Martin Connell
Looking for some nice food in Manchester on an early Saturday evening and this came up as recommended top of the list, off the main street.
Absolutely perfect choice - tapas, small plates, paella , your choice of lovely foods depending on how you're feeling... Just tick on the menu sheet.
The lentil broth soup with sausage was just amazing, one of the nicest foods I've had all year.. ribs were just mouth watering.
Lots of signed football t-shirts and photos on the wall add to the ambience.. really friendly staff and front of house.
Hugo Domingues
A good choice. Once you enter the premisses, you realize you're in a traditional homey Spanish restaurant. The food is homemade, and all you ask for will be very good. I reckon it is as good as being in Malaga despite the weather outside. The owners and team are welcoming and can advise good options if you are not used to Spanish food. The service takes a little bit of time, but it is worth it because good food needs good timely preparation.
Trina Ukaj
4-5 plates are enough for 2 people! The patatas bravas were not spicy but still good! Everything else (skewers, beef, salad) was amazing! The price was also really good! Definitely recommend
Orson Li
Really a huge fan of this fantastic Spanish restaurant. Tapas especially oxtail is great 👍 also a good value of money
Chris Davila
A must try in Manchester city center for Authentic Spanish tapas. The atmosphere at El Rincon de Rafa feels like you have been transported to Spain, fantastic atmosphere, friendly staff and delicious food and sangria jugs.
Speaking of food, menu offers plenty of tapa options and great portions. (3 tapas per person is more than enough, trust me!)
KloudManc
A great place to have a few drinks and a couple of tapas after work in Manchester.
lau
incredible experience! place is a little hard to find but you feel like you’re in spain…the atmosphere and food are extremely authentic vibes are just 10/10. highly recommend the pan catala and ham croquetas! special shoutout to the lovely waitress who told us we ordered too much at first and told us to cut down…she was certainly right! very motherly vibes she was amazing
Daniella Boza
The food is spectacular! Very genuine Spanish food, the meat paella was to die for. Very friendly staff as well!
Mary Ashbee-Dobbins
Wonderful night out while on a business trip by myself. Loved the food and will be back
BAHRAM NIKFAR
Spain in the centre of Manchester. All good. Real size wine measure and good house wines. Food above average. One dish came out ages before the others. Service was bad with one waitress who just threw the dishes onto the table. No customer service skills. The other waitress was good.
Gayle Rigg
Was there yesterday for a friends birthday celebration. We ordered tapas and a paella. Food was good but the service was sketchy at best. No attentiveness shown at all, when the food was brought to us, initially it was the odd dish of this and that here and there as the waiters were serving other tables! !??? A bit weird. ...then rest of dishes brought to the table. Probably won't return.
Paul Jones
What an amazing place. You feel like you are sitting in a restaurant in the middle of Spain. The food is some of the best we have ever tasted and that includes eating in Spain. Friendly and helpful staff and wonderful food. Portions are large and the wine is sublime. I really can't wait until our next visit. Hasta pronto y gracias.
Andy Kenyon
I’ve been here a few times now and enjoyed every single meal. The venue it’s self is so traditional Spanish and the staff very good. I must admit though the last time I visited and had the fillet steak (which I have had on numerous occasions) the chef butterflied it (sliced it through the middle) to cook it. I was so disappointed as it looses its flavour. The staff did apologise but I just felt as if we should have been asked if that’s how I wanted it cooking. That said, it won’t stop me returning!
Oh and they did give us our sweet on the house.
Kerri Davies
Nestled away in a side street and down some steps, fantastic place, food is plentiful and really tasty. I really like it here, food is great, wine is cold and I think Its really well priced for central Manchester.
Henrik Holmskov
Definitely best tapas in Northern Europe. I’ve been there every three of my last visits to Manchester bringing a new group of international partners each time. They’ve all loved it, and that tells it all. It’s the best - people feel happy here.
Scott Dixon
Went in last night after going to El Gato Negro first. What a difference!
This place "felt" authentically Spanish and we loved it.
I'm learning Spanish and felt completely at home with the staff who were fantastically friendly and encouraging when talking to them in their native tongue. Not like El Gato Negro where I was just shunned.
The tapas was beautiful and we will definitely be coming back.
Muy bueno!! ��
Duncan Clark
I don't normally write reviews but this place deserved it. Stepped inside the building and transported to Spain. Food fabulous. Enjoyed every dish. Reasonably priced too. As authentic a spanish tapas in the uk as you'll get. Enjoy�
Wendy Hoban
My favourite tapas in Manchester , a hidden authentic gem 😊 Enjoyed a late leisurely lunch and price reasonable . Fantastic Calamari and Bravas 😋My 3rd visit and wasn't disappointed 🇪🇸
Joanna Watson
We had lunch today and it was delicious! The pork in honey was absolutely to die for!!
The last time I visited was 17 yrs ago ... I will not be leaving it so long to come back!!
Julie Ann Strafford
I've got to say this is the best tapas I've ever had short review but to the point excellent
Iky Mehasi
Real Spanish food, with beautiful decorated dinning room and music to set the tone.. reasonably priced wines and delicious tapas!
Stuart Carswell
NY meal again - we goto El Rincon every year on NYE - staff attentive, food excellent and atmosphere fantastic. Truly authentic tapas
Simon Ewing
Best food in Manchester. Best tapas outside Spain. Been to loads of tapas placew in the UK and non stand up to this place. Been many many times and it's always A1+!!
Mark Chetham
Love this place, a real favourite. Rafa and his family were in enjoying a meal, it really is authentic Spanish, not like a chain restaurant. Keep up the great work Raf 👍🏼
Lynn Johnson-Roberts
Love this place. Food is excellent service is spot on. Want a night in Spain come to El Rincon Manchester.
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Joanne Hassall
A little hidden typical Spanish restaurant, gorgeous food and excellent service. Can't wait to go again
Gastroadventures
I try to visit here once every couple of months being one of my favourite places to eat around the city, with the food being hearty and the atmosphere homely. Great selection of beers and wine to accompany the food which is fresh and cooked to order, brought to your table when ready. I would definitely recommend the Gambas Pil-Pil, Filetitos and Pulpitos en salsa.
Steve Hawkley
Food and service just excellent. A real authentic taste of Spain. Relaxed atmosphere and very friendly helpful staff. Well worth a visit.👍👍👍
Priya Arora
This is a great place, we were 26 people and yes we did book and pre order the food in advance but nevertheless that’s a lot of people to serve. The food was excellent and the service first class.
Tarun Khandelwal
Fantastic place hidden behind Deansgate. Football shirts and scarves displayed on the walls. But the real treat is the food. Exquisite tapas and nice wines and coffee. Probably the best tapas I have tasted in Manchester.
Fly
Ordered the octopus, king prawns with chilli, chorizo in red wine sauce, fried potatoes in tomato sauce, chick peas and the Spanish omelette. Fabulous. All very tasty and to wash it all down a marvellous jug of sangria. The reason I've not given this a 4 rating is that there were only four prawns in the dish and the chorizo was not fried.
Jopinkelephant
Not enough wine in the frigde.. Went with friends for a meal food was average have had better Tapas the Sangeria was totally awful more orange juice than anthing else. It took three attempts to get a bottle of wine due to the wine not being available ended up with just a glass of wine The manager was very unhelpful and wasn't bothered about our complaint he was very rude and as no people skills. We will not be rushing back. Last time we went it was very busy but this visit it wasn't could have something to do with the managers attitude.Will go somewhere else for Tapas next time.
Trishthedish
Such a shame. I first ate at El Rinkon about 12/13 years ago, I loved it then, but not so much on return visits. . . <br/><br/>I've just read negative comments posted lately, and I tend to think that they've arisen from poor ordering, and a lack of understanding of the grub. In my (too long) experience of El Rinkon, the food has deteriorated because of poor competitors nearby. A certain complacency has set in, in my view.<br/><br/>Quite a shame, as this place always had the potential to be marvellous
Wophington
Terrible - frozen food and stressful service. I was expecting authentic Spanish cuisine, what I got was truly flabbergasting. Frozen surimi crab claw that had been PRE-BOUGHT, ready made and frozen (Do a google search on frozen surimi and look at images) which was tasteless and pure white imitation crab meat (no fresh crab to or fresh anything to be found at El Rincon except the side salad of half a tomato and 2 slices of cucumber on one of the plates!). Everything was covered with tinned tomatoes on every dish, and all dishes tasted the same except for the frozen meatballs, the meat was tasteless but I got a hit of chilli with the tinned tomatoes this time. The same with the squid it was chewy and clearly pre-frozen. Very disappointingly (because this place could be so good, and has gone very downhill) the management have obviously decided to cut corners in an effort to turn over tables. Service wise everything came within 5 minutes of ordering and as we had barely taken the last contents of a dish the plates were whisked away from us within a split of a second. The wait staff were constantly hovering making it a stressful evening (we were in and out within 40 minutes!)
Kathleenpond
Rude and unhelpfull. We had booked the table 4 weeks prior to going and I checked by phone that the booking was ok!!! but when we got to the resturant there was no booking they said i must of booked it wrong IT WAS MY 60TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!! im hardly going to get the date wrong!!!! we were taking freind from london we will never go again
Ronaldo
Massively overrated. Has to be the most overrated restaurant in Manchester,great ambiance,but very average and expensive food and drink for what it is,tapas.Not for us again.
Alex Desteve
Really nice food
SHEBA
Nice. NICE SPANISH FOOD<br/>WILL VISIT AGAIN
Lauren Alergant-Fox
Went with workmates and had an amazing time. 4 of us went and 12 dishes to share and 2 bottles of wine only cost 20 pounds each. Staff lovely and good service.
PavRo
As Authentic as it can get !!!. If you manage to find it you have to congratulate yourself!!! In the end you will say it was well worth the search...only people you'll see are those who know it and it is packed even on a week day...on a weekend be prepared for a long wait..the food is brilliant and the staff is great....<br/>Try the paella and you won't be dissaponted..but the quantity is large so try not ordering starters!!!<br/>Have gone back again and again..Also was a great place to celebrate the Spanish victory at te World Cup !!!
Cap'n Bullseye
A real taste of Spain, right in the heart of Manchester. El Rincon is as authentic as it gets, just make sure you get there early on weekends!
Good Gobble
El Rincón de Rafa has been coming off and going back on the list for years - we've heard such mixed reviews, one minute you'll hear someone saying it's the most amazing Spanish food they've ever tasted then the next minute you hear tales of terrible microwaved tapas and hour-long waits for mediocre food. When my friend Nat recently told me she had been and had a "sensational" meal, I started to consider adding it back onto the list - it is a Manchester "classic" after all. Well, fortunately we didn't need to wait long as Nat liked it so much she decided to invite us all to go with her for her birthday meal!
Victoria “Mrs” Petticoat
The food at El Rincon was brilliant, but the place needs to slow down. The staff were rushing around like a flustered Benny Hill sketch. Great food doesn’t bring people back if the service ruins it.
North West Nosh
Go again? Maybe with a group of friends who just wanted a lot of reasonably priced food, but I'll go elsewhere to get my culinary kicks.
Anna
Walking into ‘El Rincon’ my first thought was: central heating! Below freezing outside, it was intensely gratifying to walk down a short flight of stairs into a muggy basement interior.
Dean Speight
We have visited El rincon a couple times and never been disappointed . The food is very authentic , good value and service excellent , I look forward to our next visit .
Le Clap
Joy! I love tapas and this is as near as you can get to Spain with getting on a plane. Forget your chain tapas restaurants this is the real deal. Hidden away from the crowds the atmosphere invites you to eat and drink and never let's you down.
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