Festive Menus in Manchester For Christmas 2023
By
12 months ago
Christmas feasts in the northern city
Christmas is a magical time to visit Manchester, with festive markets and twinkling lights popping up all over the city. Many restaurants get involved with the celebrations too, offering special menus filled with seasonal treats – from traditional roasts to Alpine-inspired feasts and Japanese twists on Christmas flavours. Read on for our pick of the best festive menus in Manchester across Spinningfields, Bolton, the city centre and more.
Festive Menus in Manchester
Dishoom
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Fed up of turkey roasts? Head to Dishoom for an Indian feast inspired by the food of Bombay, easily one of Manchester’s best alternative festive menus. Available for groups of six or more, the Christmas menu features a mix of festive specials and Dishoom classics, all designed for sharing. Begin with bites of okra fries and pau bhajis ahead of chicken and paneer biriyanis and turkey raan with all the trimmings, plus sides of the famous house black daal and naans. Finish with a mince pie kulfi. A vegan version is also available.
Price: £42pp
Address: 32 Bridge St, Manchester M3 3BT
BOOK: dishoom.com
The Oast House
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Cosy cocktail bar and restaurant The Oast House really comes alive during the winter months, when a teepee arrives in the courtyard complete with fire pits, fairy lights and warming drinks. A special Christmas menu features starters like sweet potato and goat’s cheese tart, and butternut squash soup, followed by main courses of grilled sea bass with romesco sauce, spicy coconut sweet potato pie, or turkey kebab with all the trimmings. Follow with a cookie dough pie or a sticky toffee pudding, paired with a glass of prosecco – all while enjoying live music.
Price: £34.95pp
Address: The Avenue, Courtyard, Manchester M3 3AY
BOOK: 20 November – 24 December 2023, theoasthouse.uk.com
Ewe
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Opened last November in Bolton and helmed by the team behind Deansgate hotspot Yours, Ewe offers modern British cuisine with global influence. It’s a great spot for catch ups with groups of friends, with pretty interiors and cosy booths – plus a private dining room for more intimate events. This winter, the restaurant is offering a three-course festive menu, complete with seasonal dishes like baked camembert, fig and blue cheese salad, and wild mushroom and chestnut risotto, followed by a classic Christmas pudding. On Christmas Day itself, things are kicked up a notch with a glass of fizz and shrimp cocktail starter, a salmon wellington or classic turkey roast, plus desserts like mulled berry cheesecake and chocolate molten cake.
Price: Festive menu is £37.95pp, Christmas Day menu is £85pp
Address: 370 Chorley Rd, Westhoughton, Bolton BL5 3NB
BOOK: ewerestaurant.co.uk
Ducie Street Warehouse
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This buzzy social hub in the heart of the city has something for everyone – whether you want to dance at one of the DJ nights, take part in a creative workshop or catch a film. If it’s food you’re after, there’s plenty of that here too. This Christmas, diners can enjoy a three-course feast featuring hearty seasonal dishes such as chicken and leek pie, turkey ballotine with sage and redcurrant, and Christmas choux with Italian meringue. It’s perfect for relaxed Christmas lunches with friends, family or colleagues amid a fun atmosphere.
Price: £55pp
Address: Ducie St, Manchester M1 2TP
BOOK: duciestreetwarehouse.com
20 Stories
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Panoramic views always add a sense of occasion to a restaurant – hence why sleek rooftop 20 Stories is great for special occasions. Get glammed up and head there on Christmas Day to enjoy a five-course meal curated by executive chef Daniel Scott. Arranged in ‘chapters’, the menu includes refined, creative dishes like venison carpaccio with pomegranate and leek aioli, braised chicory and sherry caramel, and a classic roast turkey breast with pork and chestnut stuffing. The vegan menu sounds equally tasty, with dishes like wild mushroom and kohlrabi pithivier and creamed kale, and braised chicory with herbs de Provence cheese. Be sure to try a cocktail or two – there’s something for all tastes on the extensive menu. The cherry on the cake? Live music.
Price: £140pp
Address: No. 1, 1 Hardman St, Manchester M3 3EB
BOOK: 20stories.co.uk
Australasia
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This glossy eatery is renowned for its aesthetic interior – but it’s not all style over substance. The food is also impressive, inspired by both Australia and Asia (hence the name), with a strong focus on Japanese cuisine. From the end of November, the restaurant will be given a suitably stylish festive makeover, with a four-course ‘Enchanted’ menu to match. Classic Christmas flavours will be embedded into the Pan-Asian dishes: there are beetroot and goat’s cheese California rolls, for instance, alongside a pumpkin curry with crisp potato, and duck breast with mandarin puree, which you can pair with miso glazed roast potatoes and maple heritage carrots. Finish with a coconut panna cotta, passion fruit mousse, or chocolate and cherry delice.
Price: From £55pp
Address: 1 The Avenue, Deansgate, Manchester M3 3AP
BOOK: 27 November – 31 December 2023, australasia.uk.com
Grand Pacific
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Christmas is a big deal at Grand Pacific, the stylish restaurant housed within a Grade II listed building on King Street. During the winter, its palatial dining hall is decked out with wreaths and fairy lights: the setting for one of Manchester’s best festive menus. Think traditional fare done well: your meal could include chestnut and parsnip soup, honey glazed confit duck leg, mushroom and butternut squash wellington, and a chocolate and cherry mousse, topped with honeycomb and Chantilly cream. Alternatively, you can visit any Sunday during the festive season to enjoy a classic beef or turkey roast, carved at your table, alongside music from a string quartet.
Price: £37.60pp
Address: 50 Spring Gardens, Manchester M2 1EN
BOOK: grandpacific.uk.com
Albert’s Schloss
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Bavarian bier palace Albert’s Schloss always brings the party vibes, and this Christmas it’s upping the ante with an Alpine-inspired makeover. Think smorgasbords, festive cocktails and of course plenty of beer. A festive menu includes starters of chicken liver pate, cheesy croquettes, and bier and onion soup, ahead of roasts with all the trimmings – pick either Cheshire turkey, pork, beef or a mushroom and celeriac creation – or burgers. Finish with the apple strudel, a caramelised apple cake drizzled in vanilla sauce.
Price: £35pp for two courses or £40pp for three courses
Address: 27 Peter St, Manchester M2 5QR
BOOK: albertsschloss.co.uk
