There’s a proper buzz in the city right now, and the Didsbury Dozen is your insider’s passport to experiencing the very best of it. Whether it’s the scent of wood smoke drifting from new kitchens or the infectious energy of autumn markets lighting up the squares, Manchester feels alive in all the right ways this week. This edition of the Didsbury Dozen brings you three exceptional dining experiences, three must-visit attractions, and the local knowledge you need to explore Greater Manchester like a true Mancunian. Here’s what you need to know about what makes this week’s selections unmissable.
Three Essential Stops from the Didsbury Dozen
The Hot Ticket: Chotto Matte
If you’ve been anywhere near Deansgate lately, you’ll have noticed something spectacular taking shape atop Gary Neville’s St Michael’s development. Chotto Matte, the Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei restaurant that’s been the talk of London for years, finally opened its doors on 10th October, and it instantly earned its place in this week’s Didsbury Dozen.
This isn’t just another restaurant opening—it’s Manchester’s most ambitious dining project this year. Perched on the 10th floor of No.1 St Michael’s, this 20,000-square-foot space features a 348-capacity rooftop terrace offering panoramic views of the city skyline while you tuck into table-side torched sushi and robata grill dishes. Executive chef Jordan Sclare has crafted a menu that honours both Japanese precision and Peruvian boldness, with standouts including black cod aji miso and king oyster mushroom tostadas.
The experience is theatrical and Instagram-worthy, featuring live entertainment with a DJ booth that keeps the energy high throughout the evening. The atmosphere strikes that perfect balance between sophisticated dining and proper Manchester night out—exactly the kind of venue that defines what the Didsbury Dozen is all about: quality, excitement, and experiences worth sharing. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, reservations are essential as this is the hot ticket everyone’s talking about.
The Established Icon: Hispi, Didsbury
No Didsbury Dozen would be complete without featuring a restaurant from the neighbourhood that gives our weekly guide its name. Hispi on School Lane represents everything we love about Didsbury’s dining scene—exceptional food, warm hospitality, and genuine value that keeps locals coming back week after week.
Gary Usher’s ‘Little Green Bistro’ has been quietly excelling since opening in 2016, earning Restaurant of the Year honours that same year and regularly placing in the Northern Restaurant Awards’ top 100. Some restaurants just get it right from day one and never look back, and Hispi is precisely that kind of place.
What makes Hispi worthy of the Didsbury Dozen spotlight? It’s the rare combination of proper technique, seasonal British ingredients, and prices that represent genuine value for money. The featherblade of beef with beetroot ketchup and truffle Parmesan chips has achieved legendary status among regulars, while their two-courses-for-£33 lunch menu (£40 for three courses) makes fine dining accessible to everyone.
Open Monday through Sunday for both lunch and dinner, Hispi exemplifies the neighbourhood restaurant model that’s made Didsbury—and by extension, the Didsbury Dozen—synonymous with quality dining in Greater Manchester. Book ahead, especially for their Sunday roast, which locals guard like a closely-kept secret. It’s located right in the heart of Didsbury village, making it the perfect anchor for a day exploring the area’s independent shops and cafes.
The Hidden Gem
Every Didsbury Dozen needs a hidden gem that makes readers feel like they’re in on a secret, and Stow on Bridge Street delivers exactly that. Tucked away just off Deansgate in the city centre, this open-fire restaurant represents something genuinely different in Manchester’s crowded dining landscape.
Chef Jamie Pickles and Matt Nellany cook everything—and we mean everything—over wood and charcoal. No fryers, no gas hobs, just flames and smoke and the kind of primal cooking that makes you sit up and pay attention. The intimate, 30-cover space lets you watch the magic happen from counter seats at the pass, where the heat from the fire mingles with the aroma of perfectly charred ingredients.
The milk bread with burnt onion butter sets the tone—sweet, charred, utterly moreish. It’s the kind of dish that reminds you why fire was humanity’s first cooking method. Recently added to the Michelin Guide in October 2025, Stow has quickly become one of those word-of-mouth spots where getting a table feels like joining an exclusive club.
Read More: Manchester Food Guide 2025: Top 10 Best Restaurants
Open Wednesday through Sunday, 12pm to midnight, Stow proves that Manchester’s dining scene continues to innovate and surprise. This is exactly the type of restaurant that makes compiling the Didsbury Dozen such a pleasure—places that push boundaries while remaining utterly unpretentious and accessible.
Three Must-Visit Attractions for This Week’s Didsbury Dozen
Manchester Museum’s Triceratops Exhibition
While the Didsbury Dozen is perhaps best known for restaurant recommendations, we’d be remiss not to highlight exceptional cultural experiences, and Manchester Museum’s latest exhibition absolutely qualifies. Triceratops: Eat, Roam, Repeat opened on 25th October and brings you face-to-face with one of prehistory’s most iconic creatures.
The centrepiece is a rare 1.9-metre-long Triceratops skull fossil—a genuine marvel that’s in Manchester for a limited time only. This isn’t dusty museum fare; it’s an interactive, tactile experience that appeals to dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages. Visitors can get their hands dirty at a fossil dig station, explore a digital touch replica of the skull, and learn how this three-horned herbivore survived the brutal Cretaceous period 68 million years ago.
The exhibition is free to enter (though booking is recommended to guarantee entry), and runs until 22nd February 2026. The museum is located on Oxford Road, conveniently accessible by bus or tram, and is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm. Pair your visit with a look at Stan the T. rex in the main Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery for a proper prehistoric day out. It’s the kind of experience that reminds us why the Didsbury Dozen covers more than just food—Manchester’s cultural offerings are world-class and deserve equal attention.
Neighbourhood to Explore: Ancoats
Once known as ‘the world’s first industrial suburb’, Ancoats has undergone a transformation that makes it a natural fit for the Didsbury Dozen. This is where Manchester’s independent spirit shines brightest, with cobbled streets, canal-side walks, and a food and drink scene that rivals anywhere in the country.
Start your Ancoats adventure at the New Islington Marina, where the canal-side setting provides an unexpectedly peaceful escape from city bustle. The autumn colours reflecting off the water make it particularly photogenic this time of year. Work your way through Cutting Room Square, where you’ll find Cask Ancoats—a beer lover’s paradise with 27 keg lines, six cask lines, and a BYO food policy that lets you order in from any of the neighbourhood’s excellent eateries.
The neighbourhood is home to Mana, Manchester’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, plus brilliant bakeries like Pollen (their sourdough loaves sell out by midday), natural wine bar Flaw’d, and the community-focused Hope Mill Theatre. What makes Ancoats special enough for the Didsbury Dozen is its retention of character amidst gentrification—brass ‘Peeps’ (eyepieces built into buildings) offer glimpses into the area’s industrial past, while new independent businesses respect and celebrate that heritage.
The neighbourhood perfectly embodies what we look for when compiling each edition of the Didsbury Dozen: authenticity, quality, and that ineffable Manchester spirit that makes our city special. Spend an afternoon wandering, and you’ll understand why Time Out named it one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world.
Manchester Christmas Markets
No November edition of the Didsbury Dozen would be complete without mentioning the Manchester Christmas Markets, which open across ten city centre locations from 7th November. While some might argue it’s too early to think about Christmas, we’d counter that getting in before the mid-December crush is the smartest move any local can make.
Albert Square returns to the market lineup for the first time in six years, bringing the event full circle to its spiritual home beneath the newly restored Town Hall. This year features over 200 stalls selling everything from traditional German bratwurst and glühwein to treats from Manchester’s own independent food producers and craftspeople. The big wheel on Albert Square offers breathtaking views of the illuminated city centre, while Cathedral Gardens hosts the Skate Manchester ice rink from 25th October right through to 4th January.
The iconic collector’s mugs are back—each year’s design becomes a coveted souvenir, and 2025’s Santa-approved editions have already been revealed. There’s also a Christmas Parade planned for 7th December, adding to the festive atmosphere that makes Manchester’s markets among Europe’s best.
Most sites close on 22nd December, but Albert Square’s ‘A Taste of Christmas’ and Cathedral Gardens remain open until 4th January, giving you plenty of opportunities to visit. Our Didsbury Dozen recommendation? Visit during the first two weeks for a genuinely enjoyable experience without overwhelming crowds. Weekday afternoons are particularly pleasant, when you can actually browse the stalls and enjoy your glühwein without being jostled.
Why the Didsbury Dozen Matters This Week
Manchester has earned its reputation as one of the UK’s premier destinations for food, culture, and entertainment, with 47 restaurants listed in the 2025 Harden’s Best UK Restaurants guide—more than any other UK city outside London. Each week, the Didsbury Dozen curates the very best experiences across Greater Manchester, ensuring readers don’t miss the hot openings, seasonal events, or hidden gems that make our city extraordinary.
This week’s selections represent the diversity that defines modern Manchester: a glamorous Japanese-Peruvian rooftop restaurant, a beloved neighbourhood bistro in Didsbury, a fire-focused hidden gem, a world-class museum exhibition, one of Europe’s coolest neighbourhoods, and Christmas markets that draw visitors from across the continent. That range—from the brand new to the time-tested, from fine dining to street food—is what makes compiling the Didsbury Dozen both challenging and rewarding.
The Didsbury Dozen isn’t just a list; it’s a curated experience designed by locals who genuinely love this city. We eat at these restaurants, visit these exhibitions, and explore these neighbourhoods because they represent the best of what Manchester offers. When we recommend something in the Didsbury Dozen, it’s because we’d take our own friends and family there—and there’s no higher endorsement than that.
Making the Most of This Week’s Didsbury Dozen
Manchester’s at its best when you’re actually in it—walking the streets, trying new places, discovering corners you’d never noticed before. This week, with new restaurants hitting their stride, exhibitions opening their doors, and the Christmas season just beginning to sparkle, there’s never been a better time to explore your city using the Didsbury Dozen as your guide.
Remember to book ahead for popular spots like Chotto Matte and Hispi, especially on weekends. Many of Manchester’s best restaurants get fully booked days in advance, particularly for Friday and Saturday evening services. For spontaneous adventures, Ancoats offers plenty of walk-in options, while the Christmas Markets provide casual experiences that don’t require planning.
Whether you’re a longtime Mancunian or visiting for the first time, this week’s Didsbury Dozen gives you everything you need to experience Greater Manchester at its finest. From Michelin-recommended dining to free museum exhibitions, from trendy neighbourhoods to traditional Christmas markets, we’ve curated experiences that showcase why Manchester continues to be one of Europe’s most exciting cities.
See you out there, Manchester. The Didsbury Dozen will be back next week with another round of the city’s best experiences, but for now, you’ve got more than enough to keep you busy. Get exploring.