Restaurant in Manchester, United Kingdom
Punchy sharing plates, fair price, book it.
Another Hand delivers technically inventive vegetable-forward sharing plates from northwestern suppliers, with two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024–25) and a 4.8 Google rating confirming consistent execution. At ££ per head on the Mews Level of Manchester's Great Northern building, it's the city's most compelling mid-price case for produce-driven modern cooking. Book it for small groups who want quality without tasting-menu formality.
Another Hand is one of the more convincing arguments for vegetable-forward sharing plates in Manchester right now. At ££ per head, it sits in a price bracket that doesn't ask you to take a leap of faith, and two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) confirm this isn't a case of ambition outpacing execution. Book it for a mid-week dinner when you want something inventive without the formality of a tasting-menu commitment. If you want a comparable experience at a higher intensity, [mana](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/mana-manchester-restaurant) is the answer — but at a significantly higher price point and with considerably harder booking. Another Hand is the easier, more relaxed call.
The Great Northern building on Deansgate has cycled through several identities since its days as a goods warehouse, and the Mews Level — an refined indoor street of exposed brick and ambient light , is now its most convincing chapter. Another Hand occupies a corner of this space with bare brick walls, light wood fittings, an open kitchen at the back, and shelves of bottles that double as a signal of what matters here. The room has energy , not the kind that makes conversation difficult, but the kind that makes you want to stay for another glass. It reads like a Manchester restaurant in 2025 should: relaxed in presentation, serious in what it puts on the plate.
The kitchen's focus is produce sourced from local and ethical northwestern suppliers, and the menu is structured as sharing plates served one at a time. That sequencing matters. Too many sharing-plate restaurants arrive in a rush of dishes that dilutes the impact of each. Here, the pacing gives individual combinations room to register. The cooking is vegetarian-led, though not exclusively, and the technical approach is what separates Another Hand from the broader field of plant-forward restaurants in the city: flavours are punchy, textures are deliberately contrasted, and there's a willingness to push into unusual territory without losing coherence.
Documented dishes point to a kitchen that thinks in terms of contrast rather than comfort: smoked beetroot paired with horseradish, pickled mustard seeds, preserved blackberries and charcoal cream is a study in how many directions a single plate can pull before it starts to fragment. The lion's mane mushroom steak with chocolate mole is the kind of combination that sounds like a risk and lands as a statement. Shetland scallops with curried carrot, burnt orange and lemon verbena bring together colour and acidity in a way that's visually immediate and technically precise. A pork chop with Crown Prince pumpkin, rhubarb and puffed grains shows that meat dishes receive the same treatment: no ingredient is there as padding. Dessert extends the logic , bergamot and lemon cheesecake with white chocolate, cornflake crunch and old-fashioned lemonade finishes things with familiarity, but with enough construction to avoid the feeling of a retreat.
The bread programme is worth noting. Sourdough comes from nearby Holy Grain bakers, which means the supporting cast is held to the same standard as the main plates. That alignment , a kitchen that sources its bread as carefully as its proteins , tells you something about the overall approach.
The drinks list is one of the stronger reasons to book. Craft beers are available, but the wine programme is the real draw for anyone who cares about what's in the glass. Skin-contact wines appear alongside more conventional selections, with specific examples including a French Gewürztraminer and an Argentinian Torrontés. The cocktail list ventures into mezcal territory with a build of blood orange, lime and cinnamon that is listed as Succulent Blood. It's an odd name, but the combination is the kind of low-intervention-adjacent thinking that suits the room. For wine-forward dining in Manchester, [Erst](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/erst) remains the dedicated wine-bar option at a slightly higher price point, but Another Hand's list is serious enough to satisfy most explorers without requiring a separate stop.
Service is described across sources as warm and engaged rather than formal. For the price tier, that's the right call , a more structured service style would feel mismatched with the communal, plate-by-plate format. The room holds enough seats across the Mews Level to accommodate groups without feeling like a mass-market operation, though specific capacity figures aren't available. For smaller parties, the counter or open-kitchen-adjacent seating is worth requesting if possible.
For context on where Another Hand sits in the wider field: [Higher Ground](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/higher-ground-manchester-restaurant) is the other ££ venue worth knowing in Manchester for produce-driven modern cooking. Both share a commitment to supplier relationships and seasonal thinking, but Another Hand leans more heavily into vegetable-forward experimentation, while Higher Ground's approach is more classically British. The choice between them comes down to whether you want technical provocation or grounded familiarity. For something at a completely different register , multi-course, no-choice, £££+ , [Skof](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/skof-manchester-restaurant) and [mana](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/mana-manchester-restaurant) are the relevant comparators, both holding Michelin recognition and both requiring more planning to book.
Another Hand holds a Google rating of 4.8 from 397 reviews, which for a city-centre restaurant at this price point is a meaningful signal. High ratings often compress around the 4.2–4.5 range for volume dining; 4.8 across nearly 400 reviews points to consistent execution rather than a strong opening month. The Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 provides independent confirmation that the kitchen isn't coasting.
If you're building a Manchester dining itinerary, [our full Manchester restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/manchester) covers the full range. For wine bars, [The Spärrows](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/the-sprrows-manchester-restaurant) and [10 Tib Lane](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/10-tib-lane-manchester-restaurant) are worth cross-referencing. You can also explore [our Manchester bars guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/manchester), [hotels guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/manchester), and [experiences guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/manchester) for the full picture.
Address: Unit F, 253 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN (Mews Level, Great Northern building). Price: ££ per head. Booking Difficulty: Easy , walk-ins may be possible, but reservations are advisable to secure your preferred time. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025. Google Rating: 4.8 (397 reviews). Dress: No formal dress code; smart-casual is consistent with the room. Groups: Sharing-plate format suits groups of 2–6 well; larger groups should confirm availability in advance. Dietary: The menu is vegetarian-led, making it a stronger choice for plant-based diners than most comparable venues in the city.
Yes, at ££ per head it delivers a level of technical invention that sits above its price bracket. Two Michelin Plates and a 4.8 Google rating from nearly 400 reviews are not typical for a mid-price venue. For comparison, [mana](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/mana-manchester-restaurant) and [Skof](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/skof-manchester-restaurant) both operate at ££££ for a broadly comparable level of Michelin recognition , Another Hand gives you award-calibre cooking without the premium pricing.
Another Hand does not operate a conventional tasting menu. The format is sharing plates served one at a time, which gives you a sequenced experience without locking you into a fixed price or a no-choice commitment. For a set tasting-menu format with no flexibility, [mana](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/mana-manchester-restaurant) or [Skof](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/skof-manchester-restaurant) are the relevant options , but at a significantly higher cost and with more effort required to book.
Yes, with the right expectations. The room has energy and warmth rather than formality, and the sequenced sharing-plate format creates a natural arc to the meal that suits celebration dinners. At ££, it's a confident choice for a birthday or anniversary where you want quality without the weight of a multi-hour tasting-menu commitment. If you need a more ceremonial setting, [mana](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/mana-manchester-restaurant) offers that at ££££. For a special occasion with strong wine focus, [Erst](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/erst) is worth considering at £££.
Smart-casual. The room , bare brick, light wood, open kitchen , is deliberately unfussy, and the ££ price point and sharing-plate format reinforce that tone. You won't feel underdressed in dark jeans and a jacket, and you won't need to arrive in formal attire. It sits closer to [Higher Ground](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/higher-ground-manchester-restaurant) in atmosphere than to the more composed rooms at [mana](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/mana-manchester-restaurant).
The sharing-plate format is well-suited to groups of 2–6, where the sequential service allows everyone to engage with each dish. For larger groups, it's worth contacting the venue in advance to confirm table availability and seating arrangement. Specific capacity figures aren't publicly listed, but the Mews Level location within the Great Northern building suggests reasonable flexibility for small-to-mid-sized groups.
The menu is vegetarian-led, which makes it a more natural fit for plant-based diners than most comparable Manchester venues. Dishes do include fish (Shetland scallops are a documented example) and meat, so it is not exclusively vegetarian. Guests with specific requirements should flag them at the time of booking. The produce-driven, single-ingredient-focused approach to cooking tends to make substitutions more tractable than in kitchens built around rich sauces or protein-centred formats.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Another Hand | ££ | Easy | — |
| mana | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| Skof | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| Erst | £££ | Unknown | — |
| Higher Ground | ££ | Unknown | — |
| MAYA | ££ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Manchester for this tier.
The menu is vegetarian-led by design, so plant-based and vegetable-forward diners are well served. Meat and seafood dishes do appear on the menu, so it is not fully vegetarian. check the venue's official channels before visiting if you have specific allergen requirements, as detailed dietary information is not published in available materials.
Another Hand does not operate a fixed tasting menu. The format is sharing plates served one at a time, which gives you a similar sense of progression without the commitment or price premium of a set menu. At ££ per head, the sharing format is genuinely good value for the level of technique involved — dishes like lion's mane mushroom with chocolate mole or Shetland scallops with curried carrot point to real kitchen ambition.
Another Hand is a relaxed city-centre bistro on the Mews Level of the Great Northern building. The bare brick, open kitchen, and sharing-plate format all read casual. Dress as you would for a confident but unpretentious night out — there is no indication of a dress code in any available materials.
The sharing-plate format suits groups well, since dishes arrive one at a time and are designed for the table to graze across. For larger parties, booking ahead is advisable given the bistro scale of the venue. No private dining room is documented, so very large groups may find the space a tighter fit.
Yes, at ££ per head it is well-priced for what it delivers. A Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 confirms the kitchen is operating above the neighbourhood-bistro baseline. Comparable Manchester options like Higher Ground and Erst operate in a similar register, but Another Hand's vegetable-forward focus and locally sourced produce give it a specific identity worth paying for if that format appeals to you.
It works for low-key celebrations rather than formal milestone dinners. The atmosphere is lively, the service is described as bubbly, and the sharing format encourages a social, engaged table. If you want something quieter or more ceremonial, look elsewhere — but for a birthday or anniversary where the food itself is the event, Another Hand at ££ per head is a solid call.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
