Great spot! Bbq pork grilled cheese was the best of the bunch. But the Mac n cheese was good…read more Drinks were good. Casual vibe one block down from the bars in northern quarter. Just great easy food.

GEM, GEM, GEM !!!!!…read more The absolute most amazing casual joint concept I ever heard of; and I live in USA. It's absolutely and undoubtedly DELICIOUS!

One of three Eat locations in Manchester - it is located at "1 St Ann's Street" which is basically…read morethe start of St Ann's Square, fairly close to the Church next to Pret A Manger on Deansgate. A pretty small store compared to the Manchester Arndale branch but it does seem to be quieter - this can be seen by the staff is a little too attentive (they're probably bored) I was approached straight away asking for help - I don't mind this at the counter but considering I was just browsing their selection of cold to-go food (not very good for gluten-free sadly) it was an unwanted interruption. Prices did seem a little high especially for their Pots & Co products - one of my favourite desserts regularly as they make puddings in ceramic pots, here they sell the smaller mini ones (not as good of a selection), but they still seemed to cost more than the better, larger ones in Ocado - which made no sense. Quieter location yet still in the city centre, not terrible but issues with price, service and GF selection do let it down. 2*

Probably one of the best EATs I've been to - this is based purely on the fact that it's not…read moreparticularly busy during peak lunchtime hours. Is this a silly thing to throw 4 stars at? Perhaps. Perhaps I am high on the fact it's almost the weekend and completely disregarding the fact that EAT is yet another chain and, on most occassions, another place where I end up stressed, not knowing which queue to stand in, and ultimately hungry due to my hatred of mayonnaise. This branch, set off from both Deansgate and St Ann's Square, is hidden from the public eye. It's small but actually well set out; there are no chairs or tables in your way and most tables are two seaters, recognising the general eating habits of the working people. There's something quite odd/guilt inducing about sitting on a four seater if there is only one or two of you. Due to the size there is no 'fast track' till point found in some EAT branches, meaning you know where you're going and what you're going there for. To the till, to pay. Food is standard EAT fayre - salads, baguettes, soups, and even hot pies. Sadly I didn't spot the behind-the-till soup or pies until I'd got there and handed my panini over for heating. Sigh, I'll just have to go again. My mexican chicken panini, chosen based on no mayonnaise and some additional veggies, was actually pretty tasty, with black beans and sweetcorn making me feel a touch healthier, though soft white bread always makes me feel heavy and a tad guilty during the afternoon. Free wi-fi is advertised but it's one of those jobbies where you have to sign in through a chosen outlet and, if not a member of whatever, you have to make yourself one. Yawn. Too much hassle when I'm grappling with a panini. To paraphrase Fleetwood Mac, you will never break the chain so you might aswell find the best of a bad bunch.

This branch of Eat is one of the ones they have in the city centre of Manchester, which is a…read moredecreasing number following the closure of one of two branches in the Manchester Arndale to make room for the new Halle Place Dining Quarter, this branch is in a good central location, just off Deansgate and next to PRET A Manger in Manchester, noticeably opposite Manchester's ultra large department store - The House Of Fraser. I came in here to take a look at the soups and selection of hot food they were selling, as they normally sell around two or three soups per day. Inside, this branch is modern as it does have a glass window, it does feel okay, a little new, but nothing more than that, perhaps it is too small to act as anything other than a place where you grab your food and go. The selection of pre-packaged food was a little depleted. The staff didn't seem very helpful, despite standing right in-front looking at the menu, they didn't seem to say hello, acknowledge me or offer recommendations. The selection of food was quite poor, even for food that isn't just gluten free, which is quite poor in a city centre which is one of the biggest cities in the UK and with so much on offer, sadly this store doesn't make a cut, and if this store doesn't sort it-self out quick, it will become yet another branch to close in Manchester and so far only deserves a single one star.

Seemingly here to challenge Pret a Manger's hold over the fancy sandwich market, Eat's idea of…read morecompetition appears to be offering almost exactly the same kind of products, but just with slightly less of a selection. Still, it's a good sandwich shop, with sandwiches that are freshly prepared on site and don't look like they've been sitting in a sweaty van for hours before they've reached the shelf. If you're feeling thrifty like I often do, then the egg cress at £1.50 is really reasonable, whilst the £3 I've spent once or twice on the thai citrus chicken sandwich is certainly worthwhile. To add to your sandwich, you can choose a variety of fancy crisps and classy, foreign-looking cans of lemonade. Eat offers lunch for a under a fiver and if you add the fact that it's all quite tasty into the bargain, it beats Boots for a quick lunch for sure.

I was working on the Christmas market again today in Albert Square. It was teeming with people and…read moreI was so busy I only had 10 mins to get some quick lunch before I had to be back behind the stall. Luckily in these moments I can rely on Bowlers for fast, unfussy comfort food. Where else in central Manchester can you get a bowl of soup, a sandwich and choice of tea of coffee for just £2.95? I defy you to find such a good deal! I plumped for just a jacket potato with cheese and salad which was only £2.90, and tasted oven-baked. I've heard the fish and chips here are pretty good too, at just £3.75. The staff in here are very friendly and the decor itself feels very cosy - a great place to sit and people watch.

Cheap and cheerful greasy spoon…read more I had the full English and it wasn't top notch but it was satisfactory and hit the spot. £4.75 for the full English and drink or £5.30 if you're getting black pudding too, my preferred option. The service was decent and I'm enjoying the view of the town hall and central library. Loads of lunch options available too.

Rivalled only by Philpotts for sandwiches, this is a really good place to grab some lunch if your'e…read morein a hurry. Its not cheap so don't expect it to be, it's good food though. I really like the No-Mayo range, I hate mayonaise and it's ace to find a place that doesn't put it on everything! Really good for breakfast too and that's a fair bit cheaper than lunch!

Harsh? Well First Taste didn't smell so great the day I visited (just after new year, so they also…read morebarely had any food there, which might be related). The roast beef and cheese toastie I got was ok but I doubt the beef was cooked that day and onion as a garnish was all right but horseradish would have been such a good addition. I probably won't go back again because it's quite expensive and I find the shop itself unappetising - not just the smell but the clinical appearance.

I've been to Eat. a few times now and it's usually when I'm rushing through the arndale at lunch…read moretime and need to grab something quick. Today was one of those days and on my way back to the office I picked up a baguette, a small soup, some grapes and apple juice and a yoghurt. The lunch was over £10 which is pretty expensive for lunch but it's a lot of food. I find there's always a good selection of sandwiches, wraps, flatbreads, salads and soups as well as some hot options prepared behind the counter.

I've always been a fan of Eat. I used to work just opposite one last year and therefore every…read morelunchtime I would pop over for something to munch on. It was always good during the winter because they do these huge big soups, different ones each day and they're so tasty and warm, just what you need for a winters afternoon in Manchester. I wandered in here today around 8am as I realised I'd never had breakfast at Eat despite always looking at it on the menu board longingly! I went for the Eggs Benedict, inexpensive at £2, it was small but very satisfying, just what you need in the morning. As I was ordering I was impressed by Eat's range of hot food on offer, the breakfast was a range of different muffins but lots of them including good vegetarian options, the weeks soup menu was available to look at and I was impressed with the new additions since my last visit including Thai Green Chicken Curry and Chorizo and Chickpea. One really good thing about Eat is the vast vegetarian selection, they offer two soups everyday and one of them is always veggie. They have a range of breads on offer to go with your soup, these are served in 'wedges' complete with butter, my favourite is the soda bread...mmm! Other than the soups they also serve hot pies which always look amazing but I've never had one yet...I may end up back here for lunch at this rate though so watch this space! Eat also serve a range of hot drinks, sandwiches, cakes and desserts, long story short...check it out!

Cold food and even colder service, complete with a scowl. Upon ordering a 'sunnyside up' egg, the…read morefront desk responded with "the options are fried scrambled or poached"- proceeding to give me a cold, solid and dry fried egg, which was returned, much to the ridicule of the kitchen staff, who then told me "sunny side to us means flipped".... I don't think so. Has potential, but needs a service over-haul with an education on the basics. But decent coffee.

Confession: I love good delis. I absolutely can't get enough of them. Local produce, unique…read morepreserves, unusual store-cupboard stand-bys to peruse, but more than that, the best delis are the ones where you can both browse and munch. And North Star really lives up to its name by being a great spot not only to mooch around the shelves but to have a hunk of cake, a great cup of coffee and hone in on some of the most reliable wifi I've had the joy of experiencing. I popped in here with my mum before a quick trip to Khawaja Brothers and Morrison's, and boy were we glad we did. Slabs of amazing homemade cake, incredible salads of puy lentils, Mediterranean veg, sundried tomatoes, big wedges of vegetarian lasagne, giant salmon fishcakes... the choices here are endless. And all served with a warm smile and with the option of kick-ass coffee and Teapigs tea. Yes, they had me at Teapigs tea. And amazing greetings cards, randomly. The decor is really relaxing, the outside space plentiful, and despite being on one of the busies roads in South Manchester and near a petrol station it manages to maintain an ambience of calm. We indulged in the banana and coconut cake and Victoria sponge, and both were mindblowing. The coconut icing on the banana cake should be sold by the spoonful and the Victoria sandwich had fresh strawberries in the buttercream topping and utterly delicious jam in the middle. Oh and the cake dough didn't even harbour a hint of dryness. The prices are reasonable too, and that wifi I mentioned didn't falter once - even while I was outside on the patio. This is one star worthy of handprints in cement. It can even wear sunglasses indoors if it wishes. Basically in my book, it's so cool that it can do no wrong.

Great priced and delicious option for lunch…read more I ventured down to the Street Food Market in Piccadilly Gardens for lunch today and was spoilt for choice. There were several options I fancied but the halloumi and falafel wrap offered here won out. For £4.50 you get a really good portion of filling and salad. I chose mayo and sweet chilli sauce to go in my wrap on the stall holders recommendation. This worked really well. I imagine I'll be taking the short walk from work here on many more Thursdays and Fridays. Healthy (ok maybe not the mayo), fast and reasonably priced. Everything you need for a great lunch. Highly recommended.