The best set menus in Manchester: 14 unbeatable lunch and dinner deals

If you love a bargain, you’re in the right place. SquareMeal’s in-house critics are always out and about tracking down the best new restaurants, and if there’s one thing we love, it’s a great deal.

There’s been a lot said about the cost of eating out in recent years, and sure, if you want to eat a la carte, or you are treating yourself to Michelin-starred tasting menus, that’s going to leave a significant dent in your bank balance. If you’re here because you want to eat well on a budget, we’re here to say - yes you can, with Manchester’s best set menus.

So, what exactly is the draw of a set menu? Think of it as a brilliant hospitality hack where a kitchen serves up a streamlined selection of dishes - typically across two or three courses - for a single, predictable price tag. Because these menus are more compact than the main a la carte line-up, they allow kitchens to minimise waste and pass those exact savings directly onto you. They’re usually restricted to specific windows of the week, making them the ultimate lifesaver if you are notoriously bad at deciding what to order, or simply trying to make your paycheck stretch a little further.

While these daytime steals mean our round-up leans heavily toward the absolute best set lunch menus in Manchester, they aren't exclusive to daylight hours. A fair few on our best list offer a set menu throughout the day, or a separate dinner menu, often doubling up as brilliant pre-theatre menus for an early evening feast.

We’ve eaten our way through dozens of the best Manchester restaurants to scout out the ultimate culinary steals, boiling all of that down into this list of our absolute favourite wallet-friendly gems. Scroll on for our pick of the best set menus in Manchester. 

Best set lunch menus in Manchester

From bougie business dining to a low-maintenance lunch hour, these exceptional deals have every eventuality covered, proving that you don't need a massive budget to eat well in Manchester.

Tattu Manchester

What: Famous for its breathtaking cherry blossom canopy and Insta-famous interiors, Spinningfields’ Tattu is a sensory feast. Happily, you don’t need a celebration-sized budget to experience it - the lunch set menus offer a cut-price gateway into their innovative Chinese cooking. The menu includes crowd favourites like black pepper pork dumplings, caramel soy aged steak with asparagus, and magnificent, aesthetic desserts like the yuzu lemon drop with passion fruit and shiso. For high-end experiential dining, this is an absolute bargain.
How much: Two courses for £27.50, three courses for £32.50
When: 12-4:45pm, Sunday-Friday; 12-3:45pm, Saturday
Where: Gartside Street, 3 Hardman Square Spinningfields, M3 3EB
Book now: Tattu Manchester

Sora at Malmaison Manchester

What: Perched high above the city, Malmaison’s gorgeous stunning rooftop bar pairs panoramic views with an equally dazzling pan-Asian menu. While premium sushi and robata grills can quickly add up, Sora’s daytime set menu offers a more affordable way to din, with £20 bento boxes that include a mixture of nigiri, sushi rolls, robata grill dishes and a crispy dish (like the delicious Korean fried cauliflower). A £5 supplement gets you a nice little mochi ice cream or chocolate cremeux too, but the £20 is worth it for the view alone.
How much: Bento box for £20 per person
When: 12-5pm, Thursday-Friday
Where: 23 Princess Street, M2 4ER
Book now: Sora at Malmaison Manchester

Skof

What: Skof has regularly ranked in the upper echelons of SquareMeal’s Top 100 UK Restaurants list, and frankly, we’re stunned at the value of the lunch menu at what is one of the best restaurants in the UK. Yes, the full dinner tasting menu is an investment (we still think it’s absolutely worth it), but the lunch set menu offers a much lower-cost window into Tom Barnes’ precise, boundary-pushing British cooking. The lunch menu is surprisingly generous too - on the menu at the time of writing are dishes like Isle of Mull cheese dumplings with Jersey royals, a stuffed leg of duck with bitter leaf salad, and a baked rice pudding with Yorkshire rhubarb, not to mention an exceptional bread course.
How much: Four courses for £55
When: 12-1:30pm, Thursday-Saturday
Where: 3 Federation Street, M4 4BF
Book now: Skof

10 Tib Lane

What: Split across three intimate, mood-lit floors, 10 Tib Lane has staked a claim as one of Manchester’s most beloved restaurants thanks to its refined, French-accented small plates. While ordering à la carte is tempting (and can still be done fairly affordably), the daytime set menu is the way to go if you’re really looking to save. Expect a rotating selection of hyper-seasonal dishes, ranging from fresh oysters to expertly cooked seasonal game, making it the perfect spot for a romantic lunch date.
How much: Two courses for £24, three courses for £30
When: 12-4pm, Tuesday-Friday
Where: 10 Tib Lane, M2 4JB
Book now: 10 Tib Lane

Higher Ground

What: What can we say about Higher Ground that hasn’t been said already? Another regular in SquareMeal’s Top 100 UK Restaurants list, this seasonal, produce-led hotspot focuses entirely on regeneratively farmed British ingredients, most of which are grown in their own market garden. The seasonal lunch set menu is just £40 for a beautifully curated four-course menu, including dishes like Cheddar tart with mustard leaf, and house-cultured yoghurt with butterscotch and bay leaf. A must-visit for any serious Manchester foodie.
How much: £40 per person
When: 12:30-3:30pm, Thursday-Saturday
Where: New York Street, M1 4DY
Book now: Higher Ground

Best all-day set menus in Manchester

These menus pull double duty for lunch cravings and evening feasts - how generous! Heavy hitters like Hawksmoor, Gaucho and Mowgli are holding down the fort with brilliant affordable feasts that run right through from midday to night.

Hawksmoor Manchester

What: A round of applause for Hawksmoor, which offers some of the best value, as well as arguably the most easy-to-remember pricing structure in the city. Menus include classics like smoked mackerel salad, 35-day dry aged rump steak, beef dripping chips and a sticky toffee sundae. Technically it offers separate lunch and early dinner tasting menus, rather than an all-day version (so if you turn up just after 3pm, you might find yourself out of luck).
How much: One course for £20, two courses for £25, three courses for £30
When: 12-3pm, Monday-Saturday; 4:45-5:45pm, Monday-Friday; 3:15-5:45pm, Saturday
Where: 184-186 Deansgate, M3 3WB
Book now: Hawksmoor Manchester

Chez Mal Brasserie & Bar at Malmaison Manchester & Manchester Deansgate

What: Housed in a stylishly converted Victorian warehouse, Chez Mal delivers straight-forward, dependable brasserie cooking across a remarkably good-value set menu. Expect comfort food classics given a contemporary glow-up, from crispy buttermilk fried chicken thighs, to a hefty bacon cheeseburger and sticky toffee pudding, making it the perfect wallet-friendly spot for a pre-theatre bite or a business lunch.
How much: Two courses for £24.95, three courses for £29.95
When: 12-2pm and 5-7pm, every day
Where: 1-3 Piccadilly, M1 3AQ; 23 Princess Street, M2 4ER
Book now: Chez Mal Brasserie & Bar at Malmaison Manchester; Chez Mal Brasserie & Bar at Malmaison Manchester Deansgate

Shoryu Ramen Manchester

What: Slurping your way through a bowl of ramen has always been a relatively affordable treat, but Shoryu’s brilliant set menu bundles together their signature 12 hour pork broth noodles with crispy chicken karaage, a drink, and a chewy little mochi ice cream bite. Located right in Piccadilly Gardens, and open everyday for lunch until late dinner, Shoryu is that ultra-dependable spot that always has your back.
How much: Three courses and a drink for £29
When: 11:30am-10:30pm, Sunday-Tuesday; 11:30am-11pm, Wednesday-Saturday
Where: 1 Piccadilly, M1 1RG
Book now: Shoryu Ramen Manchester

Gaucho Manchester

What: Set inside a spectacular, grand converted church, Gaucho provides a suitably dramatic backdrop for classy Argentine steak cooking. This has always felt like a premium dining experience, but set menus can help you avoid the premium price tag. Like Hawksmoor, Gaucho has separate lunch and pre-theatre set menus but the items are largely the same - rump steak and chips, three-cheese empanadas, and dulce de luche pancakes, all for under £20.
How much: Two courses for £17.95, three courses for £19.95
When: 12-4pm, Monday-Friday; 5:30-6:30pm, Monday-Friday
Where: 2a St Mary’s Street, M3 2LB
Book now: Gaucho Manchester

Mowgli Street Food Manchester

What: Mowgli is all about the bright, fresh, and zesty flavours of Indian home cooking, delivered in ways that feel homely and comforting. Where lots of set menus are structured by courses, Mowgli’s £25 sharing menu loads the table with signature dishes like yoghurt chat bombs, fenugreek fries, and a boatload of curries and dahls. If you’re overwhelmed by the options, let the kitchen choose a selection of dishes for you, all delivered in traditional tiered tins.
How much: Sharing menu for £25 per person
When: 11am-10pm, Monday-Thursday; 11am-10:30pm, Friday-Saturday; 11am-9:30pm, Sunday
Where: Unit 16, 37 Corn Exchange, M4 3TR
Book now: Mowgli Street Food Manchester

Hispi

What: Gary Usher’s Didsbury bistro is the ultimate friendly neighborhood joint, serving up unpretentious food that punches well above its weight. The real star of the show here is the set menu, offering bistro classics with clever twists, like the utterly delicious featherblade of beef or pork ribeye with butter bean mash and sage brown butter. Usher’s bistros have always been beloved for delivering Michelin-quality cooking at prices that make you double-check the bill, and Hispi nails that brief.
How much: Two courses for £20, three courses for £23
When: 12-2:30pm, Monday-Saturday; 5:30-6:30pm, Monday-Thursday
Where: 1C School Lane, M20 6RD
Book now: Hispi

This & That

What: A Manchester institution hidden down a Northern Quarter alleyway, this no-frills canteen pioneered the city's famous 'rice and three' concept, which makes it the original Manchester set menu in our eyes. Get three deeply aromatic, home-style curries piled high on a bed of fluffy rice for under a tenner, with a curry calendar posted every week on the website. Speedy comfort food done right, This & That offers some of the best, most authentic value you'll find anywhere in the UK.
How much: Starts at £6
When: 11:30am-9pm, Friday-Saturday; 11:30am-8pm, Sunday-Thursday
Where: 3 Soap Street, M4 1EW
Book now: This & That

Best set dinner menus in Manchester

Finding a solid evening bargain is no easy feat, but it can be done. Bear in mind, dinner set menus are often 'early bird' offers so be prepared to eat slightly earlier than normal (your wallet will thank you afterwards).

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill

What: The joy of Zouk Tea Bar is in the buzz of this high-energy Indian and Pakistani kitchen off Oxford Road, as well as the fantastic, accessible cooking. The best entry-way to the huge menu is via the pre-theatre menu, which runs every evening from 4-7pm. There’s actually a generous amount of choice too; from rich, slow-cooked lamb karahi to fiery, grilled tikka skewers, Zouk delivers punchy flavours and generous portions.
How much: Two courses for £20, three courses for £25
When: 4-7pm, every day
Where: Unit 5 Quadrangle Chester Street, M1 5QS
Book now: Zouk Tea Bar & Grill

Podium Restaurant

What: Tucked inside the very swish Hilton Deansgate, Podium’s modern British cooking is ideal for celebratory dinners and corporate gatherings. The best time to sample the food is now Thursday evenings, when Podium offers a three courses for £20 set menu. Even better, the set includes anything from the a la carte menu - a starter, main and dessert of your choosing, with options including pork belly with pickled shimeji, and aged beef sirloin tartare. Bear in mind, you have to book in advance to get the deal, and we’d recommend booking early as it’s very popular.
How much: Three courses for £20
When: 6-9pm, Thursdays only
Where: 303 Deansgate, M3 4LQ
Book now: Podium Restaurant

On the hunt for more foodie bargains in Manchester? Check out our guide to Manchester's best cheap eats for more of the city's top pound-for-pound restaurants.