Japanese Restaurants in Manchester

Teppanyaki is an independent family business that has long been established as Manchester’s premier Japanese restaurant and uses the Teppanyaki style of cooking to create a dining experience like no other. Teppanyaki is a culinary art that has established itself as one of the favourites of the Japanese cuisine. The specially trained chefs will delight their guests by preparing, cooking and presenting the food at their table in front of their very eyes.

Teppanyaki only use the freshest and top quality of ingredients in their kitchen. Their salmon is the multi award-winning 'Loch Duart' variety which speaks for itself, the beef is sourced especially from the borders of England and Scotland and is hung for 28 days to guarantee the finest flavour and tenderness. Our eggs are free range and come from Antrobus Farm in Cheshire and the chicken comes fresh from Cumbria. Teppanyaki are open for lunch from Monday until Friday, 12 noon until 2pm and for dinner from Monday until Saturday, from 6pm until 11pm. This is a perfect venue whatever your mood or motivation for lunch, dinner, a special occasion or a business meeting. If you like Japanese or have never had any, you must try Teppanyaki, as you will certainly enjoy the food, the wine, the ambience and the glamour.

The name comes from the Japanese word for blowfish and is also a dish created from the meat of the same venomous creature. For anybody that has not yet ventured within the premises formerly known as The Clock Tower in Didsbury, those are two huge hints as to this restaurant and bar’s new purpose. Not that the banned puffer is on the menu, but plenty of other aquatic delights are.

The interior has undergone a radical transformation into a vibrant, restaurant that avoids crossing the line into being garish or over-themed. Paint and lighting are in deep tones of orange, red and purple, seating is a mix of table dining and booths and the environment is sealed, without any windows on the outside world. There are Japanese cocktails, spirits and international beers (Asahi, Peroni, etc) alongside various wines, champagnes and sakis. As an example there are eight varieties of rum.

Having lubricated your taste buds, it’s on to the menu. The appetisers include Ebi Dango, which are deep fried, minced, king prawn balls in Nambanzuke sauce (£8.00), Yawata Maki (a stuffed sirloin beef at £8.50) and a selection of soups (£3.50-£5.50) and a crab roll (£12.80). It’s with acute awareness that we note the prices. Some of those amounts will buy a main course in many restaurants. Speaking of which, Kamo Teppan caught our eye. It’s grilled duck breast fillet with orange Teriyaki sauce that will set you back £15.00. Suzuki Teppan (a pan-fried sea bass with red peppers and green beans in a ginger coconut sauce for £14.00) also caught our eye. Of course there are many smaller dishes of sushi to choose from and it’s possible to treat Fugu as if it’s a Japanese tapas restaurant, sampling bites of different things. But this is a genuine dining experience with the service to match, rather than a casual, grab-a-bite-at-lunchtime Japanese fling that some other restaurants offer.

Given that three courses for two people plus drinks can reach £100 without much effort, this isn’t likely to be a regular option for most folk, although the Didsbury location, and the fact that Fugu stands out among this chain café blands-ville, will work in its favour.

Our review:
Samsi Yakitori has spent the last thirteen years trying to convert Mancunian tastebuds to the joys of Japanese and, judging by the amount of critical acclaim the restaurant has received, they're managing to do just that. A no-nonsense menu balances favourites like tempura and noodle dishes with the exotic and substantial selection of sushi, and the staff are more than happy to coach beginners through dishes. The food itself has been called "the best Japanese in the northwest by a country mile" too – altogether, a fantastic choice.

Our review:
The long, communal dining tables and minimalist décor of Tampopo create an authentic atmosphere that compliments the selection of Pan Asian food on offer. There are dishes from all across East Asia, each carefully explained in a menu as thick as any we’ve ever seen (there is even a glossary at the end). The service is friendly and very efficient and prices are reasonable for a city-centre restaurant – and we can’t recommend the gyoza (little pork dumplings) highly enough.