As much as anywhere else in Manchester, the Oxford Road Corridor is packed with great examples of modern cafe culture.
Food and Drink
Mama Z
The food and drink in Manchester is some of the best on offer in the UK, and many of the city’s finest offerings can be found here on the Oxford Road Corridor.
The food and drink in Manchester is some of the best on offer in the UK, and many of the city’s finest offerings can be found here on the Oxford Road Corridor. Running south from St Peter’s Square in the city centre, the innovation district is crammed with knowledge, business and cultural spaces with a huge variety of bars, pubs, restaurants and eateries.
As the Corridor has rapidly developed over the past 15 years we have seen new neighbourhoods pop up with the likes of First Street and Circle Square offering space to new restaurants and bars. 2022 looks set to be a big year for Circle Square with Hello Oriental and Bird of Pray the first new restaurants in space reserved exclusively for Manchester-firsts food and drink.
Easily the widest choice of places to eat is HATCH, the pop-up container village beneath the Mancunian Way is home to everything from Bondi Bowls and cheesecakes to Sicilian Street Food and Miami-inspired cocktails. Not quite as large, but Society on Barbirolli Square is another exciting food hall to explore.
While much of Manchester’s new fine dining options are popping up in Ancoats, there are still some great high-end choices here such as WOOD on First Street and Adam Reid at The French. Hidden gems include Sandbar, well known for its excellent beer but for our money, there are very few places serving better pizza in Manchester, and, for those in the know, Seoul Kimchi is the best spot in the North for real Korean food.
Then there are the bars, many of the best pubs and bars in Manchester are dotted around the Corridor for you to discover.
Top Food & Drink Picks
There are plenty of terraces and beer gardens to enjoy outdoor drinks in the sunshine around Oxford Road.
With thousands of students arriving in Manchester each year, there’s no shortage of student pubs and bars around Oxford Road.
Oxford Road is packed with a great range of bars and pubs where you can get your fill of cocktails, spirits and any other liquor you can think of.
First Street is a vibrant neighbourhood between Oxford Road and Deansgate, it is home to a number of businesses and is a popular spot for food, drink and culture.
Oxford Road is packed with a great range of bars where you can get your fill of cocktails, spirits and fizz.
Adam Reid brings sublime fine dining renowned across Manchester and beyond for its exquisite flavours and excellent British cuisine.
Big Hands at the South end of Oxford Road may be small, but it comes with added rock n’ roll swagger, a great atmosphere and a lovely roof garden.
Think you know fried chicken? Bird of Prey at Circle Square takes it to the next level. No order is too large for these chicken wizards.
Block Steak Shop at Hatch champions locally sourced, quality produced and the freshest of ingredients for their menu.
Bold Street Coffee opens its second Manchester branch. Expect speciality coffee with rotating blends on the menu as well as an all-day menu.
Come and have a bowl of good vibes and even better flavours.
Head to BrewDog Manchester Outpost at University Green for equity for punks, and quality beer for connoisseurs.
Brickhouse Social is an exciting place where bar meets restaurant and all are welcome.
Bundobust Brewery in the St James Building on Oxford Street is the latest, and arguably the best addition to the ever-growing Bundobust chain.
Bunny Jackson’s is a late-night music venue, dive bar and American diner on First Street. Expect cocktails, cold beer and chicken wings.
Manchester Museum’s cafe is run by the people behind award-winning cafe Teacup Kitchen. The menu features home-baked cakes, the finest loose leaf teas and breakfast, as well as a wide selection of mains and meals for kids.
The team behind the award-winning street food venue GRUB have brought CAFF to First Street, promising ‘no messing brekkies and butties’.
A wide-ranging space, combining a restaurant, bar, gig space, discussion centre and more.
Contact has teamed up with one of Manchester’s most-loved street food venues, GRUB to bring Oxford Road an exciting new food and beverage offering.
Corridor Coffee Co is a handy coffee shop on Oxford Road which you can find within the Students Union. Excellent coffee is matched with a quality choice of quick bites.
Ditto Coffee is a coffee shop specialising in independent music and speciality coffee. This Manchester coffee shop is the second from the Liverpool-based Ditto Music company.
An elegant and dignified Italian restaurant that has held a reputation as one of the big names in Manchester for many years.
Ducie Arms is a traditional pub near Manchester Science Park, with top-class pub food, real ales and a cracking atmosphere.
Federal at Circle Square sees one of Manchester’s favourite cafes going from strength with their new branch.
First Street Bar And Kitchen is a stylish food and drink haven overlooking the superb First Street neighbourhood.
Deep fusion cuisine, bringing the flavours of the east to your table.
Enjoy the smoky aroma of authentic charcoal grills at this superior Italian restaurant.
Since opening in 2012, Gorilla has proved itself as Manchester’s definitive mid-sized modern gig venue and one of the city’s best bar and kitchens.
Hello Oriental is an exciting food experience based in Circle Square with every possible variation on Asian Fusion cuisine in one place.
Herbivorous are a team of creative chefs making playful vegan comfort food and mouth-watering flavour combinations.
Hearty classic meals with a contemporary twist, chosen to accompany your cultural explorations at HOME’s 1st Floor Restaurant.
Hyatt Regency Manchester is an elegant, modern hotel set in the heart of Oxford Road Corridor.
I Knead Pizza have been making the best Neapolitan pizzas is Stockport for years, now they’re available here at Hatch.
Charming and homely, the Indian Tiffin Room brings this classic Indian dish to First Street.
Located on First Street, Junkyard Golf Club is the home of cocktails, crazy golf and an even more crazy night out.
Kong’s Sandwich Shop at Hatch has a mouthwatering selection of NYC-inspired sandwiches that cater to everyone.
Kro Bar, Manchester is an independent pub and music venue housed (somewhat ironically) in the former Temperance Society building.
Head to Loaf on Oxford Street for exceptional sweet treats from a retro-modern bakery adorned in tonal pinks.
Miami Ice is one part beach bar and one part nightclub with a shot of hidden Tiki Bar and a big shake of the 1980s.
For food and drink as good as you are, the Milk & Honey cafe on Oxford Road may be the answer to your prayers.
Mr Su is set to take Manchester by storm, bringing traditional Chinese dumplings and noodles to Circle Square on Oxford Road.
Find Navarro Lounge just off Oxford Road on University Green, a modern and welcoming chain bar with excellent choices of food.
North Taproom at Circle Square is the latest offering from North, the independent Leeds-based brewery.
ÖL Nano Brewery & Bar at Hatch is a place where you can always expect quality, inventive beers.
At Parmogeddon the team specialise in the Teesside delicacy the chicken Parmo.
Peveril Of The Peak is Manchester’s most iconic pub adorned with the sorts of bottle green, yellow and brown Victorian tiles that are a reclamation yard’s dream.
Pukht at Hatch serves up Pakistani & Indian fusion food. From meals for one to platters for two or four and our entire menu is halal.
This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens.
Retro Bar is a longstanding alternative venue which you can find on Sackville Street, just a stone’s throw from the likes of Yes and Joshua Brooks. A cosy space housed within a 1960s modernist building, Retro Bar is suitably fitted out in a, well, retro style. They do food here and the drinks are as well priced as anywhere in […]
Revolution Oxford Road is a go-to for crowd-pleasing nights out in Manchester, whether you’re touring the city or making Revs your destination.
Rio-Mex at Hatch is a Brazilian-Mexican street food fusion by Brazilian Chef Caroline Martins.
Sandbar, just off Oxford Road in Manchester, is a well-loved watering hole, with a great selection of ales and some eccentric seating.
Found within the SEESAW arts hub and creative workspace, the SEESAW Café is one of the best coffee shops in Manchester.
Seoul Kimchi is an intimate restaurant on Upper Brook Street that serves Manchester’s most acclaimed Korean cuisine.
After a short break, Stevenson Square stalwarts Slice Pizzeria re-emerged at Oxford Road Station and it’s great news for the Corridor.
Society Manchester is a glorious indoor and outdoor space in the very heart of the city, with several street food vendors to choose from and a range of high-quality drinks.
T’arricrii brings to Hatch independent Sicilian street food, offering an authentic Sicilian experience in Manchester.
Tahi is the first restaurant of its kind in Manchester, bringing a myriad of flavours direct from New Zealand to the city. A must-visit culinary destination on Oxford Road.
Takk Coffee at Hatch is an espresso bar where you can grab a coffee to go and venture up Oxford Road, or sit in Takk’s own seating area or the pleasant environs of the Hatch courtyard.
Takk at University Green is an Icelandic inspired, independent coffee shop that offers tasty, artisan, single-source coffee and delicious brunch, snack and vegetarian options.
You can stop by on your lunch for a quick takeaway sandwich or burrito to take back to your desk or enjoy across the road in All Saints Park, or you stay longer and pick from a menu of mains in their downstairs cafe.
An iconic pub with an impressive whiskey list running into the hundreds. A welcoming atmosphere and a sprawling beer garden.
The Courtyard is a mecca for sports-loving students with a huge amount of TV screens, a massive beer garden and bargain booze.
The Flour and Flagon pub has a range of cask beers, gins and a menu of “honest grub” which includes burgers, pies, grills and a range of desserts.
The Font Manchester is a cracking bar found just off Oxford Road on New Wakefield St where it’s been for over 20 years.
The Footage is probably the defining student pub of Oxford Road, now refitted for quality food, drinks and sports.
Gasworks is a repurposed industrial space on First Street that’s now used for quality drinking and dining.
Take a seat by the river at The Lass O’ Gowrie and watch the world go by in this refined and ancient watering hole.
The Old Abbey Taphouse is a pub in a community hub, and one of Hulme’s true gems. Come for the beers, stay for the arts and culture activities.
The Refuge, at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, is a luxurious, modern restaurant, housed in a magnificent, Alfred Waterhouse designed, Victorian brick and terracotta building offers 10,000 sq ft of drinking and dining for everyone and anyone with the instruction “Come As You Are”.
A rock music-friendly venue where everyone can enjoy a pint in one of Manchester’s most historic pubs.
Originally called The Temple of Convenience owing to its former life as a public toilet block, this is a tiny bar with some of the finest bathroom graffiti in town.
The Thirsty Scholar is a free music venue, pub and nightclub on Oxford Road serving vegan pub food including all-day breakfasts.
The gallery in the park which has gained global attention with contemporary exhibition programmes giving new life to international collections.
Much loved Japanese tea house, Tsujiri has opened its second Manchester site at Circle Square
Located at the south end of Oxford Road between the universities, hospital site and Whitworth Park, the Turing Tap is a handy pub with an extensive, all-day food menu.
Based in the heart of Oxford Road, Umami is a restaurant serving up Sushi, Ramen and Asian Fusion food at a delicious price.
Victoria Baths is located just outside of the Oxford Road Corridor, but it’s an iconic treasure that’s well worth a visit.
WOOD Manchester offers one of the city’s best fine dining experiences, from the locally-loved winner of 2015 MasterChef winner Simon Wood.
Four floors of YES with something for everyone – including a rooftop bar, two live music spaces, a club space, DJs and extensive coffee, street food and bar selection.
Made with loving care, this is tea taken to the next level. Yi Fang Fruit Tea at University Green’s recipes have deep roots.
Zouk Tea Bar and Grill is a modern, exciting restaurant, serving up some of the very best Indian-Pakistani cuisine in Manchester.