The best Mancunian European restaurants

Located in the city centre, this wonderful Spanish restaurant is a fantastic European spot. The founders came to Manchester in 2012, where they inevitably fell in love with the city. But they missed their food. The idea of Tast is to combine their cuisine with the loving, welcoming and creative nature of the city. Their cooking style is completely Catalonian, specifically from Barcelona. Unlike other Spanish restaurants in Manchester, their focus is not Galician, Valencian, Canarian or the whole of Spain. Their food is specifically from Barcelona with influence from Manchester.

The options here range from snack food, between £4 and £6 to luxury bites and sharing platters around £15. Their tastets are wonderful, showing the range of creativity and carefulness that Tast brings to each of its different sections. For example, from the sea there are grilled octopus, calamari and the Hake with baby courgette and clams which is a must try. Their range of food goes from snacks to tastets (larger dishes that you can share with others), Catalan rice and charcoal dishes. This is a simply gorgeous restaurant.

Situated in the Great Northern Warehouse in the city centre, Platzki’s is a wonderful Polish restaurant. The idea for the restaurant started with the concept of the Polish pancake. Their focus has been to put a twist on Polish dishes, pouring passion into their cooking, meanwhile making sure their ingredients are fresh and ethically sourced. Platzki’s mission is to deliver an amazing social experience with gorgeous food.

Their menu changes often, depending on the seasons. But some amazing dishes they serve or have done so include Ryba, which is pan-fried swordfish fillet with roasted vegetable skewer and also the Kaczka, duck and pork meatballs in a phenomenal plum gravy. This modern Polish restaurant showcases European cuisine from the East, showing us that European cuisine is not just about the Mediterranean.

Canto is a Mediterranean small plates restaurant that showcases a wide range of European food. In 2018, Canto was opened in Ancoat’s Cutting Room Square by famous chef and restaurateur, Simon Shaw and head chef Carlos Gomes. Their food showcases the Mediterranean influences that inspired this restaurant to be created. Their dishes are designed to be shared and are made with fresh and high-quality ingredients, sourced both locally and in the rest of Europe.

Their main menu is separated by petiscos, meat, seafood, vegetables and of course, desserts. All consist of small dishes that are to be shared with a guide of five to six dishes per two people. From patatas bravas to octopus with new potatoes, Italian meatballs and braised ox cheek, the food is stunning and sumptuous. Their cheeseboard is a must have summer treat. This board has some of our favourite cheeses in the world, such as Manchego, the local Lancashire bomb and the wonderful Monte Enebro. Canto is a wonderful small plates restaurant which showcases fantastic Mediterranean dishes.

The Little Blanchflower is one the gems that makes Chorlton such an inviting place to have lunch at. Little Blanchflower has pushed expectations around fresh produce and high-quality food even higher. Through their bakery in Sale, they hand-make everything across their menus, continuing to improve their processes for constructing their dishes. Dinner is focused on large plates and fabulously fresh pasta. However, they also serve small plates and specials.

Whilst there has been a Little Blanchflower in Altrincham for a fair while, the establishment in Chorlton is new this year. So why is it European? Firstly, they do amazing focaccia pizzetta, from crispy pork belly and kimchi to the classic caprese. Their dishes take inspiration from across Europe. Whilst their gnocchi is very Italian, the burrata plus pickled beetroot salad and the smoked chicken plus spring onion Agnolotti shows that they have created a very unique menu. Homemade pastries and sourdoughs to pasta dishes and filling sandwiches, they serve amazing and thrilling food no matter if it is for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.