My girlfriends and I had the best Bottomless Champagne Afternoon Tea at Cloud 23 with magnificent views of Manchester . Everything was delicious and the service was impeccable.

Alex B.

As I went to give this review a rating I wanted 3.5 so was nice and rounded to 4! Cloud 23 is a lovely little bar over looking the south/ south-west area of Manchester! Prime location on the 23rd floor hence the name. As you walk into the lobby we were greeted by a guy who takes your reservation details punch's they into his iPad and then calls you your own private lift up to the bar!! We arrived in the bar and were seated promptly. As a local Mancunian I could easily see all the sights I knew and the view was fab. The drinks arrived and a few nibbles ( the satay popcorn is to die for ) but I can't give Cloud 23 5 stars because the cocktails were nice but they didn't possess that ultimate WOW factor! And priced between £9 and £15 I wanted a big wow. They can't rely on the view alone! Saying this they were not bad by any means but they didn't hit my immediate these are amazing button! But the service as is to be expected at that price was again fab! Enjoy!

Laura F.

Cloud 23 is a cocktail / wine bar with amazing views of Manchester. Situated on the 23rd floor of Manchester's Beetham Tower, it offers one of the best views of the city and beyond. The entrance to the elevator is within the Hilton Hotel which occupies the first 22 floors for hotel rooms and conference suits. On a busy weekend it may be best to make a reservation here as the queues downstairs next to the elevator can get quite long and also if you want a table right up next to a window, which you probably do, then it's best to book in advance. I've been here many times in the past, and this occasion we popped in for a few drinks after dinner on a Saturday evening. It was quite early, around 9.30pm so we managed to get in without making a reservation. The cocktail menu is varied and they serve almost anything here. It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Maybe only stay for 1 or 2 drinks if you're out on a budget.

Angelo E.

I was excited to come here since I enjoy having afternoon tea and the setting sounded AMAZING since it was in the tallest building in Manchester, but honestly the whole experience fell terribly flat! Negative point #1- The entrance: so this is a pretty glamorous concept, you take a lift to go all the way to the top of the hotel. I was excited about it at first, but after waiting for at least 20 minutes just to get up to the restaurant and barely missing my reservation because of the wait...this is a true negative. If you can't even get to the restaurant, because of the inefficient lift...how can I taste the food and enjoy the view? Negative point #2- Poor RSVP info: Our reservation was for the last call for tea and yet the server brought my friend and I to the bar area. We sat there for another 10 min and by the time a server came to us and we told her we were there for afternoon tea she gave us a puzzled look and said they didn't offer it anymore. There was a moment where I thought my friend and I had to throw down and be like "oh hell nah" but she quickly went back and spoke to the manager. I was going to get my tea no matter what and fortunately they gave us a table without anymore hassle. Negative point #3- the tea: I was super excited about this cause we ordered the champaign tea, and with the expensive price I had high expectations. The tea came with 3 different savoury sandwiches: one with a sundried tomato, prawn salad wrap, and something with chutney. The best one was the sundried tomato sandwich. The tomato was mixed in cream cheese and had a nice tangy but creamy flavour. The cakes were all a disappointment! It came with macaroons, mince pies ( due to it being Christmas), and 2 other none memorable cakes. Basically for the cost of £30+ for this... I expected the cakes to be a wonderful and amazing symphony in my mouth, but it turned out to be not memorable and a waste of calories. I'm highly critical not just because of the price but because I bake and I know it doesn't take too much effort to make good tasting cakes for not a lot of money... Just saying. You get one glass of champaign and unlimited orders of hot drinks- tea, hot chocolate basically. The service was slow and lazy. It took awhile to get our tea... Sat there for far too long and had nothing to eat or drink and we needed to keep flagging down a server just to get our drinks and tab. Overall this experience was blah and extremely disappointing. The amount of food, champaign, service and even the view does not justify the high cost of the afternoon tea. My suggestion... Avoid this place and go somewhere else for tea.

Hannah R.

Take two. I've given it another try but it's still a no. As I said before, the chairs are really uncomfy, the drinks are sorely overpriced for what they are/how they taste, the toilets stink, the staff can be snooty and it's all a bit of a let down. On this visit the menus were very dirty - there seemed to be food smeared across most of the pages. The music pre 8pm is at a reasonable level, then come 20:01 you can't hear the person nearest to you and it turns into some kind of Marbella beach party. The drinks we had were disappointing. I went for the Cloud Spring Punch; which had a watery, over-diluted fruit cordial taste. My partner had Dalton's Atomic Experiment, which tasted like a bad mulled wine and had a smiley face stencilled into the foam. A smiley face - seriously? For £12 a glass?! They have also introduced a 10% service charge, meaning that 2 drinks came to £26.95. The view, however, is incredible. It was an amazingly sunny Friday night and we could see for miles. It's the saving grace. I just wish they'd perfect the experience for all of my other senses.

Charlotte E.

Stunning view and the cocktails were good, however the service and atmosphere didn't quite match up unfortunately. I wouldn't go often, however it is a nice spot for a special occasion.

Keeley W.

I mixed feelings about Cloud 23. No one can dispute the views are some of the best in the City. On a clear day you can see for miles and the new-ish décor is a much needed improvement. It used to be dark and moody but is now light and airy which fits with the 23rd floor setting. Service is impeccable with very polite staff. The afternoon tea was ok but expensive in my opinion. I've had better for much less. The cocktails I think are a disappointment and also expensive. Most are sweet and fruity with little imagination. If you want amazing views then definitely give it a go, if you are after exceptional food and drink you can do better.

Natasha T.

What a lucky girl I feel to have had the privilege of drinking cocktails at Cloud 23, so named for being on the 23rd floor of the Hilton, so swanky that it even has its own lift with one button - the 23rd floor. Feeling slightly out of place (these places tend to have that effect on poor students) I was nevertheless able to relax and enjoy the atmosphere, which was one of strictly stripped back class, back to basics, nothing too pretentious. I think the view is best appreciated at night, when you get to see all of Manchester lit up like little fairy lights. I would speculate it might be appreciable on a sunny day, in the height of summer maybe. But definitely wouldn't be that impressive in an average Manchester daytime where all you would be able to see would be fog, clouds and probably some rain. But at night - definitely has the wow factor. Yes, like the other reviews have said, the drinks are expensive, but I do honestly believe you get what you pay for, at least with the cocktails anyway, they are just sumptuous. They have a clever part of the menu called 'Cocktail and Bellini Flights' where the drinks are sold as triplets. Just like an outfit is co-ordinated to go together (matching bag and shoes if you please) so are these drinks designed to compliment each other...and it's wonderful. The menu can be found here http://www.cloud23bar.com/drinks.php - I fully recommend the Oriental Lounge trio, especially the one made with green tea vodka and kiwi liqueur. I remember in my slightly tippled state describing it's taste 'pure culture' take from that what you will. Two things I enjoyed very much about this place. One: the dress code. Whilst many may frown and pout at the inconvenience of having to dress up, I just love it. Too many places these days seem to frown upon the appearance of having made to much effort, favouring the more carelessly-thrown-together-yet-immaculately-chic look. This place allows women to dress like ladies, and men to dress like gentleman, and there is NOTHING wrong with that my friends. Secondly, the bar staff were perfectly friendly. They didn't once make me feel like the 'fake' I felt on the inside, but instead were charming, polite and helpful. It just really makes a difference to me and my experience, and they could not have bettered it. To top off my wonderful evening, it was as well my 21st birthday. And I was so happy to spend part of it there, I felt it fit the bill marvelously.

Chris T.

If you want unbeatable views of Manchester whilst sipping a few cocktails then this is the place! Cloud 23 is based at the Hilton Hotel on Deansgate on the 23rd floor, We went on a friday evening around 6pm and our names were on the guest list but there was no wait and we was straight into the fast lift which takes seconds to get to the 23rd floor, The huge windows offer panoramic views of Manchester and on a clear day you can see for miles around! Service was great and really friendly and drinks didn't take too long to come, i had a mojito and at a pricey tag of £9-11 depending what you have but i guess its pricey due to the great views! Cloud 23 is such a great bar to enjoy at least once with friends.

Zoe N.

Love this place. Ive been quite a few times now. The views still take my breath away. O this occasion i went in the day time but ive bin before at night to. In the day time you can pin point places such as the trafford centre, man united, man city, the palace theatre, salford keys, the lowery, deans gate locks and castlefield. The drinks are pricy but well worth it as a treat once in a while. We has a mojito each. Mine was raspberry and my mums was passion fruit. There were to die for. Its a definite if you want to impress someone

Victoria B.

Cloud 23 is the spot to go if you want to have a drink with views of the city. You take the elevator up to the 23rd floor of the Hilton Hotel and are greeted with a wine bar offering floor to ceiling windows of Manchester. I went up there for a works mixer and so we just had wine. The view was stunning although the glass of the windows is very dirty making it hard to take a photo!! There were lots of people up there, mainly foreign visitors so it's a great place to bring any of your friends who are visiting for the weekend. Dress code is quite smart.

Gemma R.

Everyone's first visit to Cloud 23 will be memorable. You walked into the Hilton Hotel reception area, approach the lift which has a large sign above 'Cloud 23'. The lift is dimly light, no mirrors. I felt excited in the lift. I thougth I would feel out of place here, I assume it was a place for the rich and glamourous and as I am a real casual kind of person I did worry... I shouldnt have, it wasn't so bad. When the lift opened and we walked out...Wowzers, what a view. I think you will only get that feeling once. We had afternoon tea, for 4 people it wa £92. Some of the party did not want coffee/tea with their afternoon tea and ordered fresh orange in place of the hot drinks, which I was very surprised to see it did not alter the total price. There was a great selection of cakes and sandwiches, my only critisim of the Afternoon Tea was I would of liked more Savory as there was a bit too much sweet, but that's my person preference I guess. There was a cheese savoury wrap that was beautiful. Another occassion we went for cocktails, purely to show our friends the place. The cocktails are very expensive and I didnt class them as any better than the ones they serve up in other bars for £7. Overall, it is a nice venue, nice food and cocktails, just quite price. it is quite relaxed and it isnt just for the rich and glamour kind of folk.

Rob T.

We hired a couple of tables here for a family birthday party. To get up to the bar you use a dedicated lift from the lobby area which takes about 20 seconds. When the lift door opens there is somebody there to take you to a table. You are always made to feel welcome here and the quality of the cocktails are amazing albeit quite expensive compared to some of the other Manchester bars. But what do you expect when you have those views? You can look out and see for miles around! The service is always impeccable and all the staff are very courteous. The surroundings are quite neutral which is a nice change to all the vibrancy and loudness of some of the newer bars which can be a little much sometimes when you're just after a quiet relaxing drink. It fills up with all sorts of people from business men to people out on the razz on a Saturday night. You get a good mix which is nice. If you fancy treating yourself to some fantastic views and good cocktails then you must try this place out!