Diners' Choice: Best Ambiance restaurants in Manchester/Greater Manchester

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best ambiance in Manchester/Greater Manchester? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

The Pearl

4.9

4.9 (23)

£41 and over

British

Prestwich

About the restaurant

December Seasonal Set Menu 2 courses £45 | 3 courses £55
Recently included in the 100 Best Local Restaurants 2024 compiled by the Good Food Guide, The Pearl is a charming British restaurant in Prestwich Village serving beautifully presented dishes in a relaxed, intimate dining room. Independent and family-owned, we work with like-minded producers and growers from the British Isles on a simple and delicious menu and let the ingredients speak for themselves.

Join us every Sunday from 2pm for our Sunday Lunch menu, you will have the option of 2/3 courses from our set menu at £37/45.

Top review

Thomas

Dined 1 day ago

Outstanding food in a cozy local setting with great wine and atmosphere

BAR SAN JUAN

4.9

4.9 (1680)

£25 and under

Tapas / Small Plates

Chorlton

About the restaurant

FOR QUERIES PLEASE:
Call or preferably WhatsApp US.

Hola!
Welcome to Bar San Juan.

We are a Tapas Bar and Restaurant located in the beautiful South Manchester suburb of Chorlton.

Pick a spot, order a drink and enjoy the vibes whilst you wait to be seated.

Bar San Juan is not just a restaurant with proper Spanish food, it s a place to relax and enjoy with the Spanish way of life: eat some tapas, drink cerveza and have some fun!

San Juan is a tiled tapas bar with traditional decor, serving authentic dishes and imported beer and wine. We aim to provide a little piece of Spain in Manchester.

Buen provecho!

Top review

Sophia

Dined 1 day ago

Always excellent. I can never fault the staff or the food. The next restaurant in Chorlton.

SCHOFIELD'S BAR

4.9

4.9 (162)

£26 to £40

Cocktail Bar

Manchester

About the restaurant

The SCHOFIELD'S BAR story
With over 25 years of experience collectively, bartender brothers Joe and Daniel Schofield always had a vision to return to their home city of Manchester to open their eponymous venue;
SCHOFIELD’S BAR.

SCHOFIELD’S BAR graces the corner of Sunlight House, one of the most iconic buildings in the north of England.

The art deco masterpiece of architect Joseph Sunlight was the tallest building in Manchester upon completion during the 1930s, a decade of great importance for cocktail culture. An era of grand and luxurious bars, known for their hospitality and classic cocktails.

Please note that we are only able to accept a handful of reservations each day as we are a walk-in led venue so please do not be put off visiting us if you are unable to reserve. All reservations are only guaranteed 2 hours at the table.

Top review

Charlotte

Dined 6 days ago

Great service but slightly squashed table.

The Old School BBQ Bus

4.7

4.7 (676)

£25 and under

Barbecue

Failsworth

About the restaurant

In 2016 the Old School BBQ was born, using a freshly imported 1982 Bluebird International American school bus from Arizona as a mobile kitchen.

The bus was converted from a traditional seated bus to a fully functional kitchen, with smokers and griddles to cook low and slow BBQ food. The OSB journey had begun, trading from humble beginnings on a local pub car park in Failsworth.

Our little yellow bus soon became a familiar landmark and we became more and more popular with lunch goers who wanted freshly prepared, appetising food served with a smile. Soon demand meant that we would be more often than not greeting our customers with a "sold out" sign, so it was time to expand.

So here we are, with a covered seated area serving our firm favourites, complemented with a fully licenced bar and WC facilities... did we mention the stage? That's right, we also provide live music from various acts from near and far - we are sure you will find our eatery to be like no other!

Top review

Stephanie

Dined 3 days ago

Gorgeous food. Reasonably priced. Atmosphere was great. Really enjoyed.

The Jane Eyre - Chorlton

4.9

4.9 (74)

£25 and under

European

Chorlton

About the restaurant

We are a neighbourhood bar and small plate restaurant based on Beech Road, Chorlton.

Top review

Veronica

Dined 4 days ago

Great and tasty + unusual food - well done and will come back again!!! Great service DESPITE the place was full!!

Higher Ground

4.8

4.8 (764)

£41 and over

British

Manchester

About the restaurant

Higher Ground is a bistro and bar located in Manchester city centre that focuses on seasonality within the UK using produce sourced from local suppliers and producers.

The restaurant is open Wed-Sat at dinner and Thurs-Sat lunch. From 14th November ’24, Higher Ground is opening on Thursday lunchtimes and is now open from 5pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays!

At lunch a £40pp seasonal sharing menu is offered alongside an à la carte menu. At dinner, both an à la carte and a seasonal sharing menu at £58pp are available. Both menus are available when sat at the kitchen bar counter.

We often hold space for walk-ins at the kitchen bar counter so pop by and have some plates and a glass of wine!

Reservations of up to twelve guests are accepted. For parties of 6x guests and over, the seasonal sharing menu is served.

Top review

Jack

Dined 3 days ago

This was our second time here and we’d be back again based on the genuine kindness and warmth of the staff alone, nevermind the outstanding dishes made with great fresh produce. The vibe is casual and doesn’t take itself too seriously, whilst also maintaining the high quality standards you’d expect from a restaurant of this level. Can’t wait to come back again!

Blacklock Manchester

4.8

4.8 (340)

£26 to £40

Steak

Manchester

About the restaurant

Blacklock is a modern take of the Great British chophouse nestled in the corner of a Grade II listed textiles warehouse.

We take the best meat in the country from the award-winning farmer and butcher Philip Warren in Cornwall. We cook chops simply over our charcoal grill with a little help from vintage Blacklock irons and serve it all up alongside cocktails from the trolley and wine on tap in our subterranean chop mecca. On Sundays we serve a Roast almost as good as Mum's. We have limited spaces for Walk-ins, so we encourage booking in advance to avoid disappointment during busy times.

To find out more, do sign up to our newsletter and we look forward to warmly welcoming you soon.

Top review

Luigi

Dined 2 days ago

Great for meat & ambiance is top. Good spot to continue the night in the nearby bars.

Delhi House Cafe Manchester

4.7

4.7 (719)

£26 to £40

Indian

Manchester

About the restaurant

A unique Delhi dinning Experience in the heart of Manchester.
Join us for decadent celebrations & casual dining.
Our menu features fresh and modern house favourites.
On visiting Delhi House Cafe, you will experience the love of Delhiites and cosmopolitan spirit of Manchester. Menus are from every corner of India and exclusive dishes from all over the world. We have handpicked each of them specially for our customers. Providing different kinds of food, delicious lunches, breathtaking appetisers to lavish dinners and stunning sweethearts.
We also have an array of booze and drinks, from coffee and tea to cocktails and mocktails including high-spirited drinks.
At our heart we deliver good authentic Indian food with a twist in it’s own way!
This is going to be your Best Indian culinary adventure in Manchester !

Top review

Helen

Dined on Dec 13, 2024

This restaurant was recommended by a relative of mine, so meeting up with good friends for our Xmas Market get together, decided to give it a go! Loved the welcome at the entrance with the man in traditional dress! A great way to meet and greet with such warmth as you enter. 😁 The restaurant itself is warm, friendly and welcoming. Atmosphere was lovely. All of the staff were excellent from start to finish! The food was absolutely gorgeous, full of authentic flavours and all of us said exactly the same. What a beautiful place, filled with beautiful staff and creating beautiful food! We liked it so much we’re going back in 2 weeks! I would recommend this restaurant 100%. Everything was completely faultless! Thank you 🤶🤶🤶

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Popular dish

Changezi Chicken

ERST

4.8

4.8 (362)

£26 to £40

European

Manchester

About the restaurant

A casual restaurant and wine bar in Ancoats, Manchester

Top review

Julie

Dined 4 days ago

Absolutely incredible meal at Erst. Loved everything about it. The team were so knowledgeable and helpful - their advice helped us make the perfect order. The skate wing is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted, still thinking about it now! Everything we ordered was divine. Most delicious champagne I’ve ever tasted too. Outstanding food, gorgeous atmosphere, amazing staff. Just go. Then go again.

Dish Bar and Restaurant

4.7

4.7 (840)

£25 and under

Mediterranean

Standish

About the restaurant

Welcome to Dish Bar and Restaurant.
Serving the highest quality dishes from around the Mediterranean.
We have a small covered outside area for Al Fresco dining.
Please note on a Sunday we serve a set 2 or 3 course Sunday special menu, alongside our wood oven pizzas.
Open Wednesday & Thursday from 5pm
Friday - Sunday from 12pm
Walk-ins welcome, booking advised.
Bar drinking area.
We look forward to welcoming you.

Top review

Tracy

Dined on Dec 12, 2024

Visited Dish with two friends for our christmas get together. The restaurant was busy and buzzing, lots of laughter and very christmassy. The service was lovely even though they where busy they where attentive. The food was wonderful and i would highly recommend a visit.

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