Canto Restaurant in Manchester

Unfortunately, I'm giving it three stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why? They've chosen to charge higher end wine prices, but don't have the quality to match - £42 for a low grade wine. Principally, I can't agree with that - it's a deterrent to eating there again. I never select my wine by price - I'm happy to pay anywhere upwards of £60 for a good bottle of wine for the table. But if I'm paying for it, I do expect quality wine. And at £42 for a cheap and bitter Malbec, you've got it so wrong. I hadn't looked at the price, but by its bitter taste, I expected to be paying £26, max. I was stunned to receive a bill of £150, £42 of it from the malbec. Either the person selecting your wines doesn't know wine, or you've simply accepted a wholesaler recommended choice and they've screwed you over on price. Furthermore, although the food is delicious, your overall pricing is on the higher end per head, but your service simply doesn't match it. There's nothing wrong with the service staff - they provide a run of the road restaurant service. But you're not charging run of the road - if you want to charge higher pricing, you have to provide the higher quality service. Which you don't. Overall at £150 for two people, I just don't see the dining experience is worth that. Had it been £100, I'd have returned again. At £150, I think you're overcharging hugely for what you provide and simply aren't operating in that price range. Based on that, you wouldn't see me again - there's far better restaurants in Manchester at a more appropriately priced level for their quality and higher level of service.

The lamb meatball portion was tiny, although chicken wings were great. On average, it was ok but not worth the price.

Brought 2 American friends who have been to London and Brussels,,,they said it was the best food of their whole 3 week trip , “outstanding “. The tastes were so different and tasty The Catalan bruschetta was particularly tasty …see photo my daughter comes here and loves the chicken wings particularly and it’s dog friendly too Would highly recommend the recommend this restaurant for people who enjoy tasty beautifully presented food

Food was unreal as always, great atmosphere and fantastic service from Tamara - very tentative, made the visit amazing! Thanks again - Alex & Rachel

GREAT FOOD, FANTASTIC ANTENTIVE SERVICE, WILL DEFINITELY RECOMMEND 👌 😀

Really enjoyable food and fast service. The the 3 dishes for £20 deal is also great if you go at certain times.

Been here a few times now. Very good food. Would recommend their peri peri chicken and mushroom croquettes.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was really something to behold, with upbeat music playing in the background and really adding to the vibe, and the food was all incredible - words can’t describe how flavoursome it was. The staff were extremely welcoming and friendly, with our server Darius making the night, and the kitchen staff being really helpful and kind as well. Would give 6 stars if I could, and will definitely come again.

Great food, sat at the chefs bar and I would highly recommend. Lovely service from Darius and the rest of the team. Will be coming back!

Incredible food with incredible service! We did the weekday 3 for £20 deal which worked out amazing for us. We enjoyed every single bite!!! Definitely the best meal we've had in ages. Darius looked after us, always ensuring our drinks were topped up and we had everything we needed. 10/10!!

Went for lunch with my sister. The 3 Tapas and a soft drink for £20 is superb value for money. Sorry no photographs because the food and company was so good. Excellent value and service 👏👏👏

Staff were so helpful and friendly tonight catering to allergies. Food was amazing, especially the mushroom croquettes. Will be back!

Excellent food, excellent service, everything was done right and one of the best deserts I've had in my life, and they accept cash (I refuse to give any business to cashless restaurants)

Really lovely tapas place. Food was fantastic and totally reasonably priced for the quality. Really enjoyed my meal with my girlfriend.

Absolutely Lovely! The vivacity of the Ancoats neighbourhood also offer a vibrant and researched place, carrying you for some time to the lusitan coasts. Only note is the lack of any portuguese songs in the playlist, even though everything else seemed authentic and perfect! Recommended!

Just fantastic food. Nice staff, great atmosphere on a Friday night. Their sangria is next level, not sure what they flavour it with but it's incredible

I always love going in for food, such a warm atmosphere too!

Excellent time at Tipsy Tapas. Freya was very attentive and ensured we had an amazing time. Drinks were refilled often and the food was amazing. The pasta del nata witha candle was an extra treat for my partners birthday. Good vibes all round.

Tapas plates are typical small size but extremely well presented and very tasty. Good informal lively atmosphere

The food and service was amazing! 🤩 would definitely come back again

What a restaurant this is, amazing tapas with really good service. Top 3 in Manchester!

Food is amazing and the closest we really get to traditional Spanish food over here in Manchester. Dogs can come in which makes it very welcoming and easy

Went on Saturday evening we booked the table, really busy but a great vibe staff were very attentive and friendly ordered lots of plates of food and it came out at different times really hot and fresh great flavours definitely worth the visit xx

Thus came highly recommended. Wasn't disappointed at all. Service was very good and the food was delicious!

Food was excellent, drinks a little expensive

Enjoyed meal but staff were rushing to close.

Food was average and did not taste like authentic Spanish tapas at all. Especially the patatas bravas just like baked potato with chewy skin and some sauce on top. Also, Gambas pil pil was not like the Spanish one either. For those prices I was surprised they are not given bread for customers.

Really lovely food. Service was good. Tapas style food was excellent, all very hot and very tasty. Good portion sizes and delivered to table in stages. Probably one of the nicest tapes I've had in Manchester. Not the cheapest but would definitely return

Delicious food and super friendly staff!

Delicious food and yummy dessert. Thanks!

The food is lovely, the tapas plates are stupidly big for the table size, it doesn't make it look fancier just makes it awkward. There were lots and lots of tiny flies, we were swatting them all through our meal, euk. The service was good and surrounding very nice. 2 x £20 tapas specials, 1 bottle of wine, service charge .....£70+

Very good quality but just too pricy for tapas

Great value for money getting the three tapas for £20... Top quality stuff

Delicious food and great service at reasonable price.

Great food and servie. Lots to chose from for vegan and veggie. Highly recommend

Best tapas I've ever had served beautifully! 10000% recommended!

Great atmosphere and choice of dishes We booked the "Chefs Table" which is a high backed chair at a bar that is directly connected to the kitchen, as in the Chefs are half a meter in front of you. It's very cool to see the care taken over the food preparation and speed they're working at. Was great for a date night with my wife. Nice experience to share :) Definitely recommend

I’ve been here three times now over the last 2 years and each time Canto has gotten better and better. On the first visit we felt the service and food were slightly below par but the improvements since then are so impressive. The service is excellent, attentive but not too in your face. The food is ace, salt cod fritters and beef short rib were particular highlights. The price has increased in that time but the restaurant industry has also taken a battering in that time so happy to pay more. Can’t wait to return and support a local business again.

Food and the spicy margaritas were delicious! Service was great...our lovely waitress Lucy took very good care of us. Will be back

Lovely birthday lunch with my son

Food was great, there was a deal which was 3 for £20 before 6pm on Tuesdays. Toilets were lovely with hand moisturiser which smelt amazing.

This was our second time eating at Canto and again, we thought it was delicious and had a lovely time. The staff were very friendly and we appreciated them sorting a booth for my pregnant partner as the reserved high table would not have been comfortable. We had 6 dishes and 2 deserts, most of which were excellent, especially the cauliflower, Ox cheek and mushroom croquetas.

Food Is still good, price have become too High. service charge a scourge of current hospitality, if I want to leave a tip I leave it, I don't like that I find myself 15 Pounds more on the bill for the waitress when the waitress was not professional at all. the manager was very good though

An Ancoats staple. I’ve been to Canto multiple times for lunch, dinner or just drinks, and it’s reliably a great option. They offer tipsy tapas at the weekend where you got three small plates and bottomless drinks, where the staff work hard to make sure you always have a drink - great option for big groups too! The new tomato salad with capers is incredible too.

We visited Manchester to see our daughter last week and we had a dinner in Canto as family..The food was delicious and the staff are very friendly..Highly recommended and value for money..Ross the waiter is amazing and lovely guy.

Very good food, we attend each time we're in Manchester. The prices have gone up but I suppose you get what you pay for. I would recommend this restraunt 100% of the time.

Spontaneous choice to dine, superb food, service and lovely relaxed experience.

We had the Tipsy Tapas deal - 3 dishes and certain unlimited drinks for 90 mins. This was a great offer, food, service and atmosphere were lovely, definitely recommend 💫

Lovely tapas style dishes. Quite pricey but worth it

Food is nice but way overpriced. Service charge 12.5% standard even though I had to go find menu's myself and even stabilise my own (very) wonky table with items from my bag. On this sunny evening all terraces in ancoats square were full apart from Canto and now I get it

I can’t remember much about the evening but they found space for a large group of us on a Sunday evening without a reservation so Canto is ok in my book.

Amazing restaurant 🔝🔝🔝🔝 and the food is amazing too 👌👌👌. I went last Saturday and the menu prices are very good 👍.

Arguably among the finest tapas bars in the UK, with undoubtedly the finest service nationwide. Every member of staff made us feel incredibly welcome, especially Chef Joao, who took the time to engage with us about the menu, making our evening truly memorable. A delightful establishment with charming people and delicious cuisine.

Very good food and service must visit

Fantastic food and great service! Will be back again :)

They have lunch offer even on Saturday, which allows us to enjoy having drinks + great food in the atmosphere which is brighten up by the sunshine from windows. (My favourite feeling!) Also their food is very decent, their Patatas bravas was even better than the ones we had in Spain!

Amazing friendly staff, great and fresh food

This is one of the best places I’ve eaten in Manchester. The food is seriously superb and they have soo many vegetarian options which is always a bonus. The chocolate tart was to die for! The service is great and the overall atmosphere is bubbly and fun!

Newly gluten free, i approach restaurants with trepidation butni could not have been in better hands. I explained the gf position at check-in expecting to be shown a small mark on the menu. Instead i was handed a full breakdown of everything on the menu. The staff were first class and the food beautiful presented. Not a 100percent score as there were a strangely high number of bar flies for a cool March day.

Incredible food, service and experience at the Chef's table. Went to Canto for an anniversary dinner and left with a smile on our faces. Food was sent out quickly, you can taste the freshness on the dishes and food overall was amazing. The chef's were very social and welcoming, which is rare to see in restaurants due to the nature of how busy it can get. Despite this they provided recommendations and got to know us. Johnny was top-notch, providing outstanding service, one of the chefs had asked us if we were celebrating and brought out a complimentary desert for us. Overall it was an experience to remember, and would highly recommend anyone to share a seat at the chef's table with a loved one or friend.

Really loved it here, food was great. Full marks across the board 😘👌

Friendly and helpful service, excellent food, relaxed atmosphere. Definitely advise pre booking as it's very busy.

I visited Canto a couple months ago. Nice tapas and atmosphere. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food and the variety. The service was excellent and Anand was lovely to me and my date. Would definitely recommend for chilled drinks after work or even a date night with your special someone!!!

Nice atmosphere.Good atmosphere

The set menu was good value. Tapas was good but it was slightly let down by the haphazard service. 3 veg dishes left too the end was off putting

Great tasty tapas. Everything we ordered was great. Service was all right, they brought something we didn't order, but when explained that wasn't the

We had a lovely meal sat on table 49, our server ed was brilliant! Really enjoyed all the food and our cocktails. Ps the candle was a lovely touch 🥵

Pretty average food. Very expensive wine menu. Incredibly busy so make sure book ahead.

Wow. 7 of us visited the restaurant having not been ever before. The service was on point.. had such a good experience here. The food was absolutely fantastic in every way with every dish having amazing flavours.. cant wait to go back again!! Our servers were very friendly and didn't seem to mind to stop and have a chat with us too. Having eaten and far more expensive restaurants and been disappointed these guys have set the bar very high! We will be back very soon 11/10 on everything!!!!

We enjoyed the Tipsy Tapas menu on a Saturday, the restaurant was extremely busy but the staff were very attentive. Great quality tapa’s specially the veggie items. The drinks that were part of the offer are great quality and the staff don’t leave your glasses empty before they replenish them. If you on wine they serve you a little jug. Definitely worth the money and the staff are fantastic.

Really delicious food, loved every dish. Good value and great choice of veggie and vegan food. Dishes cleared a bit quickly is the only minor criticism but not really a problem. Had a great time. Thank you.

Gorgeous food, and a really love atmosphere. Service was also nice and quick.

Nice setting with tasty food and reasonable enough selection. A bit pricey for the food you get in return but they do have an offer on when not peak

Great vibe, delicious food. Always enjoy it here

Food was lovely and lively atmosphere. Our waitress Lois was wonderful, really friendly and helpful.

Food poisoning, meal ended up in the toilet If you boast an open plan kitchen, at least do yourself the service of cooking, it's embarrassing watching chefs knife your microwaved dessert out of the plastic tub, it arrived at the table 20min later the 'lava' cake now cooled and solidified like pompeis remaining mummies. On the plus side the waiting staff were lovely, very considerate and super helpful

I think we were probably under dressed for the vibe, but the waiters still treated us very nicely. Food was really good and quick to come out, but it was very dark inside the restaurant.

Did the 3 dishes for £18. Food was really tasty and good portions considering they were small plates. Took a while to be able to order drinks and desserts and get the bill, but it was very busy.

Wonderful. Sat on the bar, chatted with the chefs. Great food. Felt comfortable.

Always good quality ,desserts were superb

Food came out a bit haphazardly, some had to wait for food, even though we had pre ordered before arrival as we were a party of 6.

🇬🇧"Cantó is a tapas restaurant nestled in the heart of the Ancoats neighborhood. With its impeccable decor, visitors step into a charming space to relish a delightful meal. While offering a tapas menu, it showcases a touch of English influence, presenting some lesser-known Spanish tapas. The service is commendable, and the waiting times are quite reasonable." 🇪🇦Cantó es un restaurante de tapas enclavado en pleno barrio de Ancoats. Con su impecable decoración, los visitantes ingresan a un espacio encantador para saborear una deliciosa comida. Si bien ofrece un menú de tapas, muestra un toque de influencia inglesa, presentando algunas tapas españolas menos conocidas. El servicio es digno de elogio y los tiempos de espera son bastante razonables."

Great evening. Friendly staff. Good food.

Upon arrival despite having a reservation, our table was not set and place setting and cutlery had to be placed after we had sat down. We were then left waiting to be served at which we were asked to order food before we had placed a drinks order. We ordered seven dishes a glass of wine and a cocktail. After a short couple of minutes our first dishes arrived before our drinks leading us to assume they were not made fresh for our dining that evening due to how quickly they were served. Overall we had all seven of our dishes served to us and ate within 15 minutes of ordered leading me to believe none of the food was fresh. Of these dishes none were particularly tasty, I have dined at your restaurant several times before knowing the standard of food usually served. We then sat with empty plates and glasses on our table for a further twenty minutes before I myself flagged down a waitress to order another drink who took our order and left our clearly finished, stacked up dishes and empty glasses on the table. A member of the bar staff came and removed our dishes and offered a desert menu to which we ordered an ice cream. It took longer to prepare the ice cream that all of the main dishes to be prepared, served and eaten. After spending over £100 on a meal for two I am extremely disappointed in the service and quality of food from Sunday night. It lead us to feel that as we were late diners at the end of the week we were unwanted and rushed as staff were eager to get the shift over. I have since emailed the team this complaint and heard no response very disappointing

Great fun, great food. Generous with the bottomless Cava 🥳

The food and service are always great here.

What can I say? The food here is AMAZING (probably the BEST tapas in Manchester). Note the food here is Portuguese style Tapas and is OUT OF THIS WORLD. We went for the 3 for £18 offer (which is SO worth it - because it has so many options and varieties) and the staff were so friendly and patient. Between the two of us - we spent approx £40 for tapas which I can't say would be doable with the other tapas restaurants in Manchester! We will DEFINITELY be coming back here for another visit soon! Just go - you won't regret it!!

Busy tapas bar - good food and upbeat atmosphere

Fantastic food/ atmosphere. Deal on food Saturday 12-4 an added bonus. Highly recommended

Just brilliant, we have been twice, and both times amazing. Thank you!

Love this place. Great food and deserts. Perfect service.

As I read before we booked a table here, at this kichen in Canto, there is a Michelin Star Chef. And I don’t know if he is still working here but I can tell that the food was more than Michelin star. The whole place is unique and the staff is very friendly and professional. I highly recommend this place in Manchester. The dessert was also delicious! Take a look at the photos

Went with my friend for dinner, shared tapas all lovely food & nice drinks, however the service was very poor, we wouldn’t have been able to order anything if it wasn’t for the lovely hosts coming over to help, we sat with empty glasses for 40 minutes & our waitress didn’t approach our table at all throughout the evening aside from bringing our dessert, very poor service & felt uncomfortable we wont be returning due to that unfortunately

Very nice flavor and great service. Would recommend!

Canto is a nice establishment but I wouldn’t say it was the best tapas/ Mediterranean food place in Manchester. Canto has a great varied selection of dishes that are available on the 3 for £18 deal that is available before certain times on weekdays. On this occasion we had the deep fried calamari, the meatballs and patatas bravas. All three were tasty, with the calamari taking the day. However, the portions were a little small, even by tapas standards, and most patrons would be hungry for more after all 3 dishes had been completed. In addition, I found the patatas bravas a little under cooked and not suggestive of the Mediterranean style you would expect. After debating whether to get another few portions of tapas we opted for desert - the tiramisu and some ice cream. Couldn’t complain about that at all! I would recommend Canto, with its friendly waiting staff and good environment, in the bustling cutting room square. However, be sure to be prepared to get a few dishes and have deep wallets to do so, as it’s not the cheapest.

Great tasting variety of dishes on the set menu. Friendly and helpful service.

Went on a Saturday night and the service was excellent. Quick but not rushed and friendly without being schmaltzy. The food was tasty and with a good selection. The only thing we did not rate was the patatas bravas which seemed to be just new potatoes with some sauce over them. Enjoyed dinner. The restaurant is very loud which was not helped as we were sat under a speaker so not the place to go if you want to chat.

A lovely place for a tasty selection of mix and match small plates.

Service was fantastic. Friendly and helpful. Food was amazing! couldn't fault anything about our visit. Luckily only a couple of 100 yards away this could become a regular food haunt for us and to be honest I'm looking forward to trying the whole menu over time.

Enjoyed every bite, the Ox cheek is absolutely delicious and melt in the mouth