El Rincon de Rafa in Manchester

Terrible Service & Poor Management! I made a reservation two days in advance through the official booking system, but when I arrived at the restaurant, they denied my reservation and claimed they had no record of it. The staff offered no reasonable explanation and were completely unhelpful, showing zero responsibility for their mistake. We planned our time around this reservation, only to be turned away upon arrival—a total waste of time and effort! If a restaurant can't even manage basic reservations properly, how can customers trust their service? This level of disorganization is unacceptable. I do not recommend this place. Be cautious if you plan to dine here, or you might face the same frustrating experience!

My boyfriend and I made a reservation an hour before we wanted to attend the restaurant and when we arrived they basically refused us in saying we didn’t have a table and we didn’t make the booking keep in mind the restaurant wasn’t full at all . They turned us away saying there’s only seats available at the bar and as we left they let in the couple behind us who didn’t have a reservation and seated the straight away . We left feeling extremely irritated

I had booked a table for 2 an hour before arriving and was told the table was reserved. We arrived an hour later to be told there was no table for us. She also claimed i hadn't rang the restaurant. Then the lady didn't even check for a reservation. The restaurant was hardly full either! We were offered a seat at the bar or on a stool, not very appealing... As we began to leave, the couple queued behind us asked for a table for 2 (no reservation), where seated immediately on a table. Right in front of my eyes. Probably sat them at the table I'd reserved. Overall I'm sure the food is nice. But the service i received was quite terrible, if I make a reservation I expect there to be a table. And not accused of lying about calling the restaurant. I've attached proof that I did call the restaurant.

Love this place. Been there forever. They get everything right for a relaxed lunch

I returned here after many years and it was as welcoming, friendly and good as I remember. Tasty tapas in a lovely space hidden away from Manchester’s Deansgate. Some brilliant football memorabilia on the walls. Highly recommended.

Great ambiance and service. Food is good, classic tapas but not exceptional. Regardless, it was an enjoyable experience.

Taste of Spain in the heart of Manchester. Authenticity of the food is bang on and there is a really welcoming, hearty atmosphere to the place. Even the price to boot, had to double check the receipt as I was quite surprised how much we got for the price. Must try. 6 stars.

I'd not been to El Rincon for a few years but so glad we went again. Lovely tapas and very reasonably priced, house red wine is lovely too! Staff were very friendly and helpful with a steady stream of customers popping in for food on a very cold January afternoon.

Fantastic - visited today (14 Jan 25) - arrived as a group of 11 of which 4 wee vegetarians Staff amended set menu for the end of table vegetarians - brilliant / thank you Added veg paella - which was so fresh HIGHLY Recommend

Poor service! Even it is no customers, the waitress ask me to finish within two hours. And so rude to tell me.

Authentic and tasty Spanish food with reasonable price

Highly recommend. Very friendly, lovely relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere. Food was wonderful big selection of very tasty dishes. An amazing gem in the heart of Manchester.

For authentic Spanish tapas in Manchester, this spot is unbeatable. The food is packed with bold, traditional flavors, and the paella is simply outstanding, rich, perfectly cooked, and brimming with fresh ingredients. What truly makes this place special, though, is the exceptional service. The staff are incredibly warm and attentive, going above and beyond to create a memorable experience. During our visit, they surprised my friend with a birthday cake, completely unprompted, and refused payment for it, a genuinely thoughtful gesture. With delicious food, a welcoming atmosphere, and exceptional service, this restaurant is a must-visit. I can’t wait to return! This is my 6th time!

Lovely staff, great food and very authentic

Superb hidden gem with fantastic customer service, delicious food and great value for money too!!!

Great authentic Spanish restaurant serving tapas. Good food and service. All the dishes tasted amazing. Only downside was that they had lost our reservation and we had to sit at the bar.

Sangria and Rioja wines are wonderful! Most of dishes are delicious. However, Paella is too ordinary. Chicken with Paprika sauce is not up to standard. Service is nice. Highly recommended for enjoying your lunch or dinner.

Had a crutch with me as I need it for the support, asked for table for 2, said no tables available and that was it - we ended up standing around to find a new place to go to. New couple walked in soon after and managed to get a space at the bar which she also eventually gave me. Assumed I wasn’t able to sit at that bar but didn’t even ask Food was good, enjoyable experience

Visited on a busy Saturday afternoon. All tables were booked but we managed to eat at the bar. Food was delicious as usual.

Cold food is not my thing. If you like potatas bravas or meatballs with a cold tomato sauce then this is the place for you!! The calamari was slightly rubbery. All in all the best thing we ate was the croquettes. Not good

There's something about this place that I can't quite put my finger on. Been twice in the last 2 months and had a great time, each time. Food is great, service is great. There is no pretence, good honest Spanish tapas, and you can have a conversation without having to shout. I would recommend this place to anyone (unless you don't like tapas 😉). The per person price I quote below is because we had copious amounts of red wine.

Atmosphere was fantastic, the venue was great. We were all very excited to dine here after seeing the excellent reviews on Google maps. However I must say, the food was average. The tortilla was dry, the egg was overcooked giving a cake like texture. The steak tasted very iron-ey and quite tough. The aubergine with honey sauce drizzled on top was very bland.

Post theatre tapas and a bottle of wine. Faultless and lovely service.

Absolutely brilliant place , great food and super atmosphere!

Lovely happy place goog staff

Paella and pan catana were both gorgeous, soup was quite oily and not that friendly service but great place in general

It always a pleasure to come here. Authentic spanish restaurant. Really recommended.

The food and sangria were delicious! Such a beautiful tapas place

Nice service, always. High value for food and their service. These are lamb chops and oxtails. Also ordered meatballs, I love all the sauce they used, may because some of sauce contains wine, but can’t taste in my mouth.

A fantastic dining experience. We could not fault the food or the service. Every dish was flavourful and you got a very good portion for the price. Our personal favourites were the croquettes and meatballs, however, the olives were also great. Very, very reasonable prices for high quality food. Please excuse the mess my friend left on the table in the photo!

Really authentic, big menu and the food was amazing. The seabass tapas was incredible, as was the paella. The atmosphere is so warm and lively, definitely going to become a regular spot from now on!

Excellent food and service. Lovely atmosphere. We were advised on the number of dishes to have but ordered too many dishes, which wasn't a problem. All delicious 😋

Food was basic but authentic, tasty and good portion, service was not existent beyond the minimum. Would have had another drink and a dessert but were offered neither

Very bad experience. We just randomly walked into this restaurant. The decoration inside was very old and very dark. It was our first time to this restaurant and we had never been there before, so we didn't know to make a reservation. No one came to serve us, so we thought we could sit in an empty seat. A lady walked towards me and my friend very seriously, took us to the entrance, pointed at a sign on a very inconspicuous table and said "Wait here for someone to take you to your seat". She pointed and said word by word, as if we didn't understand English. Then she left very impatiently and left us like that. There were only a few tables full when we went there, so it was hard not to doubt whether someone really reserved the seat we sat in, and we are Chinese, it was hard not to doubt that this lady discriminated against Asians. There was racial discrimination. If you also want to experience such bad service, come to this restaurant!

Seafood rice has an authentic taste, with fresh squid and shrimp. Beef coccyx meat is stewed soft and tender, and the fried potatoes are crispy and ffragran.

Amazing tapas feels like mini Spain beautiful atmosphere

Best Tapas in Mcr or even the north west, its the closest thing I have to being in Spain without going to the airport. Its homely in its atmosphere, food is great.

I recently had an incredible dining experience at this restaurant! The food was absolutely delicious, with authentic Spanish flavors that really took me back to my travels in Spain. The atmosphere was cozy and vibrant, making it the perfect place to enjoy a meal. During our dinner, a tiny fly accidentally landed on one of the dishes we had just finished. I casually mentioned it to the server, not expecting much, but to my surprise, they went above and beyond. They immediately replaced the dish with a brand-new one, even though we had already eaten most of it. This kind of attention to detail and care for their customers really impressed me! I want to especially thank the staff for their professionalism and kindness. It made the entire experience even more memorable. I will definitely be returning soon and recommending this place to all my friends!

Never changes fab place happy memories

Quiet on arrival but soon got busy Waitress was lovely

A fantastic place with Spanish Tapas. Beautiful food with superb service apart from one head waiter who walked around with his nose in the air looking down on customers.

El Rincon de Rafa is iconic in Manchester, with good reason. While many restaurants around it have come and gone, El Rincon de Rafa has stayed, and after visiting, I am not surprised why. ●The atmopshere is amazing. Calm, seductive, warm and happy. You walk in and it's hard to not be taken in by the authenticity and history of El Rincon. ●The food, excellent. One of the best Tapas in Manchester. Vying for first place in my books. Definitely want to come back and try everything on the menu. ●Prices were more than reasonable. ●Only downsides were the manager at the front desk whom took us to our table was polite, but seemed to be having a hard day, he was unhappy, and didn't smile... whereas the waitress we had was super bubbly and made up for it. Must have been a long lunch time rush for him? The restaurant is functionally clean, however you can't help but notice the cobwebs when you look up. Could do with a deep clean once every so often. However, would that stop me? Heck no. Overall, I'd highly recommend booking for the food and charm. I certainly will be back.

Service was really fast. We loved the rabo de toro (oxtail) the huevos rotos were good the calamari needed more seasoning and the prawns only tasted of beer they didn’t reduce the beer enough time as it was bitter. However we still enjoyed our experience.

authentic food, fish was melt in the mouth and paella was so creamy! I’ve had paella from another restaurant on deansgate for £20pp and it was nowhere near as nice

Go there! Fantastic tapas and service, Thanks!

Wow, erm, the food was large portions, low quality. Everything was sub par except for the staff. This place has seen better days

It’s a nice spot but sadly the bland food and presentation really lets it down. It’s like the chef doesn’t care. Sorry. 😅

Always lovely all round! 👍🏼☺️ Gorgeous food everytime! Thank you 🥰

Title: **A Spanish Culinary Delight in Manchester** Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you're looking for an authentic Spanish dining experience in Manchester, look no further. This restaurant offers a delightful array of **tasty dishes**, all prepared on the premises with the utmost care and attention to detail. The food is not only delicious but also **reasonably priced**, making it a great choice for both casual dinners and special occasions. The service is top-notch, with staff who are attentive, friendly, and always ready to enhance your dining experience. One of the standout dishes is the **paella**. It's a must-try for anyone visiting the restaurant. Be prepared to wait a bit, as it is cooked at the time of ordering to ensure the freshest and most flavorful experience. But trust me, the wait is absolutely worth it. The flavors are rich and well-balanced, and the portion size is generous. In conclusion, this Spanish restaurant in Manchester comes **highly recommended**. Whether you're a fan of Spanish cuisine or looking to try something new, this place is sure to impress. Buen Apetito!

Great way to catch up with friends and our food was delicious

This is the first time I have visited Manchester. I wanted to find Spanish food for my family as they hadn't tried this before. Happy to find this place as their dishes are the real original Spanish taste! Very Delicious! Service is good too! Really enjoyed the meal and will come back again and recommend this place to my friends!

Cannot believe this absolute treasure tucked away on a back street and I've only just come across it. Like going on holiday to Spain for an hour and coming back rejuvenated

Just always excellent. It's a proper Spanish bar, not a Spanish themed. Welcoming and authentic.

Very nice, worth a visit. I ordered a medium papilla, calamari, and very delicious tapas. The service is excellent

Food is mediocre, service is really bad

Very authentic Spanish food, lovely staff and delicious wine options!

An institution and one of the best tapas places in town. You're instantly in Spain once you land at the bottom of the steps. Food is great, staff lovely. The whole vibe is great.

Amazing food with generous portions, impeccable service with a fast turnaround on your food. Some slightly worn fittings don't stop this from being a 5 star rating every time I visit.

I’ve been coming here for over 20 years best tapas best service and fabulous atmosphere. An absolute institution,

Great tapas, good service. We had 5 tapas between 2 of us and shared a dessert. The flavours and atmosphere were authentic and took us back to holidays in Spain. We loved it & would recommend it to anyone who enjoys real Spanish food.

Best Spanish restaurant in Manchester. Super cheap and very well designed

never written a review on google but this place was too good! it’s the best quality spanish food i have tried outside of spain, the croquettes and paella were amazing. i speak spanish and so did some of the waitresses who were very kind. the place is spacious and nicely decorated, making it feel like a proper spanish bar/restaurant. can’t wait to go back and try the other tapas!!

Opened 1994 and still.going strong. Give the restaurant a visit. Just Ace.

My family took me here for my 70th birthday and I was thrilled with the whole experience. The very warm welcome when we arrived along with the very quick service. The staff are all amazing 👏. The Tapas was so delicious and plentiful and the Sangria ( we had 4 or 5 large jugs) was the best I'v ever tasted. We shall be back soon. PS. Thankyou for the birthday cake which was delicious. Xxx

Us: “Hello, Do you have a ‘walk in’ for 4?” ERdR: “Sorry, we’re fully booked.” Us: “No worries, another time hopefully.” Exit the restaurant. EDrD: (chasing us down the street) “We’ve had a cancellation. Come back.” We’re so glad we walked slowly. What an awesome place/staff/menu. THE Best 🇪🇸 restaurant outside of 🇪🇸😊😎🐯

Lovely authentic tapas restaurant. Food highlights were the prawns & then chorizo & white bean stew. Will definitely be back to try their paella!

Been today food and service excellent as usual, best tapas in Manchester prices very reasonable for the portions you get will be back soon

Authentic atmosphere, high quality food and friendly, efficient service

Not been to El Rincon for a few years but wanted somewhere on a December Saturday lunch time to meet friends & eat. Our friends had never been before but we were looked after well and the food & drink were excellent. Will return!

As always , Superb , atmosphere, service. Just quality 👌. John McGarrigle

This place is great. Ive been in Manchester 15 years and never knew it was here. Great Spanish 🇪🇸 food worth hunting out. Be bold and go. You wont be disappointed. We had the set tapas. It was great.

Great authentic Spanish restaurant serving lovely tapas.

Lovely, authentic tapas restaurant. Went as a couple, 4pm on a weekday, had booked ahead but would have been OK to walk in at that time, a few tables occupied. Nice open bar & restaurant area. Staff were very welcoming & food great. Asked for some bread and aioli as like to start with this, didn't spot it on the menu but waitress provided for us. This plus 5 tapas was plenty for us.

Excellent and very tasty, well-prepared fresh food, very attentive service, great selection of Spanish lagers - try the Malaga Victoria - authentic atmosphere. We'll be coming back to taste the wines. Highly recommended!

Another fantastic experience at Rafas . Great food , authentic Spanish experience and the staff are all very helpful and smiley .

Not that too authentic... Average food and is pricey

Absolutely the best Spanish restaurant in the north west, the food is outstanding, service second to none.

This place is immense. It was my second visit and it never fails to impress. I ate alone so only got to sample four dishes today but last time I was in a group and everything these people cook is amazing. Proper Spanish food. Cooked a traditional Spanish way. It’s awesome. My favourite dish was the chorizo which is a full sausage cut up. Delicious! The prawns had plenty of flavour and made me think I was on the coast. The bravas was a hearty portion and a good texture. Lastly the ham croquettes were soft on the breadcrumb and succulent inside. Place is a must if you like tapas. The service is old school and friendly. The music and atmosphere great for somewhere underground. Great for kids and families and groups. I’ll definitely go again.

Great atmosphere in this traditional restaurant

Saturday night so should be peak but disappointing all around. Service-excruciatingly laughingly bad. We asked for house white and got red, asked for orange and lemonade and got a shandy. Food- as we were a group we HAD to have the set menu which was a joke! Each dish has one per person - one meatball, one bruschetta slice etc. no choice. Laughingly small portions and overcooked and over salted. But couldn’t complain as serving staff nowhere to be seen. Cleanliness- this place is old and has the air of ‘seen much better days’ but that is no excuse for being dirty. Sticky tables, shelf next to my head dirty with crumbs of I don’t know what and then the toilets. I could have cried. Dirty, tissue on the floors, smelly and a hand dryer that was on for 10 seconds then had to wait 20 seconds for another go. This place is living on its nostalgic reputation which is why my family booked this place, but this can only last so long… it desperately needs updating and deep cleaning with an overhaul of the menu along with significantly improving accessibility.

Amazing traditional tapas restaurant hidden away from the busy streets, you'll never know it's there it's all word of mouth and your lucky if you know about it. Great food and service and very reasonably priced.

Fantastic Spanish experience in Manchester. The food was tasty. The atmosphere was very good. It's a hiden Spanish gem in Manchester. If you are into your tapas, you must visit this place. You won't regret it

Lovely food and very reasonably priced. Very quick, efficient service. Friendly atmosphere.

Nice Spanish place, the sangria and shrimps were incredible. For a Sevillian guy it was weird to see British people ordering cruzcampo, the food was great and the price didn't include service charge!

Always superb and still my favourite place to eat.

It’s a bit faded but that wouldn’t have bothered us. The wine was ok but the food was very poor and the calamari was so undercooked that I couldn’t eat it. I told them but they didn’t even react. We just paid and went. We will not go back, it was a waste of money.

The place is very outstanding especially when it comes to taste

We have been going to El Rincon for years now and it never disappoints, we arrived approx 4pm on a Tuesday afternoon, we were sat down straight away, all the food we ordered was lovely and delicious, the patas bravas were not too good, very bland, we had to ask for the bread/oils/vinegar, other than that, it was lovely, very reasonable priced. Will definitely return.

Absolutely fantastic food and atmosphere. If you love tapas, you need to make a trip here

The atmosphere feels like a local Spanish restaurant, but the food was very average. Got Spanish omelette which was microwave reheated but tasted decent. Also had their seafood paella. Looked amazing in pictures but lacked flavour. Having had these items in Spain as well the flavours were not there but the staff were lovely and friendly. Unfortunately the food didn't live upto the hype from the reviews here

Up till recently I would have given it full stars. Its been our go to place especially on special occasions. But last weekend we were very dissatisfied. Squid batter was pale. The squid was all the same size ..no taste and could've. easily come out of Icelands freezer. Mushrooms ...again non descript....poor. croquettes were OK...but too big ones instead of the usual 4 small ones manchego cheese has gone up to nearly 10 pounds but nearly doubled in amount..that seemed so with a few dishes. We didn't enjoy it. There are better tapas places to go now for taps in Manchester. They had also taken a few dishes off the menu. Shame.

A slice of southern Spain slap bang in Manchester City centre. Second time I’ve dined here and the food did not disappoint. Langoustines, gambas pil pil and the most tasty red wine I’ve tasted in a long time. We dined here for my birthday and the staff went above and beyond to make the experience a super special one complete with birthday cake and surprise sing along! Thank you so much can’t wait to return! :)

Both the service and the food are very good, and the price is also very good. I forgot to take my headphones during this meal, and they also kept them very well for me! Very good service!

Lovely atmospheric place hidden away, v tasty food, good sized portions.

Stopped here for lunch for the first time in many years (it’s been here for decades) - it’s a traditional restaurant with excellent food, lovely wines and efficient and friendly staff - well worth a visit

Fabulous food and fantastic service. My first visit, but definitely not my last.

Hadn’t booked but the gentleman made room and found us a table.Food was the best tapas I’ve ever had and the service was excellent and friendly the atmosphere was bustling but not loud.would definitely recommend and we will be back

Absolutely delicious. Hidden from the sight of the main road, this restaurant is an absolute gem. Huge portions for tapas and incredibly tasty. Entire family was in love with the place and filled the entire table with dishes. Book in advance as it fills up in the evening as we barely got in as walk-ins. Highly recommended

Lovely little hide away Tapas Restaurant 💜 Family Mother's Day meal. Thoroughly enjoyed the Atmosphere, Staff and Owners were Friendly, Helpful and not intrusive. Food was Amazing, Freshly cooked to order. I couldn't tell you what I Loved the Best, because All of it was Deliciously Tasty. An Authentic Spanish experience! Will definitely be going again

Perfectly satisfactory. Food was okay-not madly inspiring or amazing but it was fine. Drinks were nice and well priced. Service was great-friendly and unobtrusive. Bill was very reasonable. I’d go back.