We had been gifted a 5 course tasting menu for 2 and we were looking forward to our visit. Lovely table by the window overlooking views of the city, very impressive. We had a friendly waiter that took time to explain the process and each course that was served. The amuse bouche was a tasty mushroom tart which we thought bode well for the meal - we were wrong! The cod croquette served first was so salty that it was almost inedible - as were so hungry we washed it down with plenty of water. We fed this back to our waiter. Next came pork cheek with pumpkin and haggis soil. Way too much pumpkin blancmange and the 'soil' was very gritty. Disappointment fed back to waiter. Next came sirloin steak; 2 small pieces of steak with a stuffed shallot. Unfortunately the steak had been poorly prepared so we both had one piece of steak that was largely gristle, left on the side of our plates. The kalamansi sorbet followed, presumably to cleanse the palate. It was much too strong and we feared for the enamel on our teeth! The dessert was a delicious blend of honeycomb parfait, bee pollen and yoghurt. The accompanying wines were acceptable though somewhat overpriced. This venue deserves to have much better food.
ricklK240SJ
Great meal, service, ambiance and stunning views. From big guy on door , bar staff waiters and rest these guys definitely go extra mile. Oh by way the food was OUT OF WORLD. Thanks for a great night out.
Prestbury-food-lover
One of the most iconic places in Manchester, and gradually building a reputation for fine dining and fine wines. We arrived at 1715 for a pre-theatre dinner. Tables, heated roof terrace and bar area all have floor to ceiling windows with fabulous views over Manchester. If heights make you nervous, book a table away from the edge! Food is accomplished and potentially Michelin star level. Table service is excellent. Cost was £160 for two for the 3 course pre-theatre menu, accompanied by 3 drinks each. The 'flat iron steak' (skirt steak to anyone not from the North) was the star of the show. Beautifully prepared and presented. Our table waiter was from Hungary, and could not have been more skilful or professional in his work. Excellent. Toilets were amazing - reminiscent of the Peninsular Hotel Grill in Hong Kong. Points to help get to 5*: - for pre-theatre dinner, the background music was too loud in the dining area. It precluded conversation between two people at a small table, and necessitated us requesting it be turned down. That was done. - we waited for a long time for drinks service in the bar area, despite having been seated by a member of staff, and despite a number of staff standing around chatting to one another. When I walked over and interrupted them, they attended to us immediately and with an apology. - the wine mark up policy was OK for the cheaper bottles, but apparently the %age is the same for the more expensive wines. Paying over £200 for a bottle of young wine I can buy retail for less than £100 is a nonsense, and counterproductive. - Tofu block main course could be improved by using a more dense tofu, and crisping or crusting the outside. Silky tofu does not work well in this format. It's happier chopped, with ma po sauce or in miso. I guess the chef is not a vegetarian LOL.
Igor S
Me and my fiancé went there to celebrate her anniversary, and while booking specified that we're having a celebration, and that we want a place near the window. When we came to the restaurant, we were asked at the reception what is the occasion of our visit - we've told them about birthday celebration. We've got a place technically near the window - it was near closed entrance to the terrace. Not exactly what we expected, especially when we felt wind blowing through these doors. Luckily, we've asked about different table, and we've got one in the middle of the room. Felt a little bit disappointing, nothing to be worried about, but things only got worse. After we finished the dinner, we realised that we haven't got any birthday "specials". I wouldn't care, if they haven't a) asked about that while booking, b) haven't asked at the reception. Alright, we don't want to ruin our celebration, so we've moved along, and asked for a bill. 252£ of which 13.5% we're service tax. Since we haven't got what we asked, we didn't want to pay more than 10% of service tax. So we've asked to remove it from the bill, and told waiter that we're leave tips in cash instead of tax. We've paid with card via phone, and realised that we've left wallets in our jackets, that have been left at the reception. We haven't told waiter that we'll come back. We went to reception, received our jackets, but the waiter that served us, while passing by, stopped to say us "thank you for the TIPS". With emphasis on that. It felt like spit in the face. Took us a while to process that, but after we went straight to the receptionist. Receptionist was sorry about the situation, explained that in fact we should've received some complimentary champagne, that we should've received a place near the window, and that we shouldn't be shamed for not paying service tax. Thank you for clarifying, but evening was already ruined. Food is great, but service made this experience awful. Great, especially for the anniversary.
kamilataraszkiewicz
On the 26th of December, I visited 20 Stories in Manchester with my niece, who had recommended it as a worthy place to see. We went there just for drinks and were pleasantly surprised to get a table with an amazing view of the entire city, even without a reservation. Our waiter, Constantin, immediately helped us with his knowledge in choosing cocktails, which turned out to be the best choice ever. We were so pleased with the service and drinks that we decided to move to the restaurant area to try some food, even though the kitchen was closing at 22:00. We started ordering food at 21:30. We had the pleasure of enjoying two amazing starters, tiger prawns and scallops, followed by confit duck, and ended with an incredible chocolate tart, also recommended by Constantin. Throughout our time there, we felt incredibly special because the entire staff took great care of us. As someone who lives in London and enjoys visiting nice places, my experience at 20 Stories was truly outstanding. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Constantin and all the staff for making our night out unforgettable and very special.
Jclferreira
The food was all great and if you manage to get a window seat the view is the best in all of Manchester (you do pay a bit extra for it, as you’d expect). Very busy even on a Monday lunch service shows the restaurant is doing a lot of things right.
Gavin M
3rd Visit, and Didn’t disappoint - Best atmosphere, busy lively bar, perfect music (house vibes etc ) at just the right volume. Views at night unbelievable all part of the experience. Packed but bar/restaurant staff attentive and friendly and v helpful in assisting my partner to choose her Steak. Also, straight away changed ( no charge ) a cocktail which my partner ordered in error… top customer service. And the food…. best we have had here, Steak cooked exactly as we wanted, best fries ( fresh, perfectly seasoned ) and the passionfruit cheesecake…. WoW!! Worth every penny. Yes… it is no cheap but all you ask is to get what you pay for and 20 Stories delivers on every level.
KarenJ_Stafford
Atmosphere was great, good was average at best and not great considering the price. I’m vegetarian and the options were limited at best. When I asked to change things it wasn’t possible. As a main course I was initially served a tiny portion of lentils. This was sent back to the kitchen and I had to sit there whilst my friends were eating. I felt so sorry for the waiter. He had to keep referring to the manager, and not once did they come over to apologise or sort anything out. Fur coat and no knickers. Will not be returning
Lauren W
Came from the south to come and visit Manchester over the weekend and we have a great time everywhere else we went and we’re looking forward to finishing the night for a couple of drinks here. We had looked on your website before coming which states smart casual, no sports shoes which we were not wearing. Wouldn’t even say greeted by your female door team member , she took one look at us and went no converse , nothing else spoke but pulled an extremely rude face. I work in hospitality myself and this was the rudest greeting I’d ever had in my life. My partner was wearing brand new converse and smart shirt jacket and apparently this attire isn’t good enough for them. Won’t be attempting to return , clearly looked like we didn’t have enough money !
419LynnE
Great food, stunning views and ambience. Great service, with groovy background music to just get you in the mood to party as you enjoy the mouthwatering dishes.
Beautiful rooftop bar, stunning views and great atmosphere around the fire pit. Such a good vibe and will be certainly visiting again!
DVETheK
Classy building with (obviously) a brilliant view of this wonderful (and ever changing) city - almost worth a visit for that alone. The staff very extremely professional, too. I’ve got to say that we loved the food - the mackerel starter and the cheesecake were exquisite - quite simply one of the nicest starters and one of the greatest puds I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot!). So why only 4*? Would you like bread with your soup? Erm…yes please. Neither of us recall seeing any mention of cost for this, but having been before, we knew it wasn’t going to be included…but nearly five quid for four or five slices of a baguette or whatever -and a pat of butter. Slightly (ok then, totally) bewildered why the salmon and peas (which was lovely) didn’t come with potato or something. So it was extra for those too. Nobody forced us to have two glasses of vino at over fourteen pounds each but as with last time, the extras came to more than the voucher due to the service charge (applied to the voucher value, too???), two glasses of wine, water, bread and a portion of spuds. Ouch. Anyway, in conclusion, we loved our visit and the food.
Suzanne B
Beautiful venue and beautiful views but shocking service. We were a family party of 13 that had met in Manchester from various parts of the country and some of us had not met for a couple of years. We were to have drinks on the terrace and were there at the allotted time, 30 minutes before. Staff helpfully put tables together for us but our drinks never arrived. When we went through to the table, despite the table being booked well in advance we were placed on 2 tables. Hardly the family experience we had expected. Twenty Stories had also requested for us to pre order from the £55 festive menu by the Wednesday before the Saturday. When we sat down there was a different set menu with different choices in front of us. I will always pay for good service but this place was extremely poorly managed and living off the beautiful views and venue decor. I would not recommend.
GlasgowCarty
Beautiful restaurant with great service. We got a lovely table at the window. Food was delicious, albeit very restricted for vegetarians. Great for people-watching!
Lauren S
First time at this restaurant and it didn’t disappoint- the food was fantastic. Would definitely recommend and will visit again .
We had been gifted a 5 course tasting menu for 2 and we were looking forward to our visit. Lovely table by the window overlooking views of the city, very impressive. We had a friendly waiter that took time to explain the process and each course that was served. The amuse bouche was a tasty mushroom tart which we thought bode well for the meal - we were wrong! The cod croquette served first was so salty that it was almost inedible - as were so hungry we washed it down with plenty of water. We fed this back to our waiter. Next came pork cheek with pumpkin and haggis soil. Way too much pumpkin blancmange and the 'soil' was very gritty. Disappointment fed back to waiter. Next came sirloin steak; 2 small pieces of steak with a stuffed shallot. Unfortunately the steak had been poorly prepared so we both had one piece of steak that was largely gristle, left on the side of our plates. The kalamansi sorbet followed, presumably to cleanse the palate. It was much too strong and we feared for the enamel on our teeth! The dessert was a delicious blend of honeycomb parfait, bee pollen and yoghurt. The accompanying wines were acceptable though somewhat overpriced. This venue deserves to have much better food.
Great meal, service, ambiance and stunning views. From big guy on door , bar staff waiters and rest these guys definitely go extra mile. Oh by way the food was OUT OF WORLD. Thanks for a great night out.
One of the most iconic places in Manchester, and gradually building a reputation for fine dining and fine wines. We arrived at 1715 for a pre-theatre dinner. Tables, heated roof terrace and bar area all have floor to ceiling windows with fabulous views over Manchester. If heights make you nervous, book a table away from the edge! Food is accomplished and potentially Michelin star level. Table service is excellent. Cost was £160 for two for the 3 course pre-theatre menu, accompanied by 3 drinks each. The 'flat iron steak' (skirt steak to anyone not from the North) was the star of the show. Beautifully prepared and presented. Our table waiter was from Hungary, and could not have been more skilful or professional in his work. Excellent. Toilets were amazing - reminiscent of the Peninsular Hotel Grill in Hong Kong. Points to help get to 5*: - for pre-theatre dinner, the background music was too loud in the dining area. It precluded conversation between two people at a small table, and necessitated us requesting it be turned down. That was done. - we waited for a long time for drinks service in the bar area, despite having been seated by a member of staff, and despite a number of staff standing around chatting to one another. When I walked over and interrupted them, they attended to us immediately and with an apology. - the wine mark up policy was OK for the cheaper bottles, but apparently the %age is the same for the more expensive wines. Paying over £200 for a bottle of young wine I can buy retail for less than £100 is a nonsense, and counterproductive. - Tofu block main course could be improved by using a more dense tofu, and crisping or crusting the outside. Silky tofu does not work well in this format. It's happier chopped, with ma po sauce or in miso. I guess the chef is not a vegetarian LOL.
Me and my fiancé went there to celebrate her anniversary, and while booking specified that we're having a celebration, and that we want a place near the window. When we came to the restaurant, we were asked at the reception what is the occasion of our visit - we've told them about birthday celebration. We've got a place technically near the window - it was near closed entrance to the terrace. Not exactly what we expected, especially when we felt wind blowing through these doors. Luckily, we've asked about different table, and we've got one in the middle of the room. Felt a little bit disappointing, nothing to be worried about, but things only got worse. After we finished the dinner, we realised that we haven't got any birthday "specials". I wouldn't care, if they haven't a) asked about that while booking, b) haven't asked at the reception. Alright, we don't want to ruin our celebration, so we've moved along, and asked for a bill. 252£ of which 13.5% we're service tax. Since we haven't got what we asked, we didn't want to pay more than 10% of service tax. So we've asked to remove it from the bill, and told waiter that we're leave tips in cash instead of tax. We've paid with card via phone, and realised that we've left wallets in our jackets, that have been left at the reception. We haven't told waiter that we'll come back. We went to reception, received our jackets, but the waiter that served us, while passing by, stopped to say us "thank you for the TIPS". With emphasis on that. It felt like spit in the face. Took us a while to process that, but after we went straight to the receptionist. Receptionist was sorry about the situation, explained that in fact we should've received some complimentary champagne, that we should've received a place near the window, and that we shouldn't be shamed for not paying service tax. Thank you for clarifying, but evening was already ruined. Food is great, but service made this experience awful. Great, especially for the anniversary.
On the 26th of December, I visited 20 Stories in Manchester with my niece, who had recommended it as a worthy place to see. We went there just for drinks and were pleasantly surprised to get a table with an amazing view of the entire city, even without a reservation. Our waiter, Constantin, immediately helped us with his knowledge in choosing cocktails, which turned out to be the best choice ever. We were so pleased with the service and drinks that we decided to move to the restaurant area to try some food, even though the kitchen was closing at 22:00. We started ordering food at 21:30. We had the pleasure of enjoying two amazing starters, tiger prawns and scallops, followed by confit duck, and ended with an incredible chocolate tart, also recommended by Constantin. Throughout our time there, we felt incredibly special because the entire staff took great care of us. As someone who lives in London and enjoys visiting nice places, my experience at 20 Stories was truly outstanding. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Constantin and all the staff for making our night out unforgettable and very special.
The food was all great and if you manage to get a window seat the view is the best in all of Manchester (you do pay a bit extra for it, as you’d expect). Very busy even on a Monday lunch service shows the restaurant is doing a lot of things right.
3rd Visit, and Didn’t disappoint - Best atmosphere, busy lively bar, perfect music (house vibes etc ) at just the right volume. Views at night unbelievable all part of the experience. Packed but bar/restaurant staff attentive and friendly and v helpful in assisting my partner to choose her Steak. Also, straight away changed ( no charge ) a cocktail which my partner ordered in error… top customer service. And the food…. best we have had here, Steak cooked exactly as we wanted, best fries ( fresh, perfectly seasoned ) and the passionfruit cheesecake…. WoW!! Worth every penny. Yes… it is no cheap but all you ask is to get what you pay for and 20 Stories delivers on every level.
Atmosphere was great, good was average at best and not great considering the price. I’m vegetarian and the options were limited at best. When I asked to change things it wasn’t possible. As a main course I was initially served a tiny portion of lentils. This was sent back to the kitchen and I had to sit there whilst my friends were eating. I felt so sorry for the waiter. He had to keep referring to the manager, and not once did they come over to apologise or sort anything out. Fur coat and no knickers. Will not be returning
Came from the south to come and visit Manchester over the weekend and we have a great time everywhere else we went and we’re looking forward to finishing the night for a couple of drinks here. We had looked on your website before coming which states smart casual, no sports shoes which we were not wearing. Wouldn’t even say greeted by your female door team member , she took one look at us and went no converse , nothing else spoke but pulled an extremely rude face. I work in hospitality myself and this was the rudest greeting I’d ever had in my life. My partner was wearing brand new converse and smart shirt jacket and apparently this attire isn’t good enough for them. Won’t be attempting to return , clearly looked like we didn’t have enough money !
Great food, stunning views and ambience. Great service, with groovy background music to just get you in the mood to party as you enjoy the mouthwatering dishes.
Restaurantji Recommends
Beautiful rooftop bar, stunning views and great atmosphere around the fire pit. Such a good vibe and will be certainly visiting again!
Classy building with (obviously) a brilliant view of this wonderful (and ever changing) city - almost worth a visit for that alone. The staff very extremely professional, too. I’ve got to say that we loved the food - the mackerel starter and the cheesecake were exquisite - quite simply one of the nicest starters and one of the greatest puds I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot!). So why only 4*? Would you like bread with your soup? Erm…yes please. Neither of us recall seeing any mention of cost for this, but having been before, we knew it wasn’t going to be included…but nearly five quid for four or five slices of a baguette or whatever -and a pat of butter. Slightly (ok then, totally) bewildered why the salmon and peas (which was lovely) didn’t come with potato or something. So it was extra for those too. Nobody forced us to have two glasses of vino at over fourteen pounds each but as with last time, the extras came to more than the voucher due to the service charge (applied to the voucher value, too???), two glasses of wine, water, bread and a portion of spuds. Ouch. Anyway, in conclusion, we loved our visit and the food.
Beautiful venue and beautiful views but shocking service. We were a family party of 13 that had met in Manchester from various parts of the country and some of us had not met for a couple of years. We were to have drinks on the terrace and were there at the allotted time, 30 minutes before. Staff helpfully put tables together for us but our drinks never arrived. When we went through to the table, despite the table being booked well in advance we were placed on 2 tables. Hardly the family experience we had expected. Twenty Stories had also requested for us to pre order from the £55 festive menu by the Wednesday before the Saturday. When we sat down there was a different set menu with different choices in front of us. I will always pay for good service but this place was extremely poorly managed and living off the beautiful views and venue decor. I would not recommend.
Beautiful restaurant with great service. We got a lovely table at the window. Food was delicious, albeit very restricted for vegetarians. Great for people-watching!
First time at this restaurant and it didn’t disappoint- the food was fantastic. Would definitely recommend and will visit again .