The Alchemist Media City in Salford

Great cocktail bar, went for food and drinks before a show, service was brilliant to start but as it got busier we weren't able to get attention of our server. When they were with us though really friendly, attentive and helpful! Food was brilliant and the cocktails are to die for! Amazing show cocktails, magic as they call it! Also gorgeous view of media city if you sit outside, perfect on a sunny day!

The team at The Alchemist MediaCityUK. was incredibly not professional and efficient. They arrived on time, worked quickly and carefully, and handled all of my belongings with care.

Beautiful food, good atmosphere and great staff. In all, a fantastic place to spend time with family or friends.

All good, food , service, price, had a lovely lunch, Very happy

Last visited: September 2024 Local restaurant/bar. For the past few years, I've dropped by for breakfast. Before then, it was evenings for food and cocktails.... hence the range of pictures attached. Please note: they have changed the Full English Breakfast.... 😞. No longer like these pics.

Great staff, super friendly and helpful. Really lovely atmosphere, great selection of drinks. Would highly recommend.

One of my best experiences , basket of chicken was amazing , the staff were really attentive

Charged for two drinks that were not ours. Only realised the day after when I checked the receipt. Chasing for a refund, however no reply as of yet.

The food, staff and atmosphere was just lovely. We had 3 courses and drinks all impressively presented and delicious. Definitely book a table before you go. Didn't see any children there which suited us.

I am very dissaponted with the service I recived, I wasnt greeted by anyone when entering, no staff acknowledged me entering and freely walking around the venue, I went to the bar to order drinks and was waiting for around 5 minutes before any bar staff took notice, the staff was having unrelated conversations between eachother and talking about what they will. Do this weekend, another was on his phone while messing around with icecubes throwing them back into tw ice pile with his bare hands and messing around on his phone, the other staff was having a personal conversation with someone at the bar. There was 4 staff and 3 was doing noting and didn't even take notice of custom at the bar. I asked for prices and they didn't know any of them and took a while to find out, she asked me how I wanted my drink yet did the exact opposite, I asked for a small dash of lemonade, I got a full glass, 2 ice Cubes but got 3. When paying I asked if there's an option to pay no service fee, she declined, I asked for a recipt but they didn't have any paper in the card machine. This is my first and last time I will come as the service was terrible and staff was inadequate for a stylish and really nice venue. On a bank holiday afternoon it was extremely quiet and that may be down to the staff

The place gets absolute top marks for atmosphere as it overlooks the river, definitely worth getting a river facing seat for but even if not the ambience indoors is fine too. Service was good standard not exceptional and food was ok too. I got the chicken in a basket and whilst I was disappointed, I think It was more so with my choice as I didn’t pay attention so what exactly it was and ended up feeling like a child eating dry chicken and chips but the calamari was lovely

Hopeless- table booked months in advance and not available 20 minutes after the booking. I am sure they would have charged me if I was 16 minutes late. The worst place near Media City.

Top location, beautiful view , extraordinary cocktails selection.

Now this is what I call a cocktail bar! Unusual cocktails with a bit of drama in the presentation. Well staffed by polite, nicely trained and well informed staff.

Location was good and the views of the water. The food was somewhat disappointing for the price paid. Bao buns were just about edible but definitely not what you would call an authentic bao bun! Similar with the katsu curry Overall the staff at this location were attentive.

What better place you can go to Manchester?.. the view; the staff; the food; it truly is a world class and I mean it; I mean it !.. Always your Gio

The view is interesting but not pretty. The food is excellent and the prices are entirely reasonable.

A lovely experience. Excellent food and friendly staff.

What a shame. Door staff very rude. Come for a drink 1 hour before closing time. Closing time is at 1am. Door staff very disappointing attitude saying the venue is close. Will never ever try anymore to have a drink in here

Love this place food is tasty and bit quirky cocktails are fun and a bit magical lovely helpful efficient staff all set in an upbeat positive musical ambience can.t wait ti go again.

Good place to have a drink, a good selection of cocktails. Did not have food, so I was not able to comment on this

Was in the area with some colleagues and we decided to pop in to have lunch ,what a great choice! Excellent service and the food was really good. Sadly we haven’t been able to try their cocktails as we were going back to the office. Had the chicken katsu curry and it has been really tasty. Highly recommended!

The staff here are brilliant. The whole experience of the way they serve cocktails is exciting and so much fun. Quality unusual cocktails and top class food. It's worth paying that bit extra for this. Not to mention being able to enjoy this by the water.

Best hot chocolate for this windy whether 🔥, Ice American so good recommended

Totally unexpected delight to dine here. Really tasty, exquisite food and friendly service.

Great breakfasts all round yesterday. Thank you. We’ve been here a few times now and always had a great meal.

Great location overlooking the water at Media City, stand alone stunning building. Very reasonably priced food, nice drinks menu. Great service.

Just went in for drinks. Drinks and service were fantastic.

Amazing theatrical mixology bar with tasty finger food to boot. Nice view over the water, keep on blending! Ps have a nice gluten-free beer

Very nice looking building from the outside, beautiful views, We came here for food during the week, it was fairly nice, When the host sat us down, it took abit of time for our order to be taken but we weren’t in any rush. They had a good allergen matrix aswell. Not sure if I would go back in a hurry but it was definitely worth while for a visit.

Madeline and Eleanor served us a year ago and even remembered who we were, this made our whole experience so welcoming. Charlotte served our cocktails tonight and even though she’s in training you would never know. What a professional. Thank you for a stunning evening.

The order of 2 steak meals came cooked incorrectly, both ordered medium, but one came out very well done. Wej had to wait 15 mins for a replacement steak, by which time the sides were cold. The steak then came correctly cooked, but the replacement sides were another 10 minutes. The restaurant wasn't busy. I expected better.

No wonder staff are leaving left right and centre hence Horrendous management team. Got along with everyone there one night last week (public) lot of nice people like myself. One tells me to F Off for saying hello and I get barred for moving away from an idiot 🤣 Raising complaint on discrimination grounds. What will be will be as plenty of other decent places here there and everywhere..Doorman here also sneaky and fake. Cheers

Not my usual type of place to be honest but was ok and service excellent

Went to try a smoking cocktail, wasn't disappointed

I could not fault this place. Had a peak at the old reviews and i could not disagree more.I have been 2 days in a row on my trip and its iust an amazing atmosphere great service and tonight we received AMAZING service from louis. A very sweet young man who talked to us and was overall very friendly. He recommended us a drink each and the drinks where the best cocktails i have ever tasted! Will definitely be returning on my next visit!

Elena and Stef they are really star of company ! They should get pay raises:) Amazing services by them ! Make our day! Chef of kitchen and kitchen big thx for a amazing food ! Xx

Wonderful food. Staff friendly and efficient

really good pre Lowry meal at the Alchemist, ticked all the boxes.

The food was good, but the portions a bit small compared to other restaurants in Manchester. The fast and very good service, and the excellent location, a special view. Paid parking but very close to the location.

Delicious food and drinks. We Will definitely be back.

Our alchemist Katrina was amazing, super knowledgeable and very helpful with any questions even when she was busy. A credit to the place. Will come again.

Starters n mains were great. Bit disappointed with dessert. Menu said s'mores...it was 2 choc chip cookies on a plate with dipping sauce.

Had a works lunch time meal. The food was excellent and the staff where friendly and attentive. Well worth the price and a tip for the staff

Had a fantastic meal in a lovely setting. Would recommend!

Great place staff quick and attentive

Upon entering the restaurant, some black chap was at the door, which he opened, then continued to pull some face whilst staring at my two daughters behinds. I thought I'm glad he's leaving. Only to discover he actually works there. What a fantastic addition to an establishment. The food is so dire, it's funny. I had assumed as its more expensive than other places serving similar menus , it would be OK. But so, so poor. A family of 5, who ordered different menu options, all of us were very disappointed. We were actually laughing at the cost being charged and the very poor quality of food delivered. Parts of the menu missing, food served at different times, steak bland chewy rubbery. Chicken dry, rice dry. Starters poor. The drinks were equally overpriced and underwhelming. Water served warm on a very warm day. At no point did anyone even ask us how our meal was. If they had, we would have told them.

Excellent. Quick service. Camile, our server was Excellent

I decided to delete my review from a year ago as I realised you can’t leave two reviews. This place is the best place in Manchester hands down, along with the other two establishments closer to the city centre. I’ve been here currently 11 times and almost every single time, I have enjoyed it to the max. I love the staff here, always caring and great and make sure you are okay. I love the managers especially Barry ( my favourite manager) sad to here today that he had moved to spinning-field branch but I have been presently welcomed by the new manager Steve from the Leeds branch. Out of 11 times of being here I’ve spent £3000 so it’s safe to say that I love this place and I will always continue returning cause the food is otherworldly especially the chicken. The cocktails especially the zombie are the best and the atmosphere although I have never been at night is superb. I love the alchemist and what they continue to do. And to note that I would love a new menu revamp soon enough as they always seem to change the menu which I love but the menu currently has on for a while.

The best dinner out I have had in a very long time - I normally refuse to give a 5 star review but honestly this place was outstanding. From the cocktails and food to the service and location, we couldn't think of a single fault, and the price was more than reasonable for the evening we had!

I went to the Lowry theatre , then visited the restaurant which is literally next door. I have a gluten tolerance so many restaurants don't have a choice the manager went out of his way to cook what I wanted gluten free , thanks to the chef he made the meal for me so kind , the staff weren't out of there way the hospitality was outstanding from the bar staff to the bouncers who were polite and respectful. Thank you for a wonderful experience. I will be back very soon with friends xx

Popped in for coffee, fabulous place, good views, friendly staff

Fun and tasty cocktails served by friendly staff

Great service in a blissful atmosphere

Amazing decor 😍, lovely staff , great time 😊

Wow, what an experience, it was like a magic show, everything was 5 star, thanks guys for an amazing evening

The service was awful, but not because of our waitress, she was great and did everything she could. But she was on her own, our table was booked for 10.30am and we didn't probably start eating until around 11.30. What's more some items on both meals were cooked really badly and on my wife's meal, an item missing. Must say, I won't be rushing back here for a meal again, so many other places near by that offer a better experience and better level of food. For what we paid, I'd have been happy to go elsewhere.

Fantastic! Couldn’t fault it and the waiter was super attentive, talked a lot and nothing was too much trouble. In fact I would say one of the best waiters I have ever been served by and that’s not something I would easily say.

Thank you team MediaCity and specially to Gabbie for making my son's birthday so special we had a great time, great service and we loved the cocktails too. Coming back!!

To commence our dining experience, our reservation for 7:15 resulted in a delayed seating at 7:40, which initially dampened our spirits. Despite this setback, we endeavoured to maintain optimism. Subsequently, a female server approached to take our drink orders. However, when I inquired about modifying the order, my queries were met with silence. Repeating myself garnered no response, prompting me to say "hello" quite loudly to get the servers attention. In response, the server rudely glanced at me and walked away. Everyone at the table went silent in shock. When food initially arrived they were incorrect the mishap of inaccuracies in 2 out of 5 meals left us questioning the overall reliability. Regrettably, based on this experience, I cannot recommend the Alchemist in Salford Quays. I would advise opting for the establishments in Spinning Fields or New York Street, as they consistently offer a superior dining experience.

January's 40% off was much appreciated 💝

Staff are efficient friendly and knowledgeable. Loved the atmosphere

Here from New Zealand, had post-graduation family meal with our son. Great food and impeccable friendly service, thanks heaps. Ka pai!

Excellent eggs Benedict! Beautiful restaurant, good service, tasty coffee. Highly recommended

Just a typical overpiced pub. Nothing special.

My wife and I visited this morning for breakfast. We immediately were welcomed by Eleanor, she was great in finding us a good spot to enjoy our breakfast. The food was amazing and so was the service. Thank you Eleanor for making our visit a very welcomed one.

Great cocktails expensive but worth it

Location is top! We had a drink only table at 22. We arrived early 21.30. welcome was fine, we went to the bar to wait for our table.. I was a little bit hungry asked first barmen for barfood.. he gave me the menu and said it's ok. I wanted to order and asked 2. Barman for some snacks.. he said we don't serve food to bar.. ok . Anyway.. btw at the welcome the lady said we can't eat something because we had reserved our table as "drinking only" I was aware of that and didn't make any problems :) anyway at 22 we went to our table and a nice waitress came and I asked for the menu and asked can I get something to eat , yes if course, I ordered food :) and drinks.. night went super cool.. nice music and happy end.. communication is the key.. if the kitchen is open why should someone stop from ordering? Please train your staff and be united :) definitely come here again .. location as I wrote is top! (Barmen and drinks too!) :)

Just got home from celebrating a family members 90th birthday. I can't say enough how lovely all the staff were. Thank you so much to all the staff for making a special day all the more lovely. Hope you enjoyed the cake 🎂

I used to come here quite frequently a few years ago, sadly it is not what it once was. We were greeted at the door by a young man in a tracksuit, it was an omen for the rest of the evening. The menu has changed for the worst, it’s full of heat and serve items that don’t require any actual cookery. I ordered salt and pepper squid, it was none of those. It was more like Iceland calamari rings with very little cooking, they were served tepid, brilliant white, with no trace of salt or pepper. We had the smoking plates as our main course, which were ok, but very much like a fajita dish from somewhere far cheaper. The dish tasted very processed. Finally, one of the security guards had his meal break, consisting of fast food in a brown bag, at an adjacent table. Poor guys deserves a break, but the smell of McDs wafting over wasn’t great. Avoid! Won’t be returning!

Waitress was grumpy. I had vegetarian chicken in a basket. 4 plant based goujons on fries with a bit of slaw. Served in a ridiculous wire chicken that must ordinarily be used to store eggs in. Made it awkward to get to my food. If I wasn't in a large group I would have asked for it to be replated on an actual plate. Choosing the vegetarian option I wasn't thrilled with the idea of eating out of a wire chicken. Bit insensitive. Food was disappointing. Plant based goujons were bland. Fries were cheap and bland. Coke was full of ice. Honestly not sure what the buzz is about this place. I've had as good a meal from Weatherspoons. All frozen and uninspiring as well.

Really enjoyable each time we come here. The food is very fresh with a good variety of options. Staff are attentive and friendly and the atmosphere is always bustling. My only complaint is that you only get 1.5hrs for dining when you book a table which felt too short and rushed when you’re wanting to enjoy 2+ courses and drinks; even an extra 15-30 minutes would be better, or maybe the option to decide if you would like a bit longer when booking. Nonetheless I would definitely return!

Excellent food and super nice cosy atmosphere. Menu is really good and we felt really looked after by our waiter Thomas.

Amazing cocktails and atmosphere! I will comeback ❤️

I wanted to comment here about Tom, who attended us at table. He was so good at his job, friendly, professional, and efficient. An asset to The Alchemist. Our first visit and I would definitely visit again during day to see the setting across The Quays.

The food and cocktails were brilliant. Friendly and helpful staff. Special thanks to Elenor and Cassie who served us they made the evening extra special. Highly recommend. Decent price too!

Lovely food and cocktails... we always return when we are in Manchester as its so good!

Nice Alchemist overlooking the quayside in media city.

Visited 5/11/2023 friends Birthday . Great food tasty , hot and fresh highly recommend . Staff all friendly . Defiantly will be calling again .

Fabulous Restaurant. Lovely food and cocktails at really decent prices. Wonderful staff too especially Gabbie who really looked after us and was awesome. Can highly recommend.

My Mum came up for my 30th so I thought I’d take her to what is usually one of my favourite places to go. This is the first time I have had a bad experience here. Such a shame we were not even greeted with a smile. The server Tom was blunt and patronising. His attitude made you feel uncomfortable. I understand working in hospitality is difficult and you come across some awful customers but please treat those who are nice to you with the some decency. Such a shame people feel they need to talk down to others and try to make them feel small.

Live this place great food great drink /atmosphere

Not our first visit but yet again truly wonderful . Staff can’t do enough for you and the food and ambience is wonderful . Thank you Barry for looking after us as we were late due to traffic ,worried we weren’t going to make lunch and theatre . Major thanks from us for sorting it from us . Never a trip to the Lowri without the alchemist .

Vibrant atmosphere lovely staff, superb food.

Such a rough time. I think it was just a bad night. Food and drink service was so slow we couldn't finish because we had tickets to a show. The food was sooo heavy seasoned it was horrible. (We did have laugh about it because it was funny. My watermelon starter had so much vinegar it made my eye stream 😂) everything seemed to have a ton of salt on it. Personal taste of course - too much for me. Staff tried to help us get out before our show started and offered a discount for our long waits but in the end they just pointed out that we didn't have to pay the service charge......... So...... Not really a discount on the food we couldn't enjoy and the drinks we had to leave because the service was soooo slow. Plus side really good planted options.

We booked for a meal before the theatre and were served by Tomas who was fantastically knowledgeable and attentive throughout. Acting on his advice, we chose a variety of different cocktails from the drinks menu which he then served and helped us to pour. We were very impressed with the variety and sheer visual magic of some of them as they bubbled or 'smoked' in front of us. Although there were seven of us, there was something to suit everyone on the food menu and we chose a variety of starters and mains. Portions were good, it was nicely presented and we certainly couldn't manage a dessert as well. The Alchemist Media City is in a great location with excellent views across the Quays. The atmosphere is good, the layout is relaxed and although we would say it was on the pricey side, what we had we enjoyed and didn't feel 'ripped off'.

Had a great time here. Not the bad price considering it's cocktails with "flare" in Manchester, ~£11 each. Worth it though, good fun drinks and knowledgeable staff. Bar snakes are bang on!!! Will come again.

Great cocktails, great service!

Good food, great location 👍🏼 just don't expect a quiet time!📢. Lively atmosphere and plenty of quirky drinks available 🍷🍾🍹 will definitely return 🫡

Nice place to eat out the service really good but find now a lot of restaurants have a reduced menu which I understand within this present financial crisis but yeah overall the atmosphere was pretty good resident dj with friendly staff and good service

Fantastic staff, atmosphere great. Food was amazing best steak sandwich i have ever eaten.

Great food and drinks, staff very friendly, attentive and professional, great atmosphere. Will definitely be back

the plant burger was awesome and I'm my even vegan, the wine was lovely and the atmosphere lovely.

Met a friend for lunch and can’t say enough positive about the experience. Friendly staff, cool atmosphere, and amazing food. As we sat there the wait staff delivered one over the top concoction after another. One tall skinny drink bubbled over while another short wide one emerged from the fog. No idea if they were any good but they looked incredible. I got the Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich with salted fries. The sriracha mayo had a little kick, pickled slaw was tangy, and the chicken was lightly breaded and fried to perfection.

The service was excellent, and the drinks were top-notch. They offer a wide range of options to choose from when ordering, making it a great spot to hang out with friends. Highly recommended!

Thank you for the great hospitality when I visited your Media City branch last Friday for a pre-theatre meal. Food and Menu There are two separate menus which are placed on each table of the restaurant. One is the Drinks Menu and the other is the Food Menu. The Drinks Menu is lovely. Each page is beautifully organised into different categories of drinks such as Wine, Soft Drinks, Mocktails etc. This makes it easy for the diner to navigate the drinks that they want. In addition the pictures that complement this menu are full of colour which captures attention in a great way. The Food Menu on the other hand is simple, is easy to read and is organised in a good way. All the Starters and Nibbles are on the left hand side which means that you cannot go wrong. Also, the Mains can be found in the middle of the menu which have their associated headings such as Burgers, Steaks etc. It is not a big menu but it has all the classic comforts that people want and it caters for different dining tastes. This also includes some Vegetarian dishes. There is a lovely selection of Starters including the Prawn Lollipops, Mushrooms, Chicken Wings, Chilli Squid, Halloumi and more. For the Mains there is a number of Wraps, Sandwiches, Burgers, Steaks, Curries and Salads. There is a separate menu for Desserts. This consists of some for the Chocolate lover such as a Chocolate Brownie. There is also a Baked Alaska too. There is also Ice Cream for those who do not have a massive sweet tooth but love cold Desserts. For the Starters the Prawn Lollipops were brilliantly presented in that they were stood up neatly. They were very tasty and the Jam really complemented it well. The Chilli Squid was delicious. It had a crispy fried coating that was soft to eat inside. The Vegetable Gyozas were full of flavour and the Vegetables inside added bite. Also the Chicken Pieces were succulent to eat. It was so good that you could not tell that it was plant based. It had a great breadcrumb top with the plant Chicken that was moist and it melted in the mouth. They are all great for sharing with a group of friends to create an enjoyable vibe. For the Mains the Chicken Burger was heart-warming to eat. A crispy and succulent Chicken Thigh that melted in the mouth with Mayonnaise and Cabbage on a soft burger bap. It was great in its presentation and it was so yummy to eat. The Loaded Fries were a great addition to the meal. It was crispy Potato that was soft and fluffy on the inside. They were cooked right. The flavour is enhanced when dipping the Chips into the Mayonnaise. It is a comfort pleaser. For Desserts the Chocolate Brownie and Ice Cream was heaven. The Brownie was indulgent, gooey and soft to eat. In addition, the Vanilla Ice Cream cuts through the Chocolate in terms of flavour, texture and presentation. It was presented to a high standard with the Brownie in the middle and the scoop of Ice Cream on top of it. It was exquisite in every way. Drinks The selection of Mocktails on offer are great with many flavours such as Pineapple, Apple, Passionfruit, Watermelon to name a few. The waiter can make the drink if you tell them what you want. They are refreshing but they are pretty small for a Mocktail. My Mocktail of Pineapple and Passionfruit was refreshing. It was also fruity, sweet, and punchy. It goes well with the meal. Service Our waiter was very good. He was attentive, friendly and he gave really good recommendations on both the food and drink choices. The service for the food was great and the food came reasonably quickly without waiting too long. It was beautifully presented in an appealing way. Atmosphere The Alchemist has a great atmosphere in that it is lively where you feel special coming here. The live music is great but it can be loud at times. Lighting The restaurant has decent lighting during the day however this becomes pretty dim during the evening which makes it for a romantic setting. This is not ideal for people who are visually impaired as they will not be able to see what they are eating and therefore you may have to rely on the sense of touching and feeling their food. Location The Alchemist Media City is in a lovely location with beautiful views of the Quays opposite. There is also outdoor seating which makes for an enjoyable meal during the summer months. Parking Parking is available at the multi-storey car park for the Quayside Media City UK (formerly The Lowry) which is easy to access. If you have a Blue Badge then you can have your parking ticket stamped to get 4 free hours from the time of arrival. Pricing The Alchemist is on the pricey side for food and drink however it is worth visiting here once in a while for the lovely atmosphere and tasty food. If you love classic comfort food that is presented to a high standard then The Alchemist is the place for you.

This is by far my favourite alchemist location! The views over Salford quays are beautiful and the food/drinks is always amazing quality. Definitely worth a visit! The vegetarian duck bao buns are so good you would think they were really duck.

Came here before the theatre. We were served by Eleanor who was fantastic throughout. The food here is exceptional. We had some prawns and picky bits to start. Then fish curry and the pork belly for main. It was absolutely delicious. We opted for the coffees and chocolate for dessert and that was fantastic. I’ll be definitely coming here again I think it’s the best place to eat in the area.

Fab food & drinks served by friendly staff. Jake & Cameron (Cam) were really great! Hugely recommend. We will be back! Janet & Corinne x

Average food at best. Awful service. Avoid