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10 Manchester Restaurants That Offer the Best Small Plates You Would NOT Want to Miss!
Whenever we decide to go on a food crawl, we’re always tempted to eat everything all at once! After all, the foodie in us can’t help but want to get a bite out of anything that looks good. But sometimes, it’s better to take your time to enjoy a meal bit by bit.
Which is why we wanted to try out some of Manchester’s small plates! See, instead of having one large course to eat from, small plates give you about the same amount as a starter. It means that you have to savour each bite and taste.
If you’ve also been looking for restaurants that serve with quality over quantity in mind, then you’ve clicked on the right article! So join us on every stop of this food crawl, you’ll be satisfied faster than you’ll be finished going through these small plates.
Bar San Juan
Media from: @barsanjuan
Location: 56 Beech Rd, Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Operating Hours: Tuesday-Sunday — 12 PM-10:30 PM
Contact: 0737 869 3594 (cel.), [email protected] (email)
Anyone who wants a taste of some Spanish cuisine should come on down to Bar San Juan! Step into this brightly painted restaurant and you’ll get a nice, vibrant scene filled with live music and tasty tapas.
One example of a good tapa from here would be the Papas Bravas, which are potatoes that are crisp-fried. We loved the crunch and sauces of that dish, and you might love it too!
| Pro tip Love Sangrias? Then you’ll love their Sangria carafe takeaway! You can either get a 750mL carafe for £11.50 or a 1L carafe for £13.50 |
El Gato Negro
Media from: @elgatonegrotapas
Location: 52 King St
Operating Hours:
- Sunday-Thursday — 12 PM-9 PM
- Friday-Saturday — 12 PM-10 PM
Contact: 0161 694 8585 (cel.)
Ever wanted to eat some tapas on a rooftop table? You can go to El Gato Negro! Here, they serve some of the freshest in-season tapas you can find in Manchester. And they do so by combining Spanish and British cooking flavours and recipes!
We liked their Catalan Chorizo, which has that traditional smoky flavour you’ll find in Spanish dishes. But, there’s a little surprise! These mini chorizos are cooked in Aspall cider, which gives them a sweet aftertaste.
| Pro tip Ask them for their Specials menu, it gets rotated and updated every month, so it’s worth checking what they have on there! |
Peter Street Kitchen
Media from: @peterstreetkitchen
Location: The Edwardian Manchester, Free Trade Hall, Peter St
Operating Hours:
- Tuesday-Thursday — 5 PM-10 PM
- Friday-Saturday — 4 PM-10:45 PM
Contact: 0161 835 8941 (cel.), [email protected] (email)
Fancy feeling fancy while dining on some Japanese and Mexican-inspired dishes? Then this restaurant in The Edwardian hotel is what you need on a small plate crawl!
Underneath bright lights and surrounded by modern high-end decor, we had a taste of their Kaisen Moriawase, which is their Japanese seafood platter.
The platter contains goodies such as oysters, tiger prawns, tuna sashimi, and even Cornish crab! Each part brought its flavour to the table, such as the oyster with the oceany taste and the tiger prawns with their spicy kick, making it an enjoyable dish.
| Pro tip With their set menus and proximity to Bridgewater Hall, Peter Street Kitchen is just one of many places we’d recommend eating in before seeing a show! |
KAJI
Media from: @kajimcr
Location: 64 Bridge St
Operating Hours:
- Wednesday — 5 PM-12 AM
- Thursday-Saturday — 12 PM-12 AM
Contact: 0161 883 7746 (cel.), [email protected] (email)
There’s nothing like a fiery appetite and an even more fiery kitchen like the one in KAJI! Here in this Japanese restaurant, they use a wide variety of bold spices to give their food a flavourful taste! You might even want to bring your fellow foodie friends down here.
If we had to recommend a specific small plate dish from them, we’d have to put forward their Soft Shell Crab Maki Rolls. The soft shell crabs have a nice crunch to them, while the rice used to wrap around them is nicely seasoned and cooked.
| Pro tip Celebrating a loved one’s grad day? KAJI can help you celebrate in style! They have an exclusive full-course set meal with champagne that’s just £40 per head. Plus, the graduate even gets to eat for free! |
Sora Manchester
Media from: @soraskybar
Location: Malmaison, 23 Deansgate, Princess St
Operating Hours:
- Wednesday-Thursday — 12 PM-12 AM
- Friday-Saturday — 12 PM-1 AM
- Sunday — 12 PM-11 PM
Contact: 0330 016 0380 (cel.)
Here’s yet another Japanese restaurant recommendation! Sora is the place to go to if you want a great rooftop seat with a stunning view to go with your small plate order. It makes for the kind of restaurant that’s perfect for a date night.
As for our small plate order, here’s our recommendation! The Tiger Prawn Nigiri has a really great bite to it, with the soft rice contrasting well with the crunchy tiger prawns. Plus, the sauces that it’s served with really elevate the taste!
| Pro tip Do you like Japanese tea? Then join in on their Afternoon Tea on a Wednesday, Friday or Sunday! You’ll get to indulge in sushi and Japanese sweet treats along with some cocktails for just £35 per person. |
10 Tib Lane
Media from: @10tiblane
Location: 10 Tib Lane
Operating Hours:
- Tuesday-Saturday — 12 PM-12 AM
- Sunday — 12 PM-10 PM
Contact: 0161 833 1034 (cel.), [email protected] (email)
Step into this townhouse, and you’ll be in for a world of seasonal small plates and cocktails! 10 Tib Lane is a cocktail bar and restaurant that serves up food made from fresh ingredients, all used to cook up some nice contemporary meals.
Now, if there’s one contemporary meal we liked, it would have to be their Beignets! The sweetness and the fluffiness come together to make an excellent small plate dessert. If ever you decide to come down here, you need to try these, at the very least!
| Pro tip Looking to go here? Set aside some appropriate clothes! Their dress code does not allow football shirts or fancy dress, so keep that in mind. |
Elnecot
Media from: @elnecot
Location: Cutting Room Square, 41 Blossom St
Operating Hours:
- Monday-Saturday — 11 AM-11:30 PM
- Sunday — 12 PM-11:30 PM
Contact: 0741 257 4324 (cel.), [email protected] (email)
This neighbourhood bar and kitchen is a great choice for those seeking bottomless brunch! While the inside can get tightly packed even on their less busy days, you should come here regularly for a brunch of small plates.
The small plate dish we ordered and loved was the Ciabatta with the beef and onion butter, and we can confirm that it’s a good choice! The way they bake the Ciabatta makes the bread itself unimaginably soft, while the crust adds a good crunch to it.
Plus, if you’re looking for a place to come together with your friends, this could be it! Who knows, they might be a fan of the industrial-chic look; we did like the look of the brick wall and slightly worn floor combination.
| Pro tip Fond of day drinking, but it’s a hot day? Then order one of their chilled red wines! |
The Refuge
Media from: @therefugemcr
Location: Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Oxford St
Operating Hours:
- Monday-Saturday — 12 PM-9:45 PM
- Sunday — 12 PM-8:45 PM
Contact: 0161 233 5151 (cel.), [email protected] (email)
Now here’s a place serving some fancy food around the globe! The Refuge draws inspiration from a wide range of countries, and you might even discover some new cuisines!
Of course, don’t be mistaken, as they’ve got some Mancunian food on the menu too!
If there’s anything in their menu that we loved discovering, though, it would have to be their King Prawns. That small plate packed some big flavours since it was cooked in a nice, spicy, and garlicky ajillo sauce!
There’s also another thing we liked about it: it was in the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel on Oxford Street. So if you’ve been on a trip or plan on going on a trip near Oxford Street, you could check into the hotel and enjoy a nice brunch or dinner here.
| Pro tip Want to enjoy your Sundays in a delicious way? They have all-day roasts every Sunday, with as much Yorkshire pudding and gravy as they can whip up! |
Mews Bar and Charcuterie
Media from: @themewsmcr
Location:253 Deansgate
Operating Hours:
- Tuesday-Thursday — 3 PM-11 PM
- Friday — 3 PM-1 AM
- Saturday — 7 PM
Contact: 0161 839 7779 (cel.), [email protected] (email)
We can’t deny that we love a good wine and cheese combination, which is why Mews Bar and Charcuterie gets a spot on this list!
Here, they have a wide selection of carefully picked wines and craft beers. But of course, you’re reading this list for the small plates, and you needn’t worry! We didn’t forget about that either, especially not with their charcuterie lineup.
For our order, we chose some Trio Falafel, Hummus, and Tzatziki. The flavours of the hummus and tzatziki meshed well together when spread on the falafels. So the nuttiness of the hummus and the tanginess of the tzatziki didn’t overwhelm each other.
| Pro tip Want a table on the terrace? Then you’d better hurry and get one! They don’t have pre-booking reservations for outdoor seating, and the terrace tables are on a first-come, first-served basis. |
Another Hand
Media from: @another_hand_mcr
Location: 9 Keepers Quay
Operating Hours:
- Tuesday — 5 PM-11 PM
- Wednesday-Saturday — 12 PM-11 PM
Contact: 0161 834 2988 (cel.), [email protected] (email)
In the mood for some intimate, casual dining with some small plates? Another Hand might just be the best choice for you, with its soft lighting, comfortable seating, and savoury dishes!
Their dishes don’t follow a specific kind of cuisine and instead, they focus on cooking up recipes using fresh produce, which is a bonus in our eyes!
If we had to choose which dish was our favourite, then we’d say that it would have to be the raw oyster with grilled lime and wild garlic. Aside from the usual nice oceany taste you’d get from oysters, the lime adds some zest and the garlic brings out the oyster’s flavour more!
| Pro tip With the overall vibe that Another Hand has, it makes for a good date night idea! We suggest booking a table beforehand if you want to make sure you don’t miss out on a table. |
