Brilliant burgers and beers on a rooftop terrace? We know just the place

As the weather turns warmer and the nights turn lighter, we’re all looking for that perfect spot to drink and dine al fresco.

The countdown is on to 12th April, when outside hospitality can reopen and we can gather once again, in groups of six or two households, for long-anticipated catch-ups with a warm welcome and a cold beer.

And there’s one sun trap of a rooftop terrace that offers not only a great city centre location, but also some of the best burgers in town including a Manchester special.

Honest Burgers, the gourmet burger chain famed for their no-frills 100% British beef patties made in their own butchery, burst onto Manchester’s dining scene back in 2019.

We couldn’t get enough of their perfectly pink juicy beef, free range chicken or popular plant-based burgers – all served with rosemary salted chips as standard, because chips are an essential not an extra.

Those chips are worth shouting about, too. They’ve been described by The Observer’s food critic Jay Rayner as “edible crystal meth”.

Honest’s deliveries and home kits have been a godsend through lockdown, bringing brilliant burgers straight to our doors.

But now we’re ready to go out again – and they’re top of our list.

Honest boasts a great Bridge Street location, with all the best foodie neighbours – they’re right next to Manchester Hall and Dishoom, and opposite MOJO and Crazy Pedro’s.

Head up to the top floor bar and through to the sunny terrace, and you’ll be rewarded with a great view to watch the world go by.

Order a Bridge St Pale – a new beer Honest created with Mark at local brewery Runaway – and get settled in ready to try one of the best burgers you’ll ever eat.

Honest are known for working with local suppliers, and their special just-for-Manchester burger was created by one of their chefs, Kris.

His Beef Wellington burger, only available in our city, is frankly a masterpiece in a bun.

On the bottom is earthy mushroom duxelles, made with chestnut and shiitake mushrooms with fresh thyme, garlic, salt and pepper, sweated down to intensify the flavours.

Then there’s spinach and sharp, crunchy homemade pickles, topped with a juicy signature beef patty.

Next is a homemade bearnaise butter made with Dijon and spiked with fresh fragrant tarragon, with melting Owd Yonner Lancashire cheese and smoked bacon on top.

It’s crowned with gluten-free puff pastry shoestring fries, an innovative, crunchy take on the pastry you’d usually find in a Wellington, with a pot of bacon gravy to pour at will over the top before replacing the lid.

Burgers, beer and bacon gravy – in the sunshine, looking out over the city? Bring it on.

The rooftop terrace at Honest Burgers, 36 Bridge Street, will be open from 12th April and is open for walk-ins.

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