and natural wines alongside a sizeable selection of dishes which use – you guessed it – the very best in seasonal British produce.

Menu standouts include chicken liver parfait with beef fat toast, steak tartare, Dorset black truffle salami, roasted onion squash, grilled hispi cabbage, cured sea bream and spiced apple & brandy cream mille feuille.

Book your couple’s table below.

Serving the best of British with sizeable portions and haute cuisine presentation in the centre of Prestwich, the sophisticated yet unassuming Pearl restaurant justifies its name as a shimmering gem of romantic suburban dining in North Manchester’s trendiest neighbourhood, with a simple, expertly balanced menu featuring wild bass, hay-baked hogget – a sumptuously rich aged sheep dish – corned beef hash and more.

Book on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday to sample the seasonal set menu, which includes elevated national treasures like Loch Duart salmon, pressing of mallard, Knutsford hogget and an unapologetically luxurious tarte tatin to share.

Find out more below.

Widely regarded as the best steakhouse in Manchester, if not the entire North West, multiple-award-winning restaurant Hawksmoor serves the finest prime cuts made from high-quality dry-aged beef alongside an impressive chocie of cocktails, signature beef burgers, umami-rich bone marrow and more.

Located in a grand former courthouse furnished with deep mahogany trims, parquet flooring and gleaming glazed bricks, the wildly popular upmarket dinner spot blends the quintessential British dining experience with timelessly elegant Victorian surroundings, where couples can sample world-famous fare in plush semi-private booths.

Every Monday, Hawksmoor operates a BYOB policy with just £5 corkage for any bottle you bring along.

A stone’s throw away, palatial London import Gaucho combines the sensuous dining culture of Buenos Aires with contemporary style to offer the perfect special occasion dining experience inside a magnificent converted methodist church.

The menu is centred around their exquisite cuts of beef and vibrant fresh seafood, with highlights including ribeye, rump and fillet steaks, crab causita, prawn chicharron and salmon and tartare tacos.

Check out the menu HERE, and book a table below.