The UK’s 100 Best Local Restaurants Named

A number of restaurants in Greater Manchester have been included in the Good Food Guide’s ‘Britain Best 100 Local Restaurants’ list. The restaurant review bible, which celebrates “fabulous” independent restaurants in the British Isles, had an “unprecedented” number of nominations this year.

The local series of the guide collected 60,000 votes from the public, before different places to eat across the UK were judged by the guide’s team of inspectors. A popular pizzeria in South Manchester took home the crown for best in the North West, while Leeds favorite Bavette was awarded the title of Britain’s best local restaurant.

Eight Greater Manchester eateries were favoured, including Levenshulme restaurant Cibus, which took home the award for best in the North West, beating competition from Liverpool, Chester and the Lake District. Cibus joins Manchester restaurants Another Hand, Higher Ground, The Sparrows and Edinburgh Castle, as well as restaurants in Ashton-under-Lyne, Stockport and Prestwich, the new listings.

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Outlining what it believes makes a great local restaurant, the Guide says it takes several factors, including “hands-on” owners, a welcoming environment where everyone feels included and “satisfied” customers. He also explains that personal service with genuine conversation is essential, as is a restaurant that makes guests feel like it’s “the place to be” while dining there.

The Guide’s anonymous reviewer, who rated Cibus for the award, wrote: “At first glance, the menu may seem like a conventional and familiar list of pizzas and pastas, but there are daily and seasonal changes, interesting regional dishes from the north to the south of the peninsula and a standard of cooking, catering and service that would put many a posh man to shame.”

Cibus started as a pub pizza pop-up in Fred’s Ale House in Levenshulme and has also been a firm favorite in the local market. Owned just a few blocks down from where it started, it serves a range of Italian small plates, weekly-changing meats and seafood, as well as Neapolitan pizzas and pastas.

Speaking about the win, owners Giorgio Fontana and Marco Bracchitta said: “We are delighted and humbled by the news that Cibus has been voted the best local restaurant in the North West!

“It is a great honor and we are overwhelmed with joy. Thanks to all our supporters.

“We feel loved and embraced by the community around us and we respond with our love and passion in what we do here at Cibus.

“This recognition is a massive morale boost for the Cibus team. We are like a family and work hard together to provide a great experience for our guests. Our hard work has paid off.”

While Cibus topped the list for the North West and Greater Manchester, the 2024 list also includes Higher Ground on New York Street in the city centre, appearing for the second year running.

Run by Daniel Craig-Martin, Richard Cossins and Joe Otway, Higher Ground celebrates “regenerative farming and local produce”, with around 90% of the ingredients on its menu sourced from the trio’s Cinderwood farm in Nantwich.

Earlier this year, it became one of 20 restaurants in the UK and Ireland awarded with a coveted Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide and was also named one of the best new restaurants by Good Food Guide in January, less than a year after the doors opened. It was also one of three restaurants in Manchester to be named in the National Restaurant Awards Top 100 restaurants in June.

Another Hand on Deansgate Mews is among the city center spots in the Good Food Guide’s ‘Britain Best 100 Local Restaurants’ list. The neighborhood-style spot became a local favorite and even caught the attention of Michelin, who added it list of favorite restaurants – just eight after opening its doors.

The restaurant was launched by the team behind 3 Hands Deli, a firm block favorite that popped up for a short time just two units down from where the restaurant now stands. Earlier this year, he launched a pop-up project, Jaan, which brings the flavors of the Middle East to the food showroom on Peter Street.

Meanwhile, Ancoats pub Edinburgh Castle has also made the Good Food Guide’s top 100. The Blossom Street Pub, which dates back to 1811, reopened in 2019 under the ownership of the same team behind Mielu Tătaria in the Northern Quarter – formerly Cottonopolis. It’s run by top chef Shaun Moffat and serves traditional British pub fare.

Also featured, The Sparrows, a small restaurant nestled under a railway arch near Victoria Station, which is loved for its European pasta and dumplings. The restaurant originally opened on Mirabel Street in early 2019, before expanding into a slightly larger unit under the railway arches in the city’s Red Bank district, and has been praised by everyone from national food critic Jay Rayner to the Michelin Guide – the latter including it in is Michelin inspectors’ new favorite restaurants.

Outside the city centre, Lily’s, the vegetarian Indian restaurant that started life as a small cafe, in Ashton-under-Lyne. It is loved for its range of samosas, bhajis, chaats, ‘atom bombs’ – whole fried potatoes packed with spices – as well as a wide range of Indian sweets and chai teas, plus Gujarati, Rajasthani and South Indian vegetarian curries.

In Stockport, Bombay to Mumbai was also named alongside its Greater Manchester restaurants. Located just off the roundabout near Bramhall Park, the upscale dining venue with touches of old Bombay meets modern Mumbai and menus that mix street food-style starters, Indo-Chinese dishes and tandoori grills with a handful of curries and specials.

Last but not least, The Pearl in Prestwich also features in this year’s listings, having only opened its doors in November last year. What was once a the computer store was transformed into a stylish neighborhood spot with a distinctly Parisian feel – but once seated, you’ll discover that the cooking is distinctly British at its roots.

Named after an artsy cafe found in the trendy Le Marais district of Paris, it was brought to life by Sam Taylor, who, after losing his job in the pandemic, entered a career in hospitality. Now, rather than an empty shop unit, visitors will find a well appointed dining room with 24 covers and a refined menu serving classic European dishes made with the best produce from across the British Isles.