Manchester's restaurant renaissance outstrips all UK cities
Manchester has shown greater restaurant growth than any other city in the past decade, according to new figures.
CGA Peach's most recent figures have revealed that the city had seen a 57% increase in food led businesses in the past 10 years, with Leeds posting 55%, London 32% and Liverpool 31% growth.
The news comes in the week in which Spanish restaurant group Ibérica opened a new site in Manchester. Iberica Spinningfields has been a £5m investment for the group, which sees Manchester as the perfect location for its first site outside of London.
The new restaurant will feature Iberica's distinctive range of carefully selected produce such as its acorn-fed Iberico ham and Asturian cheeses, alongside dishes devised by Michelin-starred executive head chef Nacho Manzano.
At the restaurant's opening managing director Marcos Fernandez (pictured) said: "Coming to Manchester for us is a challenge. It's a challenge because we're leaving our comfort zone of London, but most importantly it's a challenge because Manchester is one of the most exciting restaurant scenes in the UK right now.
"We've managed to bring to Iberica the best team we could find in this wonderful city, together with the best from London. I'm very close to moving here myself."
Northern Restaurant & Bar (NRB) chief executive Thom Hetherington said that the growth of Manchester's dining scene had been mirrored by the growth in the show, which takes place at Manchester Central on 17 and 18 March.
He said that the exhibition's growing profile had attracted international speakers, such as Iberica's Nacho Manzano, who will be appearing alongside Nick Lander, who will be discussing his book The Art of the Restaurateur with Craig Bancroft of Northcote and Will Beckett from Hawksmoor.
Hetherington added: "The exhibition itself is 15% bigger this year, and all of the usual features and programmes will be refreshed and enhanced, from the Spirit Room and Drinks Live to Market Kitchen and a new Craft Beer Quarter, as well as the strongest ever NRB Top 50 Awards."
