When it comes to Japanese food, this city is brimming with top-notch spots, from AA Rosette-winning joints to underground haunts fusing the Pacific coastline with Asian bites. Since its introduction to the UK in 1953, and the first conveyor belt-style eatery in 1994, sushi has come a long way. Whether you're after a laid-back hideaway with salmon nigiri and tuna sashimi on the cards or swanky restaurants serving omakase tasting menus, we've got you covered with our guide to sushi in Manchester.
Last edited by Lauren Cole
Last updated on 9th July 2025
High above Princess Street, Sora Sky Bar is where Manchester's cityscape meets bold Japanese dishes. From signature sushi and sashimi platters to firecracker maki rolls topped off by flamed sea bass, the menu is made for sharing, while the cocktail list brings a creative twist to classics in the form of the cherry blossom negroni.
Add in live music and a sleek rooftop setting, and you've got a night to remember.
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A laid-back destination that's ideal for your post-shopping fix, YO! is one to consider when you need some cheap sushi in Manchester across Arndale and Trafford. The chain famed for its sushi conveyor belts started in 1997 and now has over 100 restaurants all over the world creating delicious dishes with sustainably sourced seafood. The colour-coded menu is easy to navigate and features plates of crunchy California rolls (£5.25), temaki handrolls filled with salmon and avocado (£5.95) and salmon ponzu salsa sashimi (£7.75).
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The gorgeous Peter Street Kitchen is well worth considering if you find yourself with a hankering for sashimi and nigiri. Located within the iconic Free Trade Hall, the award-winning restaurant serves up contemporary Japanese and Mexican cuisine in a modern setting. Towering ceilings and pendant lighting complete the natural and airy space, alongside marble tables and stacked sake barrels. Devour a set six-course menu curated to give you the ultimate omakase experience for £80 per person. Plates include grilled lobster gyoza tacos, yellowfin tuna sashimi ribbons and tataki with black truffle ponzu. Before feasting, take a trip to the Rikyū Bar for some signature cocktails like a yuzu and mandarin margarita for £12.
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For sushi in Manchester city centre? It's got to be Australasia, the much-loved restaurant hidden underground in the heart of the city, where modern Australian cuisine has been combined with Asian influences. Since opening in 2011, it's delivered a laid-back yet luxurious dining space in the form of gorgeous, natural interiors taking inspiration from the Pacific coastline, paired with metallic pendant lighting and winding bark. Whether you've come to dine with a large group of friends and fancy exploring the sharing menu for £75 per person, or are looking to sample some Loch Duart sashimi as part of a more intimate affair, it's got you sorted. Try out its scrumptious California rolls filled with Peking duck, hoisin and purple shisho, or dragon rolls with black cod and mango, then finish off by ordering a chocolate dome with peanut, honeycomb and salted caramel. Phwoar.
From the decadent jade floor to the mouthwatering menu, The Ivy Asia's second-floor restaurant is bringing you flavour sensations in a sophisticated setting. Located on the second floor, it's open seven days a week serving up delicious sharing-style dishes and bespoke cocktails. The theatrical dining room features elegant trees, patterned ceilings and rich, green booths paired with golden tables giving a feel of serious luxury. Expect dishes ranging from wagyu steak tartare or tuna tataki wasabi soy to short rib beef croquettes, snow crab maki rolls or crispy duck bao buns, washed down with bubble tea cocktails.
Sushi places in Manchester? We've got you covered, especially with Altrincham's finest, The Con Club. Housed in the former Working Men's Conservative Club with tall ceilings and exposed brickwork, it's a cool restaurant fronting a rooftop tipi that overlooks Central Way, as well as a heated terrace and micro-brewery. This beauty champions fresh seafood throughout its menu, creating flavourful uramaki, nigiri and sashimi from its raw bar. Open seven days a week, it whips up katsu rolls, spicy spider futomaki and omakase spreads from £54 per person for you to get your chopsticks around. You can even branch out and gobble up a poke bowl filled with sticky rice and teriyaki beef, then order a Bloody Geisha, featuring plum-infused sake, to wash it all down.
Samsi has been around since 1993, located in Manchester's Gay Village, and serves up authentic Japanese cuisine in the form of afternoon tea bento boxes and slurp-worthy ramen bowls. It's decorated with pretty cherry blossom trees and dainty shoji blinds, creating a traditional and tranquil feel that takes you away from the busy streets and into an elegant dining room where plenty of sushi awaits. There are some exciting cuts of sashimi to be inhaled here, like toko (octopus), ika (squid) and suzuki (seabass), as well as uramaki rolls filled with crispy salmon skin and spring onion.
Sexy Fish is an iconic celebrity hotspot that first opened in London in 2015 and has since made its way to Manchester, bringing its opulent interiors along with it. It's the brainchild of British businessman and restauranteur Richard Caring (from The Ivy and 34 Mayfair), who works with Björn Weissgerber to create healthy and delicious omakase tasting menus. Take a seat in the magical dining room reminiscent of a tropical aquarium with glowing golden pillars and a back-lit bar radiating pink hues, then treat yourself to the likes of soft shell crab and spicy miso signature maki, yellowtail sashimi and wagyu beef alongside spicy prawn noodles and kimchi fried rice.
You'll find Sora at Malmaison on the seventh floor, equipped with gorgeous rooftop views overlooking the city. Think vibrant interiors galore here as statement art adorns charcoal-coloured walls and mustard yellow leather booths reign supreme. It offers a mix-and-match small plates kind of vibe that can be enjoyed on its terrace or cosy inside, as well as an afternoon tea consisting of tiger prawn nigiri and gunkan maki from £35 per person. The main menu sports tempting firecracker rolls filled with flamed sea bass and spicy tuna, plus moreish dishes from the robata grill to accompany, like chicken yakitori.
Not only is KITTEN a visually stunning modern restaurant but its food lives up to its aesthetic standards too. Located on Owen Street in Deansgate, it really ticks all the boxes with marble tables, towering panelled walls and arching trees paired with open-fire cooking. The Japanese izakaya joint is the perfect place to take a date or a group of mates for a meal that'll have you humming with delight as you pop bites of Kentucky fried calamari and cuttlefish nigiri into your mouths. You'll also find signature uramaki rolls on the menu, like Hello Kitten, filled with hamachi, caviar, truffle and prawns, or Golden Roasted Duck, featuring hoi sin and black rice. To top it all off, there are signature cocktails (hibiscus rum sour, anyone?) and a fantastic sake list.
When you're after all you can eat sushi in Manchester, check out COSMO. Golden, minimal interiors make up the Deansgate joint where you'll be able to find eight live cooking stations and over 160 authentic dishes from across the world. Pay a set price for the limitless buffet (£21.99), then explore teppanyaki where you'll be able to gobble down salmon, scallops, steak and more and watch chefs cook on an iron griddle. Pair this with your nigiri and sashimi and you're good to go.
