Where do I even start?! Onmy last day in Manchester, my aunt sporadically took us to The Alchemist…read morein Salford. We decided to get some cocktails and nibbles. Where was this place all along my whole trip? I wish we would have found them sooner because I would have gone ham on the menu and drinks lol. First and foremost the ambience is amazing here and the decor is absolutely beautiful. This place would be great for cocktails with the girls or a date night. The restaurant is the Media City location and located off the water in Salford so that already creates a whole ambience and vibe. The staff was super friendly, and we decided to sit at the bar. The bartender was also very helpful and patient with us. Along with that, she was knowledgeable about the drinks and definitely put on a show when making them. This made for an overall great experience! There's such a wide variety of cocktails to choose from, as I literally wanted everything on the menu lol. I decided to go for the hipflask margarita as I love me some tequila and margaritas, and this drink did not disappoint! It wasn't what I was expecting as a margarita, like I'd get in the states, but it was delicious. On top of that it comes in a super cool hipflask that you get to take home with you, and if you come back I believe the bartender said you could get £5.50 off of it each time you bring it back. I'm not quite sure what my aunt got as she told the bartender to just make her a strong drink but it was super cool and came with a cool bubbly effect. There was also a syringe shooter that came with this drink. I tried that one as well and it was another great cocktail. The other cocktail we ordered was the raspberry ripple and again that was great. And I'll be honest I was hesitant about the buttermilk chicken, but I was pleasantly surprised, and that chicken was so good along with the salt and pepper fries. I needed another order that for myself lol. If you're ever in Salford, you should check them out! I love their whole concept behind their drinks, and it's a whole vibe. I know they will definitely be first on my list to hit up when I go back as I'd love to try some more of their drinks.

Food good, staff helpful, drinks ok, not the first place you would think of to go for breakfast but…read morethe full English breakfast is actually great. Will definitely return for special occasions.

A hidden gem for MediaCityUK and Manchester as a whole, On the 7th is a very classy but welcoming…read moremembers bar, offering breathtaking views over the new home of Coronation Street and the surrounding areas. Owned by the Eclectic Group (also own the Great John Street Hotel in Manchester as well as other establishements), memberships are in-expensive (around £10 p/m), for which you get the opportunity to work from or just relax in their wonderful facilities - and feel that little bit special. The staff are extremly attentive and Alisha the membership manager, takes time to get to know all her members and what you like/dislike about the facilities. Private booths and boardroom style rooms are available to hire for meetings or social gatherings and the venue can be hired as a whole for weddings and/or parties. The piece-de-resistance is a small cinema room (seating about 30 people) that from time to time shows films (family friendly ones in half term) and can again be hired out for a private function. The menu is varied and offers a selection of sandwiches, steaks, burgers and breakfast options. I've yet to try the afternoon tea - but I've seen it and it looks amazing. Members are invited to lots of free events from business breakfast networking to after-work cocktail masterclasses (and the cocktails are yummy!). Guests are entitled sign-in to non-members when visiting On the 7th (not sure how many per time) and non-members can attend all events for a small fee too. Access is via a reception opposite Costa Coffee, where you'll be sign-posted to a lift taking you to the seventh floor to the aptly named On the 7th. Only open Mon - Fri at present. Except for private events and functions. Well worth a visit to see what it's all about.

This is an exclusive members' club and I went here for a Christmas party, £35 per ticket. There…read morewere arrival cocktails and informal finger food served on trays throughout, as well as a live band playing Manchester tunes. The views of the city at night were impressive, and the sofas very comfy. The bar is a bit pricey but has a classy feel to it

Having been to the establishment in Chorlton many times, I was pleasantly surprised when a friend…read moresuggested we go to the Laundrette in town. Recently opened, the new restaurant is one of the few on First Street so it is quite easy to find. Obviously we took advantage of the January offer and judging by how busy it was on a Tuesday night, so did a lot of other people! Walking it the vibes were really good with great lounge music playing and people chatting away. The menu and drinks offerings seemed to be the same and prices very reasonable. We all knew what we wanted to have anyway- our favourite burger or pizzas! We started with a sharing platter which would probably suit 2 people more than 4, but everything on the board was cooked perfectly. We especially liked the spicy mayonaise as it had a good kick to it. I really liked the burger- big thick and juicy with accompaniments to match and we ordered 1more mac and cheese to share halfway through our meal cos we couldn't get enough of it! The staff were really friendly and bubbly which made the night an even better experience. We sat on the outside tables, so you might want to watch out for the heaters, as they are really hot! I must say, I was very impressed with this restaurant, and dare I say it, as good as the original!

Decided to come for a few cocktails with the boyf before a night out. We were pleasantly surprised…read morethat they got tipsy pretty quickly. The atmosphere was great fantastic tunes playing in the background which really got us excited for the night ahead of us. We got three drinks one of which was a shared which was served in a massive popcorn container! It was delicious and worth the money. If coming here definitely try one of the cocktails they are gimmicky and very fun to drink! A great place for a catch up session with the girls and for prepping a night out on the town. I will be back!

Having worked in Salford Quays for several years and with a significant number of other 'young…read moreprofessionals' around and about, we were in desperate need of a decent bar. Yes there's Lime Bar near the Lowry Mall, but that's more for grabbing a drink before you eat there. When Dock Bar first opened, the novelty of it consisting of four shipping containers (one as a bar, the other three as a roomy lounge) had me worried it was just going to be a flash in the pan. The fact it's still there and thriving (I'm hoping!) means it'll thankfully remain as a permanent 'temporary' bar for us local beer lovers. FYI the Chocolate Marble beer from Marble Brewery in Manchester is a particular favourite of my drinking buddy and I - buy it!. I think MediaCity UK missed a trick not having included a few more drinking holes in their masterplan, to keep staff local when they sign off for an evening, but if Dock Bar is all there will be for the foreseeable future, we're not that badly off in my humble opinion.

Dock Bar is a great little addition to Mediacity, much needed too!…read more It's right in the centre of the piazza surrounded by the BBC buildings, there's a big screen (great for watching Wimbledon last week), they have deck chairs for sitting outside in the sun, a cosy lounge inside of a shipping container (doesn't sound too cosy does it? But it is) and they serve food, BBQ style similar to Oast House (no hanging kebabs as yet :-( ). There's also a homemade ice cream place there too which I keep meaning to try. It's a great location for anyone visiting the quays but they also have a great entertainment programme going on over at Mediacity too, last week Gok Wan was filming his 'Stripping for Summer' show there, each week they have screenings from the Royal Opera House on the big screen...add them on facebook to keep up with what's happening, last week they had a little tennis camp going on too teaching people to play. Drinks and food prices are moderate, there's not much competition around there so it's not expensive really, the tram drops you off right there and runs pretty late so it's easily accessible and it's also a good place for some celebrity spotting if you're into that.

This is a strange king of place, there was nothing wrong with it per se, I just didn't love it…read more We rocked up here for a late lunch having spent the morning exploring the museums and galleries in Salford Quays. We decided to sit outside as the sun was shining and pushed a couple of tables together to seat all six of us. Unfortunately, there were dirty plates and glasses left on the table and we eventually had to ask for these to be removed as none of the staff seemed keen to do this. You order your food at the bar. The inside of Lime is a massive void of a place decorated in brass with illuminous lighting. Not particularly pleasing to the eye and certainly more suited to the evening crowd. The menu is quite eclectic and has something to suit pretty much everyone. I went for the homemade burger. The food came pretty quickly. The burger was ok, the meat was decent but under seasoned and unfortunately the garnish made the bun soggy and it disintegrated in my hands before I got to the end. The chips were chunky but a little soggy and sadly there was approximately six of them - I have a hangover, I need more carbs! Other dishes including the club sandwich, sea bass and steak sandwich were well received but the noodles were missing from the oriental platter. However, this was quickly resolved by the wait staff. Overall, Lime is probably a better option than the standard chain restaurants that otherwise fill Salford Quays, it just seems to lack a certain je ne sais quoi.

Very slow service. We ordered drinks and didn't get them until halfway through our meals. The mixed…read moredrinks were not good at all. The sushi was decent. Loud bar environment

Magical? Chemical?…read more The alchemist is not only a nice surrounding to sit in but the service and food are great and delicious. When we checked in and were asked if there were any allergies we made jokes about my husband's allergy to cinnamon - that we would not need to worry about out it before desert. We ordered a few items from the menu - which is a very delicious mix of classics with some twists (tempura fried fish and chips for example). Order was taken and a couple minutes later the manager came and said "I am sorry - but the sauce to the fish contains a bit of cinnamon" wow! We change the order of course and the manager came back to the table asking if we would be worried about cross termination. We have been not and everything went well after that. Great service. The food itself plays with the alchemist theme for example the chorizo meatballs come with a syringe to inject your own amount of cheese (what you think? Yes of course o injected the whole Syringe into the little delicious meatball duhh). The menu consist of a lot of small items which makes me so happy since I can have so many bites of different things and at the alchemist they are all worth it! And of course classics like burger, salads and sandwiches alongside their mains. The menu is not too big but literally has something for everyone. You have to try the crispy pork skins! After we had been told that the crispy fish contains cinnamon my husband learned they offer their "chicken in a basket" as a vegetarian version as well and that is what he got. Damn that is so good: A bed of chips (fries for our American friends) are surrounded by one of the best coleslaw I had in a long time (almost as good as Guy Fieri's if not even better) then slightly pan seared onions and peppers layer on top of the fries. Ready to be mixed in. Then of course a generous amount of chicken or in this case plant based chicken smothered in a sweet chili sauce. Not to forgot to mention that it came with an extra little bowl of dipping sauce. Delicious! We also had a mocktail which name I might not be allowed to recite here let's named it "virgin adult film star" what a perfect combination of fruit, creme and sweetness. Yummmmmm To end the night I had coffee and Choclate - any serving of coffee comes with a set of three pralines. What a way to end the night at the alchemist. Great atmosphere perfect service and delicious food and drinks.

The Alchemist is a really trendy restaurant and bar in Spinningfields. They have a lot of variety…read moreon the menu, the fusion of Asian and western cuisine is really nice. The interior is lovely, seems like a great place for evening drinks with a full bar. I came for lunch and enjoyed the food. Service was efficient and prices are reasonable. Overall a chic and trendy place for food and drink in Spinningfields.

I've been here a few times for drinks and a couple of times for foods. To drink there is a decent…read moreselection of beers and some very reasonably priced cocktails. I had a wide range of them and found all to be very good for the price. Last time I went for food we went for lunch and we both got sandwiches served on flatbreads. Mine was a butternut squash, re-fried beans and mozzarella creation. It was pretty nice and came wth some very tasty wedges. The meal itself was very filling and large for a sandwich (not that I'm complaining about too much food..we just had planned to get takeaway later on and didn't realise how big they were) Overall I would say this place is good not great. I prefer it as a place to drink but that's my opinion (and preference for eating greasy burgers). I will be going here again at some point, probably next time I feel like a few cocktails.

After visiting for food I definitely have to write another review, upping my previous 3-star rating…read moreto 4. The lack of an extra star doesn't denote anything wrong with this place, rather that I just don't like it quite as much as my 5-star Chorlton faves. We crawled along with slight hangovers at about 11am to get some breakfast. When we went to order we were immediately told that it would be a 30 minute wait due to a large party having just ordered. This didn't bother us so we ordered coffee and orange juice and settled in. The food turned up a lot sooner than expected. I had eggs baked in a clay pot with flat bread and he had a full English. Mine was excellent, great for something a little bit different than usual breakfast options. The runny yolks sealed the deal. I'd love to head back soon to try the non-breakfast options (and perhaps some more of the beer and cocktails).

Along with The Trafford and Sam Platts, the Bishops Blaize is among the top Manchester United…read morefootball pubs in the city. In fact, my personal preference is this one, though being a huge Manchester United fan, I give all three 5 stars. This is a Wetherspoons pub, though you wouldn't know it on a match-day. Its jam packed with passionate Manchester United fans chanting and singing fantastic and hilarious Manchester United songs for the few hours leading up to kick off. Here they even have a famous guy who leads the chanting, standing on a table bellowing out the tunes to get everyone started. Great cold beers as well, perfect for the pre-match banter! You can have a swift one or two to celebrate the inevitable United win after the game too, but only till 11pm. Its got a history too, as The first Bishop Blaize inn, named after the patron saint of woolcombers, was recorded here in the mid 15th century. Though this was demolished in 1863, it still bears the name today. The only thing is, you have to show your season ticket to get in so you can't come in if you're not a massive fan!

Went here after a tour of the stadium not a game so it…read morewasn't too busy apart from locals. The environment was friendly, ordering through the app service is an awesome idea and super easy. The food (we had pizzas and fries) was so reasonably priced and delicious! Once we had ordered the food arrived so fast! Drinks were also very well priced especially the cocktail pitchers which were super cheap and yummy! We had such a good night here.

I visited Cloud 23 with my friend because two YouTubers we love had visited here. We knew it would…read morebe nice here, but were amazed by how beautiful the restaurant was, how nice the staff was, and how delicious everything we ate/drank was! We did the afternoon tea which was 35£ each- an amazing price for what you get and especially when compared to the ones you might see in London! We did pay extra (about 25£ if I remember correctly) to guarantee a window seat. For our meal, we had 5 different sandwiches to try, two kinds of scones, and an array of desserts. You also get unlimited tea, allowing you to try a bunch of different ones! We also had a lovely day weather-wise, which allowed us time to look out over Manchester with an amazing view. I highly recommend it here if you want a great Afternoon Tea at a fair price!

Stunning views across the city and some stunning views inside looking at the clientele. Friendly…read moreservice by most of the staff. My favourite Manchester watering hole. Four stars because especially the soft drinks for non alcohol drinkers are overpriced. A lot of Manchester footballers drink here.