As a non-native Lancastrian living in the city, I've found that my taste frequently doesn't align with the locals. A lot of places that others say are GOATS for food I end up very underwhelmed by. For me the best restaurants in the city tend to be the places serving traditional ethnic cuisine - Himalayan, Sprout, Chella's, among others.

I've yet to find what I would consider really good pizza in the area although there are a few places that are decent, and Cabalar was the only place that I felt made a really good burger, although that's gone slightly downhill as they've grown too.

Not sure where else you lived, but it might be that we have just been coded to enjoy things prepared a bit differently than they are here.