Abacus Oriental Restaurant in Bolton

Food was good BUT was made very expensive with 10% service charge, food was just brought out from the kitchen. No extra service. I always leave a tip but don’t like being dictated to with service charge. It was just OK but feel like it was a rip off with the charge. Will not be going again.

Best Chinese food!! Excellent and friendly service, we went their for our dad's 70th birthday and we all enjoyed the dinner.

Food was ok nothing special, it’s a bit pricey for what it is, the real kick in the knackers is the service charge £5-70 for two people WTF, no mention of this before we ordered, which by be going here again.

Are here last night on a visit to the cinema next door. Went for the set menu. Food was OK, arrived in good time. Only 3 pancakes each for the duck I felt was a bit stingy. All in all a good meal, drinks very pricey, and the 10% automatic service charge always gets my back up, but service was ok, and I would have probably tipped 10% anyway but I’d like that choice! On this occasion we let it go. When you have so many choices for food at Middlebrook, I probably wouldn’t rush back.

Our favourite place! If someone ask me where to go to eat tasty Chinese cuisine I will answer “Abacus”. Alway warm, always tasty.

We came for our friends birthday meal and it was absolutely delicious. I love this restaurant gives you time to talk and have a break between meals. We had a lovely couple of hours there. I had dim sum and prawn toast to start followed by duck in orange sauce. All superb.

Great to see them reopened again. Food was great, try the new soup, wow that is a bit special. Had a lovely evening, thanks

We were very happy to celebrate the restaurant’s re-opening and the Chinese New Year with Eric and the team. We went for an early lunch to avoid the crowds. We stuck to our usual combo platter (seaweed, vegetable roll, prawn toast, prawn won ton, chicken skewer and spare ribs), served hot and crispy with two side dips. Very tasty but also filling, so we opted to share a main – melt in the mouth crispy pork with a well-balanced sweet and savoury and not too salty teriyaki sauce. Decent draught lager. Most of the staff have been here for years and they are all lovely – attentive without being intrusive, checking that you are ready for the next course. Yes - be aware that the bill will include an automatic 10% charge so don’t add a separate tip. Because of the UK minimum wage, restaurant workers here should be less reliant on tips but, for me, the automatic tip addition simplifies things. For example, my very elderly parents agonise whether they should be adding one or two or maybe even three £1 coins (their equivalent of rounding up to the nearest pound which is what they used to do 40 years ago!) The service is good, the charge is much lower than at a USA / France café, and the menu makes it clear that the charge is discretionary. As you pay at the till, you can discretely ask for it to be removed or reduced if you so wish. The only reason I can’t give 5 stars, is because the menu still has a bit of a ‘take-away’ feel to it (which, to be fair, is probably what most local folks want) - our personal preference would be is for more of an authentic China Town vibe (would save us travelling to the far side of Manchester city centre) .

Abacus Chinese restaurant has reopened, went 17th February, for a meal with the wife, had the imperial, Amazing, The restaurant was full, only 3 waitresses and a young lad, they just took in there stried, the food was very good, service was excellent, can't fault it.

One of the best Chinese meals I have ever had. Both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our meals and the experience. Will definitely go again when we are next in the area.

Excellent food. Quick service. Love that we had plenty and was hot ( my pet hate. small portions and cold food. ) We definitely eat there again and will recommend to my friends. Shame you don’t open for lunch. Ladies who do lunch would love to eat here.

Check the bill as it is not itemised and also includes a 10% charge. When paying you are asked to add a tip!. Ask for an itemised bill.

Fantastic service. Quick, efficient and polite. Food was ok :) would visit again Handy to pop before a concert. Many thanks

Asked for soft noodles and was given a plate of stale noodles that tasted like they had been found in the bottom of a trash can. Both of us tasted and declared them unfit for consumption so they was left. The staff member unsure of name took them away and despite being told twice they was horrible, they was still left on the bill. The other food items was okay, but nothing special. Definitely not worth the price. Very very salty! Currently drinking my 17th bottle of water since leaving the restaurant at 6.30pm, it is not even 8.30pm.

We have enjoyed every meal here since we first went when it opened. Excellent for meals for couples, families and friends. Wide choice and plenty of vegetarian options too. You are paying for freshly cooked excellent quality food. Attentive staff who are keen to help. If you like a quieter ambience go on a week night or earlier in the evening and if you prefer a livelier atmosphere and less attention then go for a weekend. Lovely to have a genuine family run restaurant with dedicated staff in the local area. Thank you!

The food at Abacus was very good with everything piping hot & obviously freshly cooked. The staff were very friendly if a little bit ‘keen’, all round good though. For starters we had a large mixture as there wee seven of us. Delicious spring rolls, crispy duck, won tons & spicy wings. For mains we had chicken in black bean sauce, beef in black been sauce, special fried rice, chicken fried rice, chicken in black pepper & chicken curry. All were very tasty. The draught lager was decent and the white wine was fine. The only bugbear was the automatic 10% service charge. We always leave a good tip but it should be at our discretion. We only found out as we paid the bill, which was £235 including the 10%. We almost left an extra £20 but I noticed the extra on the bill.

Fantastic, highly recommend Myself and 3 friends attended abacus yesterday evening & I shall be returning with family. If you are heading to the middle brook park I would say this is your go to for food after shopping or cinema. Portions are plentiful, restaurant is very clean and the service by waiting staff is fantastic. We ordered duck pancakes, spring rolls , salt and pepper chicken and chips , sweet and sour chicken , special fried rice , seaweed and more and couldn’t fault anything. They also cater for birthdays which was lovely to see.

Went for a celebratory family meal having pre-booked a couple of weeks before. To be fair our table was ready in a very busy restaurant although didn’t initially find the staff member very pleasant. Other staff during the evening were courteous although not usual friendly approach when visiting oriental restaurants. Throughout the evening staff were constantly looking to remove dishes from our table and chasing the next course. On one occasion I had to tell them my granddaughter clearly hadn’t finished her starter and to come back. Overall though the food was good and well presented. All of the dishes we ordered were plentiful and made with quality ingredients. The only criticism was that all our soups were lukewarm at best and appeared to come from a simmering ready cooked pan. As others mentioned drinks are on the expensive side particularly soft drinks. My biggest complaint was the automatic 10% service charge which in our case added £17.50 to the bill (a table next to us also questioned their £50 service charge!) Service charges (tips in reality) should be at the discretion of the customer not automatically added. I questioned this charge and ultimately refused to pay it. I did however leave a tip at 2.5% of our bill. Had this charge not been automatically applied I would have left a 5% tip for the level of service we received so perhaps the restaurant should think about this in the future. Overall our evening was pleasant and food generally good but parts of the experience may mean we won’t return again.

I felt the food and service was very good and would recommend. Starters of prawn and chicken satay tasty , duck pancakes as expected and schezuan beef good. Restaurant a bit tired and lacking atmosphere despite being busy.

Wow this place was amazing told the waitress my intolerance and they accommodated me thanks so much you don’t get this in many restaurants! The food was amazing delicious very good customer service friendly staff

We ate here last night at the end of a small business meeting, to be honest the place was very quiet which is a shame as the staff and food are great. We had a banquet which seemed to go on for ever, the food quality, drinks and staff were all A1 Long time since my last visit, I will make sure my next visit is not too far away. Keep up the Great work 👍

Another amazing meal at abacus. Lots of fabulously attentive waitresses including Jenny who is amazing. Super food, excellent service and wonderful atmosphere

Went to abacus tonight after a long time ,well it was absolutely fabulous !! Food and staff were amazing ,service was top class my grandson says he wants to go back for his birthday in April,personally think we will be back before!! Thanks to the...

We were visiting locally and booked a few hours ahead of arriving. Needn't have bothered despite it being a Friday night. Despite being in a enclosed area of the cinema, and upstairs the restaurant was cold and heard a few customers commenting along those lines....

Been going to this restaurant since it first opened and even supported them by ordering takeaway during lockdown, however I won't be bothering again. Granted service hasn't been great on the last two visits but we've preserved, putting the issues down to a blip. This...

Visited this restaurant many times and food general good, however tonight’s experience wasn’t great. Courses where a little bland and set menu underwhelming, we ordered a £28per head set meal only for the satay chicken to be dry, only 6 pancakes (3 each for the...

I have been using this restaurant for about 12 years. Food is good and staff are generally very nice. However, I went in this evening about 7.30pm 8/10 and it was clearly very busy. I approached the counter and one of the managers( not Steve)...

Not visited for around 18 months but the standard of food was as we remembered delicious presentation and portions good They are very covid savvy staff wearing masks and distancing still applies The atmosphere was nice staff attentive but not over bearing Will definitely be...

I recently visited for a meal with my husband. The menu’s are still online with a QR code so it took us some time to get them up as 4g in the area is terrible. I personally don’t like being on my phone at the...

Impeccable service. The staff here are kind and never cease to amaze us. The food is always 100% perfect in every way. It's not cheap but well worth it

As we arrived and were shown to our tables, straight away it was like the staff couldn't be bothered! Our chairs were thrown back and he walked off without a word muttered to us. Our food arrived less than 5 minutes from ordering so I...

A wonderful evening in a lovely restaurant. Prompt, friendly and helpful service. All our dishes were extremely good and we couldn't have been better looked after by the staff. Shall certainly be eating here again.

We arrived,greeted and seated. 28 mins later a waitress arrived. Food and drinks ordered( no prices or drink list) Food was very good Courses arrived out of sequence(course 4 before course 3) The bill arrived. A small glass of Coke was about £6.50 Then a...

Will never go back to this restaraunt. Staff are rude and not helpful at all and had to ask them to take my order. The food was OK, but very pricey. We attended on a day there was the ‘eat out to help out’ offer...

Glad we had eat out to help out discount, otherwise it doesn’t worth even with discount meal for two £33 was a shock, we had lemonade which was sprite with a slice of lemon For £6.50, my husband had Thai fish cake which looked like...

Sunday set menu and it was excellent. Hot n sour vegetable soup and chicken n sweet corn soup. Vegetable samosas and pork spring rolls. Mains pork in pepper sauce and boiled rice beef in Cantonese sauce with chips all the food was excellent service fantastic.10/10

Always liked it been plenty of times food and service always good. BUT this time we decided to come for the Valentine’s Day set banquet £26.50 per head we ordered just one round of drinks, two large cokes the bill came to £66.70 the drinks...

Just ate here and the food was delicious and the service was the best I have experienced. It was exceptional and not intrusive. Would highly reccomend this restaurant and I will definitely be returning.

First time been here and judging fom this experiene, it certainly won't be the last! Great value for money, delicious food and excellent beer. What more could you possibly ask?

If you like you Chinese food this is the place to go in Bolton. Enjoyed their wonderful Banquet on New Years Eve. Generous portions, lots of dishes and great staff.

Enjoyed a lovely meal at this restaurant with my grandchildren and daughter. Very friendly staff and good choice of food. Would definitely recommend.

I would give this 0 star rating if there was an option to do so. Awful food awful atmosphere and awful customer service and absolute rip off I left here feeling really deflated, I wont be back.

My wife and I visited for the excellent value weekend lunch. For just over £10 I had a delicious vegetable hot and sour soup, spring rolls and setchuan chicken. Delightful surroundings and very warm welcome.

We went here early evening before we went to see Downton Abbey at the cinema, we had the early diner menu, it was hot, good and we enjoyed it very much, I would recommend this restaurant.

Really tasty food. Prawn soup was spicy but delicious. BBQ rubs in Peking Sauce lovely. Shredded Chilli Beef and Chicken in Black Bean Sauce was excellent.

We’ve been quite a few times and always really enjoyed the food! The crispy seaweed is to die for and their little spring rolls are the best around. The atmosphere is a little strange, as it’s on the retail park and looks out onto the car-park, but they do their best to make it nice inside. Nice tablecloths, music and friendly staff make a big difference! I do think they’re quite expensive for the area and I don’t go there as often now as I used to because of this. It’s very convenient for the retail park though and a good place to eat after a day shopping or after the cinema.

Just eaten in here and what a delight. Nice to have chinese food that's not a takeaway or a buffet resturant. I have been here in the past but not for many years. It was great from start to finish. Had salt and pepper ribs and crispy beef and also had sweet chilli beef and teriyaki chicken for mains. Staff were friendly and efficient. Always happy to help. Plus the food wasnt as expensive as we thought..Will be back here soon!

We had a lovely experience at Abacus. The staff were courteous, efficient and not overly attentive. The service was excellent and the meals were delicious.

If you like Chinease food like me and you have a family, also like me, then Abacus is the place for you. The food is spectacular and no matter what you order, it will taste just as good as it gets. The staff are the nicest people you could wish for. If you have children there is a children's menu and also a variety of juices and pop. There is also a wide variety of other drinks. Even if you go every day you will never get bored as there is so many menu choices I bet that it could last you years to eat everything. I loved this Chinease restaurant and will be returning in the near future.

Had booked in here on a Saturday evening at 8pm following a trip to the cinema. We have been many times in the past and enjoyed immensely so we’re really looking forward to it.

Came here on Saturday and caught the end of the lunch menu which was 3 courses for £11 ish. Absolutely delicious. Super friendly staff and one of the best Chinese meals I’ve had. Chicken & Sweetcorn soup was tasty and the Sweet & Sour Chicken was super yummy. The Rose wine was lovely and we can’t wait to return.

Food is fresh and extremely tasty. The staff are excellent too. Great value for money too The best Chinese food I’ve eaten in a long time

Starters average at best, main course tasted like microwave ready meal not an authentic Chinese by any means. Beer was flat and wine was poor.

We have eaten here a number of times, the food is fresh and very tasty. But I have to base my review on the chicken gyoza! We have tried so many other places for the same dish, even tried to recreate them at home, they can not be beaten. The chicken gyoza from this restaurant is out of this world!!! Wonderful.

Such a great service. Warm welcome on the door, seated quickly, served quickly. The food was amazing. I didn't know what to expect as I don't eat foreign food but I was amazed at how tasty it was. The service is wonderful, the staff can't do enough for you, they are so helpful and polite. They made my experience a really good one. I highly recommend this place. Well done to all the staff

Been here few times in the past and stop for a while to try out other restaurant. Now back to this place again. Believe it or not this place still going after so long and still is a popular place to go for sitting down in an orental restaurant.

Visited Abacus last night with my partner for the first time and can definitely say we will be back again. Excellent customer service, very attentive. Tasty, fresh food and a lovely atmosphere. Will be recommending to friends and family.

really good decor but to be honest the servers take it to a new level i only put my knife an folk down for a second and they where clearing the table bit ocd for me foif was good but asking for a tip when paying on the card machine is a bit of putting good food staff OCD

I’m not generally a big fan of Chinese but I will definitely be visiting this place again. Very good food, very good service and exceptional value for money.

I wasn't over impressed with abacus. The service was good but the food was a bit mediocre and It was pricier than I had expected. I won't go back

This early diner meal is ideal before visiting the cinema, it’s great value for money too! The staff are very efficient & friendly. The food is always served fresh & has lots of taste! 😊

We have been to Abacus on a few occasions now and the food has been consistently excellent and always made fresh and served warm, Service is also very good

Food was good and the service was quick and friendly, Food although was quite expensive .Shame extra charge for prawn crackers ,Also the beverages were on the expensive side.

The meal for two was lovely. The staff are very attentive and the service was quick. For a Tuesday it was a nice atmosphere but not too busy at the same time. My partner said it was his best ever chicken and sweet corn soup but he wished we were given prawn crackers. I didn’t mind we didn’t get them as the soup was filling enough and we still had mains and of sides to go.

We had another amazing meal at abacus. The staff are amazing. Jenny in particular who can’t do enough for you. The food is always excellent, hot and tasty. We love abacus and the staff.

We went for a evening meal before going for a movie and all I can say is I’d definitely go again. The choice of food was great and I was more than happy with the taste. Good thing was that I wasn’t bloated or stuffed after eating it to go see a film.

Absolutely brilliant !!! Went on a recommendation and loved it. Super food, lovely staff and the cleanliness restaurant I think we have ever eaten in. Can’t understand the poor reviews as our experience was one of the best.

we had the early bird menu- starters are clearly bought in and just deep fried which is fine if you want standard out a bag Chinese food. we had the duck satay with very little duck and a poor satay sauce, no depth in flavour just a generic gelatinous sauce which you wouldn't identify as satay. Bulked out with white onions and green peppers. way over priced for the quality which is below average in my opinion.

We had the early bird menu and the food was tasty and portion size was enough. That said if you are hungry this wouldn't be enough.

Me and my sister visited here first time. I’m so impressed with their kind service and hospitality. Very well done. Not to mention food was delicious

Called here to celebrate daughters birthdays and we had a lovely evening. The food was delicious, hot, generous portions and the restaurant itself is great. The staff were very friendly and enjoyed some of the birthday cake. Defo go again.

Went with a gang from work and food excellent as always in fact we ordered too much! Service average but they try to be helpful

Go elsewhere!!!Terrible food & portions. Don't bother with the early bird offer. You'll call at a takeaway on the way home. Really gone down hill over the years. Wonder why the place is empty in such a prime location??? 🤔

Worst take away we have ever had, the food seemed like it it been hanging around for days and just warmed up. four of us in our party and there was more than half thrown away. Disgusting food.

Myself, My Husband and our Daughter, went to this lovely place on a Monday evening for Tea. It was spotlessly clean, the staff were nice and attentive, and the menu was varied.

We booked here for my husbands 60th birthday celebrations. There were 17 people in total so we opted for the Imperial Banquet.Communication with the staff was excellent as we took the birthday cake and balloons in early so that the table was decorated for our arrival.Had a large table that overlooked the view from the windows,Was asked about allergies or preferences but everyone was happy with the menu.The food was excellent, we did enjoy every meal that was given to us,it was served hot and very efficiently.Staff were wonderful as drinks were being ordered all the time.Thank you to the manager and his staff for providing a wonderful evening that was enhanced by the food, the 10%service charge was well worth it as the staff worked really hard and our every request was granted.

We dined here for the first time on a fairly busy Saturday night. It was not memorable and we will probably not return. The food was average, at best. The service was friendly and attentive, but as we approached the end of our meal we got the feeling we were being rushed. Other tables around us were also being "encouraged " to have their bills. The food was bland. The kung po chicken seemed like some pre-cooked chicken and vegetables warmed up in a sauce. The main ingredients did not seem to be seasoned or spiced, just the sauce holding them.

Visited midweek, the food was very good and the service was excellent. As a pescatarian I can only comment on the seafood (fried squid, Thai fish caked and fish delight in orange and lemon sauce) which was all very tasty. Will definitely return.

We dined as we have here on many occasions as a party of seven. The bill was £230 and £23 optional service charge added (we were the only customers midweek evening). We removed the service charge, as we felt £10 was an adequate tip. We had to argue to pay and get out of the restaurant, threatened with ‘we will bring the manager if you weren’t happy with the service ‘. We eventually left and will never return again, as we do not wish to be ‘bullied ‘ into tipping good service that should be provided anyway.

Went with a group from work, we were all disappointed. The food was bland and it was quite expensive especially as a service charge was added.

My first time visiting here although I have been passed it many times..came here with my daughter for a late tea whilst wqit8ng to see a film..it seemed a great place seated quickly..attended to quickly ordered one of the banquets have to say the food was delicious..perfect egg soup.. delicious mixed starter and duck pancakes..in fact this is one of the best Chinese I have tasted in a long time..they even have us extra rice cakes as we took a lot of the food home..great ambiance lovely place

I visit the Middlebrook Park area annually, and a visit to Abacus is something I look forward to each time. As a locally owned (non-chain) restaurant their is a pleasantly different atmosphere, compared to many of the other (chain owned) food outlets nearby.

Went on Saturday and had the early set meal, we've been before during the week for the early menu and always enjoyed it, it's good value for money. Husband had szechuan chicken I had szechuan beancurd it wasn't as nice as previous meals we've had here hopefully they were just having a off day.

15 minute standing wait with an unbusy restaurant- asked 3 times if booked. Exceptionally slow table service with incorrect orders.

Seen this restaurant many times over a long period but never ventured over the threshold. What a mistake !!

We visit as a couple quite often after visiting the cinema but our last visit was as a family for my birthday end of April we made a reservation for 4 adults & 2 children we requested a round tableou near the window our request was granted even though they had to rearrange the seating .the set meal for 4 was ample delicious and the service fantastic would recommend the noodles

We had an early dinner and chose from the set menu at £9.99 per head. The food was OK, good size portions and 3 courses. For £9.99 per head it was worth it. Service was friendly and efficient and this was our second visit.

I don't normally write reviews on trip advisor but this meal was SO bad I feel I should warn people. The food came out less than 10 minutes after we had ordered it - alarm bells!! Thai red curry was honestly the worst I've ever had - gloopy and like Heinz tomato soup. The chow mein was much the same - So gloopy and clearly full of MSG and not fresh. In hindsight we should have sent the whole meal back. Asside from the food the service was great with very nice staff - unfortunately this is a restaurant and nice staff don't cut it. Will never go back!!

Place needs shutting down better still knocking down, Mr Bruce came out with last weeks chicken with a layer of skin on, Mrs Bruce came out with one scruffy wet wipe that shed just washed the bogs with, food was here within 2 mins of us ordering cold and horrible warmed up from last night, only thing good was the J20s

Our first visit here. A bit confusing when ordering as curry comes on it’s own & not with rice. But otherwise the food was Devine & the staff were very friendly. Would definitely visit again.

We have been going for meals here since it opened & the standard is still superb even though there have been changes of management etc . The staff are all so friendly & helpful and the food is fabulous . We had mixed combo A to start which includes seaweed , prawns , chicken skewer , pork rib & a veg spring roll with 3 different sauces . for mains this time we had King Prawn Cantonese & Sea Bass steamed with Ginger . Plus drinks etc . A really great meal and the standard never drops . It is the best Oriental that i have been to in the UK .

We ate here whilst staying at the nearby Whites Hotel. We ate from the set menu, and found the quality and value to be both very good

We visited abacus as a couple after a cost to the cinema on a Thursday evening. We were surprised at how busy the restaurant was on a Thursday, there was room for us but there were plenty of people in. We were quickly offered drinks, the food order took a bit of time to make. We ordered a sharing platter, I had yellow lamb curry and my husband ordered salt and pepper prawns. The food was delicious and we were well looked after. I was really impressed, we'll be back.

I guess there is a reason why I could book a table for seven last thing on a Saturday evening! The food was OK. The duck with pancakes was chopped and not shredded which my meat eater companions told me wasn't a good thing. I found the fried lettuce in dishes rather than onion a bit weird. The staff were pleasant and attentive. Overall I probably wouldn't return unless the prices were severely modified. My recommendation would be to ask for water for the table, the (non-alcoholic) drinks worked out at around £3 a glass. You may also want to sit separate from your friends to avoid the 10% surcharge! As two of our party were children this seemed a bit steep.

Wish I'd read recent reviews on this restaurant before going. First time visiting and the last. I love Oriental food and was looking forward to trying the food here. Disappointed is an understatement. We went for the early diner menu. My partner had the BBQ ribs and I had the prawn toast. The ribs were dry and chewy and had what looked liked honey drizzled on...not ribs as we know.....the prawn toast wasn't very tasty either but at least came with a dip unlike the prawn crackers . For mains my partner had the duck with coriander and garlic sauce and I had the chicken with Cantonese sauce. My partner said the duck tasted funny so I tried it and it tasted off so he left it. My main wasn't much better but was eatable . The staff came over and asked what was wrong and we explained . Was offered something else but by then had lost our appetite as the food was such a let down .Asked for the bill and all we got was a £5 reduction. The excuse was they hadn't much time to prepare the food for early menu !!!! Not acceptable. Will not return and certainly wouldn't recommend .

We have visited this restaurant a few times and we always return because the food is delicious, the atmosphere is lovely and the staff are so friendly.

Overpriced tasteless food,, salt and pepper chicken was tasteless I have had nicer chicken at MacDonalds ,, my friends meals...

We went to Abacus on a Saturday afternoon. They had a three course meal available for £10. We both decided...

Met up with old work colleagues tonight,and although I live local made my first visit to Abacus,our meal was absolutely...

This is a very nice Chinese next to the view cinema, it offers a good range of meals and banquet...