The Pen and Pencil in Manchester

Arrived at 6.30pm after booking a table online. Checking in, took a seat. After 25 minutes no one came to take a drink order or issue menus. Went to bar to ask how we order, they asked Oww did you want food. (This is what we booked online a table for 2 for food) However once we made them know, service was good, food was good although a few options we wanted out of stock, service was quick and staff friendly

I booked their private room for my birthday party and it did not disappoint! The booking process was so easy and Lisa was so responsive every time I emailed with a question. It’s so rare to find somewhere with a function room hire without a minimum spend and so glad I chose here! I paid a deposit to secure the room but as soon as the party was over Lisa had already emailed me about how I can get the deposit refunded. The staff were super nice and helpful and the function room was in really good condition and they let us decorate. Will definitely book again for my next event!’

Thanks for turning us away at the door tonight. We took your advice and went in the Whiskey Jar instead and had a really good night. Cheers fellas. 😀

Tried to walk in with a group of 11 people, the place was empty and he turned us away, likely couldn't be bothered, solid way to ruin a business.

Accidentally left my bag there and David was super helpful and very nice about it after I just caught them as they were closing. Very cheery and helpful guy, overall positive vibes from him

The food and service was great, lovely atmosphere. Was wary because of some of the bad reviews, but we had brunch and it was delicious.

Nice staff and atmosphere, but wheelchair accessible / disabled toilet was filled to the brim with supplies and furniture, rendering it unusable. Staff moved some items out but it was still cluttered and difficult. Also, steep ramp to access restaurant in the first place.

You can't be in a rush here! I've been twice in the past few weeks and the service has been shocking both times - usually only one waitress on which is simply not enough. Long wait times to order, food items missed off order, drinks arrived after we'd already finished food - had to ask for cutlery, chefs constantly wandering past with full bins of rubbish. It creates an awkward atmosphere when everyone is constantly looking round waiting to be served! A shame really as I do enjoy the food!

Food came from the kitchen cold, a simple cooked breakfast was unsatisfactory

Food not great. Simple breakfast badly done

Mine and my friends go to catch-up venue, the staff were incredible each time in helping me with dietary requirements and the food and drinks are great quality.

Siempre que nos aventuramos a la parte superior del barrio norte de este lugar recibe una visita. Es un lugar con carácter que es popular y tiene un ambiente muy relajado y agradable. Esta vez era tarde un jueves por la tarde y todavía estaba bastante ocupado y un grupo mixto estaba disfrutando de sus bebidas. Tomamos una mesa junto a la ventana para poder ver lo que estaba pasando en la zona y disfrutamos de un par de pintas de cerveza. No es el lugar más barato a £ 6. 50 una pinta, pero el ambiente y el servicio hace que valga la pena.

Dos de nosotros pedimos comida por separado pero en la misma pestaña. Mis clientes pidieron 10 minutos después que yo y sin embargo su comida llegó 20 minutos antes que la mía. Cuando me pregunté por qué dijo que era porque se tardaba más en cocinar (para referencia pidieron un desayuno bap, pedí un bocadillo de dedo de pescado). Había moscas de bar constantemente a nuestro alrededor durante la hora que estuvimos cenando, el servicio de camareros era poco brillante, no creo que se veía feliz de estar aquí una vez y en un momento los chefs salieron y se quejaban de cuánto trabajo tenían que hacer. Nos dimos cuenta de que era el 50% de descuento para los lunes si reservas cuando entramos así que trató de reservar, pero no nos dejó. La mesa de al lado estaba en la misma situación, pero el tipo detrás de la barra quitó el descuento. Cuando le pedí al final que hiciera lo mismo se negó y dijo que necesitábamos reservar una hora antes. Le expliqué el mal servicio y aún así se negó. Sólo una interacción muy extraña. No regresará - por las moscas solas.

Emma, alex, laura are excellent staff, a fantastic experience

Cuatro fuimos al brunch sin fondo este fin de semana (funcionan el último sábado de cada mes). La comida es excelente. Los tamaños de las porciones son muy buenos de hecho y mi marido luchó para este cualquier otra cosa después del desayuno burrito. Hay una selección de cócteles y el desayuno era delicioso (manzana, frambuesa, lichi) aunque esto podría cambiar cada mes. El personal era genial y nos quedamos muy impresionados con toda la configuración. Hay un DJ de las 2 pm que estaba al lado de nuestra mesa. Esto no fue un problema, ya que no era demasiado alto y todavía podíamos disfrutar de nuestra conversación. la música se añadió a la atmósfera, pero si tienes algún problema de audición, es posible que desee solicitar una mesa lejos del DJ. Volveremos a reservar!

I’ve been coming to Pen & Pencil for years and always have a great experience. The last few times we’ve been served by Emma who has been amazing. She is always dead friendly & given us great service with a laugh. A great place!

Nice bar but don’t come for the food.. had the small plates- onion rings bone cold, chicken pink and bloody, and the cheese in the poppers was dry. Felt like everything had been keeping warm all day and just brought out for us on order.

Stopped in for a coffee. Decent vibe about the place. We stopped in mid afternoon on a Monday and it was empty.

Popped in for a drink with friends and ended up staying for lunch. Nice atmosphere with good food.

This venue was suggested by someone in our group who were looking for somewhere to meet, some of us for the first time. When I saw the reviews I was a bit worried and rightly so. There were supposed to be 10 of us but in the end there were only 8. The staff were prompt regarding getting us drinks and checking our order. Despite being asked to preorder it still took over an hour for our food to come. 1 person ordered pancakes which were uncooked, the inside was raw dough. She told the staff and this was removed from the bill. Another ordered poached eggs and hollandaise sauce and this was cold. A burger was burned. 2 of us ordered the Cajun chicken which was quite dry and supposed to come with slaw but there was about a teaspoon of it. No one said much at the time but once we’d left I found out no one had enjoyed their food. We’d initially been sitting on a high table by the door but it was freezing outside so there was a cold draught every time the door was opened. Thankfully the waitress moved us when this was mentioned to her. The waitress who initially served us was pleasant and helpful. The toilets had large pools of water on the floor.

Great place, clean and tidy,attentive staff with a smile.asked if we had any allergies or dietary requirements, thats a plus -plus. quiet at time of visit, lunch (Jan). A little longer wait for the food, had drinks to pass the time.worth while,the food was good,not rave worthy but decent.50%off food atm...we ordered 3 dishes,under £30 with drinks...Happy days...

Great service and drinks were fine. Don’t put pancakes on your menu if you cant cook them. They were soggy and not cooked. It then didn’t help that the bacon was burnt, have some pride in your food and don’t send out something you know is not right. When competition in the NQ is fierce you need to get the food right. Only plus was that we had 50% off won’t be coming back I’m afraid.

Fantastic!! Didn't have food but the 2-4-1 cocktails in happy hr were great, if you're looking for a bottomless brunch they do that here but on the last Sat in the month Definitely try the Fuzzy boy cocktails Amazing

My toast and my friend's burger buns were all burnt, and the butter chicken was so dry it felt like cardboard. The food we got was nothing like the photos on Google Map. Totally disappointed with the food, 10/10 would never return to this restaurant.

The service was good and the staff were really friendly. They seemed to be having an issue with flies though, which was really off putting. We had to keep swatting them away! The food wasn’t brilliant for the price, I wouldn’t recommend.

Cool place to dine with friends in the Northern Quarter of Manchester. Relaxed atmosphere snd friendly staff. Food very good although portion size a little stingy. Some vegan options.

The 4.2* average for this place is about right. We had brunch today and it was very good if not exceptional. Nice food, but not extraordinary, the coffee is fine but not the best you'll have in Manchester. You can book though, which helps on a busy Saturday morning. And the staff were great, very friendly and efficient. If you just want great coffee and food, Idle Hands is nearby and a bit better.

Had booked a table here, so arrived and waited by the door as stated, to be seated..and waited and waited. Eventually, hubbie went to the bar and ordered a bottle of wine. Very chaotic bar service, yes busy and noisy but bar staff weren't on it at all. We stood at a table with our wine, and realised we had been charged full price in Happy Hour. So, hubby went back to the bar to tell them. Really hard work getting any attention, no apology..rude service actually. I then went to the bar to ask about our reservation, but was blanked by the bar girl. We then decided to drink our wine and sack it. Felt very unwelcome. Nipped to the loo and realised there were restaurant tables round the other side of the bar, which we'd never seen before. Things took an upwards turn when we met Hattie in the restaurant, who was lovely and served us with a smile and attention. Food nice, but am pit off by the rude girls behind the bar so wouldn't return.

So glad we came here for a pre theatre meal , instead of the standard places The food was great ( even better with the Monday offer ) The staff were so efficient and friendly We would definitely come back again to try the other food on the menu

Great vibe, but no food on a Saturday evening

Great place to spend a couple of hours for a beer and music including Clint Boon on the occasion I was there

Would have given zero stars if I could. Service was slow and staff were just not doing their job, idling. My food was stone cold when it arrived and the bill was wrong. Basically nothing was even close to subpar. People walked out because they haven’t been served within a reasonable time frame! If one was willing to pay for poor food and service as a kind of experience, this is THE place to go to.

Stopped for a coffee during a bike ride great service.

Really good place for lunch and drinks!

Great little place. LOVELY steak - cooked to perfection - and frites with good pinot noir rose. Service really great, attentive but not intrusive, and general vibe really chill and a bit niche. Shame couldn’t have the Philly cheese steak past lunchtime but the sirloin more than made up for it.

El servicio más lento de Manchester. Dijeron 30 minutos de espera, lo que habría estado bien, pero fue casi una hora. Si nos hubieran dicho esto, no nos habríamos quedado. Perseguidos con camarero pero no eran comprensivos / no les importaba que teníamos un tren para coger. No regresará.

As a tourist coming to the UK I love having some good ‘pub food’. But last night the all pubs seemed either closed or fully booked for food?! I ended up in the Pen And Pencil. To my luck I should say. The staff was so friendly, even the chef came to advice me on their new menu. And the steak I ended up taking was buttery soft! Thank you guys for turning the night into a pleasure. Btw Chris Stapleton was awesome! ;)

Family party staff were excellent great venue and location

Stopped by briefly, nice place, but without TV screens. We didn't buy anything there, but it looked like a very nice place.

Lovely staff and great location

👍 50% off food offer on Monday is wonderful (need to book in advance)/cocktails are very nice, "happy hour" makes it even better/ staff very friendly 👎the small dining area gets quite smokey due to the kitchen extractor fan is near/ beef quality in the cheesesteak we ordered was not good, very gristly/ a bit mouldy on the brioche bread.

I was a little worried that the reviews I’d read about this place would be true for our visit, my friend booked the bottomless brunch as a birthday treat for me and we were not disappointed. The food was yummy, sausages on the burrito a little burnt but still delicious, steak was incredible, the special cocktail was delicious, the only thing that wasn’t great were the pancakes were a little bland and could’ve been fluffier but I’m just being picky now. The waitresses and waiters were brilliant the service was fast, we had 4 drinks within the first 40 minutes of being there and definitely had at least 13 rounds. The staff kept coming over and asking if we would like to order another drink I’d definitely go back. They were also really accommodating to my preference of no eggs I don’t have an allergy I just can’t eat them and they were happy enough to make sure they weren’t served on the plate. Can’t fault them really was a great experience.

El mejor desayuno de la ciudad! El personal es muy acogedor, la comida se presenta bien y sabe delicioso. Esta es una joya escondida y lo recomendaría encarecidamente.

Buttermilk chicken burger was very tasty, staff incredibly friendly and welcoming. Not a huge place but very intimate and had a great vibe

Had the breakfast burrito, and it was the best breakfast I’ve ever had, highly recommend

Awful food. Burnt and overcooked. Poached eggs were way overcooked and tasted like vinegar. Bacon was like cardboard. Sausages burnt. Tomato was cheap and rats. Get to Ezra and Gill or feel good for a decent breakfast. This is not the one.

Food was nice but expensive for how much you're given. The service time was a joke, over an hour for brunch

Cocktails in this place are insane! (Though time consuming to make) Book a table (but be aware there's a time limit on your booking! We hadn't realised and were annoyed when they moved us on as we were ready to settle in for the night!)

Blandest food I’ve ever eaten, cold. Pretty poor service all round.

La comida era agradable y el personal era encantador. El Philly Cheesesteak y las batatas eran muy muy agradables junto con el Pen Spritzer. La hamburguesa de pollo Buttermilk estaba bien.

Really attentive staff, food was purely delicious.

Had a lovely early evening meal there whilst on a short holiday with my wife. Food was lovely, beef chili was delicious with a nice after bite. Beer and service were great. Our hostess was warm and friendly. All round a nice experience.

80p for a shot of syrup are you guys alright?

Had a great night in here before Liam Gallagher.

Bottomless brunch was meh. Compared to other bottomless brunches the drinks were slow. There was only one person on the bar so no hate to them as they seemed so busy and doing their best. I was expecting the food to be tasty but it was bland and also slow. Luckily we had the old price of £45 but now it’s £50 per person which is steeper than other places. We ended up leaving early cause it wasn’t worth waiting for drinks and was pretty uncomfortable on a high table (it’s nice to know these things in advance). Service team were lovely and I don’t think they themselves could’ve done better given it was busy. The low service rating is for how slow everything was.

Fui aquí por el almuerzo sin fondo. El personal era as. Realmente me divertí. La comida era increíble muy recomendable. Lo único que diría es que la bebida no es tan variada como otros brunchs, pero sí que golpearon el palet de todos bastante bien.

First visit, seemed a decent venue, Boony DJing and Red Stripe on tap, are big plus points, price of a pint, not so much

Pre Liam Gallagher set with Clint boon. Blew the roof off. Banging boozer 🤩

We visited the Pen and Pencil on Friday 14.6.24. We arrived on time at 4.00 and were shown to our table by a very helpful member of staff who quickly took our drinks and food order.1 x Chilli 1 x Chicken Burger 2 x Philly Cheese Steak. We didn't see her again and presumed her shift had finished. While waiting for our food another couple sat on the next table and ordered their food and drinks, which arrived before ours and was returned to the kitchen and replaced due to being cold. We patiently waited nearly 45 minutes before we asked where our food was, only to be told we had got caught up in a busy period and we were next. Our food arrived at around 5.30 and the order was wrong. We had been sent 2 x Chicken Burgers and no Chilli. We explained this to the waitress who took 1 of the Chicken Burgers away and returned with the Chilli. We distributed the cutlery only to find we only had 3 sets and was unable to get the attention of a member of staff to request another set, having a Burger and Chips i was not too bothered and started to eat my food without. I picked up my Burger and the top of the bun crumbled apart and was not edible The chicken coating was that hard it crunched in my mouth when I tried to eat it and the chicken had no flavour and tasted of nothing. So I left this and decided just to eat the chips with some ketchup minor issue that there was not much in the bottle so I turned it upside down to get the sauce to the top to get it out. The chilli was just sauce in a bowl with no rice or chips and had no kidney beans in it so was just like a spicy bolognese sauce. 1 of the Philly Steaks had cheese on it and 1 did not and again both the buns were not edible and just crumbled if you tried to pick it up. We spoke to the manager and explained that we were not happy with the service and food that had been presented to us, he told us he would discount the bill for us. When the member of staff came to the table to take the payment he was very rude and a little sharp with us asking us to pay and throwing the card receipt onto the table and walking away without any acknowledgment. He then returned to remove the box which contained the condiments and realised the sauce had been left upside down and slammed the bottle back into the box, grabbed the box and struck the arm of one of our party and walked away with no acknowledgment or apology for what he had done. We left the restaurant a little disgruntled, but happy that we had not paid the full amount for the poor service and very poor food. We all agreed to send this message to the management team and wanted to praise the 1st member of staff that had taken our order only to be surprised to find that we had been charged for the Chicken Burger we had not ordered and returned. I don't normally post bad reviews I tend to vote with my feet and never return but this was so bad something needed to be said

great litte place, service was good and food was delicious.

El café y las bebidas eran muy buenos y la camarera era un crédito para el lugar. ¿Entonces qué salió mal? Bueno, la comida suena bien en el menú, pero ahí es donde termina. Las salchichas estaban bien y el resto estaba bien. Mi esposa desayunó y los frijoles eran absolutamente asquerosos, los hongos fritos, el tomate se suponía que era zumaque, pero ciertamente no lo era. El tamaño de las porciones de los frijoles era sorprendentemente pequeño, pero como era no eran comestibles. En cuanto al chef, estaba tan sucio que no debería haber dejado la cocina en esas blancas. Nunca había visto blancos tan sucios y asquerosos y siendo chef no salía de la cocina y dejaba que los clientes me vieran así, simplemente nos desanimó por completo. La espera para la comida fue de casi una hora, pero no nos dijeron de un tiempo de espera y no estaba tan ocupado. En general, muy decepcionado ya que estaba en línea en los 13 mejores lugares de brunch en Manchester.

Great service very friendly staff. Gorgeous food had brunch, loved the vibe of the place would defo return and recommend

I am a frequent customer at P+P and have a good rapport with the staff, as I also work in the hospitality industry. The staff consistently exceeds expectations, including the weekend doorman, with whom I enjoy conversing on my way home from work. The cocktails are consistently exceptional, and I often find myself captivated by the preparation process, which often leads me to purchase one or two. I'm always raving about your cocktails.

Waiting for half an hour for food with a party of 2 only for it to come out lukewarm. The food was nice enough, it just took far too long to appear and was cold when it did.

Great good, atmosphere & fantastic staff. X

Great pub quiz, but beer is very expensive for Manchester

Great Monday discounts, which led us to visit the restaurant. The sandwich bread is very tasty, it looks like homemade, super soft. Very tasty fries and burger, average but tasty milkshake too. Stylish atmosphere, it was just a little stuffy when we went. The service was very good, people were attentive.

Large selection of brunch, sandwich, and burger dishes. Friendly welcome and attentive staff.

We stopped off at The Pen and Pencil on the way home for a small drink and food and we really enjoyed it. We ordered the steak, eggs and hash brown for both of us and it came out in a timely manner and was cooked to our request. I recommend here for some food and drinks and the service is great. Thank you to Connor for his help and great service

We've been going to the P and P for a few months now usually on a Tuesday to take part in the quiz and we love it. The atmosphere is great, the quiz itself is by far one of the best we've been too, and the food/drinks are reasonably priced and always delish. BUT the best part for us personally is the lovely customer service we always get from Niall whose pleasant, takes time to say hi to our pooch (we own a very nervous dog and although she often barks at other people when they come over, Niall always comes over in a calm manner which is much appreciated and really helps her in such a busy environment) and really just brightens up the place, so a massive thank you to Niall! 😀 We look forward to going every month to the P and P and would defo reccomend you visit if you read this review 😀

Attended a private function with work. Made the most of happy hour together with a great atmosphere

Great food, great drinks, amazing staff

We went on Monday for dinner but waited for food was 1 hour and 45 minutes as they had 50% off food. Good deal, but be aware of the wait

was a cool bar but staff were a bit rude when myself and a friend went in for a drink and they told us all the tables were reserved, bar wasnt full and same tables were empty after we left, could have been better service!

Excellent vibes, good drinks, good music.

Yes, this mural is still there 😁

Fantastic food, William cooks a great steak . Great drinks - overall top service

Ultra delicious I loved this place

Top notch pub. Casual but also upscale if you want it to be ? Great cocktail choice - low key and perfect

Always have such a great time here. Niall is a great server !

Lovely food, good atmosphere, friendly staff. The 50% off on Monday’s offer was great, really affordable!

We had pastrami bagel, chicken burger and philly cheese steak between us. All the meals were fantastic. Mine could have been a bit warmer, but that's probably me. I like my food hot. No one else had any complaints 😁 Will definitely be visiting again. It's dog friendly too.

We really enjoy coming here great service staff are amazing. It loses one star as there are always so many fruit flies buzzing around the food and drinks on every visit we have had. Otherwise great

Stopped in here to kill time before heading to Man Picc. Ordered the P&P burger and a Biscoff shake. Burger didn't look up to much initially but tasted absolutely amazing. Chips were perfect as well. Service was brilliant by Alex. Atmosphere was decent as well.

I went at 20:50 for a quick dinner and they said kitchen was close, there were nowhere write it about what time kitchen was close. Such a shame

Hosted my birthday event in the private event space I had a wonderful time hosting my birthday party - the service, staff, food and ambience was just amazing! With no minimum spend on the bar, this was the best option in the city to host my birthday. We had 40 guests in total and it was a good enough space for this, for my guests to be seated and stand

What a great place. Called in for a couple of drinks and really enjoyed the vibe. Dj was good and the drinks were better. Great cocktails and brilliant staff.

This place is great not only for the high quality food but for the staff who make the atmomsphere. Would love to thank all of the members of staff who made our night those being Sophie, Niall & Laura! Great location which is quintessential to your night out. Our group is eager to return.

Great find in Northern Quarter of the city. Lovely staff super friendly brunch was yummy

Fantastic food, the veggie breakfast was great! Staff were really helpful too. Lots of veggie/vegan options and they have quite a few gluten free/vegan options for those with dietary requirements.

Absolutely fantastic! Booked a table of 20 for brunch the morning after a hen party. The food was so good! The service was excellent. Thanks so much!

We made a last minute booking for three couples for lunch on Saturday afternoon (10th Feb) and couldn’t have had a better time. From the moment we walked in it felt lovely, the atmosphere was warm and relaxed. We ordered a variety of meals which were all delicious and the service by Nile was great. He was helpful and very attentive and made our time there fun. We would definitely return and I will recommend to my friends, thank you

Booked the function room for a leaving do get together. The place is lovely, food was delicious and the bar staff were amazing. Great atmosphere in the main bar area. Brilliant night had by all and would definitely recommend.

Great brunch here, relaxed atmosphere, can book a table online! Drinks were all really nice and the food was good, the french toast in particular was delicious. Service from Niall and other staff members was fantastic, very friendly and grabbed some sausages and bowl of water for our dog. We’ll be back 👍

Food was 10/10 our server Sophie was lovely!

Came in for a last min brunch, there was no tables available but they happily let us sit at the end of the bar which was plenty of space. Food was great and Sophie was friendly and attentive. Would deffo come back

Happy hours deals are great! Very friendly staff members and lovely atmosphere

This place is so nice, Great staff especially our favourite server niale, nothing is too much trouble for him , and he always ensures his guests have the best experience in his lovely restaurant- Food 10 out of 10 Staff 10 Ambiance 10 Honestly I can’t fault the place , cocktails to die for !! And super super dog friendly ..

The worst service out of any restaurant we have been to in Manchester. Were given a wobbly table and when we asked if we could be moved, the waitress literally threw her hands up, snapped at us and walked away. Her poor colleague had to apologise to use for her behaviour (he was lovely at least). The food was absolutely disgusting, I would rather eat cardboard than come here again. My friends who I came with agreed and we didn’t end up finishing our food because it was so dry, tasteless and yet somehow soggy at the same time

In all honesty been and tried the bottomless 3 times and it’s gradually got worse every time and we will definitely not be returning ever again. Most of the food was left as the quality was very poor. Multiple items sent back for range of reasons, they can’t even cook a pancake which says it all. The attitude of the management team is also disposable. Multiple tables complaining as they are unable to provide a good level of service. It was for a friends birthday and we were left disappointed that we chose this venue, a mistake we definitely won’t be making again.