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Room ManchesterRoom Cuisine: British Modern Steak Speciality

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Room (Manchester) review
Room is located slap bang in the middle of the city centre, right next to King Street (fancy shopping) and its just a stones throw from Manchester town hall. The venue itself has had something of an interesting past, but to their credit they've turned this colossal space into a beautiful restaurant. Huge vaulted ceilings give way to potentially the biggest windows we've seen in a restaurant, and these allow views down King Street and across to the beautiful HSBC building. The rest (furnishings, lights, paint) are all straight off the contemporary eating checklist.

The service was attentive, but the staff seemed unaware of what was expected of them. Plates were bashed down on the edge of the table, leaving it up to us to re-arrange items on the tiny table. When handed our Menus the waitress told us that the descriptions were wrong, "they don't accurately describe the food". Bit strange, but we ordered and the food was served promptly. We opted for a safe steak, which was good (ok, 4/5 - it was a decent piece of meat served with crispy French fries.)

Desert was a let-down. The chocolate fudge cake looked like it had found its way via Starbucks (plastic wrapped for ?1). A blob of ice-cream and a layer of sugar-lattice completed the mess, and this was going for a steep ?5. I don't mind paying big bucks for a nice desert, and it's very hard to go wrong with desert but somehow Room managed it.

Overall Room was a nice place to go, and if you're heading out with a group then this would be ideal. As a top class eatery I would argue that Room isn't quite up there, but you don't always have to be the best to succeed. The popularity of Room with the local celebs (Rooney et al) should see them through to next year.


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Find out what everyone else in is saying about this restaurant. 20 reviews below

Best restaurant In Manchester

Anonymous says...
4 people agree, 1 person disagrees with this review

Nice food, good service, decent wine. I went as part of their 50% off deal so it was cheap as chips.

Anonymous says...
1 person agrees, 1 person disagrees with this review

this place was great, the food and service was great, felt very looked after and the decor was great - what are these other reviews talking about?

Anonymous says...
1 person agrees, 2 people disagree with this review

An absolutely fantastic dining experience. Greeted with a most friendly face and proceeded to the bar where we were told to take a seat and our "table host" came and took our order for 4 Long Islands, delicious and very reasonably priced at ?4 each. We went at 6pm to take advantage of the "Magnificent 7" deal on the mains. (?7 on selected mains before 7pm)Food was absolutely amazing. Small portions but very satisfying. Started with the most fantastic Duck Liver Pate served with a Chinese doughnut. Delicious!Was recomended the Sea Bass by table host so went for that. Absolutely beautiful filleted fish. Again not massive portions but 'just right'.Finished with the amazing assiete of deserts.Great atmosphere, good music, great company, fantastic servce, very good value and amazing food. Will definitely go again.

Greg says...
3 people agree, 4 people disagree with this review

Having booked for a friend?s 30th Birthday for a group of 10 of us I had high expectations taking into account the location - in the old Reform Club and the prices. To begin with we were kept waiting 40 minutes for our drinks from the bar while we waited for our table which wasn?t ready, not a good start but forgivable as we had time to appreciate the grandeur of the building and the sophisticated decor. It soon became apparent that the decor was the only thing sophisticated about the place. By the time we ordered many choices of starter had run out with some people left with their 3rd choice - this was already from a reduced menu as we were a group. The menu itself was rather uninspired and naive with very little vegetarian choice. We weren't told what accompanied the main courses and ended up ordering unnecessary side dishes at extra cost (The Kiev comes with a small but adequate portion of mashed potato with broccoli). The food itself was fine but I've had much better within the same price bracket elsewhere. Unbeknown to us the Cocktail Bar which is housed within the same room, plays host to Saturday night revellers, playing loud music typical of an average city pub - that coupled with having to sit adjacent to a Hen Party wearing flashing phalluses on their heads made for a particularly unsophisticated evening. When we complained the management were more patronising than apologetic. They did provide a bottle of champagne and a dessert for the birthday girl - though this was small recompense for a once in a lifetime event that was made mediocre. If you're looking for a pretentious over priced Brannigans then try Room. If however you want sophistication with dinner discourse, then I would recommend you try any of the many other fine restaurants Manchester has to offer.

Dominic Barber says...
4 people agree, 6 people disagree with this review

I love room, service friendly, food always great. Fillet steak is lovely - although a tip - they seem to cook it longer than u ask - ask for it rarer than u like it..

Anonymous says...
1 person agrees, 1 person disagrees with this review

Went to Room on Friday night and had a wonderful time. The atmosphere was super, very busy, the food was delicious, the assiette was delightful! The service was everything you could ask for. Pleasantly surprised when we received the bill ? it was very reasonable. Great night out and would recommend to all! Go, you will have a great time!

brigette says...
3 people agree, 3 people disagree with this review

This place is fantastic, fabulous building - the old Reform Club. The food is out of this world, service is attentive and reasonably priced. Whats the guy below talking about? Hurricane was horrendous and it went bust

Anonymous says...
10 people agree, 4 people disagree with this review

Was very dissapointed, as I was used to the exceptional standards of Hurricaine. It's ok, but very poor in comparision to it's outstanding predecessor.

Anonymous says...
12 people agree, 29 people disagree with this review

Have been to Room before and thought that the food was good so decided to book table for 30th birthday, worst mistake ever! sat there for 10 mins without menus, had to request menus and then drinks, had meal, was ok food was nothing to scream from the rooftops about, had dessert, ordered coffedd, waited, waited, waited, waitress came over and asked if we could move to bar because they needed table, said that we hadn't had coffee and ordered it a lifetime ago, it finally came, twice over! had to pay service charge that they certainly didn't deserve! OVERATED, OVERPRICED AND CRAP certainly won't be dining there ever again, oh and I to have dined all over the world and regularly eat in London as I work there, you certainly will not be finding the partners in White and Case dining there

Anonymous says...
7 people agree, 18 people disagree with this review

I have just made a reservation at room and whilst searching for their email address that I had misplaced I came across this appalling display of uneducated wannabe food critics. With what can only be described as misleading reviews. I completely and utterly disagree with the negative reviews below. I am truly shocked. Room has got to be one of the few quality places to eat in Manchester. I eat there regularly, It?s the only place in Manchester that I would trust entertaining my business clients and recommending to friends to. The interior is impressive, always found the facilities to be clean, smart and sophisticated. The food is sublime. Lots of my clients including myself regularly eat in London and all over the world. It compares extremely favourably. I have only great things to say about it. It appears that people are intimidated by this place and obviously don?t appreciate quality. Maybe they find it too adventurous and simply don?t have a refined pallet. Where else would you get adventurous food with such quality ingredients and touches in other establishments in Manchester? The wine list is truly impressive and the service is always professional and attentive without being intrusive. It is cool and it has a pleasant clientele, a sacred place from brash places out there in Manchester. The main bugbear with reviewers here appears to be price! its not overly expensive. Not for the standard you get. Think you lot need to get down to Deansgate! I here that there is a Pizza Hut there.

Anonymous says...
18 people agree, 8 people disagree with this review

Visited this weekend (09/02/08) and saw 3 Chauffeur driven BMWs, a Merc and Bentley parked outside, so first impressions made this place look like it was going to be top-notch. Door staff were friendly on entering and we went straight to the bar. 4 deep but not always a problem, until you see only 2 staff! Waited 5 mins and so the ladies visited the toilets; and said they were possibly the worst toilets EVER! The smell from the sanitary bins was so over powering, they mustn't have been emptied for over 2 weeks! On their return we still hadn't been served so decided to leave if that was their standard of service and hygeine. Previously I'd heard only good things, but that has put me off for sure. All money and no standards it seems (and no cleaning).

Anonymous says...
2 people agree, 14 people disagree with this review

Absolute night I would describe this as hell. This was by far the worst place I have been and I would advise you to go there if you want a very bad evening and staff with a bad attitude... and to still be hungry at the end...

Anonymous says...
7 people agree, 19 people disagree with this review

Absolutely agree with the reviews below - absolute nightmare! Booked through their website and mentioned their early bird offer on the email. I was rang back and asked to change my reservation to the earlier time of 6.30 (it appears that this is what they do if you take them up on their "special offers"), and asked "did I have any special requirements?". I asked if the restaurant was no-smoking as I would prefer a non-smoking table, and told that it was. No problem then. So we arrived on time, had a ridiculously overpriced cocktail (we were charged full price even though it was "happy hour") and were seated in the empty restaurant. Food was average to good, nothing special - there are far better restaurants in the centre for the money - san carlos is just one that springs to mind. I agree with the previous reviewer who said that this place thinks far too much of itself - and in time people will get bored of the not-so-new anymore interior and move on to the next flash looking bar in the centre. The best bit was when the bill arrived without the "special offer" not being applied to the bill (in all it made little difference to the overall price as it was one main free, and we'd put drinks and wine on the bill). When I enquired, I was told that I didn't mention the offer when booking, so they couldn't apply it to the bill. I mentioned that I had mentioned it on the original booking form but that they changed my reservation. The most arrogant badly trained "manager" then informed me that he'd asked on the phone "Did I have any special requirements..?" and that I'd replied "no". To which I informed him had I known this was code for "are you booking with the special offer" then I would have told him I was. He then asked me to go to his office and prove to him with my confirmation email that I had indeed booked the original reservation with the offer mentioned. By this point I was furious, and there was no way I was getting out of my seat and leaving my partner sat by themselves. So he argued with me (!) for about 15 minutes before he realised that he wasn't going to get the extra ?11 off me, even though the meal with wine and drinks came to nearly ?100 anyway. So he came back with a revised bill, gave me a lecture on how to mention the special offer next time I booked, and said I was welcome back! What a joker - I will never set foot in this pretentious, overpriced place again, and nor will any of my friends/colleagues. The food was ok, if way overpriced, but the arrogance of the staff and their amateur approach to service (they obviously were trying to save money on recruitment as they'd spent too much on the decorations) would put me off ever visiting this place again.

Anonymous says...
7 people agree, 19 people disagree with this review

I agree completely with the review below exactly the same thing happened to me.

This place is going to disappear up its own backside soon.

Anonymous says...
2 people agree, 11 people disagree with this review

The food is ok, overpriced though for what you get.
The restaurant itself is lovely.
The staff are obnoxious, arrogant and try to get you out before you've even sat down then rip you off by charging you a service charge (which they don't deserve) and not returning your change when you haven't told them to keep it.
Also, after complaining to the company who own Room you get fobbed off with ridiculous excuses.
Definitely not recommended if you want a good night out.
And they charge you a service charge at the bar. Ridiculous!

Anonymous says...
6 people agree, 16 people disagree with this review

Totally unimpressed, overcooked food, hostile staff. Beware if your having cocktails with food in the happy hour, they will charge you full price if you order at the table- we learnt the hard way, go to the bar yourself and order there.

Your Name says...
6 people agree, 13 people disagree with this review

nice food, good looking restaurant

Paula says...
10 people agree, 5 people disagree with this review

Food was excellent although I was probably too drunk to fully appreciate it! Go for a drink first, the cocktails are excellent, really friendly staff who take the time to have a laugh with you. Wicked for a date, not that romantic but you will have fun. Wine was good, cost me ?80 for nice bottle of wine x2 start x2 mains. Go!

tony says...
12 people agree, 9 people disagree with this review

Great food and a nice atmosphere, I was very impressed with this place! The decor is out of this world as well...not exactly cheap though!

Sarah says...
8 people agree, 5 people disagree with this review
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