A guide to the best Vietnamese, Korean and Malaysian food in Manchester

Lunar New Year is recognised and celebrated across the world in countries including Vietnam, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, The Philippines and Malaysia - and food and drink plays a large part in the festivities

Celebrations are well underway across the globe this week as families and friends gather to mark Lunar New Year. Celebrated by several ethnic communities, it is also referred to as Chinese New Year and Spring Festival. The Lunar New Year, which coincides with the first new moon of the lunar calendar, is a 15-day festival that falls between 29 January and 4 February. It is recognised and celebrated across the world particularly in Asian communities including Vietnam, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Malaysia as well as Europe, UK and the United States. Meanwhile, Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, is the New Year celebration specific to China. Culturally, Lunar New Year and Chinese New Year are celebrated in similar ways including honouring ancestors, giving red envelopes, lion dances, and eating specific symbolic foods.Here in Greater Manchester, the city centre streets have been adorned with red lanterns for weeks in the build up, and this weekend (February 1-2), Chinatown and the surrounding area of the city centre will come alive as the much-loved dragon parade returns, alongside acrobatic displays and street food markets. With communities gathering to celebrate the Year of the Snake, a large part of the festivities revolves around feasting and exchanging gifts to usher in good fortune, health and prosperity for the next year.Food plays a large part of this and due to Lunar New Year being a national holiday in countries including Vietnam, Korea and Malaysia, amongst others - though the name of the celebration sometimes differs - we’ve taken a look at the city centre spots serving cuisine from these countries where you can join in the festivities.

Pho Cue Situated amongst a plethora of fine Chinatown establishments, Pho Cue attracts attention not only for its tongue-in-cheek name but its no-nonsense menus. Fresh and fragrant family dishes are the name of the game here and include traditional summer rolls, Vietnamese tacos - a savoury pancake with a modern twist - and Pho, Vietnam’s classic rice noodle soup, which at Pho Cue is a warming elixir of 24-hour brewed meat broth with a choice of cooked meats. 52a Faulkner St, Manchester M1 4FH

Wow Banh Mi

Opposite the Royal Mail Sorting Office and Wing Yip supermarket on Oldham Road lies a row of family run cafes serving up some of the best food in the city. While it was once nicknamed Little Italy due to the influx of Italian immigrant settlers who moved to Manchester in the late 19th century, in recent years it has emerged as a small hub for South East Asian businesses including Wow Banh Mi. Serving up traditional Vietnamese dishes alongside bubble tea, corndogs and German bratwurst it’s truly a smorgasbord of influences but delicious fare all the same. 132 Oldham Rd, Ancoats, Manchester M4 6BG

Banh Mi Co Ba

Hidden in plain sight, this small but mighty establishment jostles for position on Oxford Road alongside burrito spots, Indian street food staples and high-street chains, but is one of the best places in the city for a quick lunch break. Banh Mi Cô Ba - Cô Ba meaning ‘father’ and banh mi being the national sandwich of Vietnam - is well worth a visit for its crisp baguettes filled with pickled carrots, cold cucumber, hot grilled pork, as well as summer rolls stuffed with noodles and tiger prawns, and melt-in-the-mouth brisket which marinates in a sea of soothing broth. 87 Oxford Street, Manchester, United Kingdom M16EG

Viet Shack

Proudly ‘self-built, self-designed and self-created’, this street food-style spot is run by Nelson and Leo who have a real passion for Vietnamese food. They started hosting an annual summer BBQ in their home town near Manchester, before setting up their own stall at Arndale Market in 2015 and eventually expanding to their permanent spot in Ancoats three years later. Fill your boots with roast pork belly with crackling and spices, or perhaps try the grilled aromatic lamb chops, and round it off with steamed jasmine rice, or traditional rice vermicelli noodles, topped with a choice of Vietnamese traditional BBQ meats and fresh greens.63-65 Great Ancoats St, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5AB

Banh Vi Over at New Century Hall, street food vendors Banh Vi are giving punters a taste of both Thailand and Vietnam based on the founder’s travels across South East Asia. Based on a simple philosophy of harmony to create umami - salty, sweet, sour & spicy notes are pushed to the limits, putting their own plant based spin on Asian ‘street’ food classics. With roots in vegan options, but now fully embracing everything from fried chicken to pork belly, they’re well worth trying out. 34 Hanover St, Manchester M4 4AH

Ca Phe Viet

Another Oldham Road gem, this is one of the best places to head if you want to try traditional Vietnamese coffee and tea. Manchester’s first specialist Vietnamese coffee shop, they use beans direct from the central highlands of Vietnam and pair it with condensed milk - and there’s also filter drip coffee too, plus lots more options to keep you caffeinated. There’s hearty pho, freshly filled baguettes, stir fried pho prawn noodles, and plenty more to try out too. 80-86 Oldham Rd, Ancoats, Greater, Manchester M4 5EB

Seoul Kimchi

National food critic Jay Rayner famously said that the soup from Seoul Kimchi should be ‘offered on prescription’, and this place certainly lives up to the hype. This family run gem opposite the MRI serves up delicious Korean and Japanese - but mostly Korean - classics, like jeon (savoury pancakes stuffed with all kinds of joyousness) and generous bimibap (rice bowls). But it’s the glorious barbecue dishes which will leave an impression, particularly the squid and pork bulgogi.

Address: 275 Upper Brook Street, Manchester, M13 0H

Koreana

Manchester’s oldest Korean restaurant opened in 1985, with Alex Kim and Hyun Kim at the helm. Hyun Kim has a long-established experience from Korea where her parents ran a thriving banqueting resort. For 40 years the family have been showing customers the unique style of Korean cuisine particularly Dolsot Bibimbap, a Korean specialty of rice, seasoned vegetables and a choice of marinated meat, topped with egg and served in a traditional heated stoneware pot. Those wanting to fully immerse themselves can also try the classic-flamed Bulgogi, big bowls of soothing casserole and sharing stews for the whole experience.

40A King St W, Manchester M3 2WY

Yoki Social Table at Society

Yoki has two different meanings in Korean; one is ‘here’ and the other can be used when you are hungry, so you might say ‘let’s go for Yoki’. Created to introduce the city to the exciting flavours of Korean Fried Chicken (KFC), Yoki is now a staple at Society food hall and offers an enticing array of flavoursome Korean street food. From a variety of Fried Mandu to vegan Bibimbap, Yoki prides itself on offering authentic Korean cuisine.

Basement, 100 Barbirolli Square, Manchester M2 3BD

Azuma

Situated just across the road from Manchester Met’s Cambridge Halls, this unassuming spot leading into Hulme could easily be missed were it not for the flowers adorning its doorway. Both a Korean BBQ and Chinese hotpot restaurant, this place is probably the most fun you’re going to have on a Tuesday night and gives diners the option to barbecue their own food or lower beefy scallops with hot pink tweezers into a bubbling hot cauldron of pig bone broth.

Chimaek

Chimaek literally means chicken and beer; chi, short for chicken, and maek from maekju, meaning beer. In South Korea, they’ve been making fried chicken since around the 1400s, so as a nation, they know what they’re doing. Here, the chicken is double fried, so it’s ridiculously crispy, plus they have some great deals to get stuck into. Their three-piece meal deals with chicken, regular fries and a drink comes in at £10 and there’s an impressive selection of dips for £1.20 extra - I suggest the spicy mayo.

Unit 8, The Quadrangle, Hulme St, Manchester M1 5GL

Ban di BulAnother corker when it comes to Korean BBQ and hot pot, Ban di Bul dishes up large sharing platters of meat, seafood and vegetables ready for diners to throw onto the grills sizzle away. Sitting between the Town Hall and Chinatown, the menu is much more than BBQ and Hot Pot though, and the Banchan selection of Korean vegetable dishes are all prepared fresh in-house. There’s also a dizzying array of noodle and rice dishes including the 34 spicy udon which is guaranteed the blast away if the most determined winter cold. 77 Princess St, Manchester M2 4EG

Kaya

Nestled between a massage parlour and a bookmakers, this Malaysian cafe is a Chinatown gem. Descend the steps down into the basement and prepare to be blown away by an assortment of classics from nasi lemak to char kuey teow fried rice noodles. Until a couple of years ago, there were no Malaysian dining spots in the vicinity, but Kaya, whose name nods to the green coconut jam that is traditional in Malaysia, has seriously impressed those who have tried it out. Make sure to try the Kaya ham generously spread between toast and wash it back with a Kopi tea. Lower Ground Floor, 50 Faulkner St, Manchester M1 4FH

Gossip Malaysian and Thai Cuisine This family owned restaurant located in New Moston brings together the best of Malaysian and Thai flavours with its roots deeply planted in traditional recipes. Rather helpfully, the menu is divided right down the middle so you can mix and match between the two cuisines. Malaysian starters like Poplah (spring rolls) are a good jumping off point before digging into the noodle and rice dishes including Nasi Goreng or the traditional curry of Karl Malaysia. There’s plenty of vegan and vegetarian dishes too as well as Malaysian Street Burgers and Thai salads if you’re mixing things up.2 Broadway, Manchester M40 3LN

Yes Lah

Bringing together the best of Malaysian and Filipino cuisine, as well as East and Southeast Asian dishes, Yes Lah on Barlow Moor Road was born out of a series of street food and pop-up fixtures in the city centre before coming to fruition in May 2022. Cabinets are packed full of vivid-coloured donuts, pineapple upside down cake, and homemade pastries, and there’s all kinds of groceries you can pick up as well as Asian snacks, alongside classics like nasi lemak served on a bed of perfectly steamed rice and pandan leaves.

Yes Lah, 102 Barlow Moor Rd, Manchester M20 2PN