An eight-minute train from the centre of Manchester – a city permanently on the up – something even buzzier is going down. Stockport, a historic market town, is enjoying a £2 billion regeneration, a tenacious creative community and an identity that’s all its own. The hype is centred on the Underbanks, a storied cobbled street with boutiques, delis, bars and record stores; a little like a trendy seaside town without the sea. As the alternative energy branches out into neighbouring areas, everything is still rooted in the same local pride and an unconditional belief, as the tongue-in-cheek slogan goes, that “Stockport Isn’t Shit”.
Eat
One of the first places to lead the resurgence, Where The Light Gets In is a slick loft-style restaurant awarded a Michelin Green Star for its thoughtful, seasonal fare. It sits next to Stockport Market, home to hearty cafe Auntie Lou’s, cheese and chutney trove Stockport Provisions and SK bakery Sticky Fingers (where you can skip the queues of the permanently popular main site, metres away). Down on the Underbanks, there’s plant-based Hillgate Cakery, pottery-and-pastries coffee shop Yellowhammer, and small plates hotspot The Dilly Deli. Mekong Cat is the town’s beloved, book-or-be-turned-away Thai diner. Rack is your sarnie hangover saviour. Bar Caput, once Cantaloupe, is now a Roman aperitivo aficionado. And if you really want to embrace the Stockport lifestyle, make a beeline for the Royal Nawaab, Aka The Stockport Pyramid, the world’s biggest curry restaurant (yes, seriously) and an opulent community gem.
Drink
It’s no wonder that Stockport is often considered a pub town – it’s rammed full of the kind of establishments that you’ll want to settle into for extended sessions. If you like old-school boozers, try The Crown, The Arden Arms, The Swan With Two Necks, The Magnet and Ye Olde Vic for a standout crawl. If you’re searching for a weekend all-rounder, it’s The Red Bull, a maze of cosy alcoves with table football, a pool table and two dartboards plus pub-club nights. Which is, as it happens, right next to The Apple Core, Stockport’s coolest bar, slinging German pilsners, Negronis and fresh cannoli. If you’re out late-ish, pop to Bruk – a stripped-back wine bar in a former betting shop, decked out in Stockport’s calling card: mid-century furniture. Here, locals tip orange wine and listen to esoteric DJ sets played through a high-spec sound system.
Do
Save some suitcase space: the Underbanks is stacked with retro gems thanks to ’70s homeware emporium Squound and snooper’s paradise 20th Century Traders. For more artisanal gifts, try Still Life Story, stocking Damson Madder and those French gardening clogs or Herd the town’s new lifestyle concept store with brands like Universal Works and LF Markey. Head to SK1 Records for vinyl; or Rare Mags to feed your coffee table. If you’re into your art deco architecture, pop into the cafe at The Plaza, a Grade II-listed cinema and theatre. To touch grass, there’s lush Bramhall Park. Or, take local Aimee Lou Wood’s advice, cribbed from her SNL UK monologue, and go to Hat Works, the UK’s only museum dedicated to millinery.
