I have to say, I didn't think Pinchjo's was very good which seems to put me at odds with basically…read moreeveryone else that has been there including my two fellow diners. So maybe I am just wrong. But let me explain. The prices were great - all the dishes were £2.50 - £3 (I think this is a Monday - Thursday deal) which frankly is so cheap these days it's almost not worth complaining about the food. However, I really didn't think the food was that great. Calamari and patatas bravas were just ok. The calamari came with something that was supposed to be chilli and garlic mayo but which tasted like thousand island dressing. Good quality plain alioli would have been much better. Patatas bravas were a little soggy, obviously there's a sauce on them but they should retain some crispness rather than being drenched in it, generally. Maybe this is just the house style. Gambas pil pil I thought kind of had a strange taste which I suspect was something to do with the oil. You get five prawns which is a good portion size but overall this dish was disappointing, especially when compared for example with the incredibly good gambas al ajillo at Tapas Brindisa in London Bridge (to be fair, those cost £8.95 - for a small plate!) Finally the tortilla. Tortilla española is one of my favourite dishes in the world. Done well, it is one of the most delicious things you will ever eat, despite its simple ingredients. One time I had a tortilla in a baguette, which was one of the biggest and best meals of my life. Unfortunately I almost immediately afterwards went home to my host family to find out that grandpa had slaughtered a goat from his farm for me, which I then also had to eat. This tortilla, however, was really bad. It was very soggy, it had no flavour, you could barely tell there were potatoes in it, let alone onions. Maybe there weren't onions in it at all, actually, but then don't call it Spanish omelette. It was basically just egg and what looked like spinach. What I can say for it is that there were 3 slices, which was generous. The restaurant appearance and atmosphere is nice and service was pleasant and I was impressed when our server came over to apologise for the food being delayed (we hadn't been waiting inordinately long at that point). But overall I guess we did wait quite a while as we weren't really sharing it was a bit awkward when 2 people got most of their stuff way before the other 1. Not that big a deal though really.

As someone who has lived in Spain for a number of years, I'm always quite wary of tapas bars in the…read moreUK that claim to have British twist. I'm a classic purist, believing that if something has worked for centuries there's no need to modify a winning formula. The thing about Pinchjo's though, is Jo's enthusiasm and charm, which translates directly into the food he prepares and the atmosphere of the decor. It really does look like a basque bar with its classic bar seating and traditional wooden furniture. The latin music immediately lifts your spirits and it's clear the staff here are enjoying themselves, they're so friendly and smiley. The food, based on Basque pintxos (tapas mounted on little rounds on bread), I have to admit, are welcome modifications to classic dishes. Yes, I take it back. The chorizo cooked in white wine was sublime, as was the pan-fried red mullet with salsa verde. Washed down with my favourite South American beer, I was a happy chappy indeed.

Friendly staff, good, easily accessible baby changes facilities, plenty of room for prams, though…read morethe high chairs could do with a good clean. A well located pit stop especially if you've kids with you. The food's reasonably priced though the full cooked breakfast can be a bit hit and miss, I've had this a few times. They're a little stingy with the bacon and sausage and it's often served on a cold plate, but, is tasty and served promptly. Preferred time is first thing in the morning or weekdays during term time as it's moderately quiet and you can people watch.

Not the usual café/restaurant I'd find myself in (in other words - stuck inside a giant shopping…read moremall) but needs must one weekend and with a tired ('we can't walk any more') family and friends in tow it is Est Caffe where we ended up. Looking fairly banal, but inviting all the same we decided to give it a whirl. And actually we were pleasantly surprised. The kids all had home made pizza's (which were huge especially considering they were child's portions) - no frozen circular cheese on toast you get in some establishments, these were the real deal. A friend had the lasagne (again a nicely sized portion) which they confirmed was tasty; I had a standard burger but even this was cooked really well and satiated my aching tummy within seconds. I laid off the alcohol (slowly recovering from a night out) and chose a really good coffee instead. Service was top notch, nothing was missed and the timings were perfect (I've been to high end restaurants who cock this up with surprising ease and regularity). The kids all had desserts and from the 'empty plate in seconds' routine I guess these hit the spot too. Est Caffe is situated on the top floor of the Arndale and is itself is spread over two, open floors. Good spot to people watch then and of course you get all types of life's rich tapestry wandering through the arndale (the new bitthe bit that works remarkably well). If you're ever in the area and fancy something a little more substantial than a sandwich and coffee, est might just sort you out. It's a chain and they're mostly confined to large shopping malls and airports but I've eaten (and been treated far less well) in far worse places.

Caffè Nero on Oxford Street is in a good location, it is a short walk away from both Manchester…read moreOxford Road Station, and St Peter's Square. The interior is fairly large, with a small number of tables downstairs, but extra seating inside, there are a couple of tables which are suitable for larger groups of 4, which is rare to find in a coffee shop. There are also a few tables for one to sit outside, but it isn't the most pleasant of environments, being located on a main road in a city. While some of the chairs were showing signs of wear and tear, it was reasonably comfortable and a suitable environment to relax and work, the opening hours aren't too bad either as the store shuts at 8 pm between Monday and Saturday, which is the average compared to rivals and other Nero locations nearby. I ordered my go-to Nero drink, an iced pistachio latte, my drink was made quite well and I enjoyed it, I would comment that I do find the iced drinks to be a little too small at Nero, even when bringing my own reusable cup, but I do appreciate the benefit of getting an extra stamp on my loyalty card for bringing a reusable cup, as it brings you a step closer to getting that free drink. The barista who took my order seemed friendly, but there was a slight issue processing my voucher on the till, he was fully apologetic for this which I appreciated as it wasn't his fault, but they do need to update their systems overall as it took an insane amount of time just to process a voucher and it slows everything down. 4* - Probably one of my favourite Caffè Nero's in the city centre with good beverage quality and service standards.

I've been to this Costa store three different times now and on all three occasions, I have been…read moredisappointed with beverage quality and also service. On my first visit, I ordered an Iced Latte. I was disappointed to see they had removed all seating both indoors and out after I mentioned this I was told Head Office forced them to remove it, strangely the seating is now in place outside the store in a partially sheltered area going into Spinningfields Square under a slight Bridge of the street of the same name... you've guessed it Bridge Street. I did originally order a ColdBrew, only to find out halfway through the barista making it that she was giving me a drink that wasn't ready yet, so her manager had to explain the process and how she was giving me a drink which wasn't ready. I think this is awful training of the staff as if the staff member who I presume was the manager didn't step in, I would have had a pretty nasty beverage. On my second visit, I decided to try a hot drink just to shelter from the rain and make the most of Costa's ongoing free drink promotion, I went for a Honeycomb Latte which is part of the new summer menu but again I was left dissatisfied. I often find the coffee from Costa has no flavour, it's boring and the drinks taste more of water than anything else as I found out also on my third visit, where I ordered the Coffee Frostino. It's worth noting the seating area isn't well maintained, it is not only failing to log NHS track and trace for those seating outside, but they also aren't even removing cups from empty tables, let alone sanitising and cleaning them. The only reason I'd visit here again is to get one of the cakes, which are popular with my friend but even for a Costa location, this is poor. I find the yoyoing with the seating to be unprofessional as well as how the barista was ready to give me a drink which wasn't even ready (ColdBrew takes around 24 hours to prepare), a real shame as it does look like a nice but small coffee shop from the outside but on the inside, it's a typical Costa based on past experiences. I honestly don't know why I bother with this chain. 1*

Yes, yes i know its a chain but the staff who work on this one do make it a more pleasant…read moreexperience going there. This is another one of my working from home haunts where I pop out to get sometime out from the computer. They do the usual sandwiches, muffins, sweet treats and coffees. Winter is especially good as they now have a chocolate orange mocha on the menu to which the nice chap who served me gave me extra chocolate curls on the top :) Gingerbread latte is also good as well as the salted caramel latte ( well if you are going to have a coffee might as well have a special one!)

TL;DR - Possibly the best coffee on this stretch of Oxford Road?…read more Benugo have taken over running the ground floor cafe in the University of Manchester's Simon Building, on the corner of Brunswick Park and Oxford Road - and they're very welcome! The coffee they're serving up is easily some of the nicest you'll find in the area, and is reasonably priced. University staff get 10% off. There's also a nice selection of food on offer - nice pastries, cakes and muffins as you come in, and there's a decent selection of sandwiches and salads available (some of which are hot). I'm a particular fan of the fish finger sandwich - it's just a shame that it's a special which they don't offer every day.

Although Sarafina doesn't have the greatest curb side appeal of all the restaurants in Wilmslow it…read morecould probably have some of the best Italian food and most definitely best service. They even offer a take-away service, which includes everything on their restaurant menu at a cut price! And believe me when you've been working late and are starving hungry a sarafina pizza is soooo much nicer than the usual take away pizza places. The prices can't be grumbled at either, ok so it's not cheap but this is Wilmslow none of the restaurants are.

Very authentic Italian food. All their breads and dough's are made on site every morning…read more A wonderful, family friendly atmosphere. There's a reason this place is always full!

Manchester isn't short of an Italian restaurant, as far as they go Per Tutti is OK…read more It is very modern inside and the staff are very friendly. I checked out the menu and decided to order the poached egg and asparagus as a starter, which was very good! The egg yolk was runny and the asparagus was perfectly seasoned and cooked very well. My main course, the one I was most looking forward to, I was a little disappointed with. I ordered the lamb meatball tagliatelle and found the meatballs very dry and chewy. The sauce and the pasta were good, but the meatballs really let the dish down. I would recommend this place - as i found it excellent value for money. Just maybe i'll try a pizza next time!

A modern and fresh environment although our table was quite close to a neighboring table of four…read moreloud larger than life ladies! Totally independent owned and operated by a husband and wife team for just over a year now. They clearly have got this right from a customers point of view. For starters we ordered a garlic tomato pizza bread and chorizo in red wine. Both very tasty when we actually ordered another chorizo, must say its the tastiest one I have ever had. For main I had corn fed chicken with fries salad and home made onion rings! The desert was nice but again from a limited choice of options which I wasn't bothered over either way tbh. All staff were friendly polite and had an apparent genuine approach. The guy who I thought was the manager was actually the owner, again friendly and customer focused. Most certainly would recommend this place! Tbh I was in debate as to 4 or 5 stars, decided on 4 purely on the table arrangement where I was sat and in my opinion of course, the limited choice menu for mains and deserts. (Wish I could give half stars and this would have been 4.5)

Had a really good breakfast takeaway at a reasonable price. Not the biggest inside but a nice…read moreatmosphere.

Crazy cow cafe is great for breakfast and lunch. I used to come in here for my lunchtime sandwich…read moreto take away or occasionally sit in for a hot chocolate or coffee. They also do great burgers and fries too, and everything is so cheap! I'm not a massive social networker, but I do have to give Crazy Cow two big thumbs up for signing up to twitter to promote their daily specials to their regulars. Genius! Last week: Cumberland sausage, Fried Onion and tomato chutney Baguette £3.95 Yesterday: Spicy lentil and tomato soup £1.50 Today: Bangers and mash served with peas and red onion gravy £3.95. I'm there!!!