Salford Quays (or, more specifically, the area shared between the outlet and theatre) has always struggled. It's packed with chain restaurants and bars, feeding the masses before their theatre trips or after an hour of wandering around the shops.
Craftbrew, however, caught our eye. Slightly hidden away, to the left hand side of where Lime bar is situated, we popped in for a drink post-dinner and pre-comedy. It has a very relaxed atmosphere - all light wood, pastel coloured chairs and simplistic menus.
Food offerings include sharing/artisan boards, 'bar tapas,' and some very interesting sandwiches. If we'd known about this place, we definitely would have eaten here! Pricing is fair, with most of the sandwiches only being at the £4.50 mark, and served up from a small deli counter at the bar.
On the drinks side of things, you can choose from a variety of tea and coffee, but there's also a nice selection of alcohol. Being named Craftbrew, you'd obviously expect plenty of interesting beer available; Hawkshead pale ale, Sam Adams, Hawkshead gold, Punk IPA et al to name but a few. Don't be fooled by the small listing on the back of the menu; because they change their selections quite often, they only list their 'favourites'.
Fingers crossed those from the Lowry and MediaCity will help to keep this place going. read more