James Martin Manchester
+44 161 828 0345+ Add websiteImprove this listing
Hours
Sun
12:00 - 16:00
Wed
18:00 - 22:00
Thu
18:00 - 22:00
Fri
17:00 - 22:00
Sat
12:30 - 15:0017:00 - 22:00
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
Travellers' Choice 2024
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
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PRICE RANGE
£19.00 – £58.00
CUISINES
European, British
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
meals, features
Does this restaurant serve Lombard food?
Details
About
James Martin Manchester named in The Sunday Times Top 100 Restaurants 2015 is the signature restaurant at Manchester235 Casino, set away from the main gaming floor on its own mezzanine floor. This spectacular 170-seat restaurant spotlights original features of the historic Great Northern warehouse, such as exposed brick work and industrial-chic steel girders. These, together with natural daylight and James' own selection of luxury vintage-style fabrics and artwork, make for an incredible dining space. But while the unique setting is inviting, the main reason to the visit is the food. James Martin, well-known and loved for his cookery shows on the BBC and Channel 4, has produced a classic, a la carte menu of the highest quality. It includes some tried and tested James Martin favourites and makes the most of local produce from renowned butchers, fishmongers, game dealers, farmers and cheese makers. The a la carte menu will change seasonally so you can enjoy a new gastronomic experience throughout the year. Just a stone's throw from Deansgate Rail Station, James Martin's Manchester restaurant is tucked inside the glamorous Manchester235 casino, making it a glamorous and ideal rendezvous, away from the vibrant pace of the city.
PRICE RANGE
£19.00 – £58.00
CUISINES
European, British
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, After-hours
FEATURES
Reservations, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Validated Parking, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music
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4.5
2,578 reviews
Excellent
1,636
Very good
420
Average
277
Poor
149
Terrible
96
Blackbobbo
Bury58 contributions
Mar 2020 • couples
Arriving ten minutes early for our 6.15pm reservation, on a cold Thursday in Manchester, we were immediately shown to a table in the window, well apart from the only other occupied table. It was a little surprising that no one offered to take our heavy coats but no matter. My companion asked for a glass of Kir as aperitif, a drink unknown to our charming young waitress who went away to consult the bar staff. After a fairly lengthy interval, something of the right colour arrived but in a large glass full of ice. Never seen that before, we thought, but never mind. My caipirinha was ok and the Kir too was just about acceptable after removal of the ice to our water glasses. The famous tasting menu wasn't on offer so we ordered a la carte, Thai crab risotto and Herdwick hogget for the lady, Yorkshire Wagyu ox cheek pudding and brown-butter poached Brill for me. The stars were the risotto and the Brill but all were excellent, tasty dishes, nicely presented. The pudding and the hogget would have been even better if served at a higher temperature. Portion sizes aren't enormous (although perfectly adequate for us) but we could manage only one dessert between us, an excellent little tarte tatin. With one coffee afterwards and a decent bottle of Picpoul de Pinet during, the bill came to £140 including the automatic 10% service charge. Not cheap, but just about acceptable value for food of this quality. The restaurant's situation, inside a casino in an old warehouse, is a bit unusual and might not appeal to everyone. Also, because of its location in the casino, under-18s are not admitted.
Written 12 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Hello, thank you for the positive review and taking the time to provide feedback. It really helps us improve our business. We appreciate you taking the time to share it with us.
Written 16 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jen5
Marbella178 contributions
Jan 2020 • friends
We really enjoyed our Sunday lunch. The flavors were spot on. The beef was tender and flavor some. The wine was great and the service was exceptional. If I had one criticism would be the size of the portions. Very small portions for a Sunday roast for someone who can’t eat potatoes or York pudd it was rather small.
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Hello, thanks for the positive feedback! We're always happy to hear good things from our customers.
Written 13 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Noemi
London48 contributions
Dec 2019 • family
I went to James Martin Manchester for my parents anniversary two days before Christmas.
Managed to reserve a table last minute and it was a good experience.
Pros: the festive menu was simple a choice of 8 dishes overall with the possibility to choose from fish, white meat and red meat. Crab risotto was amazing with some Thai notes in it ✅ wagyu beef was pure perfection. Dishes are not too big but portions are enough and there is a lot of flavours in a single dish so that’s a wise choice to keep it small . You won’t walk out hungry. Personnel it’s cordial and competent. It was my parents’ anniversary and they also wrote a card for them which I think was nice. The South American waiter was really nice to all of us and prompt to pour wine when the glass was empty.
The dining room is large with tables at a good distance so that you can get your “privacy” and don’t get to hear others people conversations. I’m not sure if I like the fact that it’s inside a casino, but that’s jus my personal preference.
Cons:
- Booking on the phone was simple but they said there was no booking available for 8pm and gave us a table for 9pm. Got to the casino at 8 and the restaurant was semi empty so I didn’t really get it.
- I didn’t like the fact that if some people wanted to choose the Christmas menu then everyone had to go for it or otherwise everyone à l carte. It was not possible “for the different time of serving” to have some choosing one option and some the other . I think that’s the only thing I didn’t like about this place.
Price: fair I think. £275 for 5 people with two bottles of wine it wasn’t too bad considering the quality of food.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caesars E
Hello NoE-travelholic, thanks for the positive feedback! We're always happy to know that you had a good experience.
Written 9 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
sii_coo
Manchester36 contributions
Feb 2020 • family
We visited yesterday for my wife’s 30th birthday celebration. We booked the table for 6:30pm and were finally ‘allowed’ to leave at 10:40pm. We all had two courses but had so many problems and had to wait so long for service it was ridiculous.
Due to having a big group (16) we had to pre-order which wasn’t an issue, apart from half the menu items (all steak included) wasn’t included in the online selection. We had to manually make a note of the people who wanted steak whilst rely on the online system for the people that didn’t! Inevitably this lead to stress and confusion.
The food itself was adequate. And when I’m paying £40 for a steak I mean it was adequate. The dripping chips could have been from McDonald’s, the steaks were poorly cooked and didn’t meet what was requested, I asked for rare and received medium-well.
The staff didn’t have a good grasp of English and we struggled to understand some of them, this isn’t an issue until there are problems or you ask for something a little unusual, I.e. asking for the cake to be wrapped up so we could take it away.
There was a problem with tills, they couldn’t deal with multiple people splitting a bill and we had to constantly wait AGES for everything.
We certainly will not be returning.
Written 9 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
We're very sorry that you had a negative experience. We strive to provide the best service possible. We would like to know more. Please fill out the form at the link below, and we will reach out to you as soon as we can: https://dashboard.reviewpush.com/28898479/i
Written 11 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
KH
Sheffield285 contributions
Feb 2020 • couples
We visited the restaurant on a Monday night at 7:15PM. Table reserved a few weeks in advance and was limited availability due to popularity of the restaurant.
The restaurant is set within the casino, but cleverly designed that you do not feel part of the gaming areas.
We enjoyed the 5 course tasting menu and complimentary wine flight. The food was delicious and demonstrated a well-thought out menu. The complimentary wine flight was exceptional value for money as part of their January / February deal.
Unfortunately, the major downside was the slow service. This is a real shame as the front of house staff were exceptional throughout the night. They have been let down by the management and were understaffed for a full restaurant. The entire service was 3.5 hours which far exceeds the 2 hour availability of your table.
If you have dined at Six By Nico on King Street, you will be aware of the impeccable and prompt service you can receive for a similar dining experience. I would suggest that the management take a visit to see a similar service and hope they offer more support to their front of house staff as this affected the dining experience.
Written 14 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Hello Karzipan100, thank you for your feedback. It really helps us improve our business. We appreciate you taking the time to share it with us.
Written 17 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
AH.
Manchester15 contributions
Feb 2020 • couples
I have been James Martin’s Restaurant multiple times now but the service during my recent 2 visits has really let itself down.
I visited in Jan for the 5 course tasting menu with paired wines for £30, the course came out in the wrong order, they were clearly short staffed, but it was a bargain and usually I have good service so I didn’t complain and gave the restaurant the benefit of the doubt.
The real disappointment came on Valentines day. We arrived on time and were asked to wait 5 minutes at the bar for our table to be ready, no problem we got a drink and waited 10/15. I go back to the asked to wait another 5 minutes and I explained we’d already waited the extra time.
Eventually we were shown to our booth like table, only to within a couple of minutes be asked to move. We got up and I asked why, to be told other guests had requested the table. A moment later we see another couple get up from there table to be moved where we were, and we were sat on their table with dirty/used glasses. I commented I felt this was really unfair and they gave us prosecco... but prosecco was included in the valentines day offer and every other table had a glass so it didn’t make much difference.
This wasn’t unnoticed by their other guests either. A woman before leaving came up to us and told us she thought it was really poor they gave another couple preferential treatment. She said it “rilled her up” all night and before leaving she spoke to the staff herself to complain.
The service didnt get much better as the night went on, service was slow, we weren’t asked how we liked our meat cooking although it says to choose on the menu, every other couple also got a box of chocolates included in the V day offer but obviously we didn’t.
As I say before my last 2 visits I has no complaints but the service recently has really let itself down. The food is excellent, the chefs do an amazing job, but even so I wouldn’t go back.
Written 14 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Hi Alouise1, We're very sorry that you had a negative experience. We strive to provide the best service possible and we would like to know more.
Please fill out the form at the link below, and we will reach out to you as soon as we can: https://dashboard.reviewpush.com/28990974/i
Written 17 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
starryglober
20 contributions
Jan 2020 • friends
Tried their 5 course tasting menu with wine pairing- the price is unbelievably a bargain! Still, nothing came less- high quality of food and wine, plus very friendly, warm and professional staff (my friend had to send a compliment on the way they remember all the dishes).
I regularly do tasting menu around the world and did James Martin a few times, their menus never disappointed and very often I’ve seen highly creative, original and unique dishes (this time the pear risotto totally rocked the show). Quite a lot of so called Michelin or fancy restaurants can’t match with them- especially on creativity and the perfect coordination between dishes.
The dessert was a super delicious chocolate orange. One of us is allergic to chocolate (yes I’m not joking... 😂) so they swapped it with a generously big sticky toffee pudding, he was very pleased and think it was the most yummy toffee pudding ever.
We enjoyed the meal and the service so much and will definitely come back again!
Written 11 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Hi there, thanks for the positive feedback! We're always happy to hear good things from our customers.
Written 13 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jay F
13 contributions
Feb 2020 • couples
Once again off to James Martin for my wife’s birthday As we both love it so much. We wear on the tasting menu again five courses with wine £30. The food was delicious as usual some of the courses were absolutely out of this world flavours that exploded on your tongue. I’ve marked it down one star this time because of the bread, we’ve been before and you get two or three different styles of bread with the oil and balsamic vinegar. This time we got one piece of Chia batter mind being a very small piece on the end no flavoured bread. We asked for more but it so we had to ask again, they brought the bread of eventually and then at the end of the meal we were charged for it I just felt this was a little petty to charge for one piece of bread each at £1.50. That restaurant has got a good ambience food is always delicious and I would recommend it very highly.
Written 6 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Thanks for the great review, Jay. It was a pleasure serving you as a customer and we're pleased to know that your wife had a lovely birthday.
Written 10 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
malcar12
Manchester34 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Prompted to book by following Exose on Masterchef we were delighted with every course!! Being 'picky' we would have preferred the first course to be a little warmer, and both decided that potato puree was not to our taste. We were surprised to learn that an additional cost would have been levied to substitute the paired wines for soft drinks, which seemed counter intuitive. Our service was lovely, the presentation of each course beautiful, and the cookery delighted. Most memorably, The Faggot was fabulous, the fish course fantastic, and the duck course delightful. The wines were not all to our taste, but were all well paired with their food companions. We added coffee and happily paid the discretionary service charge, Fantastic value at <£40 each. We started our evening with a cocktail in the bar, great service, and surprisingly 2 4 1 price!!
Written 1 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Hello malcar12, thanks for the positive feedback! We're always happy to hear good things from our customers.
Written 3 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ali C
Sunderland28 contributions
Jan 2020 • couples
Amazing tasting menu last night which in January and February includes 5 paired wines with the 5 courses for £30 pp.
With complimentary seriously moreish bread/beef dripping/salt/butter (of course) to start, and coffees with luxury petit fours to finish, the total bill was still less than £80. Stunning value, worth easily three times that and return visit(s) already planned.
The staff were welcoming, knowledgeable, great atmosphere, and first class food so well done chef!
Written 15 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Thanks for the great review, alic388. It was a pleasure serving you as a customer.
Written 17 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
PeterPManchester_UK
Tyldesley22 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
Decided to try James Martins restaurant in Manchester. We had been aware of the restaurant for some time, but my wife thought the meal would unlikely live up to hype of a celebrity owner and I wasn't happy about sharing the venue with a casino. Celebrity restaurants we'd visited included Jamie's Italian, which was so so, and Northcote which was a bit hit and miss and the last time was very ordinary.
This was only a Sunday lunch, so the menu was a little restricted but my wifes starter of ox cheek was truly melt in the mouth and my Thai style crab risotto was very tasty. Wife followed with the butternut squash gnochi and me with the slow roasted beef. Much, much better beef than I had at Northcote last time. Desert was sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel ice cream and white chocolate bread and butter pudding with whiskey ice cream. For me, portions of the bread & butter pudding and particularly the ice cream could have been larger but nonetheless was very nice. At £25 per head for three courses and optional 10% service charge, I thought it was exceptional value.
Never learned the waitresses name but her service was exemplary. The right balance of being there to enquire if all was ok without being over bearing.
As it shares a venue with a casino, no under 18s are allowed, so it was a very relaxing meal too.
Written 9 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Hello Peter, thanks for the positive feedback! We're always happy to hear good things from our customers.
Written 11 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Emma R
Cardiff130 contributions
Mar 2020 • none
Located in a casino complex, this glamorous restaurant is large and impressive. Staff were friendly, but were quite keen to push the specials options(a good offer on steak), even when we explained my companion couldn't eat red meat. The taster menu wasn't available, which was disappointing. Wine was quite pricey - an average bottle was £30. Food was good, if a little underseasoned and the beef dripping served with the bread was an acquired taste. Service was ok but probably the least friendly we had during our stay in Manchester. It seemed as if one waiter was doing everything, whilst there was a staff member sat on the front desk doing admin. We visited for a special birthday, but staff didn't mention this and did nothing special for my friend, despite me mentioning it several times and also on booking. I can imagine with a few tweaks this place could be outstanding, but we found it came up a bit short of expectation. The four out of five was for the food, if it was solely on service, they'd have struggled to get a 3 out of 5.
Written 14 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
We are glad you enjoyed your experience at James Martin Manchester, Emma. Thank you for your feedback, it really helps us improve our business. We appreciate you taking the time to share it with us.
Written 16 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Quaver_raver
48 contributions
Feb 2020 • friends
Yes, you have to walk through a casino to get in but once you’re in there it’s a beautiful restaurant. Don’t let it put you off. 5 of us came in for the £30 set dinner with free matching wines and everything was perfect. I loved every course and the service was great. 100%!!!
Written 1 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Hello Tracey, thanks for the positive feedback! We're always happy to hear good things from our customers.
Written 3 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ellen W
Macclesfield9 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
My husband and I were gifted a tasting menu meal at James Martin. The food was excellent and each course the server explained everything, the same with the wine. When we arrived it was early evening and the service was very good. As the evening progressed the restaurant got very busy. As it got busier the service became very slow and we waited 20 minutes between the cheese course and the dessert. I also found it strange to go through a casino to get to the restaurant.
Written 2 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
We are glad you enjoyed your experience at James Martin Manchester. Please visit us again soon!
Written 7 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hayley0001
Crewe11 contributions
Mar 2020 • couples
We recently visited James Martins for my Husbands birthday. He has wanted to try this place for sometime so I wanted to make sure the evening was special. I requested we have a seat at the window to offer us a little more privacy than a central table would. When we arrived the front of house quickly checked through our reservation and asked if we would mind waiting for 20 mins so they could get us a table by the window as requested, we were 15 mins early for our table anyway so of course did not mind waiting in the bar with a drink. Once we were seated the evening just got better and better, the food was outstanding and the service was second to none, all of the staff were really attentive and we weren’t left needing anything.
I would recommend this to anyone wanting a special evening out, amazing food or just a different experience to main stream restaurants. Thank you to the restaurant staff for making my husbands birthday meal special.
Written 9 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
44caesarse
Hi Hayley, thank you for the positive feedback. We're so happy to know that we were able to make your husband's birthday special. We hope to see you both soon!
Written 11 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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