Reviews in Manchester City Centre

Until last night I would recommend wholeheartedly the San Carlo experience. The seafood is excellent and the atmosphere is peerless. However, last night (Bank Holiday Monday) we had a pretty poor time and I hope that it is only down to the date. My snails were possibly the worst starter I have ever eaten - if I had cooked the ones my 5 year old brings into the house at home i would have enjoyed more flavour. The sides orders were wrong and delivered throughout the meal as a result. My wife's lobster thermidor was essentially sauce with some fish bits in. Last night notwithstanding however, and the number of great meals I've eaten in there outweigh the poor ones plenty to one, this is still a great place for either a special occassion or just to people watch!

Enjoyed a meal there before going to concert, express lunch available until 7pm which is good though we ate off main menu, shared a mixed starter which was delicious and waitress took the time to explain what the things were and which dip went with each one, main courses yummy, dish of mixed greens delicious but definitely al dente. Disappointed that one of the deserts not available as no bananas, wouldn't have thought too difficult to get some in a city centre. Overall though great meal and service and we are looking forward to another visit.

I have been to the Room plenty of times and the food and the atmosphere are fantastic. Out of all the places I have been in Manchester the Room is the best for Food and quality.

Okay... so I've eaten at many an Indian restaurant before - and I've the belly to prove it; accumulated over many years of gorging on both the indifferent to the sublime Indian dishes for over 20 years! Where does EastzEast come into this? It erases everything I've had in the last 20 years and has redefined the essence of superior quality. Without doubt, it is the best Indian I've had not only in Manchester, but anywhere - the only place that runs it close in terms of Chicken Masala in the Westgate in Bradford (and that is just in terms of the that dish - it's not a place you would like to dine out in - it's one of those 'Roy of the Rovers' type of places - an old favourite). All in all, there is nothing at all I can say to fault EastzEast. The Riverside premises are stunning, the attention to detail and going the extra mile for customers was highly visible and indeed heartwarming as the Mrs and I came on a Friday evening. We weren't rushed - despite it being packed to the rafters, the quality of the food was off the scale and the price - a VERY pleasant surprise. My conclusion - the ultimate dining experience - miss out at your own peril.

I would not recommend this restaurant for service. Although the food is nice, the quality of customer service is terrible, On arrival and departure my husband and I experienced no friendly greeting (not even a smile!). Whilst choosing our drinks, we got hurried along by the woman who was serving us and when they only bought 1 drink out and we had to ask for the other, there was no apology made. When we asked for the bill, this comprised of one figure with no breakdown and when we asked for the breakdown, discovered they had sneakily included a 10% service charge. We are regular diners and this is the worse experience we have had in a long time, if you want a good dining experience try Chaophraya, Tai Wu or Pan asia.

Not! The manager shouted abuse at me when I asked for the High Chair we had reserved and been promised. He pulled my chair back and almost asked me to leave then calmed down and apologised for the lack of a chair but not his behaviour. We had already been made to stand and wait 10 mins with 2 young children until the last member of our party arrived even though our table was ready and waiting but it is his policy to forbid guests to sit down until all have arrived! Not a good experience. Food unexceptional. Rest of the staff polite and helpful.

what a fantastic first time in zouk... great food & loads of veggie for the girlfriend... lamb nahari was the best i've ever had & the palak paneer was tasty but a bit too much spinach leaf... cant wait till in Manchester again...

To be honest, I was a little skeptical about all the positive reviews I had had read regarding Buffet City. It all sounded too good to be true! However, the food was lovely. Even for a family member who is not 'keen' on Chinese cuisine; they enjoyed the variety and the atmosphere. Would I go again? Yes. It's situated in a great place; the heart of the city centre. It has the friendly environment, the gorgeous food and a reasonable bill at the end. Buffet City is great for groups to meet at. Couple/first dates - find a cosy restaurant somewhere. Families - great for all.

This is possibly one of the most stuck up restaurants i have ever eaten in. aside from the fact that there was a rat in the main dining room whilst we were eating the staff are rude and make you feel like you should be grateful to be eating there. the service is poor and our over all experience was shocking from start to finish! would not recommend this place to my worst enemy!!!!

I have visited this wonderful restaurant many times and each time I marvel at how fantastic it is! From the beautiful (and I mean BEAUTIFUL!)waiters, to the fabulous atmosphere and the delicious food there really is no better place to dine in Manchester in my opinion. Also great for celeb-spotting but go mid-week!

WOW! I LOVE barburito so much. I recently visited the one in liverpool 1,its a special place.......

San Carlo Manchester excellent Veal Milanese but why oh why are the tables so close together 34 waist and i couldn't squeeze through.

Sorry to be negative about this restaurant, and this is the first time for me, but I have to say that I feel this place is a complete rip off. When we arrived, the staff were very attentive, however they must have a pretty short span of attention. Once we were seated at 8 pm and had ordered, the food arrived and I must say we all were pretty non-plussed by the standard. We had chosen the more expensive of the two 'banquets'. This began with a scallop dish served with angel hair noodles which were swimming with a flavoured oil which totally masked the taste of the scallop. The next course was lobster which was overcooked and again the sauce was far too highly flavoured and the lobster may as well have been cod! The main courses were forgettable and small - the four of us left still peckish. While we were eating our mains and sweets, the staff were wheeling in and out tables and we felt very unwelcome. The bill exceeded £300 (we did have a fair few drinks) for four people and we left wishing we had gone elsewhere. I know this restaurant is frequented by footballers and Corrie celebs. They must have small brains and big wallets!

visited Zaika last night for my birthday. we were warmly greeted at the door and our cats were taken to be stored in a safe place. we were shown to the entrance lounge where we ere provided with menus and our drinks order taken the vegetarian range was limited but they were able to make dishes that were not on the menu at my request - which i think is a good sign at an eating establishment for starters we had veg samosas and paneer tikka - samosas were in the filo pastry type of pastry and was light and crispy and the paneer was a wonderful texture and really tasty our mains were also delicious - the tandoori roti was better than the plain naan- thinner and crispier great service, everything was well presented- the decor was great and there were several sections to the restaurant, whereby should you want to have private dining facilities or a small party then you could so - a first for Indian restaurants in Manchester All in all I had a very enjoyable meal to celebrate my birthday

been coming to this place for years and the lunchtime menu is a must... great staff and always a pleasure to eat here...

very nicely decorated.

Went for a look at Velvet on a Friday evening, based on the reviews, because we couldn't get into Sweet Mandarin. The reviewers who suggested that the mussels were good were spot-on, they really were. Lovely rich tomato base to the sauce. The risotto main had a lovely texture, even though it was a tiny bit dry (I prefer it wetter and finished al forno), and was made with a very nice selection of funghi. I had rib-eye, it's not very often that I eat steak out but I was very happy, lovely light charring to the outside and still pink and moist inside. Fantastic staff, they are rushed off their feet most evenings but can still have a laugh with you. Didn't do puddings - but the cocktails are great. Got up late the morning after and had excellent breakfast - coffee and very yummy pastries at Wong Wong Bakery just up Princess St. However, if you prefer Velvet do a take-away breakfast too.

If Akabars, East Z East and Zouk are the man utd, chelsea and arsenal of the Manchester Indian posh restaurant scene,then Zaika have a long way to go to gain a champions league position.Dont get me wrong they have spent a fortune on the deco and easily compares to the other three in ambiance,but the comparisons end there.I'll stick with my season tickets elsewhere.