Recently named one of the best places to live in the UK for 2024 alongside Stockport, you’ll be able to see why with the assortment of places to eat, drink and explore in the Greater Manchester area of Prestwich. Nestled in the borough of Bury, Prestwich has become a hotspot for those looking to escape the city centre, as well as its house prices.
The area includes Heaton Park, the home of Parklife festival, but with an abundance of green spaces, brilliant bars and restaurants and easy transport links to Manchester city centre, there’s more than the annual music festival to draw people to Prestwich. So, without further ado, here’s our rundown of the best things to do in Prestwich:
1. Tuck into an award-winning chippy from Chips @No.8
Making Fry Magazine’s, 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways 2024 list, the people of Prestwich are pretty lucky to have this chippy on their doorstep (and it has plans to expand too!). Chips @ No. 8 is praised for its wonderfully flaky fish, gaining glowing reviews from its devoted fan base. At this north Manchester spot, you can expect proper beef dripping chips, classic fish and chips in gloriously crispy batter, veggie options, and most importantly, great gravy.
2. Browse the various stalls at Prestwich Makers Market
On the second Sunday of every month, an abundance of the North West’s finest makers, bakers and creators take to the precinct area outside Prestwich’s Longfield Centre. The Makers Market is a perfect weekend activity if you’re looking for a little mooch around and supporting local businesses at the same time. You can expect an array of art, crafts, food, drink, coffee, music and street food to keep you entertained and full.
3. Sip on a drink or two at some of Prestwich’s hidden gem bars
If you’re after a drink then you’re in luck as Prestwich has some marvellous bars to choose from. However, if you’re looking for a drinking spot tucked away then All The Shapes and The Crooked Man are great shouts – both of which escape the hustle and bustle of Bury New Road. Enjoying a drink al fresco at All The Shapes and watching the world go by, is a great summer pastime in Prestwich – they all also do brunch. For more cosy vibes, sit down with a pint on a leather booth or sofa or your classic, low wooden bar stool at The Crooked Man on Fairfax Road. For wine drinkers or if you fancy a little Prestwich bar crawl, Wine and Wallop and Grape To Grain are also worth a visit.
4. Explore Greater Manchester’s largest park
Prestwich quite possibly boasts the most green spaces in Greater Manchester and of course the one that dominates them all is Heaton Park. The home of Parklife festival and Prestwich’s nearest Parkrun, Heaton Park has a lot to offer for both locals and visitors. For sports enthusiasts, there are multiple running routes, a bowling green, tennis courts, football pitches and a golf course. Heaton Park is also boasts a reservoir, a boating lake, grand hall, adventure playgrounds, cafés, a temple, a bandstand, a garden centre and even a treetop adventure trek with zip lines and obstacles along the way.
5. Dine at an affordable Michelin Guide restaurant
Run my Michelin-trained chef Danielle Heron, who previously worked at the Lake District’s prestigious L’Enclume, OSMA focuses on an ever-changing menu made with locally-sourced produce, with tons of decadent small plates to choose from when dining there. As a Scandi-inspired restaurant, fish and seafood are central to many of OSMA’s dishes and guests can expect a taste of the sea with fresh ingredients that pack a punch. Previous menu dishes have included fish croquette with chive mayo; brioche toast topped with sea bream tartare and dill; hamachi tartare with 62c egg yolk, kombu ponzu, radish and nori; as well as mussels with leeks, white wine and crème fraiche. The restaurant is currently in the Michelin Guide as one of the most affordable places to dine at for top notch food, so definitely worth a visit.
6. Feel like you’re in Florence with a glass of vino from The Pearl’s wine window
Introduced for the warmer months of the year, The Pearl’s wine window brings a bit of the Tuscan life to Prestwich. Opening in November 2023, The Pearl is a dining room serving up a small, curated menu of seasonal British dishes to enjoy with friends and family, in the heart of Prestwich Village. With their wine window, patrons are able to sip house specials and enjoy sunny days looking onto the community garden next to The Pearl on Bury New Road, listening to tunes.
7. Give your home a new lease of life with furniture and flowers from Rose & Lee
If you fancy sprucing up your home or perhaps looking for a gift for a friend, pop into Rose & Lee. You’ll find cards, wrapping paper, fresh and dried flowers as well as vases, art, books, stationary, glassware and lamps to decorate your house with. Rose & Lee also offer an interior design service and wedding styling as well as floral workshops should you want to learn from the experts.
8. Enjoy an authentic Italian coffee or Aperol Spritz tucked away on an industrial estate
Located on Mountheath Trading Estate just off Bury New Road, Lupo serves up beautiful Italian coffee in cups designed to balance the flavours of a single shot espresso and milk. As you sip your macchiato it might not be Milan and instead north Manchester, however order yourself a delicious pastry like cannoli and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to Italy. Lupo also serves proper Neapolitan sourdough pizza and aperitivos like Aperol Spritz on Fridays and Saturdays – a great way to kick off your weekend!
9. Wander or cycle around Prestwich’s numerous green spaces
Prestwich is brimming with parks and green spaces meaning you’re not short of places to get a dose of nature in the suburbs. Philips Park, Drinkwater Park, Prestwich Clough and Waterdale Meadow all merge into one another so if you’re looking for a long walk to stretch your legs this is it. Some say it’s in Prestwich, others say it’s in Whitefield, but in Philips Park you’ll find a combination of both majestic woodland and parkland as well as ponds, a biking trail, the River Irwell, peacock and streams throughout. Another park to enjoy a wander round is St Mary’s Park and it features a playground, bowling green and tennis courts – plus a flower park over the road from it.
10. Eat some of the best bagels this side of the Atlantic
Prestwich and its neighbouring suburbs form the second largest Jewish community in the UK, meaning it is one of the best places in Greater Manchester for bagels and deli goods. One spot you mustn’t miss out on is Cooper’s Let’s Fress, which has queues out the door every Sunday thanks to its bargain of a £6 bagel special (five bagels, with sides of smoked salmon, cream cheese, tuna mayonnaise and egg salad).
Another bagel boss is Triple B which serves up some of the best American-style grub in the ‘burb including salt beef and pastrami packed bagels, absolutely massive burgers, and a variety of naughty loaded fries, all designed to bring a flavour of New York City to Manchester. Both cooking and curing their salt beef and pastrami in house, guests can expect a flavour-packed meal at Triple B. Their French dip sandwich is also not worth missing out on!
11. Grab some fruit, veg and refills from Village Greens
Located in the Longfield Centre, Village Greens is there for all your grocery needs. Village Greens is a community owned co-operative with a sustainable ethos that aims to reduce waste. You can buy an assortment of fruit and vegetables, or even order a box to arrive at your door. The shop also has plenty of refill stations so you can stock up on your essentials like rice, oats, pasta, nuts, oils, herbs and even shampoo, laundry liquid and multi-surface cleaner, to name a few.
12. Enjoy a spot of brunch at Cuckoo
A bar blurring the lines between the city and the suburbs, Cuckoo aims to be the local ‘home away from home’, offering all-day comfort right through until 10.30pm. From classic brunch dishes – big full English brekkies, baked eggs, sandwiches and more – to stonebaked pizzas topped with Italian toppings like ‘nduja, prosciutto, Mortadella and chorizo – the cosy bar is the perfect casual retreat, with a diverse drinks menu to boot. Whether it’s a cuppa or a cocktail you fancy, guests can make their way through the lengthy selection of classic cocktails and wines, with plenty of mojitos and martinis on offer. Plus, there’s a cute hatch to order pastries from when on the go.
13. Gorge on amazing slices at Prestwich’s top pizza restaurants
Located on or in the vicinity of Bury New Road, Dokes Pizzeria and Croma are the top places for pizza in Prestwich. Dokes, from the team behind Ancoat’s Elnecot, is the perfect all-day dining destination – not only serving proper stone-baked ‘Anglo-Saxon’ pizza topped with the finest British produce (think Welsh chorizo, cured pig’s cheek and English cheeses), but an array of brunch and lunch dishes, too. As for Croma, it is a huge, bright and airy Italian restaurant in the Longfield Centre and boasts a simple, yet lengthy menu of tasty pizzas, cooking each and everyone in a Neapolitan style with delightfully fluffy crust.
14. Feast on grilled meats and mezze at these dining spots
Middle Eastern food more your bag? Bury New Road has a host of restaurants serving Turkish and Lebanese cuisine. At Istanbul Grill and Anatolian Grill (right opposite each other) you can tuck into platters of chargrilled meats, moussaka and a wide selection of mezze dishes like halloumi, hummus, falafel, lamb kofte and muska borek (deep fried filo pastry parcels filled with feta cheese). Or head further up the road and you’ll find Lebanese spot, Remal, where you can enjoy the likes of stuffed vine leaves, labneh, tabbouleh, baba ghanoush and lamb tagine – in other words, quite the feast.