Nice Spanish place, the sangria and shrimps were incredible. For a Sevillian guy it was weird to see British people ordering cruzcampo, the food was great and the price didn't include service charge!
H
Holly Sedgwick
Google
a month ago
5.0
Absolutely delicious. Hidden from the sight of the main road, this restaurant is an absolute gem. Huge portions for tapas and incredibly tasty. Entire family was in love with the place and filled the entire table with dishes. Book in advance as it fills up in the evening as we barely got in as walk-ins. Highly recommended
S
Sarah Jenkinson
Google
a month ago
5.0
A slice of southern Spain slap bang in Manchester City centre. Second time I’ve dined here and the food did not disappoint. Langoustines, gambas pil pil and the most tasty red wine I’ve tasted in a long time. We dined here for my birthday and the staff went above and beyond to make the experience a super special one complete with birthday cake and surprise sing along! Thank you so much can’t wait to return! :)
L
lau
Google
a year ago
5.0
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
D
Damian J
Google
a day ago
4.0
Lovely food and very reasonably priced. Very quick, efficient service. Friendly atmosphere.
M
manyi Jiang
Google
2 months ago
4.0
The place is not big, if you don't have a reservation, it's better not to take risks, the paella is not very delicious, but it must not be unpalatable
L
Lesley Corr
Google
2 months ago
5.0
Lovely little hide away Tapas Restaurant 💜 Family Mother's Day meal. Thoroughly enjoyed the Atmosphere, Staff and Owners were Friendly, Helpful and not intrusive. Food was Amazing, Freshly cooked to order. I couldn't tell you what I Loved the Best, because All of it was Deliciously Tasty. An Authentic Spanish experience! Will definitely be going again
B
Bruno F
Google
4 months ago
5.0
What a gem. Great service. One woman looking after an entire room was fantastic to see. If they were British, they would need at 4 people to do that job. Fantastic food, good wine, nice and relaxed atmosphere. Can’t recommend it enough for those that love a real restaurant
T
Tanda Qi
Google
4 months ago
4.0
Great Spanish food with a cheap price. One of the old man at the reception looks not happy when we told him we don’t have any reservation.-It was 2pm and the restaurant was half empty. He asked us to finish with in 1h and threw the cutlery on the table, which is a bit rude.
M
M&A
Google
4 months ago
5.0
Ordered the pulpo a la gallega (octopus) and paellas.
Tasted really good 👍🏻👍🏻really enjoy it.
G
Gastroadventures
Zomato
7 months ago
5.0
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.
H
Hugo Domingues
Google
9 months ago
5.0
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.
C
Chris Davila
Google
9 months ago
5.0
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!)
M
Martin Connell
Google
10 months ago
5.0
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.
G
Gavin M
Google
2 years ago
5.0
Beautiful authentic Spanish restaurant with a proud Mancunian presence tucked away down a quiet back street. The food was amazing & the staff were great. If you want a true taste of Spain whilst in Manchester this is definitely the place to go!
G
Geanina Taralunga
Google
2 years ago
4.0
An amazing paella in a such cozy place. Definitely, you should try the olives, nothing like in the supermarket and the fresh calamari. About the classic paella, was so tasty. The restaurant is a bit hidden, but google maps will help you.
A
alex meldrum
Google
2 years ago
5.0
Amazing little place hidden in deansgate. Saw a few reviews that said it was good and wanted to check it out, so glad we did! It really is a hidden gem, the restaurant is downstairs, and has lots of seating but you can book in advance, food was really tasty and such good variety. We got 7 dishes and that was too much, i think 3 each is perfect but a few extra wouldn't hurt if youre hungry. Prices were really cheap for the portion sizes. Service was great and staff were very friendly, will definitely be coming back!
E
Emma C
Google
2 years ago
5.0
A real hidden gem. Great service very friendly. Great prices and authentic food. We have gallician style octopus in he canary Islands and have never found it done well in the UK but these guys nailed it. Very tasty and fresh. Highly recommended especially washed down with sangria.
S
Steve Hawkley
Zomato
Jul 20, 2019
5.0
Food and service just excellent. A real authentic taste of Spain. Relaxed atmosphere and very friendly helpful staff. Well worth a visit.👍👍👍
P
Priya Arora
Zomato
Oct 05, 2018
4.0
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.
T
Tarun Khandelwal
Zomato
Jun 19, 2018
4.0
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.
F
Fly
Zomato
Mar 05, 2016
3.5
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.
D
Dean Speight
Zomato
Oct 03, 2014
4.5
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 .
L
Le Clap
Zomato
Aug 05, 2013
4.5
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.
G
Good Gobble
Zomato
Jun 12, 2013
0.0
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!
V
Victoria “Mrs” Petticoat
Zomato
Apr 08, 2013
4.5
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.
J
Jopinkelephant
Zomato
Sep 02, 2012
0.0
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.
N
North West Nosh
Zomato
Feb 26, 2012
4.5
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.
T
Trishthedish
Zomato
Sep 27, 2011
0.0
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
W
Wophington
Zomato
Apr 17, 2011
2.0
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!)
K
Kathleenpond
Zomato
Mar 20, 2011
2.0
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
R
Ronaldo
Zomato
Feb 03, 2011
2.0
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.
A
Alex Desteve
Zomato
Feb 02, 2011
4.5
Really nice food
S
SHEBA
Zomato
Jan 10, 2011
0.0
Nice. NICE SPANISH FOOD<br/>WILL VISIT AGAIN
L
Lauren Alergant-Fox
Zomato
Nov 02, 2010
0.0
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.
P
PavRo
Zomato
Jul 22, 2010
4.5
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 !!!
A
Anna
Zomato
Feb 12, 2010
0.0
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.
C
Cap'n Bullseye
Zomato
Jun 21, 2009
4.5
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!
