Podium Restaurant and Bar

You're up on the top floor of the Deansgate Hotel, looking out over the city with a drink in hand—that's the real draw here. Podium's got that polished, upscale feel without being stuffy about it, the kind of place where you can actually have a decent meal and not feel like you've had to remortgage. The space itself is modern and clean, all floor-to-ceiling windows that make the most of those city views. Food-wise, it's contemporary European done properly, not the sort of place that's trying too hard or cutting corners.