Simply Classic bistro bar at Burnley Mechanics in Burnley

Lovely cafe with prompt service and friendly staff. Good menu, reasonable prices. Lovely display of artwork makes the place interesting and creative. What spoilt the meal for me was that my baked potato was almost cold. Such a pity as it was well presented with nice accompaniments.

A theatre restaurant owned and run by a Council wouldn't have been high on my list of likely candidates for a great meal. The Mechanics Institute Theatre has obviously had considerable funds invested in producing an extremely high quality venue. The ambience, the fittings and the facilities are at the standard of the very best West End restaurants. The members of staff and the service was of a similar high standard and very much 5 star. The menu is a little limited but the food itself is simply superb - fresh food, beautifully cooked and presented. The 1855 Bistro is now marked as one of our favourite choices for a great meal.

Went the Cat's Whiskers Reunion in September (which was brilliant!) so thought the Carribean themed Christmas would be just as good. It was all decked out quite beautifully and there were some people there to greet the party goers which was a really nice touch. I prefer my food to be less well cooked and in the starter the large prawn on top was off, but when I mentioned this I was told that it was all fresh that day! My taste-buds know when something is fresh! The young waiting staff were very polite and eager to please. Also I'd sent information to the chef about my dietary needs: I hope he'll research what is required for a Healthy Keto diet in future. The band were good but I expected a bit more class at this establishment. Someone who caters for the more refined tastes in music and entertainment. The DJ played people's request's (hooray!) and was polite and well-behaved. He was the best part about the whole night and I would have enjoyed it more if he'd had a larger time-slot after we'd all finished eating and/or at the end of the evening. The person in the cloakroom was a complete gentleman and politely helped me put my coat on.

Me and my lovely wife have lunch at Burnley Mechanics 1855 Bistro every week, the restaurant and bar areas are fabulous, we can never make our minds up where to sit. There is plenty of choice on the menu with specials put on most days, the food is amazing and always good value for money, the staff are brilliant in particular a massive thankyou to Debbie Em & Vicky for always looking after us and for putting up with my silliness and always bringing me down to earth, I just love the banter we have, they are a real credit to the Mechanics Keep up the good work girls Xxx Pete & Chris

Excellent service as always quick and very friendly good excellent plenty of choice change of menus twice a year

Went to Bistro 1855 last week & what a great time we all had... We had Afternoon Tea there.. Which I could highly recommend.. its was really good.. Lovely presentation. Cakes sandwiches were all good... The staff were great .. The room beautifully decorated.. I would recommend anyone to go there. I will definitely be going back soon...

Came for a family meal with my 92 year old dad, very accomodating for his wheelchair. We had great service together with great food at reasonable prices. What's not to love. Would definitely recommend

We visit The Mechanics regularly and are never disappointed. We here in Burnley are lucky to have this super venue. Modern yet full of our towns history. We enjoy lunches there with friends and family, helpful friendly staff and a really good menu. In the evening we always book a table before the show, it's a complete evening out in the same venue. Have a meal relax in the bar and enjoy the great entertainment. What's not to like ⭐

Lovely lunch time meal ,excellent all round.First class service. Great setting.Friendly staff.Always feel as if we’ve been out after a visit here.

I visit the Mechanics quite often and I'm never disappointed. Debbie and her staff are welcoming and make sure that everyone has a pleasant time. The menu has plenty of choices and the food is tasty and well presented. Lunchtime menu is slightly different to the menu for pre theatre dining in the evening, Always a pleasant experience. Good to see this wonderful historic building still being used for our town .

A hidden gem, a totally unexpected find. Good menu, plenty choice, all at very reasonable prices. Chose the Cheese and onion pie, which was a huge quarter and fine tasting, accompanied by chunky chips and veg, everything lovely. We also had the prawn sandwich with soup, again perfect. Drinks were also reasonably priced, and it appears it is a non-profit making charitable concern. The staff were friendly and attentive, and the venue was spotless. We will most certainly be returning here, highly recommended.

I walk past everyday and never realised that there was a town centre restaurant of such quality. Lovely menu fantastic presentation excellent food and lovely staff must be if I left a tip. And to top it all excellent prices

The restaurant is spotless and the staff very friendly and helpful, unfortunately the menu is very 'meat heavy' the vegetarian options being cheese and onion pie and noodles which although looked tasty are something you could cook at home. Please cater for the vegetarians too, for us the menu's a bit of a let down

We have just been this evening for dinner before the show at the lovely Burnley Mechanics. The restaurant is tastefully decorated with comfortable seating, great staff and good service. The food arrive hot tasty and well presented. We would definitely go again.

Really excellent Meal, I had the Cheese and Onion Plate pie was really tasty, my Husband had Steak which was cooked to perfection

Love visiting here. Lovely spacious restaurant area. Food is always Bob on. Recently had the Thai noodles with chicken, were fab. Also love the cheese and onion pie and desserts. This is a fab little bistro. Non profit as well- all profits go to charities in Burnley

I met my wife for lunch here after hearing lots of good things. I must admit it was really nice. I had the fish and chips and it was fantastic. My wife had a club sandwich and it looked great and she said it was also really nice. The meal with a pint of beer and a soft drink was around £20 it's very reasonably priced. I'll definitely go back.

Well what can I say, i really missed this place when it was closed due to lockdown, Would recommend for both lunchtime and pre theatre doing, have done both. We ha a lovely lunch today, We had the seasonal Turkey & Leek pie with local fresh seasonal veg and chip, it was absolutely first class , also good value for money.

Lots of foods not available when we visited but staff were friendly and apologetic about it. A bit pricey for what we got but nice for a treat.

Six of us attended the restaurant for a Meal before watching the Tribute band Talon. All of us had a wonderful meal (food wise) but we found the service a bit like dining at Fawlty Towers, we found it amusing and it did not spoil...

My wife and I went yesterday (Friday 19th November) and had a meal in connection with watching a show. at night. We both had a Pot Steak&Ale Pie and it was not good at all. The little bit of meat that was in it was...

Visited the 1855 restaurant for PRE- show diner. Limited menu, food was average. Staff were attentive but clearly some new staff who were uncertain as to what they were going. It’s convenient for dinner before a show but not a gastronomic delight.

I have been a regular visitor to the bistro over many years and enjoyed working my way through the comprehensive and varied menu. I can highly recommend this bistro.

We had lunch in the bar area on a Monday having booked in advance. The menu has plenty to choose from, most of which is less than £10. I had the Crispy Beef Chilli and Noodles off the Specials Menu. It was very good. The...

Really enjoyed our lunch here, food great and surroundings nice. Staff very helpful. Only downside was that they closed earlier than we'd realised so we couldn't carry on with our catching up

We visited today for an early lunch... The service is always on par, delivered with professionalism and with a smile. The food freshly prepared and cooked.. more importantly tasty and filling. Would definitely recommend this little gem of a bistro.

Came here yesterday for birthday lunch with my mum and sister and honestly cannot find a thing to fault. I chose the chicken Caesar salad and it was delightful, the chicken was cooked perfectly. All our food was beautiful and the presentation is faultless. Very...

What a great meal, lovely welcoming service, accommodated all my fussy needs, highly recommended, looking forward to my next visit.

Lunch out with the siblings, lovely welcoming atmosphere. Gorgeous meal but when saw bother’s cheese and onion pie wish I’d gone for that... to say the least we tasted each other’s meal. 😋 yummy and would definitely go again and recommend highly.

Had lunch on Saturday, excellent food, great choices. Staff very friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend.

I have tried all the simply classic bistro in Burnley. I love coming to the mechanics as it is easy to get to in the town centre. The atmosphere is so warm and friendly. It has lots of room and you can other go for...

Went with friends for lunch had the bbq chicken panini and my friend had the chicken caesar salad. We both enjoyed the food and the service was quick. We have been back on a few occasions for lunch because we enjoyed the food so much...

We recently called into the bistro for a light lunch, we hadnt booked and it was very busy, we were greeted warmly and we asked if there was any chance of a table for two. We were escorted to a table straightaway but it was...

We booked a table at this restaurant for lunch on recommendation by a family member. When we arrived we were seated at a really small table which looked like it should only be for 4 people - with two extra chairs crammed in. We asked to move to a larger table which was free - this wasn't a problem. We moved over to the new table and the waiter dressed it as we were awaiting two more people to join us. On sitting down we noticed the white table cloth was extremely dirty, it was covered in crumbs and food stains all over it! The staff member must have noticed when laying everything down but didn't say anything..we had to ask for a clean table cloth. We felt that this should have been actioned by the waiter before we had to ask as, as it wasn't a few stains it was filthy. The waiter did change it when asked and it was fine. The restaurant is lovely and the staff were all friendly and helpful. We loved the menu choices and the prices were very reasonable. The food was really good I definitely want to go back soon and would reccomend eating here if uoi are attending a show. I think they just need to improve on using their initiative and attention to detail as it isn't nice for customers to have to ask for the waiter to redress the whole table again after they had just done so on a filthy table cloth. You expect this in an old grimey cafe but not a bistro.

We visited here after noticing it after a show we attended a few weeks before. Such lovely staff, nothing is to m ugh trouble. Such lovely clean and inviting interior. Will definitely be visiting again!

Great food, staff are really helpful and make you comfortable, nothing seems to much trouble for them even if they are rushed of there feet

The VERY BEST place to eat . We love it. Frequent visitors to The Mechanics for shows, which are also good value, however the highlight of the evening, especially for my husband ,is the delicious food . Never disappointed. Staff all extremely friendly and helpful. Pre booking is a must but another advantage is the car park is pretty empty! We always travelled to Manchester for shows however we now prefer the whole relaxed experience here in Burnley. Only one disappointed, and that's our fault.....

Visited this place on a Tuesday lunch time, a table for two, plenty of seating and high chairs available. There are ramps into the building for prams and wheelchairs. The dining room is light and airy and plenty of space between table ( they have not packed extra tables and chairs into the dining area, this makes it easier for wheelchair access and prams, The tables are numbered and you order from the bar, staff are pleasant and polite, The food is presented well and very good but more important it is value for money.

I remember how they started the guy was the catering manager/owner at Lucas/ in Burnley. the food was always plentiful and good. He and his family have carried on this with various establishments around Burnley and I have always been impressed and never had a bad meal.

Excellent food and service from Simply Classic - there are now several venues serviced by this company and the standard throughout is extremely high.

Attended with friends and the food was very good including desserts. The service is very good and I will definitely return.

Called in one lunchtime, my first visit. Figured out what the system was, find a table, note the numberpick a dish off the menu and go order and pay at the bar. Food and drinks served to your table. Just like Wetherspoons although a much more upmarket one. I had the fishcakes which were excellent washed down with a glass of white wine. Definitely will be back.

Lovely clean airy restaurant area. I booked the day before. We ordered the staff are ever so nice helpful and friendly. Our order came quite quick!! Our food was very good and we enjoyed our lunch here as usual.

Visited the bistro for a meal when we went to a show. Very pleasant dining room within the theatre. Lots of the usual favourites on the menu. It looked like there was something to suit everyone. I understand the bistro is open Monday to Friday 11am-3pm and two hours before most performances. (Check first!) The service was excellent. Extremely friendly, helpful staff. The food was really very good. Particular mention from the table for the fish and chips which was described as light crispy batter and lovely white flaky fish. Also a very large gin menu. What’s not to like! A great way to start the evening. I’ll be back!

Loverly staff great food good voice on menu. Resonably priced really enjoyed our lunch here.i has up chicken tika sandwich with soup.

Having been a frequent visitor for many years at their other Simply Classic establishment in nearby Shuttleworth Mead, I was interested in finding out if this was as good.

This is my third time at the bistro since it opened and I’ve enjoyed it every time. The staff were friendly, and the service was quick. The atmosphere is lovely and so is the food, it’s quite cheap also. Really lovely and enjoyable would definitely come again.

My friend booked us in for lunch today. We had delicious, well presented, hot food which was served quickly in peaceful, comfortable surroundings by friendly, efficient, helpful staff. Plus we had two delicious gins from their enormous selection. Thank you, we'll definitely be calling in again.

Went in for lunch with my husband to be advised half the things on the menu was missing ... no jacket potatoes,, no bread ,, no panini, no fish cakes ... not much left.

Very good service and friendly. Food was served with not long to wait. It was all very Good and reasonably priced. I has fishcakes served with new potatoes veg side salad. Would return and recommend.

This Bistro at the Burnley Mechanics is outstanding. Peaceful, ambient surroundings, superb food, quality staff which are obliging, and pleasant. A 5 Star Venue

We don't understand why the quality of the service & food is so cheap? It's brilliant whatever the reason.

Recently I have been a VERY frequent visitor, both at lunchtime with friends and in the evening with my husband ( due to the quality of performances upstairs in the theatre ). Whatever time I go the food is plentiful with a superb choice on the menu the biggest problem is deciding what to order. The warm welcome and friendliness of the staff is genuine and much appreciated. Why travel out of town with a complete package of a great night out on the doorstep? A real jewel in Burnleys crown.

Good choices on the menu, I especially like the Jacket potatoes. The staff are helpful especially when I take my 2-year-old grandson and he makes his request for a high chair the moment we walk through the door, there's plenty of space for the pram too. I often meet friends and relatives here for lunch as it has a pleasant atmosphere. I highly recommend it.

Nice place, nice food. Staff friendly, service good. Town centre setting. Main line Buses stop at the door so easily accessible for those without own transport

Booked pre-show meal for the Simon & Garfunkel Story.

Had lunch here with a friend and we were both impressed with the ambience, the food and the service. There was a very good choice available which made it difficult to decide what to have! We will be back.

A lovely meal the staff are very pleasant and efficient, the place is always clean and the meals are reasonably priced

Visited Monday lunch with a friend. We both had a fabulous non alcoholic gin and lemonade..came with frozen raspberries and lime ..was delicious. My friend had smoked fishcakes that looked good ..I had ham and cheese Panini..was excellent. Definitely will visit again..staff were efficient and friendly..also very easy on the purse!!

I met up with some friends for a late lunch, we had already pre booked just in case they were fully booked as I'd heard good reviews about the bistro, staff were very welcoming took us to our table atmosphere was nice and clean which is always a good sign for me..! We Ordered our food and drinks which didn't take long to come, presentation was amazing staff couldn't do enough for you..! Very impressed with everything the service was good the staff the set up everything I would definitely recommend the bistro to anybody who likes the classy lunch.

Visited for lunch during the week day. Very nice surroundings in the Front Room. Good food. Excellent customer service. Recommended, would definitely return again.

Visited today - a surprise 40th birthday party . We had a round table that suited us perfectly, 8 adults, 2 children and a baby in a highchair. The food was great, my husband and I eat here often but it was all new to the others. What a surprise they had when they saw the delicious beautifully presented dishes. The portions, even children's, were really generous. The staff looked after us so well and made sure we had a lovely time. Nothing was too much trouble for them, we took along a birthday cake, they brought plates, napkins, spoons. knife, a lighter etc. Even offered candles until they saw our 40 candles!!. Can't thank them enough. They made the event perfect for us. This is a real jewel in Burnleys crown.

Been here a number of times now never had a bad meal prices ok service very good and the place is very clean.it didn't used to open on Saturdays but now it does which means more people can experience the place which I would really advice they do

Enjoyed lunch here today with friends, good menu choices reasonably priced, pleasant and helpful staff will eat here again. We just had the meal we didn't visit the theatre it was busy so must be popular. There is a bar but we just had tea/coffee.

I am a very frequent visitor and have never been disappointed. I meet friends here on a regular basis at lunchtime. I also have regular meals here prior to attending wonderful evening entertainment upstairs at The Mechanics. The meal here being the highlight of the evening for my husband!! Extensive menu and beautifully presented meals, top notch. The venue is modern and bright and the staff are always helpful and friendly. Due to its success it's a really good idea to book a table well in advance. Another little gem here in the North West!

We booked here for a meal before going through to watch ELO Experience in the theatre. I ordered lasagne and garlic bread with peppermint & liquorice tea pig tea and my friend ordered the fish pie with vegetables and a cup of coffee. When my teapot arrived it was accompanied by a three glass timer so I could decide on the strength of the tea. I waited for the full five minutes as I like it strong. However when I decided to pour I discovered that it was just hot water, somebody had forgotten to put any infusion in there! They did apologise and bring me another. The lasagne was really good, as good as I have ever had in fact, very tasty and loads of cheese, served with a little salad garnish. In hindsight, I wouldn't have ordered the garlic bread, although that also was good, it was way too much as the lasagne was very filling. My friend did not particularly enjoy her fish pie and although she ate it she said it was very mediocre. The service (apart from the tea episode) was very good and the staff were friendly.

First time for us at this Bistro. Started really well with a lovely welcome and shown to a very nice table. The feel and atmosphere are spot on and the food was excellent with fast and friendly service. This place is doing everything right. Well done.

Managed to get a cancellation just before a concert and it was well worth the chance taken. We had a beautiful meal of scampi, chips and salad. It was very reasonably priced and the portion was ample. The staff were very attentive and the meal was delivered very quickly. I would definitely go there again and would highly recommend it. Great value for money and a classy place too!

Pre show dinner. Truly excellent friendly service Prices good Food good Desserts excellent portions huge Lovely room And they arranged interval drinks conveniently all on the same bill. Will go again