Dimitris

Dimitris is a well-established Greek restaurant with a strong Mediterranean influence, exercising a strong hold over the contemporary café society of central Manchester. Its location at the lower end of Deansgate in a clever conversion of an airy glass and iron arcade, is inspired and tends to encourage a feeling of exhilaration before the eating and drinking even starts. The interpretation of the cuisine is joyfully elastic and some wonderful variations on traditional dishes appear from time to time. The Greek tapas are particularly pleasing and help towards creating the right atmosphere in this buoyant restaurant.

For ease of choice, the menu is split into a number of sections, dippy, meaty, fishy, cheesy and veggy and chilli. Each dippy comes with two hot pitas, and could be taramasalata or tapenade. From the meaty selection, the chargrilled lamb chops or the pastourma, hot beef and garlic sausage with tzatziki are popular, whilst octopodi, octopus slowly cooked with onions in a red wine sauce, and mariscos, mixed seafood in a tomato and wine sauce seem to reach the parts that others may not.

The ever-popular patatas bravas, fried potatoes in a spicy sauce, and halloumi, grilled Cypriot cheese invoke well the flavours of the region, underlining the high quality of the food throughout, while the steak diablo, flash fried with chilli oil gives the intended diabolic twist.

Other substantial main courses include the char grilled lamb chops, or sirloin steak, and the kebabs of chicken, lamb, pork, fish or vegetables, served with Casablanca rice, salad and spicy sauce. Spaghetti and other favourites such as moussaka and tagine make their presence felt in the vividly designed menu while smaller portions of pasta and other dishes help children end their meal with a smile.

This is a restaurant where eating is made simple through ease of choice and food that is undemanding on the palate, leaving the challenge to come from the company and some agreeable drinking. If you like dessert wine, do not miss their Dulce de Pasas from Spain, described with some justification as liquid raisins.

Dimitris is easy to reach, with Deansgate Railway station a few minutes away and the Metrolink tram running close by. Round the corner is the Castlefield Visitors Centre.

They have a particularly comprehensive Website, with full details of their menu and all their special offers.