The best Greek restaurants in Manchester

Located on a stretch of Princess Street often overlooked for food and drink, Bozouki by Night is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it underground taverna that’s big on boozy, late-night entertainment. At street level, there’s a kiosk featuring obligatory white and blue striped awning, where you can pick up Greek sweet and savoury pastries. But if you negotiate your way inside, you can descend into a welcoming, old-school restaurant where the night inevitably descends into singing, dancing and ouzo. On the menu you’ll find all your classic Greek mains, as well as authentic desserts and lunchtime wraps filled with perfectly scorched meats.

Dimitri’s, with its distinctive corner plot on Deansgate, has been a part of the city centre’s food and drink scene for decades. Inside is a reassuringly gaudy mix of primary colours, wood panelling, fake marble columns and foliage, and their pretty atrium provides that al fresco dining feel, even when the weather is being particularly Mancunian. The menu is a mix of Mediterranean dishes, but the received wisdom here is to just dive into the mezze plates – from moussaka to butter beans to Greek-style fries – and order plenty of wine for the table.

When you think of the Cheshire village of Handforth, you probably think ‘big John Lewis’. Now, you can also think of stylish Greek brunches enjoyed on rustic tableware, under rattan lampshades. Honestly, this place is chic. The brunch menu is full of sunshine soaked twists on classics, like eggs with halloumi, flavoursome loukaniko sausage, honey and flaky spinach pie. In the evening, there’s loads of lavish seafood and grilled meats, with all the colourful sides you could possibly need. Yet another jewel in the crown of Handforth.

In the middle of the emerging St John’s neighbourhood in the city centre is Fenix, one of the new crop of glamorous food and drink spots in the area that like sister restaurants Tattu and Louis, is big on theatrics and sumptuous interiors. From the limewashed walls, full of natural textures and curved lines, to the cocktail menu, which is inspired by Greek mythology, they simply miss no opportunity to elevate things. It’s not just for show though, the food is stunning. Choose from mezze dishes, seafood and steak cooked over open fire, and pretty deserts that invoke the style of Mykonos.

Perhaps known best as the Peter Street food van that doubles as a public service, serving hot, fresh gyros to revellers making their way home from the pub. What you might not know is that they have their own shop too, a pretty switch one at that, located at number 65 Deansgate. It’s slick and modern, certainly not your standard kebab fare, and while gyros are obviously the star of the show – ones with fresh, fluffy flatbread, flavoursome meat and and perfectly seasoned fries – you can get souvlaki and skewers too. Fans of scorched meat and carbs, this is one to visit.

Kallos do brunch and wine Mediterranean-style, in the industrial chic surroundings of Corland at Collier’s Yard, just over the river in Salford. Think breakfast bowls full of colourful produce, and flatbreads topped with sweet and savoury combos. There’s also an extensive list of tinned fish like squid and scallops, served with all the relevant breads and dips. Perfect for spending your Friday nights and Saturday afternoons sipping, chatting and snacking, Aegean-style.

Worsley has also been getting in on the sleek taverna action with the opening of NYX (pronounced ‘nix’). You can expect fresh seafood, charred-to-perfection meats and a technicolour array of mezze plates. Everything is super-simple, super-tasty and super-sociable, with a hint of fine dining flair. The brunch menu is a winner too, with loads of Mediterranean nods.

The place you think of when you think of Greek restaurants in town. They have it all: blue and white striped decking, kitsch murals of Mediterranean seafronts, and a menu that goes on for page after page of breads, cheeses, fish, meat and more. They lean towards Cypriot cuisine here, so make sure to try the spiced sheftalia sausage, stifado stew, and for desert go for the loukoumades – crispy fried dough balls drenched in syrup. If it’s a sunny day in Manchester, make a bee-line for that terrace, order a cold bottle of Keo, and you could almost be in Limassol.

Over on Chorlton’s Barlow Moor Road, it feels like every cuisine from every permutation of Italian, through to Scottish-style Indian cooking is covered off, so it’s no surprise that there’s a stand-out Greek spot in the mix too. Sali’s Soivlaki are big on meat folded into bread, in whichever combination you most prefer. The lamb chops and a highlight, and for fans of fusion cooking, there are signature creations like the pork gyros burger. They also have authentic Greek fizzy drinks, to complete the experience.

With spots in Sale and Horwich, Sokrates Taverna have some unapologetically retro blue awnings, which are the universal signpost for classic, family-friendly Mediterranean food. And once inside, that proves to be the case. Baskets of fresh pitta bread, tender lamb skewers, stuffed peppers, golden rings of calamari and generous, warming plates of moussaka. Bring the whole gang, order a bit of everything, and you’re guaranteed a flavoursome evening with old-school, friendly service.

The Stolen Lamb is a homely spot in Wilmslow serving up family recipes that have been passed down through the generations. The name The Stolen Lamb comes from their signature dish. Thieves who would steal lambs had to cook the meat in secret ovens that were often buried underground. They couldn’t use high heat for fear of people seeing the smoke and catching them, so they had to cook secretly overnight. This is exactly what they do here, cooking the lamb for 12 hours, after marinating it for 24 hours. The time and effort that goes into this dish is something else, and well worth making your way to the suburbs for.

If you’ve never experienced a skepasti, it’s time to remedy that. The Greek version of a club sandwich – with grilled chicken or pork, layered salad and a choice of mustard sauce or red pepper sauce – is a heavyweight when it comes to lunchtime options. Tzatziki’s Greek Deli in Fallowfield does a particularly good one, and if that doesn’t entice you, the Wilmslow Road deli has one of the biggest array of lunch-elevating Greek dishes out there, from biftekia skewers to spinach pie. Don’t ship a side of ‘gigantes’ – giant beans in a rich tomatoey sauce, with feta.

You can count on Arndale Food Market for something hot, cheap and – crucially – interesting when you’re in the mood to switch up your lunch rotation. Zorbas is a solid addition to that, and you cannot miss its illuminated red and yellow signage. Gyros is the main attraction here – you can get one with chips for a fiver – but other flavours from the Med make an appearance, like falafel salads and salmon bowls. There’s also an array for slow-cooked stews like beef stifado and lamb and lentils, if you’re after something wholesome and warming.