Reviews in Manchester City Centre

Although this has been one of my favourites for some years now, after my recent visit today (28th March 2008) I will not be returning in a hurry; not only has my old favourite the beer battered fish, chips and mushy peas crept up some £2 or £3, but the food myself and girlfriend chose was not too pleasing. Firstly we ordered the fish finger sandwich and the chicken ciabatta with lemon and thyme, we also ordered a side of skinny fries which the waitress neglected to tell us also came with the 2 meals we ordered so we had a surplus of skinny fries. The chicken ciabatta had onion and sage stuffing in which was not described anywhere in the menu and my Girlfriend did not enjoy at all; despite my complaining to the waiter who cleared the table, and then again at the bar where I paid for the bill, there was no offer of refund for the unpleasant sandwich which would at the least have taken the bitter sting out of the bill let alone the taste of the sandwich.

I am seriously astonished...I think most of you who have reviewed this restaurant must have visited with blinkers on!! We booked a table for a Friday night at 645, plenty of time to eat before our film at the Cornerhouse at 830. We arrived on time, and were asked to wait in the bar for a drink. Very nice we thought, contemporary decor and design, and its busy, it must be good. 15 minutes later, after a decrepit selection of 'nibbles' and being frowned upon for having asked for tap water (god forbid!) we we taken through a maze of misplaced tables to get to our seats...we almost needed a map and directions! Placed right in front of the kitchen and being a Friday evening, a hive of activity, we got our menus after 5 minutes (could they not have given these while we waited at the bar??). 10 minutes later a waiter (different from the one who had shown us to our seats and the other who had given us our menu) took our drinks order and we again asked for tap water...which was met with another disrespectful 'oh, just tap water, erm, not still, or sparkling? Do you not want any wine?'. Someone different came back after another 10 mins to take our food order. Our starter arrived quickly. I had some bizarre bruschetta with goats cheese and swirls of highly unnecessary green and red sauce on the outside which added nothing to the course. My partner had calamari which was totally overcooked and inedible. We summoned a waiter over and explained the issue to which we were met with a defensive, "Its fine, thats what it is supposed to be like. I'll take it back if you really want and get you another one?" Had this person ever eaten proper food!? The main courses arrived not long after, whereas the replacement starter was nowhere in sight. We trundled on through the main courses-they were ok, but nothing special. Oh, and the final insult-we didn't even ask for the bill, they just gave it to us! Steer well clear of this place. You would get better service in McDonalds along the road. Staff were rude, incompetent, disrespectful and quite obviously incapable of working in a high pressure restaurant environment. Also, if they insist on placing you next to the kitchen then their kitchen staff should be professional dressed (not in dirty tracksuits) and shouldn't be having arguments with their colleagues whilst you are eating alongside. The food. It was alright, but we can cook better ourselves at home, which pretty much defeats the point of going out for dinner in our opinion. This place needs a huge kick up the ar*e from a Gordon Ramsay type if its going to have any chance of lasting. Looks aren't everything.

superb -in one word. attentive staff ,comfortable seats ,good ambience . food truly excellent

My boyfriend and I spent 3 month travelling around Thailand and I can honestly say that this might even be better! The food was out of this world, I cannot recommend it enough, absolutely fantastic!

Not a place to go if you want choice, service or atmosphere! Choice - Not a lot for a veggie Sevice - Seriously, its like having my mum pester around me! Atmosphere - never been to a restaurant with so few people in it (prob because of the price and the fact it isn't in chinatown)

Went to San Carlo last night for a birthday celebration - nothing to celebrate at San Carlo. We went for the later 9.30 sitting which was fine but you can't add drinks that you have at the bar to your overall bill. Why? Mozzarella starter was cold. Hubby's main course came without his side order; my main of risotto was warm, not hot. The side order never arrived and no apology from the senior waiters was offered, despite our complaints. Not good service at all from Manchester's top rated Italian Restaurant. Don’t go there if you want a good value for money celebratory night out - you won't get one there! Rating 1/10

Lovely restaurant in a great location. My friend booked the table for a girlie night out and it was a really good choice! It was really busy but were served promptly and our food came in a ridiculously fast time! I was very impressed as I was starving! I love the garlic bread in San Carlo - it's like a mini pizza! And SO garlicy! The waiters were all very charming - maybe it had something to do with the fact that we were a table of 8 females, but none the less, we were all very impressed!

I thought the £10 2-course menu was good value. For my starter I chose the Chicken Murtabak (pancake consisting of chicken, onion, potation, egg and herb), which I thought was yummy. My main meal was the Masak Merah (chicken in chilli tomato and onion sauce) accompanied by jasmine rice, which was also delicious. I hear that in March 2008 they have introduced 20% off for takeouts (call and collect). I’ll definitely be visiting again.

the food is out of this world... best food in town

As a first timer, i loved the atmosphere, decor & building, beer and food.

Just a warning to everyone ,both EastZEast places were packed on Sat evening,so make sure you book.Especially between 8 and 9-30.We didn't and didnt get in . But they are worth the trouble.

March 2008.Had not visited Bluu for well over 12 months and now feel this was a sad mistake to neglect an old favourite.We can honestly say we had the best meal since we can't remember, and we did compare with lots of restaurants both in the UK, on the Continent and South Africa. A new menu so lots more excuses to go back and try other dishes. The service was excellent, attentive but unobtrusive. The only (minor) let down was a half melted sorbet - but at that stage I would have forgiven them almost anything.

Efes - lovely family friendly restaurant. Lovely food, service, prices! An early Saturday dinner for 4, including 2 birthday girls, still attracted the very reasonable Table D'Hote menu. 4 people with very differing tastes and age groups, including a diabetic, had a lovely "genteel" time! We will return.Less than 60 quid for lovely food and wine.

Tried to book a table using my City Scene card but they declined, saying they needed 24 hours notice (not stated in the City Scene booklet) which considering we wanted the table at 6.30pm I thought was ludicrous. We were meeting friends there anyway so ended up eating there anyway - we ordered our main courses and had drunk virtually all our wine before the meal came (had to chase it up with the waitress first). To be honest the gravy looked as though it needed some more time in the microwave, it appeared to be reheated. Was not impressed at all. When we complained about it the waitress was quite rude and seemed to take everything too personally. Will probably not be using my 50% discount.

Went to Via again recently, the menu has changed once again. Although not as extensive as it was, they have a fantastic tapas selection and an improved specials board. The price is reasonable and the service great. I would recommend this venue.

Although the food is OK (ALL sandwich based) BEWARE! If you eat here you and your clothes will stink of roasting meat for days!!!!

I retired from my NHS job yesterday, and booked for 10 friends/colleagues to share a meal at Gio's last night. We were seated in the window facing the Midland, and it was tricky for half of us not to be able to leave the table without making everyone on our side stand up, but what a great vantage point from which to watch the world blow by in the noisy gale beating up the world outside. The food was good, and reasonably priced, but the best things about this restaurant were the attentive but not intrusive staff, efficient service and lively ambience. It was so central for all our buses and trams home. I look forward to going again with my family, and I hope it will be soon. Thank you for your good humour, and for giving us the perfect place for my send-off. Jenny Daniel

Don't bother going anywhere else in town. This place never disappoints. The best!