There is nothing subtle about walking into azuma manchester on a busy weekend evening. The windows on Cavendish Street are fogged up, people hover in the doorway clutching cans from the off-licence across the road, and somewhere in the middle of the room a table of students is already fanning smoke away from their faces as strips of beef hiss on the grill.
This is not the polished city centre version of Korean BBQ. Azuma manchester is louder, hotter and slightly chaotic, and for a lot of people in this part of the city that is exactly the appeal.
Where Azuma Manchester sits and who goes there
Azuma manchester is based at 73 Cavendish Street, on the edge of Hulme and the student-heavy strip linking Oxford Road to Stretford Road and Princess Road. You do not stumble in by accident. You come here on purpose.
From Oxford Road, people cut past All Saints Park and MMU buildings, cross under the Mancunian Way, and spot the glow of the restaurant just before the run of late-night takeaways. Inside, the setup is functional rather than flashy. Tiled floors, metal grills built into tables, extractor fans working constantly and laminated menus tucked under condiment trays.
The crowd reflects the location. Big student groups celebrating the end of exams. Asian families who know the system and order quickly. City-centre workers who have realised azuma manchester is one of the cheapest ways to eat an extraordinary amount of food within walking distance of campus and Deansgate.
At peak times, especially Friday and Saturday evenings, waits are common. Regulars book ahead, particularly if they want a Korean BBQ table with a built-in grill. There are only so many, and once they are taken the choice is hotpot, à la carte, or trying somewhere else.
How the all you can eat Korean BBQ works
Azuma manchester runs three parallel menus: all you can eat Korean BBQ, all you can eat hotpot, and a wide à la carte menu covering everything from Szechuan dishes to sushi. Most people are here for the first two.
For Korean BBQ, diners pay a fixed price per person and get a two hour slot. Staff drop off laminated order sheets and a pen, and you tick off plates of meat, seafood, vegetables and sides. Orders arrive in waves and everything is cooked at the table.
The meats are the main attraction. Fatty beef slices, marinated chicken thighs, pork belly and spicy beef ribs arrive thinly cut and heavily seasoned. They cook quickly, turning glossy and charred within seconds. The rhythm becomes familiar. Cook, eat, clear space, order again.
Hotpot follows the same logic but at a slower pace. Broth takes time to build flavour, ingredients are cooked gradually, and the experience is more communal. Some diners enjoy that. Others find the choice more limited than specialist hotpot restaurants elsewhere in Manchester, particularly given the no-refill sauce policy.
Whichever option you choose, there is an unspoken rule at azuma manchester. Do not over-order. Staff will remind tables to finish what they have before adding more, and regulars understand that treating it like a food challenge rather than a meal will earn a quiet warning.
What the food is actually like
All you can eat often raises doubts about quality. At azuma manchester, value is the point, but flavour is not sacrificed.
The BBQ meats, especially beef and chicken, are well marinated and arrive quickly enough that grills are rarely left empty. Spicy pork belly and cumin-seasoned cuts are favourites, though this is not premium butcher territory. The appeal is seasoning, speed and volume.
The à la carte menu leans bold and generous. Szechuan fish in chilli oil, braised pork belly, cumin beef and bubbling metal bowls arrive in portions designed for sharing. It is easy to over-order if a group gets carried away.
Hotpot divides opinion more than BBQ. Some locals appreciate it as a cheaper alternative to city centre hotpot chains. Others find the broth underwhelming compared with Chinatown specialists. Almost everyone agrees the sauce restrictions are frustrating.
What few argue with is the feeling of value. Many leave azuma manchester uncomfortably full, having reached the two-hour limit well before their appetite gives out.
Atmosphere, service and a busy night reality
The atmosphere is intense. Heat from the grills, constant background noise, extractor fans humming overhead. This is not a quiet restaurant and not a date-night destination.
Service reflects that environment. Staff move quickly, swap grill plates, fix burners and keep orders moving. Long time customers talk about senior staff drifting between tables, chatting easily and keeping things under control.
That said, it is a small team managing a full room. Burners sometimes misbehave. Orders occasionally arrive incomplete. If you expect slick choreography, you will be disappointed. If you accept controlled chaos, the experience works.
Most groups hit a wall before time runs out. Plates slow. People lean back. Someone declares defeat.
How Azuma Manchester fits Manchester’s food scene
Azuma manchester makes sense when you place it properly. It is not trying to compete with refined Korean BBQ spots or specialist hotpot restaurants. It sits in the student belt, priced and pitched accordingly.
It offers something Manchester diners appreciate. Big portions. Strong flavours. Group-friendly dining. Minimal fuss.
People come in hoodies and trainers. They talk loudly. They cook their own food. They leave smelling of smoke and garlic.
That combination has turned azuma manchester into a fixture rather than a novelty. It is not subtle, not refined, but deeply embedded in how this part of the city eats.
If you want quiet elegance, look elsewhere. If you want to cook mountains of meat with friends and feel like you have beaten the system by the end of the night, this place delivers.
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