Thanks to things like its exceptional weekly market and a glut of new places to eat and drink having sprung up in the past couple of years, Levenshulme has transformed.
If you’re visiting - or even thinking about moving - here are some of the top spots to eat and drink.
Levenshulme Bakery
There’s a lot of shawarma in Manchester, but there’s one place which stands head and shoulders above the rest. Alonso, AJ and Zheko are there every day serving up the best lamb and chicken kebabs in the city, stuffed inside their signature Kurdish Iraqi bread - the samoon - baked daily and soft as a feather pillow. They’re staggeringly good value too, probably thanks to being able to sell them in scale to the queues that often snake out of the door.
842 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3AW
Station South
A group of passionate Levy locals saved the landmark Levenshulme South railway station from dereliction, and have turned it into a community hub, cafe, restaurant, bar, co-working space and bike repair shop. Built around a brilliantly airy room, and with a viewing gallery overlooking the Fallowfield Loop, it is already a bit of a hit, thanks in no small way to great food and dazzling pastries, provided by Ancoats’ Flat Baker.
975-977 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3NP
Cibus
Any neighbourhood would be chuffed to absolute bits with an Italian like Cibus. The Neapolitan pizza is entirely on the money of course, but the rest of the menu that shines too, with dishes like its featherblade ragu and a fine line in cicchetti - like its panelle, the irresistible chickpea flour fritters, fantastic arancini and zucchini fritti which are light as a feather. They even do a scorching roast on Sunday.
847 - 849 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3PW
Nordie
With a menu changing monthly, this enviable neighbourhood bar and restaurant is a real gem. Weeknight evenings is all about the drinks, snacks and small plates, like dainty little potato croquettes and perhaps some mussels in cider, though you can have a solid steak frites here too. On the weekend, Nordie’s brunch game is strong, though. Beef ragu with ricotta and a fried egg on toast? Black pudding hash? Oh, yes please.
1044 Stockport Rd, Manchester M19 3WX
Gaijin Dumpling House
Who doesn’t salivate at the prospect of a table groaning with steamed and fried dumplings and bao buns? The Gaijin has you covered on all of these bases, and many more besides. Ignore the dramatically named Typhoon Shelter Squid at your peril, for example, with a cool bus spicy mayo, or the ‘Lamb On Crack’, a platter of spiced lamb chops served with spiced masala fries and sriracha. Wash it all down with a beer or two, or a Chulo, the addictively sour Japanese soda.
948 Stockport Rd, Manchester M19 3NN
The Gherkin
Off the main Stockport Road drag, The Gherkin is a cracking little bar that prides itself on being at the heart of its community. There are quiz nights (with free chip butties), there are events bringing together local charities and businesses, and also a fine line in DJs and live music too, taking in everything from disco and soul to electro to drum & bass. The food is great, serving all day from brunch to dinner, and all vegetarian or vegan, so you can offset the excess with a bit of virtuousness.
312 Slade Ln, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 2BY
Isca
Set up by Isobel Jenkins, who founded the Seasons Eating supper clubs, and Caroline Dubois, the sommelier at Stockport’s gleaming Where The Light Gets In, Isca is a small but perfectly formed cafe-cum-bottle shop on the main drag of Stockport Road. It turns out fantastic natural wines - labels you often won’t see anywhere else - alongside great eat-in a takeaway food, as well hosting supper clubs and other food events.
825 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3PN
Jandol
So sweet, it could give you a filling just walking past, this temple of baklawa, sugared almonds, nougat and Turkish Delight is a neighbourhood staple. Get past the sweet stuff, and the Lebanese menu is groaning with sharp salads, warming pastries, dips laden with garlic and spice, and unctuous shawarma, all to be scooped up with freshly made, crisp flatbreads.
861 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3PW
The Klondyke
Formerly a social club and, remarkably, bowling alley, The Klondyke is a gloriously old fashioned piece of local history, founded more than 100 years ago. There is pool, snooker, darts, all the good stuff you’d want from a neighbourhood social, as well as all manner of classes to take of an evening, from burlesque to Irish dancing to samba drumming. It even does a roast on a Sunday. A proper institution.
1 Burnage Range, Manchester M19 2HQ
Levenshulme Market
One of the many catalysts for turning Levenshulme into a hotspot for local foodies and visiting ones, Levy Market, a community-run social enterprise, has been running every weekend from March through to December, even branching out into night markets on a Friday. It’s launched all manner of success stories, such as Nila’s Burmese Cafe, but it’s not only food and drink stalls going on. Pottery, crafts and local artists all help place the market at the beating heart of the area.
Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3PJ
Trove
One of the city’s very finest bakeries, Trove was founded in Levenshulme in 2011, and has gone from strength to strength, opening its light and airy space in Ancoats and its cafe at the back of Market Street. But Levy will always be its spiritual home. Its sourdough is quite beyond reproach, and it’s become a destination spot for brunch too. Every town should have one, and long may it prosper.
1 032-1034, Stockport Rd, Manchester M19 3WX
Paratha Hut
Quirky hidden gems don’t come much quirkier than the Paratha Hut, which is tucked in the corner of the forecourt of the Waterworx car wash. Nip inside, and you’ll find a large grill for the fresh paratha, which are then stuffed with all manner of wondrous things, from potato to cheese to lamb keema to omelettes, along with curries to dip them into. They’re served all day from 11am and into the night.
6 91 Stockport Rd, Manchester M12 4QN
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