We heard so many reviews about this place when we were in Manchester, so we had to try their tapas…read more We got a variety of the items and literally loved each and every one of them. They mentioned that their menu changes frequently due to the seasons, but we are so happy and impressed with what was recommended to us by the waiter. Service was awesome, they were attentive, fast and the food of course was so good. I ended up ordering a Mocktail, and my husband and his friend ordered some alcoholic beverages. They absolutely really liked it, and the pricing was decent. One of my favorite dishes was definitely the cauliflower. You definitely have to try it.

I went here as a surprise from my brother one time I was staying in the city…read more I'd never done a tapas style restaurant, or really had any tapas before so this was a new one on me. It was quite busy at the time and was good ambiance ... not ton loud but a lot of people in having a good time. Being the first time, the servers said to order around 3 dishes each and share, and it comes out when it's ready rather than in any order. So we went for a charcuterie board, beef skewers, lamb, skewers, potato's bravas balls, and asparagus. Drinks were a house red, and espresso martini. The service was actually rather quick to come out and every single dish was amazing. It was a little bit expensive but it was totally worth it. 6 dishes, 2 wines, and 2 cocktails came to around £100

Well I think we can finally say we have a wine bar scene in Manchester…read more BistroVin is a peaceful space over the renowned Spirited Wines shop on Deansgate, with huge glass windows overlooking the street and classical music on the stereo. You can buy wine by the glass or buy a bottle from the shop downstairs (£4 corkage fee). There's also a fantastic looking selection of cheese, from which a French staff member selected the English Barkham Blue as her favourite. THE SHAME. (it looked great). She also recommended their new range of beers which features rose and jasmine flavours! Even I might like them! An equally delightful server suggested I try the Merlot which he promised was a strong wine and it was really delicious and at £4.50 a glass (others cheaper) I wouldn't hesitate to come back.

We should all hang our heads in shame, Yelp Manchester - BistroVin has been open since MARCH and…read morenot one of us realised. An unexplored wine bar. Totally unacceptable. Accessed via stairs within Spirited Wines, their large first floor bar is light, spacious and tasteful. A couple of Chesterfield sofas are sat in the corner by the large windows, with the rest of the wooden chairs and tables nicely spaced apart. Though it was raining, dreary and thoroughly miserable outside, the service was warm and welcoming. The bar man, Nicolas, explained that wine was available by the glass from the concise drinks menu, or you could pop downstairs and choose any one of the bottles to enjoy (with a £4 corkage fee - you pay for it at the bar). Two friends and I opted for a lovely Rioja and if we hadn't been going out for a meal afterwards, would have been very tempted to get a platter of cheeses. They have a counter of them with the French cheeses being delivered directly and the English cheeses from local producers. A charming and unpretentious spot to escape the busyness of Deansgate. Long may they prosper.

Nice find in Manchester. I personally love Spanish dishes like tapas. Honestly, Spain has a special…read moreplace in my heart. After a long day of touring Manchester, came down to city Centre and found this place while we were walking. All the food was fresh and tasty. The various meats were really good and prepared well. Even the butter spread with the bread was so good. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The overall ambiance was nice and had the feel of a Spanish bar. Obviously nothing beats Spain but this like corner in Manchester is bringing a bit of Spain to England.

Manchester has a huge Spanish dining scene with even multiple places along Deansgate, one of them…read morebeing La Viña which I tried for the first time during their ongoing 50% off promotion in January when making a booking, strangely there was no advertisement of this offer when actually making the booking, nor was their advertising of it on their website and it was just something outside the store. The reservations system does surely need some work as despite being open, they don't appear to allow reservations between 15:00 and 17:30, forcing me to select between the two, they didn't seem busy so my late arrival, however, wasn't a problem. Upon arrival, I was disappointed to hear the 50% off food just included tapas, which excluded paella, the only other table sitting at the same time as me also didn't realise it excluded drinks and desserts. The staff did seem friendly and understanding regarding my allergies, sadly the potatas bravas and albiognas seemed to contain gluten, which are my favourite tapas dishes made gluten-free at nearby Lunya, I presume this was down to a shared fryer. I opted to order the tortilla (Spanish omelette with onion), lemon and thyme chicken and a chorizo dish. I would say without an offer on food, tapas does appear to be rather pricey, while the pricing is competitive most other Spanish restaurants in the area have promotional offers throughout the year, rather than just in January. I liked how they did this for me with gluten-free bread. They do have authentic Spanish vibes with rather nice decor and Spanish music playing including a changing specials board for food and wine. They do have upstairs seating on some form of balcony too, so if you do make a reservation I would say to specify you want an upstairs/downstairs table which might not be possible to change at busy times. The staff seemed friendly and attentive however they become annoying after I was asked for my name I booked with half a dozen times by the same two servers. Honestly asking once or twice to mark off my reservation and get my 50% off is fine but it just became far too much. My Chorizo dish was definitely my favourite, the chorizo was excellent quality and with a sauce from which I presume was tomato, red wine and onion just made it better and it was probably the best chorizo I've had, it was great quality and seasoned really well. This was served with gluten-free bread, instead of regular bread however I found it to be a little bland and tasteless, even with the sauce. I did find the lemon and thyme chicken to be a little chewy however with hard vegetables, however, it still had great lemon and thyme flavours and it still looked pretty good too. The tortilla unlike other tapas places including Lunya nearby was served hot and I like that, again I found it to have good flavours with the potato and onion and I did mostly enjoy it, but again it was a little dry. I would return to La Viña, although the only dish I would re-order would be the excellent chorizo, it still remains one of the better Spanish restaurants I've tried in Manchester offering great flavours and authenticity and they are doing well to justify it being a slightly more premium option. 3* - Confusing 50% off promotion making it difficult to claim and I would have also liked to see a wider selection of more common tapas made gluten-free especially something as simple as fried potatoes with tomato sauce and aioli.

La Bandera is one of my favourite restaurants in Manchester so to be able to get some of their…read morecooking for a quick weekday lunch is fantastic. The tapas menu on offer here includes the croquetas de chipiron which have made me obsessed with the big sister restaurant - they are just fantastic and at £1.50 each you can sort of convince yourself they are a bargain. Paella for £6 made quite a filling (and delicious) lunch although with 2 croquetas I spent £9 overall so this may be better as a weekly/monthly rather than daily option, if you have a bigger appetite. Also delightful was Francesco who served me and let me practise my stumbling Spanish - such a lovely, friendly welcome and he let me know that a new food stall opposite which had caught my eye serving Iranian streetfood is somehow related to La Bandera so must be worth a try!

After hearing my Spanish teacher naming Tapeo as the most authentic Spanish restaurant in…read moreManchester, I couldn't not to check it out! It is not cheap, but the food has beaten all my expectations. Tapas are full of flavour, authentic and well-presented. Portions are of a decent size, so good for sharing. The service is exceptional: waiters are very friendly while food came quickly.

Six of us came here to eat all the tapas as we love sharing masses of dishes from a menu…read more The restaurant (which took over the unit ModelZone used to have on Deansgate) certainly has a handsome interior; a nice balance between simple and sophisticated décor, with some gorgeous mosaic tiles adorning the bar and walls. To me, it had the look and feel of a contemporary eatery in Spain. We were seated close to the specials board, so decided to order a couple of those dishes as well as what seemed like the majority of the standard menu (they recommend three per person and that proved to be spot on for us). Whereas pretty much all of the 18 small plates we ordered were absolutely delicious (we duplicated a couple of options) - the octopus salad, padron peppers, aubergine crisps, pork cheeks and ham croquettes were my highlights - some weren't that spectacular. The beef meatballs, Spanish omelette and lobster & prawn croquettes were a tad underwhelming unfortunately. The bottle of red we shared (Torre Solar at £18) was very nice indeed. You can order many of their varied wine selection by the glass. They'd be a solid five stars but for a small number of things - a lack of balsamic vinegar served with the bread, mainly disappointing desserts (I enjoyed my upside down cheesecake made with actual cheese, but others thought it was dreadful). Also the churros weren't doughy-delicious but brittle. Service was warm and friendly throughout but on a couple of occasions the server could have been a bit more sharp-eyed, especially when we were sat clearly waiting to pay. So, feast on the small plates and bypass the desserts here.

Food was just okey, it's more like a hit and miss. Some of the tapas dishes are tasty and some are…read moretoo bland. The sangria is really tasty. Ambiance is just fine with yellow sits like a color pop a nice quiet place during lunch times Service the servers are nice and welcoming.

After hearing good things about La Bandera, and the fact it has catered for many Spanish…read morefootballers of the city, I decided to call in some food, taking advantage of their gluten-free selections and an ongoing 25% off UberEats promotion. I had high expectations which were not met. I really struggle to understand the hype about this place, especially considering how sick I became after eating here. I ordered the Acaymo Meal Box which is a chicken dish with a Spanish sauce and patatas bravas, firstly the presentation was a mess. It was all put together in a Spanish container, you could literally pick up the food and rinse it out with all the grease. The potatoes were soggy, the chicken was plasticy. I wouldn't even call the side dish "potatas bravas", both the sauces were very rich and sweet, and on the side, just the thought of them appears to knock me sick. The price of the food was good at first glance in £9.95, but considering I was given a giant mess and how ill I felt after, I wouldn't even dine here again if they were the ones paying me. I believe it is a disgrace that this place has a four-star food hygiene rating, they were found to be "Good" in two of three areas meanwhile "Management of food safety" was ranked Generally Satisfactory in their 2019 inspection. Not long after eating here, I began to feel very unwell with symptoms which went beyond my coeliac disease (why I have to eat gluten-free), I was told my food was gluten-free. I was violently sick not long after visiting, much worse than I have been in a long time. I was obviously poisoned by the business, even after just a few bites of food. I was also concerned to see young children in the business and I'm not sure if this had anything to do with the hygiene as they were obviously in and out of the kitchen and public areas, dealing with the children and going back. It gives me great pain to say this but La Bandera is one of the worst restaurants in Manchester and the fact I was violently sick and felt worse than I have in such a long time was the final nail in the coffin. This place deserves health inspectors pronto, as much as it pains me to do this especially during the struggle restaurants are going through during the pandemic, this warrants a place on my "Avoid at all costs" list and really is a disgrace.

Such a beautiful place. Inside is decorative, service was awesome as well…read more We came here for lunch, and it did not disappoint. The drinks, service and food were delish. We tried several different dishes like the Buttermilk-fried chicken, sourdough bread, mash potatoes, french fries, baked broccoli and Slow-cooked beef cheek. My favorite was the buttermilk fried chicken. Definitely can't go wrong with that. All of it was delish. So much flavor and good size to share with 3 people. We also got Sticky toffee pudding for dessert. So yummy! Definitely give it a shot.

We had SUCH fond memories of this place from a few years ago when we gave it a stellar 5 star…read morereview. This time it simply disappointed in almost every way. The service was OK, the food offerings just not enticing at all (we ended up with Caesar salads as the main, and stopped to buy some food at a Sainsbury's local and take it back to our hotel room. The cost of cocktails and mocktails was absurd. Mrs G got a mocktail that was totally tasteless for £9.50. I had a margarita that tasted good but the glass was 80% filled with the biggest block of ice that I have ever seen - for £14.50!!!! Advice - stick with beer or wine and don't even consider cocktails!!! The place is still attractive but the fact that it was virtually empty on a Friday evening at 7-8pm is maybe explained by all the foregoing??

Called the restaurant an hour in advance and requested if they can seat 12 of us the same evening…read more They were able to accommodate us within an hour so that was awesome! They were so nice and gave the table a round of champagne! Someone got lucky with my extra one! This place was upright amazing! Our service was phenomenal thank you to Claudia and her team! We've pretty much tried everything on the menu from the cheeses to the tapas to the paellas and the desserts. I will list the dishes we had and rate accordingly! Asparagus and cheese 5/5 Eggplant dish 5/5 Octopus dish 10/5 Potato bravas 5/5 Seafood paella 3/5, potent odor and the rice wasn't well done Chicken Paella 4/5 Trip of cheese 4/5 Meatballs 5/5 Ham Croquette (per my friend) 5/5 Chicken confit 5/5 Torrija dessert 100/5 Rice pudding 4/5 Chocolate layers 3/5 Churros 5/5 This restaurant is a fancy establishment and I highly recommend to everyone out there if you want to enjoy a great evening with family/friends.. please make a reservation and definitely come here.

We found Iberica on Yelp, and we could not be happier. First, the neighborhood is the place to be…read more Lots of people, things happening, good music. We sat inside, upstairs by the window. They first brought a dish of some of the best olives I have ever had. We had s bottle of rosé sparkling wine to start, along with tomato toast and a board with 3 meats and 3 cheeses. The flavors were incredible. For shared plates, we ordered 3 off the special Galician menu. The white asparagus was wonderful, a little of the sea asparagus on top gave just enough salt for the creamy sauce and crumb crunch. The octopus was also incredible. The potatoes were perfectly cooked, with tender pieces of octopus on top, all swimming in butter and topped with paprika. Finally, the scallops were served in the shell, with a crunch, spicy, peppery topping. The service was awesome, with a special shout out to Claudia, she could not have treated us better. Thanks for the digestif! A definite recommendation.

Went to The Beeswing with friends the other week and had some great food. There were 5 of us and we…read moretried pretty much every dish. It was made better by being 50% most of the food - Beeswing is one of many restaurants in Manchester which had a 50% off offer. I am sure its done elsewhere but for several years now, every January a lot of restaurants have deals on. Mostly its 50% off food but some also have deals on drinks. Anyway, back to the food. We ordered one of each of the small plates and a few each of the pinchos. We also ordered one of the charcuterie options. I liked pretty much all the dishes. Just personal taste but I was not that keen on the feta/black sesame dish. But everyone else liked it. I think the dish which overall everyone liked the most was the sweet potato dish. We could have done with more food and did try and order some more but it turned out the kitchen was closed. It did close pretty early - I think the restaurant was still open for another 90 minutes so that was unusual. We were told we could not order more food as they were cooking food for a large table. But not that long after, could see them wiping the kitchen surfaces and no more cooking was happening. But overall I would recommend going. Maybe just check when the kitchen closes. The actual restaurant is potentially a bit hard to find. On Google Maps the pin was not that accurate. The pin on Yelp should hopefully be more accurate - I tweaked it recently so hopefully thats updated soon. But to get to restaurant, you can walk down Little David Street (worth doing anyway as its a nice looking street). You are then in the garden. The restaurant is pretty much infront to the right. You need to go up the stairs. (Or you can access the garden area from the East side on Aytoun St (near the loading bay).

Went here last night and it was great food. We went for a set menu which was tapas and also paella…read more Not sure about all the names of the tapas dishes but they included meatballs, seafood salad, potatoes with tomatoes/salsa, diced pork, sautéed mushrooms, breaded crabclaws and paprika chorizo. About 12 tapas dishes into total plus the paella. Set menu was £16.50. If you don't want paella, its about £2 cheaper. The only problem with tapas is that there are so many dishes, you always run out of space quickly. You have to quickly eat dishes so you can make room for others. The food came very quickly. Good job as we were all hungry. The paella came about 40 minutes after we ordered - a good sign that it was cooked from scratch. Overall a very good evening. It was very busy and a group were actually sitting on the tables situated in the sort of "lobby" area at the bottom of the stairs near entrance (and near the entrance to toilets). I assume they were given the option if they wanted to sit there. I have heard El Rincon is very popular and you always have to book a table. There is quite a bit of football memorabilia on the walls and, as Emma-Louise H has also mentioned, I have heard that Manchester United have visited in the past. El Rincon is actually not situated on Deansgate as it has been mentioned on some places. Its actually on a small dark street parallel to Deansgate - which you could argue looks a bit dodgy especially when it was all dark and wet last night - typical Manchester rainy weather!! El Rincon is not the easiest place to find and I would imagine doesnt get much passing custom.

The 2014 winner of the 'That's not how I expected it to be inside' award definitely goes to El…read moreRincon. Had it not been for the trusty map app we'd probably have struggled to find it, (it's on the corner of Longworth Street, which is off St Johns Street, which is off Deansgate...). Head through the doors and you descend stairs that resemble a London Tube station's with a central hand rail. At the bottom, a small replica of Picasso's 'Guernica' painting is high above you, with a traditional-looking tiled restaurant sign on the back wall. Turn a corner and you're met with a cavernous space, double height ceilings and a huge bar (where you can sit and eat at as well). I'm certainly glad I booked as it was very busy and throughout our meal there was a constant stream of customers (some 'winged it' and were seated where they could find space, one small group ended up sitting in the entrance area!). We could tell it was a popular place so were looking forward to getting stuck in. As a group of seven we didn't need to trawl through the menu as we had a choice of two set ones (opting for the slightly more expensive, but we got two extra tapas dishes plus a paella; and it was only £2 per person extra). Jug of sangria poured, the first of fifteen dishes started to arrive (I'm not going to list them all so don't worry), but lots of tapas faves were included, as well as some I hadn't heard of before. I thought pretty much everything was delicious (though still not convinced by artichokes...). As I've said a few times now I love shared dinners, so tapas is perfect. We all really enjoyed our time here and I'll certainly be back again for more.