Two Greater Manchester restaurants have been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2026, marking another cracking year for the city’s dining scene.
The accolade – which sits just behind the Michelin Star – celebrates the restaurants offering high-quality cooking at reasonable prices, highlighted by inspectors for delivering what they describe as ‘good food at good value’.
Ancoats favourite Erst has been recognised for its pared-back style and seasonal focus, with Michelin noting its ‘carefully constructed dishes that showcase quality ingredients’. The restaurant has long been known for its minimal, produce-led approach and top flight natural-heavy wine list.
Stockport’s Cantaloupe also joins the 2026 list, having only opened last year. Inspectors describe its offering as ‘simple, well-crafted cooking with a clear respect for seasonality’, paired with the relaxed feel of a neighbourhood dining room.
In a post to Instagram, owners said: “Well, wow, what fantastic news. Today we’ve discovered we’ve been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand. We’re thrilled and are grateful to all our staff for making it happen.
“Big thanks to all our guests too for spending their hard earned money and time with us.”
Also given the bib is chef Luke Payne’s Almanac in Glossop (pictured top), which also opened last year, praised for ‘regional inspiration and confident flavours delivered with balance and restraint’.
Payne said: “It is our greatest pleasure to announce that we have been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand! This award from The Michelin Guide recognises great cooking at exceptional value- which holds true to exactly what we set out to achieve for this tiny restaurant on this gorgeous Glossop High Street.
“The story of this place continues to unfold in a way that seemed completely unimaginable six months ago. To all of our guests- thank you so much for showing such faith in our concept and embracing something quite different for this town. Nostalgic, seasonal cookery has a firm place on our High Street now!
“To our suppliers, who never stop behind the scenes to make this a reality, bringing exceptional British produce through our door every day, with shared values and passion for the craft, it wouldn’t be possible without you.
“And to the whole team at Almanac – you deserve this. Your passion and dedication to the vision from day one has been unyielding. Thank you for helping me realise my dreams. A Bib Gourmand. Good grief. Thank you.”
Payne also runs the celebrated gastropub The Pack Horse in Hayfield.
Last year’s selections reflected similar enthusiasm for the city’s culinary momentum. Manchester’s Higher Ground retained its Bib Gourmand in 2025, highlighted for ‘ingredient-led dishes shaped by close relationships with local growers’.
Also featured in 2025 was Another Hand, where Michelin praised ‘inventive small plates showing creativity and precise execution’.
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