The Manchester City Break Edit: 48 Hours to Stay, Dine & Explore
Manchester does not do quiet. From the moment we arrived from London, the city felt busy, creative and switched on. There are echoes of New York in its streets, but Manchester has its own personality — shaped by industrial history, contemporary design, food worth talking about, and a culture that just won't sit still.
For our latest PIBE Travel escape, we had 48 hours to get to know it. Our plan? A stylish design hotel in the Village, a landmark steakhouse, afternoon tea with a view and an art gallery that proved the perfect place to pause.
The Hotel
Some hotels are designed simply for staying. LEVEN Manchester is designed for living.
Set on the corner of Chorlton Street and Canal Street in the heart of Manchester’s Village neighbourhood, LEVEN puts you within easy reach of restaurants, bars and nightlife, while Piccadilly Station is only five minutes away. A landmark early-20th-century warehouse, it started life storing cotton, later turned brewery, then comedy club. It opened as a hotel in 2021, and that industrial past still shows in every corner of the design.
The building’s history has not been hidden away. Quite the opposite. Original brick, Crittall windows, vaulted ceilings and cast-iron columns have been incorporated into a much more contemporary design. The old two-storey loading dock now works as the entrance, opening onto a lobby tiled in emerald green, with velvet seating and original artworks dotted around. Next door, the lounge carries you from coffee and pastries in the morning through to cocktails and toasties later on — a space that feels just as at home with locals popping in as with guests staying upstairs. Books appear throughout the interiors and rooms, giving everything a more personal, lived-in feel. And the name? LEVEN means “to live” in Dutch, and it makes sense. The hotel has personality, warmth and just enough of that homey feeling to make checking out slightly annoying.
Where To Stay
We stayed in Living Large, and the name really does give the game away. It is big. Really big. Our one-bedroom duplex Penthouse felt much more like a stylish Manchester apartment than a hotel room, with a huge TV that could easily turn the evening into a private cinema session. Then there is the kitchen. Fully equipped, practical and neatly tucked behind sleek cabinetry, alongside laundry facilities and everything else you need if one night accidentally turns into a few more. There are 42 individually designed rooms and suites at LEVEN, ranging from Life Size bedrooms and Living Space suites to the Living Large and two-bedroom Living The Dream duplex Penthouses. Timber floors, bespoke furniture, industrial details throughout, and in some rooms, exposed brick, high ceilings, a standalone bathtub and views over the city or canal.
Grown Alchemist toiletries, fast Wi-Fi, and a bit of flex on check-in and check-out. The details are covered. There's even a pair of limited-edition LEVEN socks, yours to wear during the stay or take home with you. What stayed with us? The freedom of an apartment with all the ease of a hotel.
Where To Eat
Hawksmoor Manchester
Hawksmoor Manchester was our first dining stop. Set inside a former Victorian courthouse on Deansgate, it was the group’s first restaurant outside London. This year marks 20 years of Hawksmoor, giving us another reason to raise a glass. It's built its name on exceptional British beef, sustainable seafood and seriously good cocktails. For us, steak was what we came for, though there was plenty else worth sticking around for.
We started with Fillet Carpaccio, followed by the rich and tender Old Spot Belly Ribs and a fresh Heritage Tomato Salad. The steaks came next: Longhorn Feast Rib-Eye, from the native breed that started the whole thing 20 years ago, with roasted bone marrow and slow-cooked onions, plus a Cast-Iron Fillet Steak, Beef Dripping Chips, Baked Sweet Potato, Creamed Spinach and sauces on the side. The steaks were rich, beautifully cooked and deeply satisfying, with the Longhorn Feast standing out, full of flavour, only around for a limited run, so we're glad we caught it while we could. We wrapped up with Spiced Pineapple & Mango Pavlova, a fruity, refreshing way to end a pretty generous meal.
Hawksmoor Manchester is the kind of place you're recommending before you've finished your main. Great food, brilliant drinks, hospitality that actually feels warm. Long lunch or big celebration, it delivers either way. One of the best tables in Manchester, easily.
20 Stories
For our second dining experience, we headed upwards. Way above the city at 20 Stories, afternoon tea comes with a rather spectacular view. You walk in, step into the lift and there is only one button to press: straight up to the 20th floor. Set within the restaurant overlooking panoramic views across Manchester, the Champagne Afternoon Tea is a leisurely way to experience the city, combining an elegant afternoon ritual with one of Manchester’s most impressive perspectives. Delicate finger sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream and jam and beautifully presented pastries are accompanied by fine teas and a glass of champagne.
After the energy of Manchester’s streets, it is the perfect excuse to catch your breath, with the skyline providing an impressive backdrop to the occasion. Birthday? Celebration? Or simply treating yourself during a city break? We approve.
What To Explore
A little culture never goes amiss on a city break. Set in the heart of the city, Manchester Art Gallery offers a welcome opportunity to slow down and take everything in, with free entry making it an easy addition to the itinerary. Inside, the collection moves from classic works to more contemporary pieces, with thoughtful curation bringing older pieces into conversation with modern subjects and ideas.
You are encouraged to look properly. Find some small detail and sit with it for a second. Notice how it makes you feel. Then try picturing yourself inside the painting. What would you hear? What would you smell? What might be beyond the frame? There is also a “Room to Breathe”, where you can sit and enjoy the artworks at your own pace. Manchester gives you plenty to discover. The gallery gives you permission not to do anything for a while.
How To Book
LEVEN Manchester
40 Chorlton Street, Manchester M1 3HW
liveleven.com
Nightly rates start from £99 for a “Life Size” room and £299 for a “Living The Dream” two-bedroom duplex Penthouse, based on two sharing.
Hawksmoor Manchester
184–186 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WB
thehawksmoor.com
20 Stories
No. 1 Spinningfields, 1 Hardman Square, Manchester M3 3EB
20stories.co.uk
Manchester Art Gallery
Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL
manchesterartgallery.org
Free entry. No booking required.
Words / Lucas Pontidas, Editor-in-Chief, PIBE