The last few years have seen the concept of tasting menus become more commonplace across Manchester, with a handful of incredible eateries offering guests something extra special from their meal out.
From luxury sushi prepared by your own personal chef to more accessible forrays into the immersive dining experience, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite tasting menus across the city.
With 4AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence among a sizable accolade list, Adam Reid at The French has long been the benchmark for excellence in dining in Manchester.
Set within the glorious walls of The Midland’s Grade II listed dining room, the unparalleled opulence paired with the spectacular food that showcases the best of British cuisine is an all-around incredible experience.
Between Wed-Fri, the tasting menu is available for £125PP, while Saturdays the price is £130. Matching wine and drinks are available to add for an extra £85PP.
If you’ve even the vaguest interest in the Manchester food scene, you’ve probably heard about Where the Light Gets In, and it’s almost certainly all been good. A major driver in Stockport’s recent renaissance as a Northern food and drink hotspot, the team weave the stories of the farmers and fisherman they work with into the narrative of the evening’s meal that is prepared with unwavering precision and care.
It’s an incredibly intimate space, accommodating only 30 guests at a time, so you’ll need to book well in advance. The tasting menu rotates with the seasons, and you can expect to pay £95PP.
This Japanese restaurant has a total of four tasting menus to choose from, ranging from £28 – £50, and is undoubtedly one of the most fun places to eat in town.
The quality is there to match to entertainment too. If you opt for the top end, the ‘Emperor’ menu includes Miso Wakame Soup, Nigiri Sushi, Barbeque Ribs, Smoked Chicken Roll, Sea Bass (can be upgraded to half lobster), Beef Fillet, King Prawns and Chicken Fillet, all served with egg fried rice, stir-fried vegetables and Sapporo potatoes.
The brainchild of renowned chef Nico Simone, the very first Six by Nico restaurant was opened in Glasgow with a fairly simple premise, every six weeks, guests can enjoy a brand-new menu inspired by different delicacies from around the world.
Whether it’s pasta-focused dishes inspired by Rome, an entire evening dedicated to the chippy or Greek gyros, Nico and his team have cracked a concept that offers plenty of reasons to keep returning.
For £37 you can get six courses, and for an extra £30 you can enjoy a series of matching wines, making Six By Nico the ideal introduction to tasting menus. The team is soon set to open their second Manchester location, with the original Spring Gardens spot proving such a massive hit.
Greater Manchester’s only Michelin Star restaurant to date, you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere that tops Mana in terms of quality. Using only the best produce from the British Isles, Mana’s menu is a celebration of the natural resources on offer, striking a balance that sits somewhere between food, science and art.
Fermentation and fire are the pillars of the preparation at Mana, with a menu constantly shifting with the seasons.
Normal lunch and dinner sittings are priced at £195 per person, so definitely on the higher end of the cost spectrum, though a reduced lunch and dinner menu is also offered at £95.
Since opening Sticky Walnut in Chester 12 years ago, Elite Bistros’ reputation in Manchester has gone from strength to strength, with an impressive portfolio that includes Didsbury’s Hispi, and the ever-popular Kala in the city centre, amongst others.
While tasting menus aren’t regular occurrences at Kala or Hispi, the one-off monthly set menus at both restaurants always go down a hit.
At Hispi, Wine Night Tasting Menus take place every first Friday of the month and are usually priced at around £80pp. Over at Kala, these monthly set tasting menus have now become a fixture and an opportunity for for the restaurant’s renowned kitchen team to showcase their culinary creativity outside of the usual menu.
Keep an eye on the Hispi and Kala websites for more information on upcoming dates.
It’s only been a few months since the team at Örme opened their doors in Urmston, but they’ve proved a huge and almost immediate hit with their incredible, affordable tasting menu alternative. The menu focuses on ‘enhancing humble British produce by preserving, pickling and fermenting’ and is available for £45, with the option of pairing drinks for £35. A dedicated veggie-friendly tasting menu is also available at the same price.
The offering changes with the seasons, though to give you an idea, the menu at the time of writing includes things like Cumbrian Lamb, Lovage & Hispi Cabbage, North Sea Mackerel and Lemon Verbena Meringue Tart.
- Words:
- Bradley Lengden
- Published on:
- Thu 7 Mar 2024
A newcomer to Manchester’s thriving foodie scene, MUSU offers high-end Japanese dining with meticulous attention to detail.
Renowned chef-patron Michael Shaw heads things up, bringing a mightily impressive CV that boasts time at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and Richard Neat’s Cannes restaurant. Meanwhile, head sushi chef Andre Aguiar has spent time under Japanese sushi master Yugo Kato.
Translated as ‘infinite possibilities’, the concept offers guests three ‘multi-sensory’ dining options to choose from. There’s the la carte ‘sentaku’ menu, that guests can pick and choose from as they please.
Then, there’s a seven and 11-course kaiseki menu, which promises a ‘seasonal journey through the flavours and techniques of Japanese cuisine’. Seven courses will cost you £110 (£50 additional for wine pairing, £80 for premium wines), while the 11-course tasting menu is £150 (£80 for wine pairing, £120 for premium).
A theatric omakase menu, ‘Chef’s Choice’, is also available, served over a six-seater omakase counter, with your own personal sushi chef. Spaces for this are extremely limited. Finally, is the Sentaku menu, which allows guests to choose their own tasting experience, from a menu that is split into different dishes like sushi, tempura and robatayaki. Prices for this will vary depending on your own choices.