El Gato Negro in Manchester

We had an amazing time with some amazing tasty food. The server was super sweet and helpful with explaining the menu and giving suggestions.

Good but for me, expensive. But this doesn't deter most people because it was fully booked.

Went for solo dinner here and it was great. Having returned from Valencia a few weeks ago, the quality of tapas was just as good as most, if not better - loved the crab rice & salt cod croquettes. Service outside was a little slow but to be expected given how busy it was. Would recommend

This place was on our radar for a while. We visited on a weekday for late lunch. They had their happy hour which was a good deal. The service was very friendly. Our server brought out multiple wines for us to try before we ordered, which we really appreciated. We got an assortment of their dishes. All were good, however, we absolutely loved their jamón croquettes! Their basque cheesecake with dulce de leche was also very tasty. The overall experience was good, but next time we will try more of their seafoods.

Deceptively large interior and a small seating area outside on a classy pedestrianized shopping street. We sat upstairs by the window with a view of the street, great for people watching. The service was good, with a little too much upselling. Excellent wine list, fast service. The food was tapas with an occasional modern twist, but top quality - the jamon probably the best I have had, the chicken skewers with salsa verde and lemon was a real breath of fresh air. The wine list had some real corkers on it, recommend the grenache blanc. Overall, high quality,

From the moment we stepped into El Gato Negro Tapas, everything was flawless. The ambience struck the perfect balance between stylish and welcoming, setting the stage for what turned out to be an exceptional dining experience. We started with the octopus, which was tender and expertly cooked—full of flavour and delicately seasoned. The short ribs were rich and fall-apart soft, a comforting dish elevated by its depth of flavour. The chicken was juicy and perfectly grilled, with just the right touch of spice and a crispy finish that made each bite memorable. Service was warm, attentive, and unintrusive. The staff were knowledgeable about the menu and happy to make recommendations. Every element of the evening—from the food to the service—was spot-on. El Gato Negro Tapas delivers on its reputation and then some. Highly recommended for anyone seeking authentic, beautifully executed tapas.

Excellent food and service, highly recommend

This was my second time visiting and it's still as good as ever. The service was friendly and fast, and the food is great. Our favourites were the blue cheese, leeks, croquetas and sangria.

I’ve eaten at El Gato Negro countless times over the years and generally found it pretty decent. You can see they’ve invested in the décor – even after all this time, it still looks great. The staff are always attentive and usually have something to offer in the way of options or recommendations. For example, when they didn’t have the particular wine we wanted, the barman made a great alternative suggestion. This time, we only opted for a few tapas dishes to keep us going. Most of it was fine, but the ham croquettes were a real letdown. They came on their own with nothing to dip or complement them. The taste was claggy and bland – a bit like eating wallpaper paste – with two hard lumps in the middle that I was told were ham. Croquettes are a simple dish, but one that many get wrong. I expected better from a place like this – they were honestly the worst I’ve had. I’ll be back, but I’ll definitely be swerving the croquettes next time!

My fiance brought me here for my birthday this week and we had such a gorgeous time. The front of house... (in particular, India our main server) were so lovely! Food was fab, desserts were amazing, we had a gorgeous window spot with the sun shining and some delish cocktails! We'll be back and this place makes the trip over from Huddersfield so worth it! Thanks for looking after us!

So I’ll start off with the “discretionary tip”. It’s 12.5%, standard and we were very happy to pay it as our service was excellent , however our server advised us 10% went to staff , so the 2.5% went to the company !! . Sneaky practice I felt to avoid the consequences of the 2023 fair allocation of tips legislation . If we’d known we’d have made sure we had had cash to tip directly 12.5% to our server . Food was on the whole very good and on par with other good tapas bars in Manchester . The cocktails were excellent . I still miss the original bar from its days in Ripponden!

Great value for 3 tapas £20 - large and very tasty portions

The potatas bravas were so good The chefs was really nice and welcoming we had a whole conversation. Recommend tapas place in Manchester 🇾🇪

We went here on Friday 8th May for my son’s 9th birthday in the evening and were very disappointed. The food was below average. The waitress was rude. We asked her to sing happy birthday to my son with the cake we brought and she refused.

Food was absolutely delicious . Staff were so friendly. Could not fault it, a must when visiting Manchester

Food was really good, waitress we ended up with was excellent (the first one not so much) and the atmosphere was great. Really full even though midweek yet the service was quick, and the food/drink of a good standard.

these lovely staff need to teach the nasties in the Real Greek restaurant how to treat their customers. lovely stop. will be back.. thankyou

Great Tapas place. The food is excellent and really attentive service. A go to in Manchester

Stumbled across this restaurant while visiting Manchester and we were very happy with the food. Ordered the Little Tart and Buttered Toffee Apple cocktails and they were excellent.They have 3 dish for £20 (Monday-Friday 12-5) which we ended up doing and then ordering one extra dish to share for two of us. Only a selection of dishes are part of the special, but wasn’t an issue. We ordered the Lemon Chargrilled chicken, Chargrilled Baby Leeks, Calamares Fritos and then Octopus. All dishes were amazing, but the Octopus was exceptional, never had such a nicely cooked octopus. Also the Calamares Fritos was well seasoned. Highly recommended!

Muy decepcionante, toda nuestra experiencia desde el momento en que entramos hasta que salimos fue de 44 minutos y esto nos incluyó tanto ir al baño y sentarse en el bar. Nos sentamos detrás de la pared en el primer piso y nos dijeron que era la única mesa disponible a pesar de reservar con 6 semanas de antelación, por lo que no había ambiente. 3 de los 6 platos eran mediocres. Lo único positivo fue el personal del bar. Fueron fantásticos y muy entretenidos.

A fantastic, well thought out menu that would appeal to almost anybody. The service was great and the food fantastic.

2nd time and just as amazing. Great tapas, amazing staff and such a lovely atmosphere.

Lovely friendly bar service! Tasty tapas....Can't really complain.

I made a Friday evening booking for my wife and I to celebrate our wedding anniversary. My mother-in-law has late-stage ovarian cancer and, following a sudden deterioration in her health, she was placed on end-of-life medications on the Friday morning. Obviously, there was only one place we wanted to be that evening, so I contacted the restaurant at midday on the Friday to cancel our booking and, although I explained the situation, I was nevertheless charged a £30 fee for cancelling within 24 hours. I find it hard to believe a popular restaurant in the centre of Manchester would have struggled to fill a table for two on a Friday evening and I am outraged and saddened that they decided to proceed with the charge.

To say that it was delicious is an understatement! It was magical! Very very tasty! Let's eat octopus and chicken. The taste was great. The service is also very friendly. And the prices are very good. Thank you

Sat outside when sunny. Food was fantastic. Octopus snd lamb especially.

Came here for graduation and it was special. High prices but worth every penny. The octopus was immense

Esta es la segunda vez que he comido solo aquí mientras era taxista para mis hijos a la arena cooperativa. En ambas ocasiones me han hecho sentir bienvenido como comensal en solitario y me cuidaron mucho. Buena comida, buen vino. Ojalá hubiera probado los Gamba’s ya que se veían enormes e increíbles. Quizá tenga que volver una tercera vez. Frittata de bacalao salado y jamón serrano son mis recomendaciones.

Great food and service. Sat at the chefs table, so watching all the orchestra of plating was fascinating

I’m in Manchester every week for work and stumbled across this amazing place on Sunday. It is hands down the best restaurant I’ve been to in Manchester and wouldn’t hesitate recommending this to anybody who’s looking for a Vibey place to eat with a great atmosphere amazing staff and some truly delicious food

Amazing food in a very cool building. The Beef Short-rib just fell off the bone and the Hispi Cabbage is another highlight. Friendly service too, highly recommend checking this place out

Believe me when I say this if I could give 1 billion stars I would. Favourite place in mcr by a country mile. Unreal vibe and tastiest plates. Here’s my bank card just do what you want with it 👍

Food nice but expensive. Service slow (ish). Very loud inside so difficult to chat with companions

Had a super meal here on Saturday evening. Great choice of tapas to pick through. Best dishes were the lamb kebabs, dauphinoise potatoes with pesto sauce, and charcuterie board. All washed down with a fruity spanish red. Good service in a comfortable environment

Food was amazing staff were so helpful with my allergies telling me what I could have and the food was amazing and cocktails were lovely and strong will be returning to eat there very reasonably priced aswell deserves more stars definitely 10/10

Without a doubt the BEST Tapas I have ever tasted in the World, authentic Spanish flavour all condensed into simple and delicious Tapas, an unskippable restaurant of Manchester and even the UK. If you are a fan of Spanish Cusine or casual and fun places for a dinner with friends or your partner El Gato Negro is your best choice, if you are in the area don't doubt on visiting.

It's a favorite. They were really nice when my last visit my birthday died so this was therapy. Calamari weren't great and mediocre Rest of food good. Had to take rest home(talk too much) which they happily accommodate.

Amazing food, a little pricey, but really good.

We booked a table online for a Sunday evening. We were shown to a table on the top floor. (Toilets on that floor, one guest was 80 so that was a consideration) the house red was beautiful and dry. Service was on point. We loved the calamari, octopus, lamb, well everything!! We had a fabulous evening.

Food is consistently good. There is value for money. Not all staff are well trained...

An awesome establishment. The service was top notch and the staff were super lovely. Delicious food was outstanding with an exception of chicken thighs that were way out of my spice levels, but that’s just a me problem. Overall, a very good place with polite staff, efficient service, good food and clean toilets. The octopus especially was out of this world

Delicious Tapas, not a huge choice but everything we had was very tasty and felt authentic

Last visited a couple of years ago and loved it so called in today with my family. It's so overpriced for the portion sizes. I was really disappointed. I am sure my previous review was enitely positive with genrous portions etc. No idea whats happened in the last 2 years. They then add 12.5% service charge to the bill. Its a no from me

Excellent tapas and buzzy atmosphere Good service.

A truly disappointing experience. We were charged for the reservation, yet our requests were completely ignored. I was pointed “towards the bathroom” and ended up being seated at an improvised table squeezed between two large ones, where the noise made it nearly impossible to hear myself think. The waitress kept pushing us to order more, to the point that it felt like we weren’t ordering enough. When we tried to order calamari — which you'd expect to be available at a Spanish restaurant — we were told they didn’t have any, but only after we tried to order, not beforehand. The patatas bravas were clearly reheated, and the sauce was heavy and unpleasant. We only ordered two tapas, a beer, and a bottle of mineral water, yet they had the nerve to include a service charge in our 28£ bill, which was totally unjustified. On our way out, we noticed dirty plates stacked on a tray hidden on the staircase. The whole place seemed disorganized — and this was on a quiet Monday afternoon! I made the mistake of trusting the Michelin mention and positive reviews, but it was a total letdown. The manager came over when we voiced our concerns, but instead of addressing the situation (at the very least removing the service charge), he just stood there and listened without offering any resolution. It was my husband’s birthday and they almost ruined it. Would absolutely not recommend.

Best tapas I’ve had in the UK. Staff were great. We’ve been twice and will definitely go back

Sort of place you might walk past and would miss out on so much if you did. The roof terrace is amazing, although the whole restaurant looks great and has a vibrant atmosphere. The staff are brilliant, from the way you are greeted at the door through to service. And the food is sublime, it is tapas so had about 8 dishes for the table, impossible to pick the best as everything was just so good

Very beautiful food, but what stood out for us the most is our server Indy, she was very attentive and understood the menu very well and recommended us some lovely dishes, Will definitely be back!!

Lovely atmosphere, beautiful exposed brickwork, old wooden/industrial metal fixtures. Gorgeous food - especially the prawns and la peral blue cheese!

Lovely meal. Great wine and service was fantastic

Had a lovely evening here enjoying all the beautiful food!

We were sat on the ‘chefs table’ tonight, which was such an amazing experience! The chefs were very attentive nonetheless. Food was 10/10, atmosphere was great. Would definitely recommend the pork skewers!

Stopped for drinks - great place

Bland overrated overpriced average tapas.

One of the best restaurants I’ve been to in Manchester. We are vegetarian and always struggle for tapas restaurants. But this was really good. Service was very high quality and really chill atmosphere.

The food was wonderful, I recommend the Patatas Bravas! The staff were very helpful and the service was quick. If you want a quieter table go for the top floor over the ground floor as there is much less noise. We had a great experience, couple and family friendly although maybe not for young children!

A busy Saturday lunch, and we were seated on the top floor. The serving staff were fantastic, great recommendations. We ordered 6 dishes, the stand outs were Hispi Cabbage and the Lamb Kebabs both purees on these dishes were so silky. The cocktails although small pack a punch our favourite was the Pickled Peach Margarita

Underwhelming. I was disappointed with the quality of the food. We were a party of eight and therefore obliged to order from a set menu which did not reflect good value for money.

Fabulous tapas. Real care and attention to each dish despite being very busy. Well informed and friendly service.

Brilliant attentive service despite a late booking, with delicious food. Well sized portions for sharing and a great spot for comfortable conversation with varied background music.

All of the dishes were incredible and the sangria was lovely. The service was really friendly and helpful for our gluten free friend. Georgia C was great, she talked us through the menu and let us know which dishes were GF when served. Would definitely recommend!

Incredible food service and atmosphere

This is my second time coming to this restaurant, and overall I like it very much. First of all, the black tiger shrimp is my favorite dish. It is very large and well seasoned. This short rib is my boyfriend's favorite dish. It's soft and tasty, and the certain vegetables on it are very satisfying. The only drawback is that there may be too many customers, resulting in mediocre service. I still asked for a service fee, which may not be paid next time.

So good it should be illegal. Tasty food and a great atmosphere. Waiting staff are lovely.

Lovely food to taste, but the worst service ever meet in manchester. No staff sever for 20 mins and it isn't busy hour. They just keep talking to ignore the customer. And uncomfortable table & seat.

The food was good. It's a little pricy for the portion size though yes I know it's tapas but the 3 for 20 deal, I was still hungry!

Chose to go for the Valentines menu and had the Chatteu Briannd which was spectacular! Only minor issue was it came with no sides and the veg we chose had to be ordered off the tapas small plates menu - made the meal a bit pricey! However all the food was spectacular and highly recommended!

Very delicious food but very few and very expensive tapas. Still, it's delicious. But scarce and expensive.

It was a good enough Spanish tapas restaurant, but I am not sure it is worth a Bib Gourmand and the fuzz around it, if you compare with other Spanish restaurants. The cod croquettas didn't taste much of cod, and the jamon iberico croquettas didn't taste much of ham either. Even the padron pepper wasn't well cooked. I would say this is slightly above average Spanish restaurant but there are restaurants in London that aren't even mentioned in Michelin that serve better and more tasteful Spanish food. The biggest issue was that it wasn't very tasteful - clearly used more potatoes to croquettas than the actual ingredient it should taste from. Wine menu was very good and good price but it's not a wine bar, ambience nice and service good. But not the best Spanish food experience. I would not advise to visit because you will get disappointed if you are used to good Spanish tasteful food, maybe was just in Barcelona - at least if that evenings level is representative.

We have been here a few time and always enjoyed it. The food is always good as is the service. We arrived at 4pm and the restaurant was busy as usual and we were promptly seated. The only issue I would have is that the food can come very quickly. I fully recognise its tapas and the food comes when it’s ready but it does feel like the speed is around turning tables over being able to enjoy a more leisurely meal. That said we will definitely be back as we love tapas and this place is great for a more upmarket tapas experience.

Mmmmm, we originally had a booking for 5 which increased to 7, this meant we had to have the set menu which was £45. The explanation for this that the chef wouldn’t be able to prepare all the dishes for 7 in a timely manner, this is a busy large restaurant. The food was nice actually but tapas that is churned out of a set menu. Disappointing. Would I go again, no, I felt as through we were done over.

Really enjoyed it here nice selection of tapas and wine. Good fast service and a different approach to eating. Just thought that it was slightly too expensive other than that would return but be more choosy on what we ordered. All in all a good experience

Lovely place, ground floor has a more intimate atmosphere where as upper floors are better for groups

Loved the whole experience. Especially the beef short rib. Service was great.

WOW!!!!!! Food was absolutely insane. Staff were so friendly and accomodating even though we ended up being later than our booking (we did ring to let them know). Could not fault it, a must when visiting Manchester

No smart use to the floors space , the resturant have huge space and three floors they make us only use the first floor which is too tight and uncomfortable. Tables in the first floor also are shared. So if I am in a special occasion (date) for example I have to share tables with other guests. Honestly the food is exceptionally gd and this why I gave it five stars (in the food section only) but the space and crowd management is not good.l, they might need to hire a better decorator and interior design but better seating policies for comfort and use of space. So taking this in respect I don’t feel it’s a Michline star resturant quality so I left the moor details comment to the Michline inspectors. While I highely recommend the food the seatings are non-comfortable and even as a regular customer whom spend a lot there and tip generously the treatment I get is not reflected on what I spend. If you’re looking for food only then it’s spot to go but for occasions or date I would not recommend it. They have huge space but they keep requiring all customers to be only on the first floor which is too tight. After consideration I recommend the food but the atmosphere and interior design codes and seats comfort and private tables need alot of work to be Michelin star quality. I hope this feedback would be taken to improve your internal operations and I hope that the resturant designs (seats and tables comfort) to be as good as the food. If this improved I think this place can be 5 stars

Some good options on the lunch menu

The food was amazing and the staff were on point with their service! The first thing we pointed out was how cozy the place is and how comfortable the seats were. Ideal for a power nap after your meal. I'm definitely coming again to try other dishes!

This Spanish tapas restaurant tastes pretty good, but something unexpected happened—my menu mysteriously included a lot more dishes…

The atmosphere was fantastic, with beautiful decor and some of the best food we've ever tasted. The professional and polite staff made us feel right at home. After three previous unsuccessful attempts at walking in without a reservation, we finally got lucky and found a spot at the bar, where we could watch the food being prepared. It was an incredible experience that we’ll definitely repeat—though next time, we’ll make sure to book a table!

Good food and great customer service. Definetly recommend going when the 3 for £20 deal is on as the quality of the food on offer at that price is a steal. The staff are very friendly, and the food is served quick.

I came with my family for my 30th birthday and was not disappointed. Everything we tried was so good, between the 6 of us we tried a majority of the menu and everything was delicious, stand out dishes though I’d say was the prawns and beef ribs, but that’s a hard choice as everything was great. The desserts were delicious too and so well presented. Our server was very helpful with explaining the dishes, very attentive and friendly. Already looking forward to retuning

I’ll start off by saying the food was nice. Can’t really complain about the food quality. But…… The service, wow, I’ve never had such bad service. The food comes out “when it’s ready” which means bits and bobs over the next hour! (We only ordered 6 plates) and after an hour we were bored, in fact we were bored after 20 minutes of only being served bread and broccoli. An hour and a half in, and we finally got our last plates. Drinks took 20 minutes to arrive each time we ordered (bottled coke!) We would have ordered more had the food somewhat being prompt! But after an hour and a half in, still hungry, and basically ignored by the waiter we were fed up and just wanted to leave. We even joked that we would get a Big Mac on the way home! Had to walk around to find someone to bring the bill. Bill arrives and it has “discretionary service charge”, great, what service! Come to pay the bill and the waiter doesn’t ask, how was your food, how was the service, have you had a good evening, nope, but he asks “you ok with the service charge”, can clearly see where the priority’s are! Simply put, nice food, but not if you’re hungry.

We came during the January offer and really enjoyed it. Service was great, music not too loud and great atmosphere. Will return in the future I’m sure

Came here for a birthday trip with a group of friends and the food was amazing. The prawns (gambas pil pil) in particular were delicious (some of the best I've had) and the calamari was also so flavourful. Atmosphere was lovely but on a Saturday you must book a table as it was veryyy busy. If there was any downside it was just that it felt a little bit pricey (unless you come on a weekday when it's 3 for £20) but as a treat you can't complain. Overall I loved it.

Usual excellent food off special offer menu

Had a really good meal here. The tapas were full of flavour and very enjoyable.

Great food and service, plus a cheesecake to die for

Fantastic experience with really good food and very good service.

Went for a business meal. Awesome food and dining experience.

Cannot find a single fault for this place, it is an absolute delight to experience. This is our favorite Spanish tapas restaurant in Manchester.

Gorgeous food, amazing service. The hispi cabbage and lamb in particular. They're not pushy with drinks either but check in on you regularly - perfect.

I don't usually go to Spanish restaurants because I am always disappointed and I have to say that in this case I was very surprised. The rib fell apart as soon as I cut it and the black pudding croquettes with quail egg seemed quite curious to me! Super lovely service. Cozy place, decorated with very good taste. Quality/price okay for being UK.

Underwhelming, most of the dishes were fine, crab and the octopus was delicious however wouldn’t order anything else from menu.. Patasas bravas was shocking… Also do not include the sherry menu on the menu.. Sherry is a popular drink in Spain!!

Great food and atmosphere. Great price and quality. Wine with two shots of limeanade is superb. A must-visit in the UK

Really good tapas. We went during January so reduced price, which had no reflection on quality. The caramelised cauliflower was *chefs kiss. The cod bon bons were also amazing.

Booked by my daughter who’s Coeliac as this is one of the few places she can eat in Manchester. We ate our way through much of the menu, all of which was great, of course daughter could only have the GF options. Left room for puddings which we agreed were delicious. Washed down with a large jug of sangria the restaurant ground floor is popular and bustling - even at 6pm on Saturday evening - so best to book. Staff were very friendly and attentive

Another great meal and superb service and advice from Jack on the top bar. Thanks.

The food was exceptional, as always, with delicious dishes that never disappoint. However, the service lacked attention. I found myself waiting too long to order another drink. It seemed that the staff often gathered around the charcuterie station, engaging in conversation rather than attending to the tables. A bit more vigilance and attentiveness would make the dining experience perfect. Overall, while the food continues to shine, I hope for improved service during future visits.

Lovely food and great service! The food was well presented and tasted fantastic. Plenty of options for different dietary requirements in our group so everyone was happy. Looking forward to visiting again.