Wood-Fired Grill & Bar
Wood-Fired Small Plates in Manchester
Seasonal small plates, cocktails and wine, cooked over an open fire in the middle of the room.
What We Do
Services
Everything here runs off one fire and one changing menu, but it breaks down into a few different ways to spend an evening.
Wood-Fired Grill
Everything on the main menu passes over the same fire, so meat, fish and vegetables all pick up char and smoke rather than relying on a sauce to do the work. The ingredient has to be good to start with, because there's nowhere to hide it.
Seasonal Small Plates
Dishes arrive as they're ready, meant for the middle of the table rather than one each, so a group can work through six or seven plates over a couple of hours. The list is short and changes often, following whatever's worth cooking that week rather than staying the same all year.
Cocktails & Wine
The bar runs a proper cocktail list built for drinking alongside food, not just before it, plus a wine list picked to hold its own against smoke and char. It's a good spot to sit at on its own too, if you fancy a drink before your table's ready.
Private Dining
The private room seats a group away from the main space without losing the fire and the pass, so you still get the same kitchen and the same atmosphere, just to yourselves. It suits birthdays, work dinners, anything where you want your own table for the night.
Gallery
Inside the Room
The fire, the food, and the room it all happens in.
About Us
A Kitchen Built Around One Fire
We started Ember & Oak with a simple decision: cook everything over wood and let the fire do most of the work. The kitchen sits open to the room, so you can watch the grill going while you eat. The menu changes with what's good that week, built around British produce rather than a fixed list, so a dish on in March might be gone by May. Small plates are made for sharing across a long table, and the bar runs a proper cocktail list alongside wines chosen to go with grilled and smoked food. There's a private dining room for the nights you want the place to yourselves, but most evenings it's a warm, busy room full of people in no hurry to leave.
Reviews
What Our Clients Say
“Best steak I've had in Manchester, and the bar staff know their stuff. We'll be back.”
“Booked for a birthday and they looked after us all night. Faultless.”
“Proper food, proper drinks, no fuss. Exactly what a night out should be.”
Questions
Common Questions
Do you take bookings, or can we just walk in? +
We take bookings and they're the best way to guarantee a table, especially towards the weekend when the room fills up quickly. We always hold back some space for walk-ins though, so it's worth trying your luck if you're passing.
The menu changes a lot. How do we know what we'll actually be eating? +
The menu is set weekly around what's good at the time, so we can't give you an exact list months in advance, but it's published online and updated as soon as it changes. Whatever's on will still be built the same way: seasonal produce, cooked over wood, meant for sharing.
Can you cater for allergies or dietary needs? +
Yes, just let us know when you book or tell your server when you arrive, and the kitchen will talk you through what can be adapted. Because everything's cooked to order over the fire rather than pre-plated, there's usually more flexibility than a fixed menu allows.
What's the private dining room like, and how many does it hold? +
It's a separate space off the main room that comfortably seats larger groups without feeling like a function room, and you still get plates cooked on the same grill everyone else is eating from. Get in touch with your numbers and the date you're after and we'll talk you through what's possible, including drinks and menu options.
Is it a good spot for just a drink and something small, not a full dinner? +
Definitely. Plenty of people come in just for a couple of small plates and drinks at the bar rather than a full sit-down meal. The bar and the smaller plates on the menu are built with exactly that in mind.
Find Us On
Visit Us
Book a Table
Get in touch to book a table, ask about the private dining room, or find out what's on the fire this week.
Tue to Sun, 5pm to Late