Nice place, nice decor. A little spoiled by the large TV screens showing sports. Feels like something of an identity crisis. Is it reasonably high end dining or a sports bar. Food was good, but they really are quite "small plates". Would go again.
Our first visit. A late lunch after shopping. A beautiful building. A friendly greeting and efficient friendly bar and table service. Excellent robustly flavoured food. A mostly enjoyable experience. However the presence of all the screens were a major drawback. Hideous technicolour nightmares displayed on all the walls gave the venue the appearance of a Sports Bar and completely ruined what would otherwise be a very impressive dining room. Null points for taste. I will not be investing and I'm out.
Very plush, very nice food, very nice staff and amenities. Downsides are the expense and the TV screens that are dotted around.
After an aborted visit for a light lunch last week (More to follow) we booked for an early dinner yesterday.
We arrived early and were shown to a fabulous bar area which is available for drinks and light snacks all day.
Here s the more, when we casually walked in last week for a light lunch we were shown the full menu at reception, they failed to mention the bar snack option which would have been perfect for us!
Delightful drinks and service at the bar then shown to our table.
Service explained as small plates, all the trend right now.
The downside?
If you are looking for a starter and a main, you won t necessarily get them in that order.
We ordered the Parfait, Roasted beetroot and Feta, Mushroom risotto and the B&B Buger, you have to order fries as an addition, making it a very expensive burger.
The plates were delightful, the parfait delicate and smooth, fortunately we were afforded a second slice of Brioche, the one is not enough for one person.
The beetroot is roasted and consequently has the earthy skin on, only a small amount of feta was present, never the less a very nice plate.
The Mushroom risotto was an incredibly small plate and only just warm in temperature, small enough for my wife to order an additional plate, the Welsh rarebit.
The burger was a lovely creation, beautifully pink inside but unfortunately again only warm, the fries/chips were pleasingly hot.
As for the rarebit, stone cold flat and unappetising, an absolute disgrace, my grandchildren can do better.
The staff were very apologetic and offered a replacement that would be with us in 4 mins, after 10 or so, we had had enough and gave up on it.
The rarebit and service charge were removed as a gesture, appreciated but not what we are about.
Difficult to understand how such an establishment can t get the basic cooking right.
A shame because the ambiance is really very good.
Went Friday Evening at 915..lovely bar area and service while we waited for our table to be made ready..not too sure on the layout of the menu...we were recommended to have 2 or 3 sharing plates each...but the food doesn't lend itself to sharing and the portion sizes are too small to share..a lady explained something to four of us for say 40 seconds and none of us actually knew what she was trying to say..mixture of noise and speaking very quickly...loads of staff which was nice but order of service and gaps while others were waiting to start were not great..had to order another portion of chips as we were feeling not full.
One of us had cheese and fifteen minutes later our other puds arrived..liqueur coffee having been served 15 minutes before the puds along with two lukewarm lattes which were returned...
Early days I suppose and maybe a one off but the whole experience was tepid at best...the two girls wouldn't return but myself and my friend would come if there was a game on one of the many TVs..
Still not sure if it's a sports bar that's trying to serve decent food or a restaurant with far too many TVs..
Had the most amazing Sunday lunch. Lazy Sunday vibes. Music was amazing will definitely be back...
Had lunch December 10th wasn't disappointed, the food was exceptional,the service exemplary,the premises amazing however a couple of points I would like to make.
Was informed that the portions were small and advised to choose two or three items which could be shared with diners at your table but they were too small to share in fact too small for one diner
If they were say 50% larger (the extra cost would be negligible) I would not give a 5 star revue but a 10 star revue
Secondly. Why are the walls covered with large television sets?
There were 4 of us at our table our wives were sitting facing the restaurant my friend and I facing the television which frankly was very off-putting you couldn't help looking at the set showing Sky sports and news.If I wanted to watch TV I would go to a sports bar drink a few lagers not dine in a 2 star Michelin chefs new Manchester restaurant I am sure TVs in the 2 bar areas would be fine
We will definitely return but request a table on the left side of the reception where the TV's are less obtrusive
Fantastic food, great service. Love the concept of small tapas style dishes but also some slightly bigger dishes. The only downside is the array of televisions which were showing 90 s darts and football. In my opinion there is no need for the televisions in a restaurant of such high quality. Would definitely recommend this restaurant.
Beautiful bar and restaurant. Granted TVs are abit love them or here them. Staff were fantastic will be back.
Amazing food in great surroundings, excellent service as well.
Superb modern cuisines with warm service and a beautiful environment
Flawless...I wish I could eat here every Friday evening with people I love! The team there... Daniel, Rob and Isobel are consummate professionals who guide you through a culinary and wine flight to heaven
Lovely evening of fine dining. Warm welcome, friendly staff, nice ambiance, nice decor. Excellent menu and fine wines. A real must when in Manchester. Tom Keridge chef.
Terrible music played in the restaurant and too loud. Get rid of the TVs I dont want Sky sports news on everywhere whilst I am eating. Both of these spoilt the evening for us
Just come back from having a lovely meal with my husband, we had a delightful meal and recommend to have stuffed quail and celeriac which was just delicious. The restaurant is tastefully done out and staff from reception to waiters was smashing. We will definitely be going for breakfast, lunch and dinner but not on the same day.
We are Great fans off Tom Kerridge and wish him and all staff much success with The Bull & Bear. Will be telling all our friends and customers. Keep up the good work guys.
1 night stay with dinner for partners 50th , fab food fab room and fab attentive staff cannot fault it and we got to meet Tom Kerridge.
We were expecting a lot from our visit to the Bull and Bear but unfortunately our expectations were not met! The service we received however was fantastic, very attentive and easy going. The food on the other hand was well, bang average. Some of the food was overcooked, dry and lacked texture and other plates were just flavourless and uninspiring. The Pigs Head fritters and Profiteroles were only dishes worth mentioning. We won t be returning any time soon.
The manu was limited. The wine overpriced and the atmosphere of such a beautiful location was ruined by the several big screens on the walls!! Not sure what they were trying to achieve but it left me wanting.
Fantastic food and really good service. Couldn't fault anything.
The building 5 stars, The staff 4 stars, The food 3 stars.. We will not return again.
I can only rate this 3/5. It should be 5/5.
I ate at lunch time on December 12th. Full marks for keeping the style in the tradition of the previous Stock restaurant where I used to eat regularly. Sadly 0/10 for the TV screens. They add nothing and spoil what is an elegant and extremely pleasant dining room. Echoing noise levels also spoilt the experience and once the chatter volume was up there was no need for music as well. It was, however, nice to see that there were no large number party tables . I don't recall noise being a problem in the old Stock restaurant when the Dome was coloured glass ,it is certainly a problem here.
Now for the food. Very confusing being told to order 3 main plates each. The portion sizes are more than adequte for a 3 course meal for an average person. The food was acceptable nothing to rave about. The profiterole dessert was ruined by making the choux pastry? crispy and solid. It had no taste at all.
I felt I was paying for the nice surroundings rather than the quality of the food.
Wow.....amazing food and meeting one of my hero's Tom Kerridge was the icing on the cake
Flashes of brilliance and shades of the hand and flowers (especially the pig's head starter) but other dishes were less polished. A fantastic room and service to match
Excellent food but hated the TV screens everywhere showing sport
We stayed at the stock exchange hotel which was fantastic. We had drinks at the bar, the bar server was really helpful and knowledgeable. The service from start to finish on entering the restaurant was 5* the gentleman who sat us down More
Restaurant lacked atmosphere. It felt cold, stark and I wasnt a fan of the big TVs. Staff unattentive and missed the basics like taking drink orders and they kept bringing dishes over for a different table. The food was the only thing that was excellent. I loved the British tapas menu and each dish surprised me. Overall, I begrudge paying the high prices when my whole dining experience was a bit of an anti climax.
Beautiful building, great service. Food good but portion sizes odd as not much bigger than tapas but too expensive and not enough choice on menu to be so.
The stand out, unbelievable, weird experience killer and reason for never returning is the extraordinary decision to fill the place with sky sports playing TVs?! . One can only assume Gary has got some sort of deal going with sky.
Who goes out for a meal to watch sky sports ........retired footballers maybe?.
Gorgeous food. Beautiful decor, staff and atmosphere on point.
Excellent food, a must to visit! A taste sensation and worth every penny!!! My new favourite place to eat in Manchester xxx
Firstly the downs ! Take the TV screens down of the walls, very distracting and ruins what is a very lovely dining room. The menu is a bit odd with our waitress suggesting that we each have a couple of starters plus a 'bigger' option. This was awfully confusing as none of us are big eaters and like to share starters and sometimes mains as well. Unfortunately the portion size is not for the hearty eater and definitley not suitable for sharing, and the menu quite limited. The background noise is horrific making it an unlikely place to have a quiet romantic dinner. The prices seems competitive, but if you follow their recommendations you could end up spending more than you bargained for especially when the drinks, sides and 10% service charge are added. I would have thought that a Tom Kerridge restaurant would have a simpler, less fussy more robust menu. Sorry but I will neither be returning or recommending, a pity as I expected much more.
Great food, service OK. It's Tapas (sort of) style so they bring the food out in no particular order but that only works if you're not waiting for ages between the dishes being brought out. Sat there for 30 mins waiting for food is not great.
I loved the building. So elegant and beautiful. The staff were amazing. Knowledgeable , friendly and helpful. Ant the food was off the scale gorgeous. Can't wait to return
Really enjoyed our seat looking over the kitchen. Didn't even notice the tvs on the wall. Service was fab..the wine guy keeps topping up the wine glasses all evening. Food was obviously really tasty too!
Beautiful place beautiful breakfast we are returning for lunch in april
Absolutely first class service , decor & the food was exceptional . For me better than Rick Stein , Paul Ainsworth but friendly & welcoming & heaven watching Liverpool lose on penalties .
Met Tom kerridge who was simply a top guy as you see on the TV !
Rebooked for 3 weeks
Very good.....everyone should try the Manchester Tart
Food was amazing and good value however i didn't understand the thinking behind how it was served; dishes came out when they was ready and In no particular order so people would be sat eating while others had nothing to eat. The structure of the menu easily allowed for starters and mains to be served in the traditional manner which would be a much better and make this restaurant so much better
Was in the area and thought it would be cool to try the new Tom Kerridge restaurant. Food is really good, atmosphere is very relaxed, building is wonderful! So much going on. Would certainly come back!
Super delicious. Very expensive. Excellent service.
Excellent food, great service but why oh why do they have Televisions all over the walls? It would be so much better without them!
Returned after a great experience on opening night. We decided not to book and to sit on the stools looking into the kitchen. Cannot be faulted again, the service was impeccable, with recommendations of personal and diner favourites for us to try. The menu had been slightly tweaked from our previous visit so we tried some new plates (Pie, Burger, Salt Cod egg) along with three we just can't get enough of (pigs head, mussels and chips with extra gherkin ketchup). The sticky toffee pudding was a delight and a perfect way to finish the meal. I'd definitely recommend trying to get a seat at the kitchen, seeing the chefs at work and the intricate detail of everything they do is fascinating.
Lovely place, prices are a little expensive for what you get which would be fine if I was blown away by the food but I wasn't really, it was quite nice though.
Great food. Good atmosphere, the staff were brilliant. Will definitely be visiting again in the near future.
Disappointed I'm afraid. I love Tom but we found the portion size too small and not that great! Very pricey too. If this is considered to be fine dining then the six screens showing the football let the side down somewhat!
Location at the old Stock Exchange is fab though. Pity the food and prices didn't match the sumptuous surroundings.
Everything about it is really really good - food was exceptional
Well worth a visit, the food is absolutely delicious, thank you! Amazing staff too, very friendly :)
Absolutely appalling service and attitude of staff on the telephone - infexible and lacking in compassion, empathy and common sense. We will be avoiding this restaurant in the future.
Booked a 10pm reservation on Valentine's day for dinner after our theatre show. Rang in the intermission at 9pm to say that the show was overrunning and could we be accommodated if we arrived 10-15 minutes late. Lady on the phone made it clear that if we arrived at that time we would be charged for our reservation and that we would be unable to order food as kitchens closed at 10.30pm.
As a consequence my husband and I left the theatre early to make our reservation missing the last scenes of the play. On arrival we were informed that the dinner service was running behind (something that they were aware of when we called at 9pm) and asked to wait at the bar as our table was not ready.
It is completely unacceptable that restaurant staff puts this level of pressure on customers to arrive at the time of their reservation when they know that they are unable to honour their commitment to their customers and stick to timings and schedules themselves.
In the words of the lady who greeted us at the reception 'bull and bear is normally very flexible...we should never have been told that...we should never have been threatened with being charged/being unable to order food...at 9pm it was known that the evening service was running behind..."
Completely unacceptable, even more unacceptable that this happened on Valentine's Day. The compensation that we were offered was a glass of suboptimal champagne that was so unpalatable that we abandoned after a couple of sips. We were so upset and disappointed that we left the restaurant without ordering any food. We will not be coming back.
Unfortunately didn t really work for us. Echo previous comments about screens, they are unnecessary and distracting. Hot food is warm at best. Dishes pleasant but not special enough for overall price.
Food Absolutely Amazing, Staff were very attentive, it was so good were back for breakfast on Sunday, worth every penny, Thanks Tom
I really dont enjoy leaving negative reviews but unfortunately last night we were disappointed.
A party of four celebrating my husbands Birthday, we booked three months in advance and we were really looking forward to it.
The building is beautiful and the staff were very friendly and polite ...particularly when it came to drinks however the food was quite delayed and very staggered,
quite often one of us was left eating alone.
The dishes really weren't that amazing (the best being the chips and gherkin ketchup).
The music was a little too loud for us but you could live with that BUT the television screens on every wall, playing football were very irritating and removed any feeling of luxury and treating yourself.
I do think this place could be fabulous, but as it is it's not for us...sorry Tom :/
Absolutely loved this place. Staff were second to none if im back in Manchester ill be back.
Thank you for a wonderful experience
A really interesting place. I'll start with the downside. Why on earth are there multiple large screen TVs around the perimeter of such a gorgeous dining room?
Aside from that, this place is really cool. Our server was a real pleasure to speak with, gave some great recommendations and was attentive throughout. The food was excellent, not quite up there with the likes of Manchester House, Grafene and Wood but it's a lot more reasonably priced!
Thanks for a lovely New Year's Eve!
Food was brilliant but I
Thought it needed beans or something with
the full English breakfast.
Excellent food although tapas format felt at odds with formal surroundings bit confused for me.
Great food, lovely building, good service - but why the TVs on the wall showing news and sport? Try to ignore them and focus on the delicious plates.
We will be back. Living the big tables and the food is so tasty.
I had heard great things about this restaurant so we had been keen to book ahead and try it out. I've got to say for the price we loved the food, so much so we commented that with the standard of the food it could be due a Michelin star in say 6 months. Unfortunately we were highly disappointed by the service from the staff. It took a long time to take our drinks order probably 15 minutes. We were also disappointed to see other tables being cleaned up before us when we had finished our food first so we were left waiting for our table to be cleaned for quite a while. The most disappointing point of the service was when we received our puddings (the sticky toffee pudding was burnt my mum can make a better one) and we weren't given any fresh cutlery... meaning we wiped our spoons from our mains courses on our napkins in order to eat the pudding due to lack of waiting staff around to ask.
To conclude, the starters and main courses are excellent but the staff and puddings need work.
Great. Building. Staff. Food. Bar. Hotel. Wonderful.
Nice menu based on Tom's "Coach" set up.
Restaurant is spacious and food tasty.
Monkfish is the standout dish for me.
Absolutely out of this world will come again and again
After visiting Tom's other restaurants I was expecting quite a lot, and I wasn't disappointed. We arrived for an early dinner sitting. The staff were very slick and friendly. They were more than able to offer advice on food and drink pairings. The format is tapas-like, with a selection of small, and slightly less small, dishes - like tapas and raciones. But the fare is very British. Everything we had was excellent. The highlights for me were the pig's head croquette, and the sticky toffee pud. My wife loved the baked potato and raw beef - she's still talking about it. The duck liver parfait was also excellent, as was the venison chilli (incredibly rich and packing flavour). We're looking forward to returning. Yes, it's not cheap, but not ridiculous for this level of cooking. We all left very very satisfied and stuffed!
linkedin.com
