Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Taunton
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Taunton restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 100 restaurants in Taunton and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Taunton restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Taunton Restaurants
1. San Carlo
Italian restaurant in Manchester
40 King Street West - M3
This “buzzy Italian in central Manchester” (opened in 2004) is one of the better-known locations both in the city and in the national chain of which it is part; and at lunch it “buzzes with business people” (evenings are overwhelmingly social). “Good traditional food is well cooked with delicious pasta and fish” and the old-school service is “friendly, efficient and well organised”.
2. MUSU
Japanese restaurant in Manchester
India Buildings, 8 Brunswick St - M3
“A real feast for the senses and already very popular”; “a quite incredible fit-out for this newish opening” is just one of the attractions at this October 2022 debut, on the site that was previously Randall & Aubin (RIP), but which has been subject to a £3.5m refit. The name means ‘infinite possibilities’: here, that translates into seven-course or eleven-course Japanese omakase menus for up to £150 per person – “expensive to visit but quite fabulous ingredients prepared by Michael Shaw and his team” (he was previously at a traditional pub in Lydgate, near Oldham so this is quite the change, but his pedigree includes stints at Le Manoir, Ramsay’s Aubergine and Richard Neat). In a March 2023 review, The Guardian’s Grace Dent declared it “gigantically ambitious and pointedly bonkers”, resembling “nothing so much as the Starship Enterprise, albeit one with geishas on the walls” and with “outstanding… Japanese food served in the manner of Le Manoir… Every bowl is a minuscule portion of exquisite pleasure”.
3. Bundobust
Indian restaurant in Manchester
61 Piccadilly - M1
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this northern-based operation “still delivers very high-quality Indian street food with super craft beers at excellent value – keep it up!”. Now with two branches in Manchester, one each in Leeds and Liverpool and a new venture as far south as Birmingham, it’s “very good for a quick curry fix” – and nobody seems to notice that the Gujarati food is vegan.
4. Indique
Indian restaurant in Manchester
110-112 Burton Road - M20
“Simply the best Indian cuisine ever!” – fans don’t stint in their praise of this posh West Didsbury curry house that’s both ‘Indian’ and ‘Unique’… It lives up to its name with a menu incorporating a few dishes not seen elsewhere.
5. Chez Nous Bistro
British, Modern restaurant in Sale
179 Marsland Road - M33
2023 Review: Needing to eat in Manchester’s plush southern ’burbs? – this ‘suburban bistro with urban attitude’ (their words) doesn’t generate huge feedback in our survey, but such as there is rates it as excellent value.
6. Tattu
Chinese restaurant in Manchester
3 Hardman Sq, Gartside St - M3
Aces of expensive, moodily dark wood paneling and other luxurious surfaces contribute to the Insta-friendly scene at this original outpost of what’s now become a national chain of glam pan-Asian destinations. Feedback was relatively limited this year, but raised no complaints regarding its mix of Chinese dishes with sushi and Thai favourites.
7. TNQ Restaurant & Bar
British, Modern restaurant in Manchester
108 High St - M4
“An exemplar of city-centre neighbourhood bistros” – this “popular Northern Quarter restaurant” (that’s the NQ in the name) has “settled down into a pleasing rhythm of knowing exactly who they are and what they need to do (kind-of like your favourite comfy pair of high-quality shoes… in the best possible way!)”; and “consistently delivers excellent food that doesn’t cost the earth”.
8. KIRA by Sunitha
Pan-Asian restaurant in Bollington
88 Palmerston Street - SK10
At KIRA Bistro & Lounge Bar, we believe that dining is more than just a meal; it’s a culinary experience that engages all the senses. Imagine the tantalising aroma of our signature dishes wafting through the air, each masterpiece showcasing Sunitha&r...
9. Lily's Indian Vegetarian Cuisine
restaurant in Ashton-Under-Lyne
85 Oldham Rd - OL6
2022 Review: There’s a “fantastic range of vegetarian treats” at this “great value” Indian – part of the Sachdev family business that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The café, near Manchester’s IKEA, moved into its own site opposite the family’s ASM cash-and-carry grocery a couple of years ago. (It’s named after founder PG Sachdev’s wife Lilawati, who hand-made treats to sell in the early days of the business.)
10. Mana
British, Modern restaurant in Manchester
Sawmill Court - M4
“Simply the best” – Simon Martin’s Ancoats superstar continues to maintain the “outstanding all-round” form that secured its place in the history books in 2019 when it carried back to Manchester the city’s first Michelin star since 1977. “Sublime dishes are cooked with invention and precision” by the squadron of chefs put on display by the open kitchen (you can walk between workstations as the chefs are plating up). They deliver a £195 per person tasting menu, although you can fight the cost-of-living crisis with a cut-down version at £95 per person. Combinations are clever and each dish is intricately crafted. The contemporary space it occupies – at the foot of a modern block – is also full of drama, with a very high ceiling and huge windows.
11. Erst
British, Modern restaurant in Manchester
9 Murray Street - M4
“Definitely one of the stars of the buzzing Ancoats scene… in fact, the Manchester scene overall” – “a minimalistic interior sets the scene for simple but brilliantly executed dishes designed for sharing” at this low-key zeitgeisty hit: the most commented-on destination in the city in our annual diners’ poll this year. “The highly professional kitchen team are at the top of their game providing fare which is as clever as it is straightforward” (e.g. “the best bread and potato dishes I’ve ever had!”). Aided by its “very helpful” approach to service: “it’s the kind of place you wish was in your neighbourhood. Small plates and a natural (but not too funky) list of wines make it as good a place as any you will find to spend a couple of hours when in Manchester”.
12. Glamorous
Chinese restaurant in Manchester
Wing Yip Bus’ Centre, Oldham Rd - M4
2022 Review: “Busy”, huge and gaudy Cantonese that sits over the Wing Yip Oriental supermarket, where you can choose from over 300 dishes on the menu. It’s one of the few places left in town (in the country?) where dim sum still comes on trolleys.
13. Canto
Portuguese restaurant in Manchester
Cutting Room Square, Blossom Street - M4
This “really good tapas” spot in Ancoats is “hugely popular”, so “booking is a must” – “the only drawback is that tables are reserved for 1.5-hour slots, so it’s difficult to make a night of it no matter how much you spend on wine!”. Billed as a Portuguese follow-up to Simon Shaw’s El Gato Negro when it opened five years ago under head chef Carlos Gomes, the venue now describes its food puzzlingly as ‘Mediterranean tapas’ – which would exclude the many Portuguese dishes on the menu…
14. Rudy's
Pizza restaurant in Manchester
9 Cotton Street, Ancoats - M4
“The high-quality, authentic pizzas” are “just the best” – “especially the plain old Neapolitan” – at the “really buzzing” Ancoats original of what has become a fast-growing chain. Founded by Jim Morgan & Kati Wilson nine years ago, it is now has 18 branches around the country as part of the Mission Mars/Albert’s Schloss operation – but is “still very good” by all accounts, and if it “does get a bit noisy in there, that only adds to the atmosphere”.
15. The Edinburgh Castle
British, Modern restaurant in Manchester
Blossom Street - M4
This splendid 1811 pub with upstairs restaurant has been rescued as part of the ongoing redevelopment of Ancoats, winning praise for its “brilliant pub food”, plus “good beer and wines” and an “awesome Sunday lunch!”
16. Street Urchin
British, Modern restaurant in Manchester
72 Great Ancoats Street - M4
“This excellent small restaurant is not to be missed” – “a gem hidden in plain sight on Great Ancoats Street”. “The menu changes frequently and is driven by seasonal locally sourced produce and the passions of Kevin and Rachel Choudhary”. “It’s a relaxing space, an oasis full of potted plants and herbs, where conversation is easy, portions are generous, and dishes combine traditional ideas and concepts with innovative contemporary additions”.
17. Escape to Freight Island
International restaurant in Manchester
Baring Street - M1
2023 Review: This vast street-food and entertainment concept accommodating up 1,000 visitors in an old freight depot by Piccadilly station is simply “another world” – “a mind-blowing-sized venue and organisation” where “the food is not really the main attraction” – although there is plenty of sufficient quality to earn high ratings, from 15 different restaurants and bars in an “eclectic mix” that ranges from Voodoo Rays pizza, Brad Carter’s One Stop Döner Bar and asador grills from Baratxuri to tacos from Madre.
18. Mackie Mayor
International restaurant in Manchester
1 Eagle Street - M4
A “lovely conversion” of the old Smithfield market, by the Altrincham Market team, has given rise to this “fabulous food hall”; it’s a “noisy, busy and fun” sort of place (“outside feels like the Meatpacking District of old”) but “if you can nab a table, watch the world go by and enjoy the great selection of food and drinks”. The latter includes nine outfits, with one reporter singling out New Wave Ramen as having “really hit their stride” (“worth going to MM for this alone”).
19. The Spärrows Continental Pasta & Spätzle
East & Cent. European restaurant in Manchester
16 Red Bank - M4
2023 Review: This “unusual and unique find” – “hidden away in a railway arch near Manchester’s Victoria Station” – offers “a wide selection of pasta and dumplings from south Germany, Switzerland, Alsace, Austria and the German-speaking parts of northern Italy”, washed down with an interesting variety of beers, wines and Japanese alcoholic drinks. Even the occasional critic who finds it “not entirely to my liking” concedes that “the very interesting menu has good and unusual food”. The same team is scheduled to open a sake bar and shop called Suzume.
20. Solita
Burgers, etc restaurant in Manchester
37 Turner St - M4
2021 Review: “Good-quality, well-cooked and inventive burgers – and some genius specials” (remember the ‘Spam Allardyce’?) draw a steady stream of salivating carnivores to this Northern Quarter joint, “although the trademark barrage of social media seems to have calmed down last year, as has the constant invention/reinvention of new burgers”. “The steaks are also some of the best around, and they make a decent bearnaise”, as well as four different meat-free burgers. Outposts in Prestwich and Preston have closed down, but there’s still one in Didsbury.
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