Restaurants in Manchester

What do a cowgirl, a rocket ship, and Mayan statues have in common? They're all painted on the side of Giddy Up Breakfast Bar's building. By night, the Atomic Cowboy bar inhabits the space, which is rife with stretches of dark hardwood and exposed brick. By day, Giddy Up spills forth with aromas of flour tortillas, chorizo, and melting feta. Sunlight pours in through the windows, cutting through the steam forming wreaths around freshly brewed Kaldi's coffee and espresso drinks with flavored syrups. While cruising Giddy Up's free WiFi in a cozy booth, guests eye the selection of freshly baked goods, which, like the weather, or the color of a dog's nail polish, change with the seasons.

While still chasing down fly balls and crushing home runs out of Busch Stadium, Jim Edmonds knew he wanted to set up shop in St. Louis after his days in a Cardinal uniform. After about five years of planning, he opened Jim Edmonds 15 Steakhouse in 2007 along with co-owner Mark Winfield. Initially, Jim and Mark just wanted a simple but elegant nightclub, but during the planning, layout, and actualization, excitement for the project led them to fill 14,000 square feet with a sophisticated restaurant, club and lounge, and event space. Jim was reluctant at first to have any sports memorabilia in the eatery or to publicize his involvement in the venture, but a few of his framed Cardinals jerseys made it into the restaurant, as did several chunks of outfield wall that he carried home as trophies.

Playing a big part of the restaurant is, of course, the menu, which features a distinctive take on steak-house fare. With former executive chef Mihalis Chophouse's ideas and current executive chef Andrew Shrensker's recent influence, the menu boasts big cuts of meat, corn tortellini, and pesto-crusted salmon. A full bar and extensive wine list allows guests to match their decadent dishes with the perfect libation or just enjoy a drink while hanging out in the lounge.

After leaving his hometown of Salemi in Sicily, restaurant proprietor Baldo Gandolfo began dazzling locals with mouthwatering Italian recipes honed through four decades. Baldo's wife, Madda, welcomes guests on their arrival to the mirror- and artwork-flecked dining space, and Baldo's sister Rita keeps a generous supply of saucy pastas, rich veal, and succulent chicken dishes flowing from the kitchen. Diners sit down to sup at linen-cloaked tables in the floral-wallpapered dining area and toast to a satisfying meal over glasses of espresso and flavorful Italian wines. In addition to dishing out hearty entrees and gelato-tinged desserts to families and friends, Da Baldo's provisions larger gatherings with a private banquet space capable of comfortably fitting 90 people or 60 Shriner cars.

The chefs at Kobe Steak House of Japan practice the delicious art of teppanyaki grilling. The spectacle happens at every table, where expert personal chefs flip foodstuffs into the air and sauté veggies before diners' very eyes. Specialties on the dinner menu include the filet and scallops combo ($28) and the USDA strip-loin steak and salmon pairing ($23). Vegetarians can consider the veggie delight platter ($15), with ingredients cooked until crispy-tender. Purists at heart, the staffers reject the use of microwaves and prosthetic extra arms in cooking, and all of their sauces are prepared in-house with fresh ingredients.

After walking through a tomato-red foyer ornamented with framed photos and restaurant reviews, diners at Roberto's Trattoria enter an elegant dining room segmented by columned archways and enclosed by gold-stippled walls. Owner Roberto Zanti chats up guests as he walks around the restaurant, checking the quality of his hearty pastas and herb-encrusted steaks. Guests can pair these Italian entrees with selections from an expansive wine list, which supplies more than 15 wines by the glass and more than 65 by the bottle. While noshing on a tasty bruschetta crostini, guests can treat themselves to a glass of sparkling wine or impress a date by pushing a spoon all the way inside a bottle of sparkling wine.

Amid the roar of Cardinals fans from the adjacent Busch Stadium, the Angry Beaver pub pairs mugs of beer with a straightforward menu of burgers, dogs, and brats. Behind the building’s cheerful red façade, mugs clink beneath neon beer signs as DJs spin vibrant music. Outside, a green awning stretches out over a massive patio speckled with umbrellas and tabletops. The bar boasts a staff of nimble and attractive bartenders, saving customers the awkwardness of ordering a drink from a wall gargoyle that never makes eye contact. The joint operates on Cardinals home game days, making it an ideal venue to visit before or after trips to the ballpark.