Istanbul Restaurant, Bolton

Head up to Astley Bridge and you'll find Istanbul doing what it does best: turning out the kind of Turkish food that makes you wonder why you ever bothered with anywhere else. The space has that warm, welcoming vibe without trying too hard – it's the sort of place where regulars are proper regulars, and you'll immediately understand why. The kitchen knows what it's doing with everything from kebabs to mezze, and there's a real sense that they're not cutting corners just because they're on a busy road in Bolton.