From Stockport and Salford to Bury and Bolton, our best meals in Greater Manchester from the last 12 months
The cafe serves traditional Hong Kong dishes alongside Full English breakfasts (Image: Manchester Evening News)
It’s been a big year for Greater Manchester’s food and drink scene. There’s been some big ticket openings, a new Michelin Star and plenty of meals out, takeaways and taste tests.
We’ve been lucky enough to sample some of the best dishes from new venues entering the fold, as well as revisit old haunts, and discover lesser-known gems. And while it’s not been an easy year for the hospitality industry, the sector has shown a lot of resilience, even when faced with unprecedented challenges.
This year, we’ve ventured out across the region, starting out with the amazing bakery tucked away in the middle of a housing estate dishing up Hong Kong delicacies like French toast and deep-fried pork cutlets, and finishing up at a legendary curry house that we’re all guilty of walking past. In between, there was some delicious comfort food, roast dinners and treats from the Christmas Markets.
Whilst we can’t go back through all of them – though you can on our dedicated food and drink page here – we’ve decided to go back into the archives and spotlight some of our favourites. Hopefully, over the Twixmas period it provides you with some inspiration or can be bookmarked for places to visit in the New Year.
‘I tried the Michelin-recommended Stockport restaurant with view of Primark and an eyewatering price tag’
The Duck Breast with mint and fig (Image: Manchester Evening News)
Overlooking the back of Primark, and just within earshot of the karaoke echoing out from The Chestergate, sits Cantaloupe, a down-to-earth bistro with a very simple, yet well-executed menu and compelling wine list.
Easily a contender for one of the town’s best people watching spots, it was quietly opened late last year by chefs Joshua Reed-Cooper and Mike Thomas, whose CVs feature some of the region’s most acclaimed eateries. And less than a year after opening it was named by the Michelin Guide as one of its favourite dining spots.
In September, we tried everything from a Pate De Campagne (£12) and a Roscoff Onion Tart (£10), to Duck, Fig and Mint (£28), accompanied by Cannellini Beans (£4.50). The latter was a delight – perfectly cooked, it melted in the mouth, while the beans provided a soft, warming launch into Autumn. A pricier meal than I can usually afford, it’s certainly a treat, but also a big boost to Stockport and shows just how enviable the town’s food scene has become.
You can read my review of Cantaloupe Stockport here.
“I sat down, he shouted ‘Char Siu’ and disappeared behind a curtain”
The cafe serves traditional Hong Kong dishes alongside Full English breakfasts (Image: Manchester Evening News)
In the middle of a row of terraced houses on the road between Bury and Tottington sits an unassuming cafe. Set up in 2024, ‘Lo Jo Mate’ is an off-shoot of a decorated takeaway called Sai Kwan Lo Jo which was established over 6,000 miles away in Hong Kong.
That fine establishment may have closed a few years back, but Hong Kong’s loss is Bury’s gain, because in a tiny kitchen here, one of the original team have been serving up some of the best black char siu, otherwise known as Sorrowful Rice of Ecstasy, in Greater Manchester.
Many dishes are made to order, and its menu spans classics from its original Sai Kwan including noodles, rice dumplings and cheesy rice pops, to Lo Jo special rice bowls featuring an array of ingredients such as SPAM sticks, pork chop and scrambled egg.
When I visited earlier this year, I had only just walked in, but when I sat down, the owner shouted Char Siu and disappeared behind a curtain. When he returned with the Char siu – a type of Cantonese roast meat which sees pork marinated in a sweet BBQ sauce and then roasted – the pieces were stuffed into my mouth at breakneck speed. Beautifully caramelised, and picking up a crisp char from the wok on casing, while retaining a soft, delicate meat in the middle, it was one of my most memorable meals of 2025 by a country mile.
My review of Lo Jo Mate can be found here.
From Chiang Mai to Bolton, a love story
The massaman curry from Jing Jai cafe on Bradshawgate. A wonderful family with an amazing story, and a real passion for showcasing their Thai roots.(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Jing Jai Thai Cafe opened in March, and is the culmination of years of work from the Bannister family. Martin Bannister, from Bolton, travelled to Thailand in 1989 and after a whirlwind romance with his future wife Songkran. They moved back to the UK in the early 90s, going on to set up their own takeaway from inside their home in Bolton.
As time has evolved, their daughters, Jasmin and Lisa joined the family business and have gone on to open their own street food vans for festivals and events. Eventually, they took the leap and opened their own cafe on Bradshawgate.
Assorted vegetables infused with Thai flavours and wrapped in golden pastry are a mainstay as are their chicken skewers, but favourites include their garlic sesame toast and green curry rolls for starters. Then there’s an array of curries – from Gaeng Garee, known as Thai yellow curry, to the aromatic and crowd pleasing Massaman – as well as delicious, rustic and spicy stir fry with holy basil, their speciality Pad Thai, and egg noodles in an aromatic broth.
You can read about the Bannister family and their lovely cafe here.
‘I went to the Trafford Centre’s newest opening – and had the best sandwich and cake ever’
Mouthwatering bakes at the new Blanchflower cafe at the Trafford Centre(Image: MEN)
There’s been plenty of change at the Trafford Centre this year as they upgraded their retail stores along with their food and drink offer. Now, finally, there’s a coffee shop at the sprawling shopping mall that makes the weekend shopping a little more appealing.
Blanchflower, is one of the best independent bakeries and coffee shops we have in the region, and our Lifestyle Editor Dianne Bourne was one of the first to give its coffee, cake and sandwich a whirl. Their philosophy is simple – “everything is made in house” and with everything baked on the day you know you’re getting the freshest possible breads, pastries, cakes and traybakes when you turn up here.
Dianne wrote: “Arriving to see Blanchflower’s treat-laden cabinet, groaning with pastries and giant Easter-themed cruffins, it’s not surprising really that I gave in to temptation. And I’m mightily glad I did. For that £5 Easter cruffin is singularly one of the best pastry products I think I’ve ever consumed.
“And it was also so good that I found myself tiptoeing back at lunchtime to bag myself a sandwich to take home with me too.”
You can find the rest of Dianne’s review here.
‘If they fail to see it, they’re the ones missing out’
Restaurant Li-Ly by Aiden Byrne in Knutsford, Cheshire(Image: MEN)
Venturing beyond the border of Greater Manchester, earlier this year Dianne also stopped off at top chef Aidan Byrne’s Restaurant Li-Ly in Knutsford. You might recall the chef was behind the stoves at Manchester House back in the day.
Fast forward to 2024, Aiden and wife Sarah took on the Grade II-listed, timber-clad 48 King Street in the Cheshire town last year, and set about transforming this 400-year-old building (with the help of a well-backed Crowdfunder) to become a quirky white-washed multi-levelled restaurant space that feels modern and mysteriously ancient all at the same time.
The seasonal menus are unashamedly fine dining, and in the evening taster menus are priced at £90. They’re set menus, but there’s a good range of options for those with food allergies and intolerances as you can have shellfish-free, gluten-free or a vegetarian menu. The tasting menu at lunchtimes is a reduced selection for £60, which Dianne said was well worth splashing out for.
“Another thing the mysterious Michelin lot want to find in a Star-worthy restaurant (so I’m told) is the finest fresh baked bread,” wrote Dianne.
“And you’ve most definitely got it here – one of the standout courses of the meal Aiden delivers himself to each table is a giant, shiny brown orb of buttermilk carb delight, topped with hefty shavings of Yorkshire pecorino cheese.
“The dreamy bread is brought alongside the most beautiful plate of St Helena cheese mousse with creamed morel mushrooms and a delicately weaved wafer. It’s just one joyful dish of food after the other, with every mouth an education of flavours.”
‘I tried the Greek restaurant in a Salford flat block that made me feel like I was on holiday’
Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar, Salford(Image: Liv Clarke | MEN)
The M.E.N.’s travel reporter Liv Clarke made the most of the final days of summer and was transported to the Greek isles thanks to a rather special restaurant that’s recently opened its doors in Salford.
Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar on Bankside Boulevard is located in the basement of the Cortland at Colliers Yard apartment complex, one of the latest developments to open up in the Blackfriars area. Dishes are inspired by Greece, Turkey and Spain – a fusion of Mediterranean cuisine – and menus are divided up into bread and dips, meze, flatbreads and an assortment of tinned fish.
From the “crispest potatoes” Liv has ever had, to the “tantalising combination of sweet and salty flavours” of feta wrapped filo pastry and “melt-in-the-mouth beef”, Liv enjoyed a feast of Mediterranean treats before tucking into desserts of baklava and Portokalopita – a Greek orange cake.
“Soaked in orange syrup, every mouthful of this was a burst of sweet-sunshine, guaranteed to transport you to a sun-soaked Greek island even on the most miserable of Manchester days,” wrote Liv.
Read the full review of Kallos here.
Greens has gone forever, but something wonderful has replaced it
(Image: MEN Staff)
Almost two years have passed since celebrity chef Simon Rimmer announced the sudden closure of his vegetarian restaurant Greens in West Didsbury, stating a large rent increase had made the venture ‘impossible’ to maintain.
For most of 2024, the restaurant remained empty, with locals wondering who’d be moving in. Then in October the brothers behind tapas bar Porta announced that they would be taking over the unit and at the end of November, it opened its doors.
As any Porta fan will know, the restaurant operates a no-bookings policy, something Liv doesn’t mind at all as it gave her chance to enjoy a Porta spritz (‘a cross between an Aperol Spritz and a Porto Tonica” at the bar while she waited.
As tapas is designed to share, ordering is a collaborative experience for everyone at the table. So Liv selected a mix of dishes, starting with the tortilla and blue cheese, the latter glistening with a coat of honey, and then joined by a generous portion of patatas bravas, which were wonderfully crisp, and topped with red sauce and a dollop of aioli.
As Liv noted at the time: “Whether you’re a keen carnivore, a vegetarian or a fiend for cheese and carbohydrates, Porta’s varied tapas selection ensures no one is disappointed. Variety is the point of tapas, yet Porta also manages to ensure each dish feels like a complete plate of food, with layers of flavours that make you want more.”
Read the full review of Porta Didsbury here.
‘I had a religious experience whilst having my breakfast at this new Greater Manchester cafe’
The Full English, priced at £13, was fulfilling and pleasing
For the residents of Worsley village, one of the big topics of discussion in the last few years has been how to solve a problem like Worsley Methodist chapel,” wrote Adam Maidment as he paid a visit to the historic building that’s been transported into a coffee shop.
Worsley Coffee Co opened up inside the church at the end of last year and sells a range of coffees, hot drinks, home-baked cakes and brunch dishes, including some surprises like hummus on toast, chicken schnitzel, and tuna nicoise. But Adam had his eyes on the full English.
As he wrote: “The English sausage, supplied by Grandad’s Sausages, have a lovely flavour to them. There’s a herby taste to it that sets it apart from your plain old banger. Just a shame there was only one as I could have quite happily lapped up a second. The bacon, unsmoked, is also nice and adds a saltiness to proceedings.
“Having poured the beans all over the sourdough, it’s a delightfully top-notch version of beans on toast, and the hash brown has a perfect crispy crunch to it that is incredibly satisfying. The slow-roasted tomato, covered in a lovely blend of herbs, salt and pepper, are delightful and fresh. It’s a very good breakfast, to be fair.”
Read his full write-up of Worsley Coffee Co here.
‘I visited an unassuming Pakistani restaurant on the side of a dual carriageway’
My meal packed a punch in terms of flavour but I was impressed
It’s not everyday that one of your childhood memories becomes interweaved with national recognition but that’s exactly what happened to Adam when I read through the shortlist of this year’s English Curry Awards back in August.
“With three Greater Manchester venues being included in the list of ten, I caught Chandni Restaurants amongst the group of venues. But, located on Kingsway in Burnage (opposite the Aldi, as the menu so proudly declares), I had known it as a few of its previous identities.
Having been born and grown up in Burnage, I was very familiar with its location – and it’s only just recently become the restaurant that it is today. I recognised it as the Nip In 2 Noreen’s bakery, where I distinctly remember having my first ever Manchester Tart (and loving it).”
The restaurant hails itself as serving ‘matka magic in every bite’. A matka is a clay pot that is traditionally used when it comes to Pakistani and Indian cuisine in helping enhance flavours. Giving it a go he tried a small portion of the chicken dish at just £6.99 along with masala chips (£3.99) and a plain roti for just 75p. Topped off with a can of Rubicon Mango.
“After a couple of minutes, my roti arrives – and it’s huge – alongside my closed pot of curry which lands on my table with a comforting aroma that almost makes me salivate. Taking the lid off, I receive a waft of steam followed by further smells of fresh spices and herbs. On smell alone, it’s delicious. I’m sold.
“Beautifully presented, it is almost like a tikka – the chicken is in big juicy chunks, is flavoursome and falls apart easily. And it’s got a bit of heat to it too, which takes me by surprise considering we’d opted for mild. But it’s not too overwhelmingly hot, it’s a nice mix of flavours, vegetables, and spices. But it’s certainly a punch to the palate.”
You can read Adam’s full review of Chandni Restaurants in Burnage here.