 | |  | | | Grado Manchester Tapas Restaurant - reader comments |  "Grado is a great venue for a business lunch. The set lunch was good value at £13.50 and suited all of our party of 5. The tapas starter was good, if not inspirational, and the main course of chicken, with belly pork and black pudding was excellent. One of my invited guests was Spanish and she gave the restaurant a big thumbs up. Good quality, authentic Spanish cuisine." - ian, stockton heath - TRUSTED REVIEWER (8/6/09 visited on a monday lunch) |
| | "Great food, really friendly helpful staff but maybe a little overpriced." - donna, manchester - member since may'09 (18/5/09 visited on a friday evening) |
| | "We took friends who were visiting from out of town to Grado. We all ordered a starter which we thought we could share, the plates that the serving appeared on were enormous so there was no room on the table to share, could have been smaller plates. The paella arrived and there was enough for everyone four times over. It needs to define on the menu what size each dish is." - sue chapman, manchester 21/1/09 (visited on a saturday evening) |
| | "Terribly overpriced for the size of portions." - anthony billington, stoke on trent 5/1/09 (visited on a saturday evening) |
| | "Over priced for what you ordered. Small portion sizes." - adam, cairo 24/12/08 (visited on a monday evening) |
| | "Food was tasty but extremely small portions for the money." - anne williams, manchester 23/12/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
| | "The choice of dishes for tapas was limited. Also we purchased nine tapas dishes for three of us and we were left feeling quite hungry afterwards. The portions were far too meagre. The tortilla was more of an omelette (no potatoes), the asparagus consisted of three stalks, there were dishes with fried eggs and the quail was a little dry. Possibly the non-tapas menu may be more successful but we chose tapas because the restaurant markets itself as a tapas restaurant." - rachel warner, liverpool 14/12/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
| | "Very expensive for the tiny portions we got. We ordered meatballs from the tapas and got 3 tiny ones, an average portion of chips, and garlic toast, which never arrived, despite reminding them twice. I ordered lamb, of which two pieces were nice but the other was raw and had to be sent back. The lamb was served with a miniscule portion of mash. Not at all impressed." - jane, preston 26/11/08 (visited on a saturday evening) |
| | "Pink calves liver ordered but not received. Medium steak ordered, medium rare received, and very fatty - and we were not asked for our comments." - sue jay, lichfield, staffordshire 12/11/08 (visited on a tues evening) |
| | "The service was great, the staff were friendly, everything was clean and very smart decor. The big letdown, after going here on a recommendation, was the food. Yes, it was fresh and, yes, the steak was cooked medium as I like, but it all just lacked flavour and presentation, there was just no flavour to the sauce and the chips were served in a cone!?! The starter of clams was the same, no flavour and the smallest clams I have ever seen. You would expect the food to reflect the price, nobody minds paying for quality, however my particular dish was five times as expensive as it was flavoursome." - phil powell, manchester 11/11/08 (visited on a tuesday evening) |
| | "Fantastic, have eaten in most of Paul Heathcotes restaurants and this is by far the best, excellent cooking and service." - steve, preston 2/11/08 (visited on a sat evening) |
| | "Surprised by the previous comments left, as we found the experience second to none & would recommend to anybody. We started with a few tapas at the bar & the wife tried a few cocktails recommended expertly & created by the engaging barman. The main meal couldnt be faulted & although the main meals are on the expensive side, you can't complain about the quality of the food. I sampled some of the antique sherries available before we polished of the meal in style with the delicious Crema Catalania. This is something very different and well worth a visit." - stephen harrison, ashton-under-lyne 2/10/08 (visited on a sat evening) |
| | "We went to Grado to celebrate our anniversary as it was recommended in the Top 10 on Restaurants Of Manchester. We received no greeting at the door and were left for 10 minutes even though it was only 3/4 full. The wine waiter was too attentive, suggesting only expensive wines. I had lamb for the main course with two of the four rings undercooked and tough, although it did taste nice. The tables were too close together and spotlights too bright above. It seemed more functional and regimentated which created little ambiance. My partner had sardines with goat cheese to start but there was no goats cheese. Overall a dissapointing evening and the special occasion missed." - declan harrington, dalton-in-furness 15/9/08 (visited on a sat evening) |
| | "We went there since it had such good reviews on Restaurants Of Manchester, however I ordered Duck Casserole for my main course and had to send it back as it was still bloody in the middle! There were no problems returning it and replacing it with a properly cooked one, but we also found the staff a little too attentive and we felt a bit mithered! Not much chance of being left in peace in this restaurant - we seemed to have about 4 waiters (the were only 2 of us eating) and we got sick of being asked if eerything was ok or whether we wanted any recommendation on ordering." - charley, manchester 29/8/08 (visited on a sat evening) |
| | "Steak was good but paella was congealed and seemed to have been prepared some time ago and reheated. Complaints at the quality fell on deaf ears." - hayes, eccles 27/8/08 (visited on a fri evening) |
| | "Sat down one hour after table had been booked! We were offered a complimentary drink at the bar as a result. Waited a long time for main course and steak had been ordered rare but was overcooked. Overpriced for what you got" - s combret, altrincham 21/8/08 (visited on a sat evening) |
| | "The best Spanish restaurant in the North West. Spatchcock Chicken was mouth watering , the food was so good I couldn't leave without having a dessert. The service was top notch and looked effortless. The presentation was perfect. I will definitely be recommending Grado to friends" - paula, manchester 14/8/08 (visited on a weds evening) |
| | "Great tapas, Spanish beer on tap and bottles, great wine and sherry. Tried a few restaurants in Manchester and this is 'the best'" - nick evans, york 22/7/08 (visited on a thursday evening) |
| | "My second visit to this restaurant reinforced my view that this is one of the best restaurants in Manchester, as the Restaurants Of Manchester Top 10 states. Apart from having a great design, it's also one of the best run. Marco, the manager, is really on top of his game and he's got a friendly team supporting him. Our waiter, Thomas, was clearly learning the trade but was charming and efficient. The rustic Spanish cuisine may not suit everybody but for me it works well. My starter of Baked Duck Egg with Truffle Sauce and Chorizo was excellent - great presentation and full of flavour. My main course: Bomba Baked Rice with chicken and ham was very tasty but a full paella dish full was a bit of a challenge! I passed on the desserts but the Chocolate Bombe just has to be seen - this is a real showstopper. I won't give the game away but all I'll say is try it. You won't be disappointed. So, all in all, a very nice meal, accompanied by good wines, beers and sherries. We were there on a Sunday night but even though the place was fairly quiet it was really lively because one of the off duty waitresses along with a guitarist gave us a very pleasant session of Spanish songs." - ian, stockton heath 14/7/08 (visited on a sunday evening) |
| | "An enjoyable restaurant - stylish without being pretentious. Not a great fan of tapas - small portions, big cost normally - however the set up at Grado is good as you can sit around the bar. On my second visit I tried the a la carte menu in the restaurant, opting for the Steak. Was impressed with decor, service and quality of the food. Would certainly return." - rob, manchester 28/3/08 (visited on a friday evening) |
| | "What can I say? After 4 visits, Grado has to be one of my favourite restaurant and bars. The staff are always amazing, friendly and really know their stuff! The food is really spot on, I had a number of lovely tapas including Morcilla with Fried Duck Egg and Ximines vinegar, Clams with Sherry, Jamon Serano ham, and Mushroom Croquetas in Romanesco sauce. The tapas is cooked in front of you (if you sit at the bar) where you can relax and watch the masters at work with a special Grado Sangria or the brilliant sherries, which we got 5 for £15 with our voucher. Superb!" - nick, stockport 10/3/08 (visited on a sunday evening) |
| | "I tried the Tapas menu at Grado at lunchtime, choosing to sit at the open bar rather than the stunning restaurant. Very impressed - the Platter of Jamon Serrano (£7.50), cured pork cut straight from the pig's leg on display on the bar, was beautiful. The Mushroom Croquetas (£3) were delicious as were the Clams in Sherry, which, if anything, were slightly overpriced at £6. Had I not been on lunch break I may have well been tempted to go for the 5 sherries for £15 offer. I'll certainly be returning to try the main a la carte menu and the sherries when I have a little more time to enjoy the experience!" - matthew, manchester 10/2/08 (visited on a friday lunch) |
| "We visited Grado on the launch day and were lucky enough to meet Paul Heathcote in person. He's a really genuine guy who's love for food is apparent and has obviously made him one of the most celebrated chefs around. As a big fan of his, and many of his 15 restaurants in the North West, we were excited about the opening of Grado. Having already ventured away from his signature Lancashire dishes to be found at his Longridge and Simply Heathcote restaurants, with the Italian Olive Press chain, it was interesting to hear of his plans to offer tapas and Spanish cuisine with Grado. From our first visit we can confirm it was a journey we're glad he has taken. The building, part of Bruntwood's revamping of Piccadilly Gardens on York Street, aptly renamed New York Street, is very impressive to say the least. Paul Heathcote explained to us how its back street location was a lot more appealing than Spinningfields with it's many 'out-of-towner' chains, which, so far at least, look to be struggling. Looking at the number of tables that were full, even at this early stage, his local knowledge has proven to be a good judgement. The huge quality wine collection that greets you at the door hints at what you're about to recieve. The decor is plush, a nice array of orange and brown and a welcoming layout that allows you to choose the less formal tapas bar, complete with its Teppanyaki-style kitchen, or a more formal a la carte sit down meal. We opted for the impressive tapas, the Mushroom Croquetas (£3), Octopus with Lemon Oil (£5.50) and Pinchitos Morunos (£5) all being highlights worth returning for alone, whilst the Mixed Platter of Ham with Chorizo & Lomo (£11.50) was very tasty but expensive. The 100 bin wine list (16 available by the glass) is impressive but a special mention has to go to the Sherries. The La Gitana Manzanilla was gorgeously crisp (£18.50 a bottle) whilst the Manzanilla Pasada was delightful and certainly worth adding to any order. (£28 a bottle). Having had Rice Pudding in the amazing French Restaurant at the Midland Hotel the night before, I opted to try Grado's Rice Pudding with Figs & Honey (£5.50). It was equally as impressive and highly recommended. The service was very friendly, helped of course by the presence of Mr Heathcote who unfortunately doesn't spend much time personally in the kitchen these days, and the atmosphere was welcoming. In a city with plenty of Tapas restaurants on offer, including the excellent Che just around the corner and the first ever La Tasca and La Vina's across town, Grado is likely to stand out from the competition and be a big success. We will be certainly be returning soon!" - restaurants of manchester 10/12/07 (visited on a thursday lunch) |
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