Perfect place for brunch located right in the heart of the trendy Chorlton Beech Road. Varied brunch menu has standard offers such as eggs Benedicta, as well as more exotic huevos rancheros, Mexican style morning fare. The stuff is just lovely, while the atmosphere is ambient. Also, the place is quite spacious which is good as a lot of places around are 'cosy' and already full if you go late Sunday morning. read more

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An institution on Beech Road. Other places come and go but Lead Station remains, cos its reliable. I've been here quite a few times over the years and always had a good time. The food is of a good standard and it's a relaxing place to just sit and chat. The service has always been good and one time my little brother had hypoglycaemia and the waitress then was great. The only tiny thing is that on my most recent visit my brother's pulled pork sandwich (in the photo) was tasty but a bit dry so I had to donate my coleslaw to my brother to moisten it. That's the only thing though. It's got a cute little courtyard to eat in at the back. Also tables at the front on Beech road to watch Chorlton go past. They even had a bowl of water for dogs. I like their map of the world made out of wine boxes (pictured) although I assumed at first that the different boxes were from the countries it represented. Then I realised Greenland almost definitely doesn't produce wine! read more

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My first visit here, and already looking forward to another. I had Sunday lunch here, it was really delicious, roast beef (still pink/bloody) with all the trimmings, I have tried a few places lately (reviews to come) for Sunday lunch but this is my favourite so far, all the food arrived at the same time which is always good (was eating with 3 friends). The staff were wonderful and attentive, I do love it when it is clear that good training has been given. I suspect the Lead Station is particularly popular on Sunday's but we were lucky that the Manchester Day parade was on in town, so it did not get too loud and we were able to enjoy the pub. It is nice seeing families clearly being catered for and we really enjoyed our lunch here. I will be back :) read more

Lead Station - Roast pork belly. - British Near Me - Manchester, XGM

We popped into the Lead Station after the fireworks at Horse & Jockey. The bar had a really nice vibe when we entered and the staff were friendly offering us a seat in the dining area whilst taking our drinks orders. They had a good selection of beers and ales and reasonable prices. The lead station had a nice interior with a mix of modern and quirkyness, including a carved map of the world onto the wall in the dining area. I don't drink often in Chorlton but enjoyed visiting the lead station for the first time. I'll have to return and place judgement on their food : ) read more

Lead Station - Curious IPA - British Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Perfect for a hangover breakfast, Went to the lead station with my brother for a morning hangover cure. Beautiful restaurant with a modern vibe and friendly staff. I will be going back to sample to good on an evening. The pancakes with bacon, fruit cream and syrup is what I described as FIT. but for those of you who are currently pulling your faces at the thought of that give it a try. read more

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The Lead Station is the ideal location to get a little bit of R&R after a heavy Saturday night's partying. Kick back with the Sunday papers and an excellent yet wholesome Sunday lunch in a laid back atmosphere. Beef, lamb, chicken and all the trimmings including Yorkshire puddings are served in ample portions and you can enjoy a glass of homemade lemonade or ginger beer to wash it down. I also have a thing about Eggs Benedict. If it's breakfast and it's on a menu, I HAVE to order it. It's a hard dish to get right but Lead Station, like everything else I've tried here, executes it perfectly. No wonder it keeps on getting championed in the press, even after all these years. It doesn't come cheap, but it doesn't come better either. read more

Lead Station - From website - British Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Everybody likes Lead Station. It has a diverse customer base and is busy at all times of the day and for all the Beech Road enthusiasts out there, you cannot come to this part of Chorlton without visiting this landmark. At first glance the entrance appears like any old pub but as you walk through into the main dining area, it is a light airy conservatory. This place is a favourite of mine for a light lunch and the humus, pitta and tapenade platter for under £4 is just the ticket for a midday meal. The staff are friendly but do require a reasonable amount of arm waving to capture their attention and you can be waiting for your bill long after your food has digested. The big pulling factor for me here is the upstairs function room- The Copper Room. It looks like a cross between a living room , a bar and a boudoir, and is a lovely space for a small party (50 or less) or event. The best part is that there no hire fee so long as more than 20 guests are catered for by the restaurant. Priced at £5.50 per person for canapes and £12 per person for a full menu of crudites, nachos, thai chicken, prawns and more, this is excellent value. For corporate events The Copper Room has a TV, DVD, and digital input system for laptop presentations. Lead Station is a cool midweek hangout, a chilled Sunday brunch of a place and it may not have the wow factor but it will please all and sundry. read more

Lead Station - British Near Me - Manchester, XGM

So I have been visiting here for years. Whether it be a breakfast meeting. Weekend morning coffee. Sunday lunch. Fizz and dips. Or a birthday celebration. It caters for all shapes and sizes. The bar area is only small but there is quite a bit of seating. The restaurant is cosy with nice conservatory area at the rear. The staff are friendly and the owner is easy on the eye. The food is good and not overpriced really for chorlton. They have nice outside area so smokers can be happy too! Lol If you've not been Id defo recommend it!! read more

I have always had a soft spot for Beech Road in Chorlton and live close by, so you could say I was a little biased when it comes to this next review! I have lived here for nearly a year but was still a Lead Station virgin and after hearing on the grape vine that it was very good for breakfast, I had a couple of hours to kill so thought I'd give it a go. When I hear that somewhere is very good, I have a tendency to take it with a pinch of salt because very good doesn't always mean gluten free very good! On arriving I was met by a friendly waitress and on enquiring if they did a gluten free menu for breakfast, rather than get the usual stupid blank, have I just asked you to jump of the ege of a cliff look, I was immediately informed that there were lots of gluten free options available and this wouldn't be a problem and I was quickly ushered to a table. Now I have heard this before for example Zam Zams takeaway in Chorlton. They were more than helpful when it came to gluten free options, reliably informing me that their chapatis were gluten free and not to worry. After further quizzing I discovered they meant gelatine free, at which point I rapidly exited the building! However any doubts I may have had were soon put to bed when the waitress ran through the list of gluten free options, including bacon, sausage, beans, mushrooms, eggs and a gluten free bread roll! She also told me that my plate would be filled with more of the gluten free options to compensate for anything I would be missing out on, I was suitably impressed!! The atmosphere was buzzing and there was a mixture of ages, groups of friends, families and couples. The room was light and felt spacious. The only downside was the wait as after ordering I almost got the feeling I had been forgotten about. Maybe this was down to the volume of customers or my own insecurities?! But I did feel a little neglected. When the food eventually arrived it was well presented, my plate was full and it was top notch. Apart from the wait for the food, well done Lead Station, I shall look forward to my next gluten free visit. read more

Had a great sunday roast here, chicken pork or beef for 10.95, and a lovely tall bloody mary nicely spiced and just boozey enough to make me drunkenly wander into the lovely shops on beech road on the way back to the car. the roast was arranged in a sort of tower which got better as you dismantled it, the yorkshire pudding was a large flowery affair, light and crunchy at the edges but chewy and soft in the middle. The chicken was seasoned with lemon and thyme, i got two sizeable joints which was more than enough. Nearing the bottom of the tower we had carrot, mange tout and green beans, the latter were cooked to al dente perfection. There were three big roast potatoes, but i only have eyes for my mothers roast potatoes like most people. THEN at right at the bottom languishing sheepishly was this amazing cheese/cabbage concoction, shredded soft green cabbage in a white cheesy sauce it was absolutely delicious. Rich and flavourful. All with your own little pot of gravy! Great service and lovely surroundings, we sat in a conservatory area which was lovely and bright but there were more moodily lit corners of the restaurant. read more

We popped into the Lead Station for a drink on Sunday afternoon and it was the perfect place to take a load off and enjoy a sunny day on their front terrace. With it being on Beech Road it's definitely a place for people watching after browsing the many nearby arts and crafts shops, delis, record stores and if you're that way inclined, antiquing! I had the Brooklyn lager while my wife had the non-alcoholic but interesting raspberry lemonade, plus they have a fairly decent selection of beers (my thoughts) and wines (my wine expert wife..), plus it was pretty busy in and out, which is usually a good sign. I've heard good things about their breakfast menu, which means I'm going to need to get myself out of bed earlier - but I'll definitely be back and hope to get those seats out the front that really are a suntrap! read more

Now while this place might not have the most exciting name in the book, believe me it's certainly worth stopping by, whether it be to spot celebs (apparently many of the Corrie cast like to wine and dine in here) or to enjoy a tasty beverage, some hearty food and a relaxed ambience. What was once a police station is now more welcoming and friendly than... well, terrifying and despondent in equal measure. Rather than a restaurant this place is more a café and wine bar, but it serves food amazing enough to be a gourmet outlet in itself. It keeps it simple and yet inventive with the likes of steak and chips, ravioli, salmon fishcakes, seabass with sundried tomato butter and the most incredible puds, including a sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce. It ticks the all-important Chorlton box of family friendliness and informality too. With only two beers on draught (San Miguel and Heineken), the bar is small but the wine is super, particularly the Prosecco. It has the essential Beech, Barlow Moor and Wilbraham Road outside terrace thing going on, and of course I'm a huge fan of exposed brickwork so I'm happy enough here. It's a mix of light and airy, warm and cosy, a far cry from its heavy-handed name. It strikes the perfect balance and is a great place to while away an afternoon or an evening. Or try and get there in the morning for some fantabulous brunch. read more

Oh the Lead Station. I know that you're a Chorlton institution, and I want to love you; I really really do, but you make it so hard! At its best, the Lead Station is a perfect example of a cafe bar done well. Situated in a former police station, it serves delicious, simple and relatively inexpensive food, has a good range of beer of tap, a great selection of wine, and best of all, its situated right in the middle of Beech Road - which means you can gawp at all the Yummy Mummy's whilst you're indulging in a bit of al fresco dining. However, when it comes to service, the Lead Station leaves a lot to be desired. The last time I went in there, they only had one waitress covering the entire conservatory area at the back. This meant that it took half an hour for someone to come and take our drinks order, and then we had to wait another 45 minutes for our food. It wasn't the waitresses fault - the poor thing did her best, and she was obviously rushed off her feet, but surely one of the managers could have seen what was going on and helped out? I'm willing to give the Lead Station the benefit of the doubt - mainly because I've had many enjoyable evenings there when I've just popped in for a drink or two. However, if you're thinking of dining there, it's probably best not to come if you're intending to grab a quick bite to eat. You may be there for a while. read more

Overall I was very impressed. My partner was less so but this is my review :-) Starters - we had the bread with olives tapenade and oil/vinegar. This was top notch. And bruchetta which was way above average. Mains - the vegetarian Gnocchi mentioned it had parmesan on it. I questioned this as parmesan isn't vegetarian and they checked and had got it wrong on the menu. So I had it without parmesan and the overall taste was very good but the texture of the Gnocchi was wrong. It was more like soft potato. There was no bounce like Gnocchi should have. Drinks were nice and service was friendly. Atmosphere was nice too. I would go again but not order the Gnocchi unless it was changed. read more

This place has a lot of hype surrounding it. Sometimes when I say I live in Chorlton people have only heard of here. We went on a very busy sunday lunhtime (the Beech Road festival was going on at the same time so it was probably the busiest day of the year but still) and it took a long time for someone to even offer us a drink. Which is not good when you have drunk till 4 in the morning the night before. Then we ordered the food, which is pretty expensive but the menu makes it sounds pretty nice. Disappointed I was. The portions were massive, too big in fact. And it did not taste of much. Nice atmosphere though. Would maybe give it one last chance. read more

Situated in the heart of Chorlton's 'trendy and bohemian' Beech Road, this is a very good example of cafe bar done very well. I had a meeting there this week, sat outside in the seated area (there's a larger outdoor area to the back) taking in the activities of Beech Road (full of independent bars/restaurants and shops) and it's a place which gets pretty much everything right. It's a little pricey and at the weekends you'll be lucky to get seats (often full of organic mums with their free range Henry's and Hannah's) but should you do so you'll be rewarded with a top notch cafe experience. I say cafe a lot but it's half wine bar/snack joint also. The usual premium beers so beloved by the bearded community are served alongside a decent selection of wines. I ordered a salmon fishcake but was quite tempted by the steak and chipsI was sat with a vegetarian so perhaps I thought that might be rubbing it in. The building itself looks a little out of place on Beech Road - it's an old brick building converted from an old Police Station. It's also Damon 'Badly Drawn Hat' Goughs local although beards and hats are commonplace around these parts so it's hard to tell who's who. With good coffee served and a child friendly environment this is well worth a visit if you're in the area. read more

Lead Station - British Near Me - Manchester, XGM

I generally don't like drinking venues in the UK the don't have the common courtesy to serve real ale. Especially in trendy Chorlton, it's the least I would expect. read more

A great cafe bar now that the new owner - Nick - has chanced a few things. The menu has been improved but the prices have remained very reasonable (sorry Ruth Hunter totally disagree that prices are expensive). The service did use to be hit and miss but that all seemed to disappear with the old owners. I love this place and always get excited when my husband suggests a vist over to Beech Road. I've eaten most of the items on the menu and I have to say that it is all very good and prices are well below city centre prices. read more

Went for Sunday Brunch, good food, staff, atmosphere and service. Chilled out and just what the hangover ordered. Recommended

I was really impressed. I know the restaurant trade in Australia, and watched the staff. The 2 waitresses scanned the room constantly, seeing if a customer needed something. The maitre d' (Manny?"), was helpful, and when I returned because I'd left my phone behind, he had it ready for me. Impressed! read more

Food great as always!! One big problem though when I arrived home I found my trousers covered in thick matted chewing gum!! When I rang to notify staff about it they apologised. They investigated the seating plan within the restaurant and I received a call back from the manager to confirm chewing gum had been found where I was seated. She suggested I get the trousers dry cleaned and if that didn't work she would need to see the trousers with a receipt. They would then order a new pair of trousers online. ( I don't shop for clothes online).This whole process was long winded and made me feel like I was creating an unsolvable issue. Surely if I was the only customer who had complained about chewing gum,this should have been easier to resolve!! I don't live near the restaurant. I found the customer service unsatisfactory and it has left me feeling disappointed in a restaurant that I have been loyal to for many years. I have resolved the issue myself with no help from the staff and this was my last visit to the Lead Station. Sue read more

Dropped in for lunch today -- they've just started a prix fixe lunch which looked great but went for a salad and sides with a friend . Food was great , service prompt and pleasant . This place is a bit of an institution in Chorlton but it's definitely maintaining it's standards -- pleasantly surprised and definitely recommend it . read more