There’s nothing quite like sinking your teeth into the first slice of beautifully cooked, melt-in-your mouth, juicy steak to send your taste buds into a spin. For many, it’s still the ultimate main dish to choose in a restaurant and buddies up perfectly with triple cooked chips and a glass of your favourite red to wash it down. We’re all trying to reduce our meat consumption, with many switching their cut of beef for a marinated cauliflower steak, but don’t worry if you’re not quite ready to give it up but we'd recommend you make sure it's from one of the best joints in town. Culturecalling.com have scoured Manchester’s grills to find those serving up the best sizzlers in town.
Hawksmoor
184 – 186 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WB
The Hawksmoor is a high-end restaurant whose speciality is steak. Located in a late Victorian courthouse on Deansgate, it features lots of reclaimed materials including parquet flooring and glazed bricks from a public lav in Liverpool! But don’t let that put you off. Not surprisingly this legendary steak house serves up some of the best in town. If it’s a meat feast you’re after, then kick-off with the delicate fillet carpaccio with pickled chestnut mushrooms and parmesan or Bone marrow and onions on sourdough toast. Trust me, it’s delicious! Mooving onto the mains (see what we did there) , there’s a wide selection of large cuts including Chateaubriand, Porterhouse, T-Bone and Tomahawk to agonise over. Prices start at £11 per 100g and they recommend you have around 500g, which was enough to share between two of us. Or if you like your steak straight up, there’s the fillet, rib-eye, sirloin or rump, together with your choice of sauce including: béarnaise, peppercorn, hollandaise or Bone marrow gravy for an extra £4.
There’s a large selection of sides to choose from too - chunky beef dripping chips, garlic mushrooms, buttered green beans and herby salad. Mouthwatering?!
You can book a table here
Gaucho
Gaucho Manchester, 2a St Mary’s Street, Manchester M3 2LB
In a converted church in the centre of Deansgate is a restaurant serving up the finest Argentinian steaks from its open fire. It features the original church organ at the centre of a stunning split-level dining room. The succulent tasting steaks are named Chorizo, Cuadril, Lomo and Ancho. To you and me, that’s a rump, ribeye, fillet and sirloin and by God they taste good! There’s also the option to try Gaucho’s speciality cuts which have been gently marinated. Or the Go Big or Share option. We highly recommend the beef bar sampler with Lomo marinated in spicy chimichurri, ancho in tomatillo and chorizo with juniper. Steaks are served with chimichurri sauce and a choice of chips, creamed mashed potato or green salad.
You can also tuck in knowing that as part of Gaucho’s roadmap to becoming net zero, all the beef is 100% carbon offset.
You can book a table here
Sam’s Chop House
Sam's Chop House, Back Pool Fold / Chapel Walks
Sam’s Chop House is a legendary old pub built over 150 years ago and one of Manchester’s oldest watering holes. Established in 1868 by local brothers Samuel and Thomas Studd, it was LS Lowry’s favourite drinking establishments, and we can see why it’s still going strong today. It serves up a great pint of Guinness and daily menu. Favourites include corned beef hash, steak and kidney pie and its legendary steaks include an 8oz rump, 10oz sirloin and 10oz ribeye. Everything from the grill comes with chips, dressed leaves and a choice of either peppercorn or gravy and start at a bargain £20. The Sunday dinners are substantial, and you can choose from rump beef, half a chicken or a veggie wellington.
You can book a table here
Dakota Bar & Grill
29 Ducie Street, Manchester, M1 2JL
The Manchester Bar and Grill is located in the centrally located Dakota Hotel on Ducie Street. People can be a bit sniffy about eating in a hotel, but this is cool and prime cut steaks are Dakota’s specialty. It’s grass-fed, 35-day-aged beef is lightly seasoned then cooked over hot coals exactly how you like it. There’s the highest quality A5 Wagyu rib-eye beef, or black angus fillet, sirloin or rib-eye to choose from. For us, the rib-eye had an unbelievably great taste and is big enough to share between two. There’s also the option to have a rib-eye, fillet or chateaubriand. There’s a choice of six sauces to add to your cut and we’d recommend the wild mushroom to go with it. Side dishes are the usual - creamed potatoes, French fries, and a selection of salads. The ambience is smart, and we like the fact that Dakota sources its produce from the very best British farms.
You can book a table here
Mackie Mayor
Smithfield Market Hall, 1 Eagle St, Manchester M4 5BU
This is the only fully intact Victorian building from the former Smithfield market - the city’s fresh food market in 1858 – now in the heart of the trendy Northern Quarter. The venue was reopened in 2017 and quickly became an award-winning food hall serving a varied mix of food from its market stalls, including: pizza, tacos, fried chicken and delicious flat iron steaks and burgers courtesy of Tender Cow. Tender Cow’s aim is to offer the lesser-known cuts of beef from some of the best producers and farms in Britain. Try the melt-in-your mouth Flat iron steak, from the feather blade, their signature dish. They also offer cuts such as sirloin steak, spider steak and hanger and Jacob’s steak. Don’t be put off by their names, be adventurous. You won’t be disappointed! Tender Cows chips and rocket and salsa Verde salad are the perfect accompaniment. No booking’s required, just grab a space on the relaxed shared wooden benches and tables and join the lively crowd.
The market is open weekdays 9am-6pm, weekends 9am-10pm
Fazenda Rodizio Bar & Grill, Manchester
This is another sophisticated Argentinian and Brazilian gaucho experience. If you’ve never been to one before, we recommend that you go hungry and take it slowly – you don’t want to pop a button. The concept is indulging in continuous table-side service of the finest grilled meats, using your double-sided card to control the flow at your own pace. The green side signals our passadores (meat chefs) to bring out skewers of freshly prepared meats one by one, while the red side indicates a resting point. You can ask them to slice off beef tenderloin, sirloin, lamb rump with rosemary and garlic or chicken hearts. Fazenda’s meat is usually served medium-rare to medium, though of course they’ll serve is as you like so long as you ask them. To accompany your meat feast, there’s a sumptuous selection of Argentinian and Brazilian hot side dishes including.
You can book a table here
Rump n Ribs Steakhouse
Unit 3, 73-83 Liverpool Rd, Manchester M3 4AQ
The brilliantly named Rump n Ribs arrived over 10 years ago and prides itself on sourcing its steak from Scotland’s award winning AA farmers – the best in the UK they purport! The steak is dry aged on the bone for a minimum of 28 days which ensures a great depth of flavour and tenderness. It’s also what gives it that perfectly marble-ized look. The challenge will be deciding which cut to go for. The Club Steak cooked on the bone so it retains its flavour; the flavoursome and juicy rib-eye; the gigantic rump or the Buffalo ribs - the tastiest ribs in town which have been marinated in chilli and herbs and glazed in BBQ sauce. We think after one visit, you’ll want to go back and try them all!
Worth knowing that Rump N Ribs is the only steakhouse to offer Halal Aberdeen Angus beef.
You can book a table here
Canteena Bar + Gill
Canteena Bar + Grill opened up in the regenerated town centre of one of Manchester’s southern suburbs, Sale. It’s a funky spot; think wooden tables, open kitchen and large windows which look out onto the high street and outdoor seating. Canteena specialises in steak which comes elegantly presented on wooden boards. They use Brazilian and Irish beef which is hand-picked by their master butcher Arthur Box. The 300g Butterfly sirloin with herbs and garlic was really tasty and the juices nicely soaked into the hand cut chunky chips. There’s a good selection of sides to choose from including creamy mash, sauteed mushrooms and wasabi mash. If your budget won’t stretch to the more expensive cuts, then there’s a steak frites – rump steak with either peppercorn or chimichurri sauce on offer. On Sundays, there’s a Sunday roast sharing board for two for just £34.50 and you can add a bottle of house wine for £15. Jazz and rat pack tunes are thrown in for free!
You can book a table here
The Con Club
8 Greenwood St, Altrincham, WA14 1RZ
The Con Club is a really popular, buzzy restaurant in the heart of Altrincham, a south Manchester suburb at the end of a tram line. The restaurant used to be the Working Men’s Conservative Club and underwent extensive restoration when it closed its doors.
It’s now a relaxed all-day eating and drinking venue with its own micro-brewery. The kitchen specialises in serving up high quality fish and meat dishes. The Tomahawk 1kg steak for sharing is unbelievably succulent, tasty and a nice way to celebrate a special occasion. The Harissa marinated lamp chops served with Imam bayildi, quinoa and pomegranate salad transports you to another continent. The 38 day old prime British sirloin served with a micro herb salad and fries also hits the spot.
This restaurant is well frequented by the locals, so we’d highly recommend booking.
You can book a table here