Every neighbourhood in Manchester seems to have a tapas place now. Some are run by people who’ve spent years in San Sebastián and Seville. Others have just slapped ‘tapas’ on the menu because small plates are profitable and people like sharing. Both can be good. But if you’re after the real thing — proper jamón carved to order, patatas bravas that aren’t just roast potatoes with ketchup, croquetas that actually have a filling — you need to know where to go.
El Gato Negro
This is the one most people name first, and for once the hype is justified. Simon Shaw moved El Gato Negro from Ripponden to King Street in 2016 and it immediately became one of the best restaurants in Manchester full stop, never mind just tapas. The menu is Spanish-influenced rather than strictly traditional — you’ll find things like morcilla Scotch egg alongside classic gambas al ajillo. The patatas bravas here set the standard: crispy outside, fluffy inside, with a proper spicy tomato sauce and aioli that tastes like someone actually made it. Expect to spend £35–45 per head with drinks. Book at least a week ahead for weekends because it fills up every single night.
Evuna
If El Gato Negro is Manchester’s showpiece, Evuna is its workhorse. They’ve been doing Spanish food on Deansgate since 2004 — long before tapas was trendy — and they’ve got a second place in the Northern Quarter on Thomas Street. The NQ branch is smaller and louder, the Deansgate one slightly more relaxed. Both serve honest Spanish food at fair prices. The jamón ibérico is carved properly, the padron peppers come blistered and salty, and the tortilla española is thick, slightly runny in the middle, exactly right. They also run their own wine importing business, so the Spanish wine list is deep and well-priced. Around £25–35 per person. No reservations at the NQ spot — turn up and wait.
Lunya
Technically Catalan rather than broadly Spanish, and technically in the Barton Arcade rather than on a street, but Lunya is one of the best things to happen to Manchester dining in the last decade. Peter and Elaine Kinsella started the original in Liverpool and brought the same formula here: a restaurant and deli serving Catalan and Spanish food made with ingredients they import themselves. The pa amb tomàquet is the real deal — bread rubbed with tomato and olive oil, simple and perfect. The charcuterie boards are outstanding because they’re cutting from whole legs of proper jamón ibérico de bellota, not the pre-sliced vacuum-packed stuff. The attached deli means you can buy the same products to take home. Budget £30–40 per person.
Tapeo & Wine
On Deansgate, slightly south of the centre near the Hilton. This one flies under the radar compared to El Gato Negro and Lunya, which is a shame because the food is genuinely excellent. Smaller space, shorter menu, and they change it regularly based on what’s good. The croquetas de jamón are some of the best in the city — properly creamy béchamel inside, crisp coating, no grease. They take the wine seriously too, with a list that goes beyond the usual Rioja and Albariño into lesser-known Spanish regions. It’s a quieter, more intimate night out than the bigger places. Around £30–40 per head.
La Bandera
On Manchester Road in Chorlton, so outside the city centre, but worth the trip if you live south. Run by a Spanish couple and it shows in every detail. The menu reads like what you’d actually eat in a tapas bar in Madrid — simple, ingredient-led, not trying to reinvent anything. Gambas al pil pil, albondigas in tomato sauce, pan con tomate. Nothing revolutionary, everything done right. It’s small, it’s noisy when it’s full, and it feels like you’re eating in someone’s extremely well-stocked kitchen. Possibly the most authentically Spanish tapas experience in Greater Manchester. £25–30 per person and you’ll leave full.
Iberica
The Spinningfields branch of a small UK chain. This is polished, corporate-backed Spanish dining — which sounds like a criticism but isn’t entirely. The quality is consistent, the jamón is excellent (they have a proper carving station), and the space in the Spinningfields development is impressive. Where it loses points compared to owner-run places like Evuna and La Bandera is in the atmosphere. It can feel a bit hotel-lobby, especially midweek when it’s quiet. But the food is reliable and the lunch menu is good value. Around £35–45 per person in the evening, significantly less at lunch.
Porta
On Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter. Spanish and Portuguese, which is an unusual combination but works well. The space is beautiful — tiled floors, wooden tables, hanging lights — and it’s been a NQ favourite since it opened. The menu splits between the two countries: Portuguese custard tarts alongside Spanish tortilla, bacalhau next to gambas. The piri piri chicken is excellent if you want something more substantial. Porta works brilliantly for a casual lunch or early evening — later on it gets loud and you might struggle to get a table without waiting. £20–30 per person, making it one of the more affordable options on this list.
Canto
On the corner of Piccadilly and Oldham Street, so technically the edge of the Northern Quarter. Newer than most of the places on this list and still building its reputation. The focus is on small plates with Spanish and wider Mediterranean influences. The quality has been solid every time I’ve been — good padron peppers, decent croquetas, and a wine list that someone’s clearly thought about. It’s not going to knock El Gato Negro off the top spot, but it fills a gap between the expensive places and the chain restaurants. Around £25–35 per person.
Who’s Actually Proper Spanish?
Worth being honest about this. La Bandera is the most authentically Spanish — owned by Spanish people, cooking the food they grew up eating. Lunya is genuinely Catalan in its sourcing and approach. Evuna has been importing directly from Spain for twenty years. El Gato Negro is Spanish-influenced rather than strictly Spanish, and that’s fine because the food is outstanding. Iberica is a chain but a Spanish-owned chain with proper supply lines. Porta is a hybrid. Canto is Mediterranean with Spanish leanings.
None of them are bad. But if you want the experience closest to eating in Spain, La Bandera and Lunya are your best bets. If you want the best food regardless of authenticity labels, El Gato Negro wins.
What to Order If You Don’t Know Where to Start
Every tapas order should include patatas bravas — it’s the benchmark dish and tells you everything about a restaurant’s standards. Good bravas means the kitchen cares. Bad bravas means you’re in a place that’s coasting. Beyond that: padron peppers (simple, quick, reliable), one croqueta dish, one seafood dish, and something from the charcuterie selection. Order for the table, share everything, and get more if you’re still hungry. That’s how it works in Spain and that’s how it should work here.
Budget three to four dishes per person plus bread and you’ll be comfortable. Five if you’re hungry. And don’t skip the Spanish wine — a bottle of Godello or a proper Garnacha from Lunya or Evuna will cost less than a mediocre Sauvignon Blanc in most Manchester restaurants and taste ten times better.
