Personally, I've switched to using MCUs in QFP packages a while ago. You get a lot more pins, peripherals, speed, etc for the physical dimensions and price. If you decide to make a custom PCB for a project you don't end up stuck with a huge DIP package or having to evaluate and port the software to a new MCU in an SMD package.
QFPs are perfectly easy to hand solder with the right tools, which are in fact really basic: either a temperature controlled soldering station or a hot air station and solder paste.
I'm now experimenting with QFN packages, which reduce cost and size compared to QFP. Hand soldering seems to work ok, but I have yet to see the yield for small batch manual assembly.
I usually check the quality of their assembly under a 20x microscope. I've only found 1 board that had a bit of stray solder between 2 pins which was easy to clean. So, yes, manual assembly seems to work, but that may depend on the assembler proficiency.