Northern Quarter Restaurant & Bar Reviews - Cottonopolis

Just a stone’s throw from our new office, Cottonopolis has already become a favoured watering hole amongst the team here at The Candidate. However, our senior consultants Dominique and Caldon wanted the full experience and booked out a lunch break to take on the taste-test!

Here are 5 things they loved about the Japanese-inspired Mancunian restaurant...

1. The Food

In a word - FANTASTIC. We’d heard a lot of good things about the food at Cottonopolis and we can safely say it lived up to the hype! We loved the small plates concept which offers a mix-and-match shared experience, tailored to individual tastes. This is particularly great because it means you can try something new every time (and trust us, you’ll be back!). If you’re not a sushi fan, don’t be turned off by the extensive nigiri menu; we chose 3 cooked dishes each, all of which were richly flavoursome cooked to perfection. Our faves were the bao buns with truffle mayo and the calamari! Yum!

2. The Brand

As Creative Manager, I love all things design and brand and we couldn’t review this restaurant without paying homage to the brand identity and interior styling. ‘Cottonopolis’ as a name harks back to Manchester’s industrial era when it was at the heart of the international garment trade. We love this nod to Manchester’s history peeping through the contemporary and urban styling of the space. The iconic Manchester bee pops up here and there and the copper detailing contrasted against dark walls and velvet drapes give the space an unusually lavish-industrial feel.

3. The Drinks

Cottonopolis have a great drinks menu which boasts a really broad selection of beers, wines, spirits and spectacularly innovative cocktails! The bar staff are super knowledgeable too – they can confidently advise on wine choices to compliment your meal. We love that they have implemented the no-straw policy too and if you must, you can hire metal one for £1!

4. The Crowd

The combination of good food, a vast drinks selection and well-designed space naturally draws in a ‘cool’ but surprisingly diverse crowd. At lunch times you can expect to see suited and booted business man sat alongside hotdesking creatives. Unlike a lot of the hipster NQ hangouts, Cottonopolis ditches the air of pretence in favour of a ‘welcome all’ environment - including dogs!

5. The Staff

The staff at Cottonopolis are attentive and knowledgeable. If you struggle to navigate the Japanese-inspired menu, they can easily reel off recommendations according to your preferences. The service is quick too and served with a smile!

If you’re ever in the northern quarter, make sure you try Cottonopolis! 

Check out our latest blogs here.

Read about Colin and Laura's trip to Evelyn's Cafe here.

Read about Isabelle and Rachel's trip to The Pen and Pencil here.