K H
After I enjoyed the art gallery I came here for taking a break. Very pretty cafe. The staff was very friendly and my flat white was amazing!
I would love to come back for some cakes and scones they looked so good in the showcase.
Lena Storz
Very good scones!! The soup of the day, pumpkin and sage, was very good as well. Quite a big selection of food for a museum cafe, you can have breakfast and lunch there with a few menu options. Very big cake selection with some quite unusual cakes, like a matcha blondi. There are many vegetarian and vegan options to choose from. It also has organic lemonades. The staff was friendly. It was quite busy and loud though.
bear bear
Exceptional cooking! Had no expectation in a simple cafe at a gallery but the food here was so yummy! We had a mushroom pie and a parmesan risotto. Both were great! Portion is small thou. They also have free water with the choice of still and sparking. As to the setting, it’s a simple cafe, could be a bit noisy. Probably we had visited on a busy day. (Note should grab a menu to check all available food choice. The board just listed with the special for the day)
Tracey Fairhurst
A very busy spot but good to be able to enjoy refreshments inside the gallery.
Great selection of food and drinks, we only dropped in for a light snack.
There was a substantial choice of soft drinks, we had a ginger lemonaid, lime lemonaid, dandelion and burdock and a delicious Cappuccino. We also enjoyed tasty fresh scones with jam and cream and blackberry frangipane tart.
Haden Boardman
While wandering in for a presentation at the art gallery, I thought a coffee and cake would be a swell idea. I purchase a slice of vegan prune cake, with coffee served with soya milk. The prices where very reasonable, service prompt and polite. The cake was delicious. The room itself is bright and airy. It’s a lovely place to take lunch or just take a few moment out with a quality cup of coffee.
Julie Wilson
Great cafe situated in MCR Art gallery
Lovely coffee and cake, veggie and vegan options with great service
Paul
Fantastic cakes and coffee here with a chilled out vibe, some good outside seating too when it's sunny.
Zuzanna Wierzba
We got a a too good to go bag from the Cafe and we’re served very swiftly. The three cakes we got were all really delicious.
Philip Morgan
Lovely place with some very nice cakes
Connie
Enjoyed the pistachio cake, fresh and baked in house. Would suggest to reduce the sweetness slightly. Tables were almost full, even on a weekday afternoon.
Peter Schutterlin
Lovely space for drinks, snacks and pastries, & cakes. Order at the bar and they bring it to your table. Great tasting organic cakes and sandwiches and superb breakfasts - single or double. The double must be huge! Friendly staff too. What's not to like?
Dave Carlisle
A bit posh!! Not always a bad thing, but in an art gallery, that tends to make idle chatter frowned upon. Food and service good.
Raj Madhas
Great place for coffee, cake and lunch! Lovely relaxing surroundings with a great choice of food with friendly service.
Pavan Rao
Excellent cafe and space this. Have been waiting to have a bite here as seen it over the years. Finally did and not disappointed. Good fresh food and excellent cakes and sweets all at a democratic price. The space itself is excellent and great place to relax and catch up even if not visiting the MAG. The best part is the staff are excellent and provide a great service
Sue Mellor
Great cafe. Child friendly. Lovely coffee & cakes☺️
Barbara Orr
Love the Gallery Cafe. The staff are amazing. I love the way the Guys who work there dress creative vintage unique. They should have their photo on the front cover of Vogue or get Grayson Perry to paint them & hang it in the gallery with Pride!
Well done Guys for a great experience
Sharon l
What a great place - Ate a delicious cake with coffee and the food looks amazing, quite a quirky experience with the staff members brought Art to life - what an incredible picture - I shall sketch
See you soon 🙂
Warden Ng
A very comfort place, and the Raspberry cake is excellent with a cup of coffee.
Aurora Mercury
The recent Hylas and the Nymphs debacle throws into question the quality and purpose of this museum. To take down--effectively censoring--a piece of artwork because the staff doesn't understand or feel comfortable with it is ludicrous and sets a dangerous precedent.
Moreover, why does the general public seem to have a better handle on Greek mythology and art history than the curators and staff of this museum? To house such unique, beloved works of art with no understanding or appreciation for the art is reprehensible. A Waterhouse cannot merely be discounted because someone in a position of power misconstrues the message of the painting. There should be checks for this abuse of power.
Unfortunately, hanging the painting in question back on the wall will not repair the damage from this recent stunt. The museum has abused their power and tarnished the reputation of a talented artist. I feel that all the historical artwork should be taken down and sent to museums staffed by those with a greater respect and understanding of art. I will not be happy to see the art returned to its former position of contempt. The only remedy is for the staff to go or the art.
Ettore Murabito
The Manchester Art Gallery has broadcast a very disturbing image of itself, by censoring artworks that the gallery curator (some Clare Gannaway) deems not in line with today's range of acceptable discourse.
In particular, "Hylas and the Nymphs" was removed from the gallery Friday 26 2018. Officialy this was done to "promote a debate about the representation of the female body". This reason, although catchy, is not intellectually honest. Promoting debate entails showing MORE, not less.
The curator of an art gallery is the custodian of the art pieces, not their owner. Removing an artwork from the public's gaze based on ideological reasons is a very dangerous path to walk. I'm surprised how the gallery's curator fails to see this, and just (mis-)uses the otherwise commendable argument of "promoting debate" to hide/remove a piece of art that some self-righteous minds consider culturally outdated.
When political correctness reaches out to the domain of the arts, it's time to stop and reconsider the direction our society is heading. Witnessing the Manchester Art Gallery crossing that dangerous line is not only extremely disappointing but also very alarming.
Kevin-John Chaplin
As said by another reviewer, "The recent Hylas and the Nymphs debacle throws into question the quality and purpose of this museum. To take down--effectively censoring--a piece of artwork because the staff doesn't understand or feel comfortable with it is ludicrous and sets a dangerous precedent." I think the Manchester Gallery is a space that has become compromised by censorship and politics. I recommend finding a different gallery that allows people to make their own decisions when interpreting a work of art, rather than here where you are having it done for you.
Ioana Anda Zevedei
3* but only because I am happy for the return of the painting Hylas and the Nymphs. 2* lost because something like this was possible in the first place. The general opinion is that the curator should be fired for censoring art, in short (because that is what she did no matter of her lame excuses), or if she has any dignity left, she should resign as she is unfit for the position. If a petition on this issue (her being fired/asked to resign) should arise, I will gladly see it as my duty to sign & share as a woman who admires beauty, loves art, collects art, respects art, history of art and its artists. I was born and raised in a communist country, now a democratic country, and this act of censorship reminded me of communist times... Shame on the curator and anyone else behind the removal of Waterhouse's painting. I will come to visit the gallery only now as the painting is back.
Marco Bellasi
I'm very sorry to rate this gallery so poorly, because I love the place and the splendid collection of paintings here. My rating has only to do with what I see as an irresponsible act of censorship perpetrated by the curator against the very soul of the Manchester Art Gallery which is the unparallel collection of pre-raphaelite Art. As a result of this pre-raphaelite Art is now is under scrutiny by ignorant and narrow-viewed people from all over the World. If the very soul of Feminism is about empowering women, the pre-raphaelite have to be seen as pioneers of this movement since they portrayed, women that appeared self-confident about their sensuality and sexuality. The fact of embracing once again Pagan mythology in connection to Women was in fact to reinstate their power, similar to goddess on this Earth, that cannot be reduced to vision the Christians had of Women mainly as chaste or sinners. So all of this has has now been denied by a superficial act of critic, followed by censorship. My mind goes to similar and alarming situations in the recent past when under the dictatorship in Germany during the 30' and 40' certain Art was superficially labeled as 'Degenerate Art', bad for society and banned. This gesture represents also a threat to freedom of expression in Art, and freedom of reception. I'm very sorry about all this also because many people now from Italy, where I come from are echoing the Guardian newspaper rating of this painting saying that this is nevertheless bad Art. On the contrary I deeply feel that the pre-raphaelite Art is supreme Art and needs to be defended from superficial views and certainly by acts of censorship like the one done by the curator.
Xiao Faria da Cunha
I cannot believe you let the ignorants humiliate art to this extent. How could you take of a Victorian master's painting? The only thing that is wrong in this case is the mind of these mobs. They ARE the rapists of art, and you are the accomplice. Shame on you. Did you just say whatever is going to please these mobs in the video? Because your response was pathetic, weak and ridiculous. If art needs to be responsible for people's filthy, disgusting mind and pathetic self, then there will be no art left.
Paul August BruinsSlot
Please return Waterhouse's Hylas and the Nymphs to it's rightful place on your walls. Removing it is such a shameful stunt. To hold art hostage like this is weak performance art. It is a failure of custodianship and curatorial responsibility.
Shaun Picturepainterman Wright
Please remove the curator Clare Ganaway obviously not up to the position or working in the public interest. Though Hylas and the Nymphs has reportedly been put back in place the fact that such censorship could even be considered in a public? art gallery beggars belief. I would have normally given 5 stars ...maybe when she's sacked�
Lacy Chatterjee
What professional art museum removes art over a bunch of radically and willfully offended despots? Well, we can add mcrartgallery to the sad sad list!!! #enoughisenough
Daina Gulbe
Deplorable decision to remove one of the quintessential Pre-Rapahaelite paintings.
I see people trying to defend Waterhouse by claiming that nymphs are in charge, they aren't human, etc. While their intentions are noble, the approch isn't right — it implies the removal itself is fine, just that the gallery made a mistake by evaluating the painting as an "improper one" while it actually is a "good one".
No! It doesn't matter if the author was the nicest and gentlest person in the world or if he was a murderer (like Caravaggio). It doesn't matter if women or men are depicted as decorations, or if the artwork projects the ideology of the patron (like Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, Arno Breker's magnificent scuptures for Nazis or soviet constructivist avant-garde propoganda). It doesn't matter if the subject is pleasing or horrifying (like many medieval paintings of martyrs are). The only thing that matters is it having the transcendental property of being GREAT ART (so easy to see yet so difficult to define).
And to the pompous curator – nobody is interested in your contextualizations… Don't try to piggyback on a great artist to pester us with your boring opinions. The less visible a curator is, the better job he/she is doing. Have some modesty and don't stand between the Artist and the Public!
Martin O'Hara
I first came to what was "The Atheneum" in the 1970's as a school boy and it has remained one of my favourite art galleries. In those days the link to the other gallery was via a subterranean gallery mostly on ceramics (which I never personally got much from). Really enjoyed seeing the Pre-Raphaelite art again, I'd bought many prints of these over the years. Great to also see a superb exhibition of Adolphe Valette, previously I'd not seen so many together and well exhibited with Lowry. The Swynnerton and Pankhurst exhibitions were unexpected highlights this time. Awell spent afternoon.
Gregory Michalski
If you are removing a single piece of art to placate dimwitted totalitarians you have no rights to call yourself an art gallery. You also have no place in a modern civilized liberal society and you have strayed from the lessons of enlightnement.
By that act you told everyone not to trust in your displays to not be politicized and so you defaced art and made it propaganda.
Also, your logo f u c k i n g sucks...
Nigel Smethurst
The removal of Waterhouse's Hylas and the Nymphs is censorship, pure and simple. A decision taken with an apparent lack of understanding of the subject of the painting. I won't return until the painting does.
Kerstin Semmler
Free the Nymphs and stop abusing a great artwork for cheap PR-actions!
Tea Martin
Fabulous and inspiring exhibition - Speech Acts - do try to catch it.. and Sonia Boyce's film on the top floor For You, Only You is extraordinary - plus I found my Millais favourite - Autumn Leaves in the permanent Collection
Marco Folli
*This review has been archived because it’s not enough puritan.
**No, it’s not censored, it has been archived to encourage the debate
***should i start to cover the table legs?
Jenny Elliott
The fact that you would take down classical artwork for any reason is absurd! If anyone is offended by the masters, maybe they are the ones who have a problem, not your patrons. Sad way to get attention for a project. Disrespectful and just plain wrong!
CHOMPING CHAMPION
If you are in Manchester, I would strongly recommend you to explore Manchester Art Gallery and surroundings. The Piccadilly tram station in couple of minutes walk and the China town about 7 minutes away.<br/><br/>The gallery itself is not grand, but they do host few contemporary exhibitions at a time. We were famished by the time we finished viewing the exhibition and we decided to grab a bite from the cafe located on the ground floor of the gallery.<br/><br/>We decided to go for the salad plates. We could choose from four different salads and fill up our plates for 4.50 pounds. There was also a soup of the day, lamb, salmon and veggies, which one could add to the meal. Also, some delicious desserts.<br/><br/>I loved the Tomato and Herb Orzo Salad. I was tasting orzo for the first time and I loved the texture of this pasta. The mini pasta looks like a grain of rice and has a toothsome bite and pasta taste. Actually it tricks people into thinking they are quite eating a pasta.<br/><br/>There was also a Caesar Salad, a salad of marinated buffalo mozzarella, sun blushed tomatoes tapenade, olive oil and spring onion and fusilli pasta and a Moroccan spiced apple and chickpea couscous with fresh lemon and coriander dressing and toasted hazelnuts.<br/><br/>Great ambiance, friendly staff and gorgeous food!
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes