Been away for ages busy with work and the like! Finally written 100th review with more to follow......
Been away for ages busy with work and the like! Finally written 100th review with more to follow...I hope!! Nick
Member since:10.11.2003
Reviews:102
Members who trust:16
When I was younger and on holiday a really big treat for me was if you happened to stumble across a Hard Rock cafe whilst away. For me Hard Rock cafes were always slightly magical and mysterious places that I intrinsically linked with being on holiday. For me, it always had to be a burger, chocolate milkshake and an ever collectible Hard Rock cafe jumper, tee shirt, cap or whatever else caught my eye and spending money would allow!
Where is it?
Living near to Manchester I was excited when I heard that a new Hard Rock Cafe was to open. It is situated in the city centre as part of the new Printworks development. The Printworks features a range of leisure activities including bars, restaurants, shops and cinemas and is great for an evening out.
The Hard Rock Cafe has a prime location on one side of the Printworks and is accessible from the main road. If you want to have a drink then it is only two minutes walk from VictoriaTrain station which has great local and national train access and also access to the Metro tram system.
It is quite a nice night out to start off with dinner in the Hard Rock cafe and then go to some of the bars in the Printworks (Norwegian Blue is my favourite and you always seem to see people from Coronation Street and Granada TV in there!!)
What is it like inside?
I like the Rock 'n' roll style is which the Hard Rock is decorated and you can see their motif 'Love All - Serve All' on everything from the walls to the menus. You enter the lower area where the bar and shop are located and then move up some stairs to the main dining room (although I think you can eat in the bar). Trying to go all cosmopolitan and continental there are tables and chairs outside the restaurant but I never yet seen anyone sitting on them regardless of the time or day or time of year when I have been passed!
They have loads of music memorable on the walls and it is decked out in very cool, American style with lots of darkish wood everywhere. It is a bit dark though as it is not the world's most spacious restaurant!
Sitting upstairs in the restaurant is also good as it allows you to get a good look at the bar area and what else is going on! The first time I ever ate here did get a bit of a shock as they had a great big charity pin drive on. There are (according to what the waitress told me!) hundreds of Hard Rock pin badges that people trade around the world and all the Hard Rock cafes have their own trading sessions and we were eating in the middle of one of them! The hostess was very nice about it though and moved us to a quieter corner of the restaurant so that we would not have our meal continually interrupted by enthusiastic pin traders!
Friday nights is also music with lots of different live bands. I have seen all sorts from punk ish style to 60s bands so it's a bit of pot luck but normally a good laugh!
The place is also spotless and they seem to be continually cleaning whilst you are there!!
What's the food like?
Most of the menu consists of burgers and fries and the such like (always reminds me of other places such as TGI Friday's and Planet Hollywood) as well as salads and basic pasta dishes
I have tried the burgers and they are good (come with a good range of options including about 6 or 7 different choices of cheese): you need to be a decisive person to eat here!! I also highly recommend the potato wedges (this is not a place to eat if you are no diet as it is mainly American style fattier foods: but they do offer healthy options and a good range of vegetarian dishes!)
A typical meal for two with two drinks each costs about £30 including 2 courese
The food has always been hot when I have ordered it and served pretty quikcly (normally about 20 minute wait, although longer at weekends)
My absolute favourite thing to eat here is the apple caramel crumble dessert which is served with cream and/or ice cream. It is absolutely lovely and is served piping hot so great in winter!! It's making my mouth water just typing this!
I have always found the service here to be excellent: it's very American style service so the staff are quite loud and wacky and also big on tips but it is toned down a bit for the UK market. The staff do seem to be good at what they do and are very efficient and courteous (like suggesting we move tables when it was the trading day!)
Who will like this place?
I always think of Hard Rock cafe as a great place to go if there is a group of you. The food is fine as long as you are not expecting gourmet cuisine but all Hard Rock's gave such an atmosphere that they make it great fun if there are a few of you.
The shop here is quite small but they do sell the obligatory Hard Rock tee shirts etc so if you are after another Hard Rock to add to your collection this could be a good place for you! (You can just get into the shop without eating in the restaurant)
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Good op. I love the HRC and theres loads and loads of pins that are collected around the world.
Jamesath 27.01.2004 17:40
i have visted the hard rock cafe in london &the one that used to be at the oasis holiday centerin cumbria and will try this one when i pass that way
jacqui_1 26.01.2004 02:38
A great review but I hate the idea of the place. Extortionate prices and making people wait to get in when there is no need is stupid. They are trying to make the place look better than it is. Jacqui
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
![Live at the Hard Rock Cafe [Us Import] - Mr. Big](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/94507931.jpg "Live at the Hard Rock Cafe [Us Import] - Mr. Big")
Jan 25th, 2004
very helpful by (97%):
helpful by (3%):
