Harden's survey result
Summary
Simon Shaw’s well-known “Spanish restaurant goes from strength to strength” – “there’s always a good atmosphere when you walk in, the place is buzzing, the staff are very welcoming” and “the food is really high quality”. “Service can be a bit chaotic”, but it’s “hard to criticise – everything is done really well”.
Summary
“Wherever you sit – the downstairs bar, the rooftop terrace (lovely on the top floor in summer), one of the booths – you can hardly go wrong and the tapas remain excellent” at Simon Shaw’s happening multi-level townhouse, which remains one of the more high-profile locations in the city. “It’s hard to criticise anything, everything is just done really well”, and it helps that “staff are well informed”.
Summary
“The best tapas around” (“salt cod croquetas are little spheres of happiness!”) and “quality wines” (“there’s always a new one to try”) help fuel the “great buzz” at Simon Shaw’s multi-level townhouse: nowadays the city’s most commented-on destination in our annual diners survey. It’s a “charming” place, but one that’s also often recommended for a vibey business meeting.
Summary
“Deservedly Manchester’s top destination” – this “vibrant” operation (which made the move into town from Ripponden three years ago) delivers a superb all-round experience. “It’s the buzzing ambience of this multi-level townhouse and the great cocktails that really seal its appeal” though: “their sherry-tinged takes on an Old Fashioned and Espresso Martini make for a heady evening and the bar operation is slick, further boosting the vibe”. Quibbles? – service under pressure can be “slightly chaotic”. And although many diners say the tapas “is to die for”, one or two reporters feel its repertoire is “classic” rather than utterly inspirational.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at El Gato Negro?
52 King Street, Manchester, M2 4LY
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 12.50% |
52 King Street, Manchester, M2 4LY
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑10 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑10 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑10 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑10 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑10 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑10 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑10 pm |
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