This time last year, there wasn't even a building standing here! Coast To Coast is the newest…read moreaddition to Bolton's Middlebrook Retail Park, and has had the good fortune of having a unit built especially for them between Pizza Hut and McDonalds, where there was formerly some parking that wasn't used very much. As you approach the restaurant, it's nice to see that they have a stylish and pleasant outdoor seating area which I can see being popular in summer. A nice touch is that the pots on the tables are actually fresh rosemary plants which smell great. When you walk into the restaurant itself, it definitely has a "wow" factor. It's very stylishly decorated in dark woods, padding, and with theatrical lighting and spotlights to give it a nicer atmosphere, very much in a New York Loft style. The decoration is very focussed on its American theming, with wall boxes containing artifacts and pictures of different US States. Even the toilets are bright, stylish, and pleasant. The seating is split into different areas and a bar area, there are standard tables, tall tables, and cosy booths, all padded in blacks, deep blues, and reds. The condiments on the table tell you ahead of time that you're in for a good quality trip. High quality vinegar, Tabasco, and Budweiser BBQ Sauce (delicious!) with tactile salt and pepper shakers have you ready for the experience. The menu is extensive, expensive, and very tempting! I say expensive, as it's a bit more than the average cost in the area, (their cheapest burger is £10.45), but they have some really good weekday lunch offers where you can really get a good deal compared to the main evening menu. Our server was a pleasant guy called Joel who told us about the specials, things not available, and his personal recommendations. He was friendly and professional through our visit, attempting to up-sell a few times (sides, desserts etc) but without being obnoxious or pushy about it. We ordered from the lunch menu, and chose to start with the loaded skins and the battered mushrooms. These didn't take long to arrive, and were absolutely superb. The battered mushrooms weren't little button mushrooms like the usual offerings, but big mushrooms, in a perfectly crispy batter! The potato skins were loaded with cheese and BBQ Pulled Pork, which was mind blowing! I've not had pulled pork in a loaded skin before, and the flavour and texture was sublime. I didn't even need to touch that mayonnaise! It's a nice point to notice that the dishes are prepared so their logo is at the top of the plate, and facing the customer, almost like a piece of artwork. For our mains we went for the classic cheeseburger and the southern fried chicken burger. Once again, these were nicely presented. We both chose different fries as our accompaniments. The normal fries were nice but nothing amazing, however the sweet potato fries were crispy, delicious, and morish! I'd definitely get those next time! The cheeseburger was juicy and meaty, and perfectly cooked. The southern fried chicken burger had the most perfect crunch, and was seasoned just right without turning into the pepper-fest that so many chicken dishes fall into. We didn't order dessert (we were stuffed!), but Joel told us about how his favourite dessert was the warm fudge brownie, (complete with "mmm! nom nom nom!" after describing it). The food was very good, particularly given the lunchtime price. I'm not sure I'd be as happy with the price if it was the full evening cost, but as somewhere to come for a special occasion now and then, Coast To Coast delivers, even if it's not somewhere you'd go as often as some of the other cheaper chain restaurant options on the leisure park. However, I can see those other restaurants quaking in their boots a bit, as Coast To Coast is doing what they're doing, but better, and may steal their customers! The service is really superb, from the host greeting you at the door, to the server, and even the folks bringing the food out to your table if your server is busy. We felt taken care of, and looked after. It didn't feel like we were just another bill, and we didn't have to crane ourselves about looking for staff. I'd dine here again. It'd be great for a birthday or anniversary visit. There's much more I'd like to try from that menu! I have my eye on the sliders...

Quick stop for food before heading off on the long drive home…read more There are loads of eateries in this leisure park, after having an initial look around this one drew our attention, easy to park at, inviting exterior and well lit On entering we were almost immediately seated by a the lovely hostess, very polite and smiling. I liked the decor of the interior, there was a lot of booth style seating which made it feel very luxurious and private from other diners We were promptly given the menus and asked for drinks again by a gentleman who was very welcoming and helpful That's the reason they get the two stars so far...... Cause after this .... Nothing was that great The food took a lot longer than expected to come out, over 30 mins from ordering, looking around the place wasn't even 1/4 full, this made us wonder how they coped on the busier nights We spotted our food on the hot plate and it sat there for some time before we finally had it served, I guess this was why we got warm food instead of hot food The food itself was very blahhh What I mean by that is .... I ordered a burger and chips and the burger was quite small in the bun, no real flavour and each bite was rather bland, even the presentation was boring and lacked any appeal. Buffalo boneless chicken had plenty of sauce and I'm glad as the chicken itself was very dry Onion rings tasted like week old dirt oil leaving them quite greasy. The hot and spicy calzone was neither hot nor spicy The food was very underwhelming and frankly disappointing From a place that visually appeals up until the plates are placed in front of you

Lincoln's American Bar & Grill is the new kid on the block in Bolton Town Centre. It's literally…read moreonly just opened (as of August 2017), and promises a classic American style menu with gourmet burgers. How could anyone resist that? It seems rare that Bolton town centre gets any new restaurants these days, and so when a new one opens up, it's exciting! Lincoln's is downstairs in St Andrew's Court, and only upon writing this review did I actually remember that it's downstairs, in a basement space. It's decorated with great lighting and décor that I forgot about the lack of windows. The décor is modern and simple, with music inspired touches, LP sleeves and guitars on shelves, and some truly excellent music playing. I was seated by a friendly member of staff, and given the relevant menu information, as well as my drinks order being taken. The menu is true to the claim of American in style, starting with "appetizers" and including steaks, gourmet burgers, speciality pasta etc, as well as milkshakes and desserts, and daily special offers, as well as Chef's Specials. The only thing that stopped it fully pulling away from its location and immersing in American style is that they offer a full English Sunday roast dinner too! I ordered an appetizer of panko crumbed chicken fingers, and a main of the Texan burger, taking advantage of one of their special offers where two courses were a set price. As I was dining alone, I was helpfully asked whether I'd like my starter and main at the same time, to which I said yes. The food arrived in good time, and although the burger was presented on a chopping board as is the fashion these days, the food looked very good! The panko chicken was perfectly crunchy and juicy, and I really enjoyed it. The burger looked good, but for reasons unknown I think I was expecting it to be a dry "generic" burger, but it was juicy and pink in the middle as a good burger should be! Perfect! Do you know how hard it is to find a good burger done properly in Bolton?! Well it's hard let me assure you! Well done, Lincoln's! At this point I started to get quite full, realising that I perhaps shouldn't have had both starter and main course at the same time, and had the heartbreaking realisation that... I WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE A DESSERT! Even worse... upon curiously reading the dessert menu as I left, I realised the two courses for one price offer included some of the desserts... noooooo!! Next time that key lime pie WILL BE MINE!! (Also I unashamedly took some of the chicken panko fingers home in a doggy bag!) So in conclusion, the food was excellent, the service was friendly, professional and attentive, which I really appreciated, and the value was superb, and would be great value even without the special offers. I had sceptical expectations, but was left thoroughly impressed and happy, and will most definitely be back! Go and give them a try! dgrill.com

I'm late to the party with this one, I know. There's a lot of Italian restaurants around Bolton and…read moreit was hard not to think "oh, another Italian restaurant". But this is where Lucianos is different. The first thing you notice when you walk in the door is that the staff are talking to each other in Italian... that's a good sign in a true Italian restaurant! It's decorated in a bright and modern contemporary style, showing modern Italian dining rather than the old fashioned 'Ristorante' style we often have over here with candle-filled Chianti bottles, faux grape vines and nick nacks all over the place. A couple of trendy Vespas are found on the way in, with a dining area to the left, and a modern bar area to the right, making it clear this is a modern venue, not another cheesy Italian themed restaurant. Despite not having a reservation, we are welcomed warmly, and shown to a pleasant table where we are given our menus by a charismatic manager / maitre'd, who seems very much at home in that role, and has fine tuned his patter; he asks if we'd like any wine by the bottle, but we were only having soft drinks, so he took the glasses away with the quip, "less mess for me!", I also like that when we were browsing the dessert menu later on, he chimed in, "Remember, signori, I will never let you struggle... all desserts come with a third spoon for me". I like this. You don't get the bon viveur style head waiter so much these days, and it's nice when you find it, and it seems genuine and warm hearted. For our starter we order Budino Nero, which is black pudding served with sweet peppers, chorizo and red wine reduction, served with crostini bread, and the Terrina a modo nostro, a duck and chicken liver pate, finished with aged brandy and port. Served with cranberry compot and crostini. Before too long our starters arrive, and are beautifully presented. The lighting in this venue really shows off the food well. The pate was delicious and fresh with a little salad, and the black pudding starter was simply beautiful. It was meaty but with a red wine reduction which was deliciously sweet, and worked well in contrast with the meaty flavours and richness of the chorizo. I was so impressed with it that I asked one of the wait staff if they could find out what the sauce was for me. Marvellous! We were so impressed with the starters that we were salivating at the idea of our mains! Main courses took a little longer to arrive, but the venue was starting to get busy, so it's not surprising, plus frankly I'm happy to wait longer for good quality food cooked fresh to order. We ordered the tagliatelle carbonara speciale, and my partner decided to try something new, and opted to try the Ravioli All'Argosta, which is egg ravioli filled with lobster in a lobster and tomato bisque. The carbonara was presented as well as it can be, and I took the offer of fresh parmesan topping. The flavours were excellent, and it was wonderfully creamy and filling! The lobster ravioli looked... well... there's probably not many ways you can make it look good on a plate given the nature of it as a dish... but it was there on the plate... and was very tasty with a distinct flavour without being overbearing. The quality of the fresh pasta was superb too! So our starters and main courses were both excellent, two thumbs up! We were enjoying relaxing in the atmosphere of the place too, so the wait didn't feel too bad. We were very full, but decided we simply had to try some of the desserts... you know, to properly finish off! I ordered one of the home-made caramel cheesecakes, and my partner ordered the canolo (tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta... a bit like a brandy snap). The cheesecake was tasty but a lot softer than I was expecting, probably as I've become more used to American style baked cheesecakes. The slice was a bit on the thin side, but the flavour was good, and wonderfully creamy. The canolo was also a little bit of a small portion. Admittedly it was listed as "canolo" (one) rather than "canoli" (multiple), but this one little canolo looked a bit lonely on a huge plate with a dusting of icing sugar over it. I think as a portion perhaps three of them would be a better portion and look better, but again the flavours and textures were excellent and couldn't be faulted. Delicious! By now it was getting very busy, and we had trouble getting the attention of any of the staff to be able to ask for our bill, so I had to go to the main counter and ask the manager, but he was very friendly and gracious and brought the bill over straight away. All in all, we were very very pleasantly pleased with Lucianos on what was a simple spur of the moment visit. The quality of the ingredients, the style of the setting and decor, and the professionalism of the staff really made this an enjoyable visit, and we will most definitely be returning! Buonisimo!

Great food and great service. Unfortunately the day we went the pizza oven was broken which…read moreobviously meant pizza and garlic bread was off the menu. This left us feeling a little disappointed initially but not after we had eaten our food. There was a wide selection of dishes beyond pizza and we were all very happy with our choices. A slight hiccup meant one dish was delayed but a complimentary beer smoothed over that. We thoroughly enjoyed our range of pastas and risottos and will definitely go back one evening to try the main course meat dishes and hopefully garlic bread!

It's very confusing to review restaurants, pubs, coffee shops, and other businesses as an American…read morevisiting for a bit. I did visit the Strawberry Duck with a local. When he told me about the name of the pub (several times), I was enchanted. I had the fish and chips and much were very fish and chips. I am also a long time vegetarian trying to eat some fish. Failing miserably. The draft beer selections were the same as every other pub in London that I had tried. Found out in my next to last evening in England that Heineken controls the draft scene. I was searching for local, traditional British beer. Only one place in Oxford! I'll keep trying!! Delightful and charming brewpub or pub (again, American). Very homey feel to the restaurant/pub. The service was something. Fine but I enjoyed my experience thoroughly!

After walking for 8.5 miles we ended up back here where we had booked a table for dinner…read more Walking in we were led to a table right in front which was in a middle of a 3 way much to our dismay as people kept constantly walking past us. What I did see of the decor was nice. The majority of the waitresses were young and what I felt inexperienced . Asking us immediately what we wanted to drink without providing a menu and us having to enquire what the soup and pie of the day was. Drinks ordered I browsed the menu. It was just a lot of generic pub grub with not a lot of fish dishes. Saying that I did see some fish and chips get served that looked fab. I did find the menu a bit uninspiring but luckily I clocked the special board and saw the Strawberry Duck with bubble and squeak with garlic mash. Himself had the minted lamb pie and we shared chipolatas with mustard mayo. The starter was nice but forgettable...the mains were the star of the show. My duck was cooked to perfection and everything tasted fresh. The sauce was of perfect consistency and not too sweet. The mash could have done with more garlic but it was a fine dish especially while sipping yummy gooseberry gin. The minted lamb pie was rich and full of flavour with thick chips that were a little undercooked in the middle. To finish we had coffee as we were full. Overall I felt the service let it down a little, Asking if we want sauce when the starter was served with it, not asking how are food was in the beginning , not informing us about the specials etc and in the end we had to order Drinks at the bar as felt a bit neglected. It was nice to have a swift recommendation of what to have with the gin though and the bill was reasonable . Yes I would come back if I went for a walk in the area.

One star is being generous would rather give 0. Ordered on…read morethe Just Eat platform at 13.30 and food turned up almost 3 hours later. Food quality was poor and not worth the price in the slightest, mixed grill steak was cooked like leather. The sausage is cheap catering sausage when paying £20 I'd expect a little more quality. I had a side of peppercorn sauce which was just water and cornflour it seemed with 0 flavour. Wife's rump steak kebab was simple looked good and wasn't really any complaints from her. Sons burger, the patty was over cooked making it nigh on impossible to chew with out breaking his teeth. Whilst ringing the establishment regarding the delivery I had a few sorrys but there was no remorse. It was also clear I was lied to as when I first rang up after 2 hours I was told the driver had left and will be with you 5-10mins, half hour later still no food so rang again to be told the driver has just left. Over all absolutely disgusting and shambolic experience which no one else should have to endure How this establishment is still in business with service like that is beyond me. This is not the first time these things have happened but I always gave the place the benefit of doubt but no more this is the last time these cowboys steal my money.

When the signs first went up in Horwich for Empire, promising a cocktail bar and restaurant, there…read morewas an excited chatter amongst the residents. Although Empire opened at first just as a cocktail bar due to further planning being required for food, it is now a fully fledged bar and restaurant, and steadily gaining popularity and fans. Situated next door to its partner venue, Avocado, on Chorley New Road, it comes alive at night when Avocado goes to sleep, and is bathed in theatrical lighting and flame heaters outside in the darkness. The main issue if you don't know Horwich is a lack of parking, but there is street parking around the place, and a small car park behind it. The vibe when you get inside is more akin to Manchester's Northern Quarter, complete with the current popular style of Industrial chic, with chunky furniture, filament light bulbs, leather booth seating and dark cosy lighting, whilst large framed photos of Audrey Hepburn, Prince, and Elvis Presley add to the American feel . The upstairs area is a dedicated bar, whereas downstairs is the restaurant, which looks every part as high quality as you'd find in Manchester. Nothing has been scrimped on here. The menus and the specials menu are very tempting, and the offerings are more of a special decent meal rather than a quick "that'll do" style meal. Given the descriptions, they sounded like they would be quite substantial, so this time we chose to skip a starter in favour of leaving room for a dessert, but we couldn't QUITE turn it down altogether, so chose to share a garlic bread between us. And I'm glad we did! What came out was a super fresh dough with semolina dusting, and a subtle but delicious garlic butter. Fresh bread. Not dry. Superb. It came on a big wooden board with a large pizza cutter, allowing us to slice as we felt free. For our main, I couldn't resist the idea of the Empire cheeseburger with triple hand-cooked chips, whereas my partner opted for the home-made pie of the week, which was a steak and ale. Who could resist the idea of that? Whilst we waited we chatted to the staff, who were friendly and professional, and as its Christmas at the time I write this, they were all in their Christmas jumpers, joining in with the festive spirit. It wasn't too long a wait before our food arrived. There was a definite "wow" when our food was placed in front of us. It was beautifully presented, but still good and wholesome looking, making you want to tuck in straight away. So we did. The burger was huge, and I could barely fit it in my mouth! However, the meat itself was juicy and excellent quality, and superbly seasoned. It's often a shame when you get somewhere that does big burgers to find that the patty itself is bland, but that is definitely not the case with the Empire cheeseburger! The tasty cheese really complimented the flavour, and the mustard added a superb little kick of flavour without blowing my head off. The chips were perfect. I can't describe them anything more than that. Perfect. Exactly what good chips should be! The pie had an excellent quality pastry, and the filling was absolutely spot on. It came with perfectly prepared seasonal vegetables and a tiny saucepan of gravy, which was jam packed with flavour and really finished the dish off. I have to confess at this point that I couldn't finish the burger... nothing to do with quality or anything, it was just huge! Talk about getting your money's worth! We could probably have shared it! Now, as we were still happily reeling at the quality of our mains, we decided to choose our desserts! I had my eye on the sticky toffee pudding since I first read it before I even ordered drinks, and my partner chose the mixed berry crumble with custard. We didn't luck out on dessert after a great main... the desserts were sublime! The sticky toffee pudding was a beautifully deep flavoured sponge and moist as hell, with a lovely big scoop of ice cream on top, and sat in a puddle of sticky toffee sauce.. and once again, this portion was quite probably the biggest portion of sticky toffee pudding I've ever been given in a restaurant, and I've been to proper food pubs in Yorkshire! The mixed berry crumble was excellently fruity and screaming with flavour, it also came with another tiny saucepan of truly wonderful custard, and a couple of pieces of shortbread. Best way to end a meal. Really good filling food followed by a really amazing set of desserts. Price-wise, Empire may be a touch more than the average Horwich restaurant, but it's very well priced compared to places offering similar quality, and definitely better than those nearby chains offering a similar price for nowhere near as good an experience or quality. Well done Empire, you're on my favourites list and we will be back!

Fking fantastic food, reasonably priced, family owned English pub. Cannot recommend enough.read more

Friendliest pub in the area!…read more As an American with in-laws in Chorley, I visit the area often and spend my share of time in local pubs. The Spinner's on Cowling Brow is easily the friendliest I've been in. After a Sunday walk around Anglezarke with my son, we called in for a pint and a hot chocolate on the way home. The staff and clientele went out of their way to make us feel welcome, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. It's the first pub that my son has asked specifically to walk to again!

Our first night in the UK and we are starving to death....so I looked over some near by restaurants…read moreand found this on Yelp...there were a couple of yelp reviews...we gave it a try. the service was perfect....the food was great. e both had the spaghetti with meat sauce...it was very tasty. We ordered garlic bread...it was actually pizza dough with buttery garlic....it was a surprise as we really expected good old garlic bread....but it actually was real good...! We will do his place again before leaving on Tuesday for North Yorkshire...!!!

Hi, my name's Emma-Lou, and I'm a Frankie & Benny's fan…read more 'Hi, Emma-Lou.' You're all so friendly. Well, it all started when I was a little kid, I'm not entirely sure how old but I'm sure that St. Ann's Square F&B's near Gap is what began my fandom. How long's that one been there? I was young and impressionable for sure, I think my decade-older brother was studying at Man Met at the time, living the uni high life, and my folks and I were probably visiting him to take him out for a decent meal. Of course at that age everything's exotic and exciting, especially restaurants. I can't remember much about my experience apart from it being mighty tasty, and rather filling. Oh, but then years later I joined Yelp, and I started to scoff at the chains. Before then I was a Pizza Express Princess, a GBK Guru, a Nando's Natural... now it was all about the independents, I'd sooner slurp my coffee from the vending machine in a hospital than a Starbucks. But sometimes, needs must. Sometimes it's just too humid and you have to have that strawberries n' creme soy frappé. Sometimes you're in an unfamiliar city and that instantly recognisable Pret's practically purring at you. And sometimes, you're in one of those off-the-beaten-track entertainment complexes, and it's the only pre-cinema meal option. Well, I can't say I was disappointed. It was the perfect excuse to indulge my guilty passion. My date had actually described a very pleasant F&B's experience of recent times, and that had spurred me on even further. I mean come on, who can argue with two ultimately filling and perfectly tasty courses for less than a tenner? We couldn't have been happier with the doughsticks with dips - you're told you can only have one but my companion swayed the waiter into giving us small amounts of all three - and bruschetta, which to be 100% honest was just as gourmet-tasting as the equivalent from San Carlo. I know, I was surprised too. And who the heck is clever enough to come up with a calamari Caesar salad? Breaded crispy squid with all the other requisite bedfellows like romaine, rich dressing, Parmesan cheese and anchovies (fresh in this case)? Who on earth are this Francis and Benjamin? So don't bother to rehabilitate me... I'm happy to see their familiar red squiggled name shining out from near cinemas and bowling alleys the country over, and I'll certainly be back in the future.

Frankies and bennys is an ace restaurant and they sell lots of American style foods. The menu in…read morehere is filled with lots of delicious cuisines and they do a fabulous cheese burger with all the trimmings and fries. You always get big sized meals in here and they are very filling. The prices are really good as well. If you come in here after 4pm Monday through to Friday they always have special offers on in here. It does get very busy in here and you get a lot of kids and teenagers coming in. The staff are really nice and this place is kept very clean. The toilets are cleaned regularly as well and always smell fresh.

First time i went there and i didnt really like the food the…read moreservice was good but the waiter seem a bit too keen to help, he kept comin over every 5 minutes.kept intrupting my partner and I wouldnt go back again the music was to loud