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MC Cafe Bar & Grill Manchester Reviews
3.5 stars 62%

Abode Manchester, 107 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2DB

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Manchester Restaurant Reviews - MC Cafe Manchester
MC Cafe Bar & Grill Manchester Reviews
More Golden Delicious Than Golden Arches

"Welcome to McCafé, our exciting range of delicious beverages and indulgent treats, full of those little somethings that help brighten your day" is how McDonalds describe their coffee-house-style offering which they introduced to the UK in 2013, some five years after 2 Michelin Star celebrity chef Michael Caines had opened his informal dining restaurant at the Abode Hotel Manchester, next to Piccadilly Station. It should be pointed out that McDonald's had originally launched their chain in Australia in 1993, thirteen years before Caines used the similar name, in Glasgow, 2006, however I would argue that only one of the two cafés would provide me with the treats to help brighten up my day, and it's certainly not the American fast food monster that most people thought I'd been to, when I later mentioned how good a meal I'd enjoyed at MC Cafe Bar..

The confusion doesn't stop there though. For those people who know their Michael Caines from their Michael Caine, and MC Café from McCafé, there is the added level of required knowledge that this is not Michael Caines Restaurant, the multi-award winning expensive fine dining experience from the same chef, in the hotel's basement, but rather his informal value-for-money restaurant on the ground floor.

And then there is the confusion, as a reviewer that I find with every visit. And that is how come it never seems to be as busy as the places that surround it, let alone elsewhere in town, which sell awful or average food for the same price or more?

Manchester Restaurant Reviews - MC Cafe Manchester

Bright and colourful, if now a little tired, and with a terrace on the bustling Piccadilly Approach, it is the perfect place to conduct meetings over drinks, catch up on emails with a salad or wrap, or grab a quick bite to eat before the train home.

The menu is short and offers salads, wraps, burgers, steaks and main courses, together with a wide mix of meat, fish and vegetarian grazing dishes, tapas sized plates. One of which, the Chicken Satay Skewers (£4.50), I opted for as a starter dish. The tender meat, generous with the cut, was served with a delicious homemade peanut butter sauce, and was certainly better than any we have had in Oriental restaurants in town.

Michael Caines is passionate about using only the very best locally sourced, seasonal produce and this was apparent in the chicken and my main course, of beef steak. MC Cafe Bar use a locally acclaimed butcher, who sources all of his meats from the Cheshire hills. The fish is sourced from Fleetwood Market, and the shellfish comes from the freezing cold Scottish waters.

Vegetarians are very well catered for with six grazing dishes (£4.95), one Grilled Goats Cheese salad (£8.50) and a choice of mains, including English Garden Risotto (£8.95), Vegetable Noodle Ramen (£8.95) and an interesting Edamame Burger (£12.95).

Manchester Restaurant Reviews - MC Cafe Manchester

The Flat Iron Steak (£18) was also incredibly good value for money. Perfectly cooked and generous in portion size, it was served with a side salad and a choice of skin-on fries, new potatoes or polenta chips, which they were sadly out of on my visit.

It was the perfect dish to enjoy one of the many excellent craft beers with (starting at £4.75 for a pint of Cumberland from The Lake District). Cocktails were good and there's a choice of over 13 wines available by the glass (from £4.95) as well as the full wine menu, if you still haven't found something you are looking for, from Michael Caines fine-dining restaurant downstairs..

Other main courses which I have enjoyed before include the Beer Battered Fish & Chips (£12.95), served with mushy peas and tartare sauce, the Fillets of Seam Bream (£13.50), Tuna Steak (£15) or one of the many delicious flame-grilled to order burgers (£12.50). It is very good value for money for food of this quality.

Manchester Restaurant Reviews - MC Cafe Manchester

To finish, there's a choice of six excellent desserts (all £6.50) and a number of dessert wines and cocktails. The Dark Chocolate & Orange Mousse comes highly recommended - perfectly fluffy and enjoying the tang of the orange zest and coldness of the chocolate ice cream, with which it was served. A great way to finish a great meal.

One of our previous gripes was the fact they charged 12% service charge, and service - again on this occasion - certainly didn't warrant that. Thankfully, a few days before I visited apparently, they have now reduced that to 10% although I'd argue they need to be a bit more attentive to still justify that addition.

Overall though, MC Cafe Bar remains the go-to place for an informal dining experience. Located just a stone's throw from Piccadilly Station, the shops on Market Street, the Gay Village and the Northern Quarter, it's perfectly located for many start of the night or end of the day meals, let alone quick lunches or business meetings over good food. To coin a phrase from somewhere else, I'm lovin' it.

~ Neil, Restaurants Of Manchester (visited saturday afternoon 24 Oct 2015)

Food
Price
Service
Smartness
Overall
3 stars
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
3 stars
3 stars 62%
"well cooked"
"why eat elsewhere?"
"friendly"
"good for meetings"
"I'm lovin it"

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Disclaimer: All information correct 27/7/2015. RestaurantsOfManchester.com and ManchesterRestaurants.com can not be held responsible for any differences experienced at the premises listed.

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