Another Hand

About Another Hand

The Great Northern building on Deansgate has cycled through several identities since its days as a goods warehouse, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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 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 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 and mana are the relevant comparators, both holding Michelin recognition and both requiring more planning to book.

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 covers the full range. For wine bars, The Spärrows and 10 Tib Lane are worth cross-referencing. You can also explore our Manchester bars guide, hotels guide, and experiences guide for the full picture.