Evelyn’s Cafe Bar

This place is fab. I want to put 4 stars only so that it’s not always packed out and I can’t get a table. It’s ALL good. Love it here!

I love the interior, very scandi chic!
The menu was good and the food tasted nice, but I feel like they really need a lunch menu. I went around 1pm and begrudged having to pay £20 for a meal, side and drink for my lunch. This place is super cool and i would return if they offered better value for money

Evelyn’s is gorgeous inside, like Allotment but in restaurant form. Staff are very nice, the service is not totally polished but they clearly want to do a good job and make sure you enjoy your meal which creates a very positive impression.
The cocktails were great, I had a wild blossom martini as an apéritif and espresso daiquiri as a digestif and would recommend both as very well made. The martini is £9 which is quite expensive by Manchester standards but the £7 daiquiri I thought was very reasonable.
We also tried some rose cotes du rhone which I thought was very good — not too sweet.
We shared some small to start, having been impressed with the wide selection including multiple options across the menu for my gluten free friend. I was disappointed the Korean fried chicken came out a bit burnt, they shouldn’t really have served it like that. The crispy duck was nice if a little salty and the aubergine is fairly good too although I think it would be better served warm.
While I thought the starters were ok I absolutely raved about my main course which was the seared beef salad. The beef itself was almost rare which I loved and every element of the dish came together perfectly in terms of taste and texture. Would definitely go back for it again!
My friends got the chicken skewers which they said were nice but a bit dry. Again the outside was slightly too charred so they do need to watch their cooking times.
All in all Evelyn’s is a very good addition to the Manchester dining scene. It has a really interesting and varied menu with a vaguely south-​east/​east Asian theme — very different from all the American places and it’s great to agonise over so many great choices! While not everything was perfect across the board, there was some serious high notes and I would not hesitate to come back.

We eat here on Saturday night and were very impressed. The ambience is really good as well as being cosy (not a massive restaurant) with a wide range of food to choose from. The service was attentive without being overbearing and the snacks and drinks arrived promptly. The main courses were good value along with being tasty — will go back when in Manchester again.

I’ve only been here a couple of times for brunch and it’s really good. I would have been more, but since I’m a last minute larry and only tend to make last minute brunch plans, I haven’t always been able to get a seat due to reservations or the place just being full. Something to bear in mind.
One time, I had the avocado with poached egg on sour dough. It’s really delicious and the reason why I always try to get in without a reservation. Definitely one of the better avocado dishes in Manchester.
I also tried the smoked salmon and beetroot salad on one occasion and it was really delicious. It tasted healthy, which is a weird thing to say, but I mean it in a good way.
I’ve had the sencha Japanese tea and the malawi green tea, both of which are good.
Oddly, I haven’t had any wine or desserts here, and it feels odd to be writing a review and not mentioning those things. I do intend to go for a proper meal sometime though so will update the review when I do.

Evelyn’s is a place I’d been keeping an eye through Instagram for far too long. So when I finally worked out that I’d been walking past the place every time I went to the Northern Quarter, I decided it was time to get my butt into gear and scheduled a brunch date there for the next day. The place is lovely, so well decorated and with an atmosphere I can only describe as refined-​hipster (in a really really good way!)
The food was delicious, lots of choice, and it actually felt healthy which is something I reeeeally struggle with in Manchester. Would recommend to anyone, but more for a meal than for coffee and cake.

Beautiful décor, perfect service, stunning venue, delicious food. Perhaps a tad pricy for my usual outing but a lovely place for a special brunch or relaxed evening meal. Interesting and thoughtful small places, wonderful flavours and well executed; I’m definitely a fan. I’ll come back. Perhaps when my mum’s paying?!

Paid a second visit to Evelyn’s last night, and the first time was no fluke. This place is astounding. Even the door (a strikingly huge single pane glass construction) is impressive.
The food there is delicious, having had the seafood burger previously and then the lamb roast last night. The lamb especially was melt in your mouth fantastic.
The staff are really friendly, and they have introduced me to my new favourite beer (Kona, Big Wave golden ale).
I’d highly recommend this to anyone, looking forward to going on a day that’s not Sunday, as I’ve heard that the menu is different.

I’ve been seeing reviews from the Manchester Unilocal Elites in my feed but really only made the move to come here when I searched for the exotic middle eastern breakfast shashuka and Eveylyn’s popped up as the only place serving it in Manchester. I was so impressed once I walked through their door. It was open kitchen, light and airy and decorated with succulents and all sorts of indoor plants. The ambience is lovely with its trendy music in the background. Although the waiters were dressed very casually, they were really on the ball without being overbearing.
We arrived at noon on a Saturday and were met with a friendly greeting immediately and got shown to our table. Our waiter informed us that breakfast service would be ending at 12:30pm so we got to have a peek at both menus before we decided. We stuck to the plan and got breakfast (brunch).
I ordered the Shashuka, a tomato and pepper dish with eggs poached inside the sauce which came on a mini cast iron skillet pan. The eggs were perfect and the sauce was thick with just enough chilli. It was served with two shards of crusty sour dough bread. My friend ordered the Grilled Bavette — a luxurious brunch choice, which came with two perfectly done fried eggs, watercress salad, cherry tomatoes an shoestring fries. The steak came pink and was prepared to perfection as it was so tender an meaty.
I’m definitely going to come here again — I’ve already scheduled a dinner date with a friend to sample their evening menu!

Evelyn you promised much and well and truly delivered my dear! I’ve been eyeing this place up for agessssss and finally got to nod from my friends to choose a Saturday brunch spot that was more than 5 minutes from their houses.
Back to the story and I’m sat in Evelyn’s reading through a menu I’ve read umpteen times and I’m so bloody excited!
I knew what wanted before I even got there, so I promptly ordered the avocado & poached egg on sourdough with a black Americano (I’ve started to trick myself that not having a flat white everytime is cutting out fat in my diet… yeah I give myself the same look).
The food arrived in great time, just enough for a catch up chit chat and not too long that we were twiddling our thumbs, and it tasted fantastic. There was loads and loads of avocado on my plate and the poached egg was cooked perfectly!
I secretly thought it was going to be a tough ask for them to out perform my preconception of this place but they did it! Bravo.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Evelyn’s and our visit did not disappoint! Such a lovely, relaxed venue and we were seated so quickly, right by the open kitchen (which I loved, so I could watch everything being made!) We shared the smashed avo and crackers which were awesome. I went for the tofu and lentil large plate which was as good as I’d heard — and I’m a staunch meat eater too! It was just delicious, wonderfully spiced and just the right amount. My boyfriend had the crab burger which looked amazing! I still had room for dessert mind you (different stomach) so went for the lime and avocado cheesecake — it was a huge huge portion but so fresh and wholesome, managed to finish every bite :) Can’t wait to go back and try their brunch!

Wow. This was a spectacular brunch. My boyfriend has been a few times and has now eaten EVERYTHING on the brunch menu and raves about all of it! Today we shared the Korean chicken and potato hash with spinach which were both delicious. The ambience is lovely, atmosphere lush and décor is stunning. We looked at the main menu as we looked through our diaries to figure out when we can get back again for more! They serve main courses featuring crab, roasts and there a giant Apple crumble for dessert that they come and dish out to you at the table! Sounds incredible — something for everyone. I’ll deffo be back for more!!!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is the kind of place you want to come back to, again and again. It’s got that special kind of atmosphere that ends up keeping you longer than you’d planned…
I’ve tried practically all the dishes on the brunch menu, but special mention goes to the shakshuka, potato hash and Korean chicken. They do a great lemonade as well.
The whole operation is just a notch higher than most of its casual dining counterparts, and you should go and check it out immediately…

Having seen some truly delicious photos of Evelyn’s — plus with 50% off during January — a small reunion with a London friend and ex-​colleague saw us heading in. The design feels very similar to its predecessor Superstore, with lots of light wood and, of course, that open kitchen and pass.
We ordered a bottle of wine while perusing the menu, which was promptly bought over with a cooler. The menu is quite varied, including small plates, sandwiches, big plates and salads, with lots of vegetarian options and (to my eye at least) well marked gluten free etc. dishes.
We were easily upsold on some ‘smashed avocado’ and crackers while we were looking over the rest of the menu. It was very fresh and went down a treat, and the seeded crackers were a nice change to standard tortilla chips.
Skipping the temptation of lots of small plates, I ordered the chicken with soba noodles and a small plate of grilled aubergine for my main. The chicken was good, well cooked, and topped with peanuts which introduced a new texture and added a lovely crunch. The soba noodles were plentiful and their simple flavour complimented the chicken well. The addition of spiralised vegetables on the side was very welcome, with vibrant colours and a pleasant citrus dressing. The aubergine wasn’t as exciting, though the dip it came with was very good.
There was no room for dessert, but the temptation of the apple crumble was almost too much! I’m looking forward to returning and trying some of these traditional desserts as they are often few and far between.
Meeting up directly after work meant it wasn’t busy at all and unfortunately this didn’t change much during the evening. Service was friendly at first but dropped dramatically towards the end of the meal, with staff chatting near the stairs and forgetting to bring the bill.
Hopefully footfall picks up and people head in to try something a little bit different. With this I really think service will improve and they can provide a fully excellent experience.

Evelyn’s was a lovely space to have breakfast and escape the masses of Christmas shoppers for an hour. Formerly Superstore (which I had not been to), it’s a light, casual, plant-​filled café bar with an open kitchen.
Zanna Group (who own Mughli in Rusholme and Knutsford and The Railway Café in Alderley Edge), are behind this venture so good design has been kept at the forefront.
Having a separate breakfast menu, I didn’t get to see what they offer for lunch and dinner but I was spoiled for choice nonetheless. Their granola with yogurt and orange blossom honey was one of the best dishes of its type I’ve had before — I suggested to the manager that they consider offering takeout for workers in the future as that would go down a storm.
I also went for their poached egg, avocado and sough dough. This, unfortunately, wasn’t that great as even though I’m a coriander lover, it was overpowered by it and there was far too much avocado compared to bread. Federal still do the best of this breakfast choice.
The tea was lovely and nice touches such as complimentary cucumber water (not that that’s my first choice but it’s healthy!) being supplied on the tables made for a decent breakfast overall.
Service was attentive but relaxed — I’d come back here again at any time of day.

A few weeks ago I tried Evelyn’s and i can’t wait to go back already.
I was gutted when I heard that Superstore was closing down, as it was a personal favourite of mine, but as always i’m open to trying new places.
I went on a Wednesday evening, the first evening after their 50% off soft launch had ended and it was empty. There were 4 tables in the restaurant with people at them, one of those tables were us and the other was the owner. This didn’t do the atmosphere any good and it felt really odd, but still i was looking forward to trying their food.
After nibbling on some olives, we ordered our starters. I opted for the Korean fried chicken with chilli and Neil C. ordered the shredded duck and plum salad. Both excellent. Warning to the corriander haters though — it’s everywhere in both dishes.
The main event for myself was the seared mackerel and black rice and the crab and shrimp burger for Neil. Again, faultless.
The apple crumble and custard also proved to be a great decision to share between us.
Overall i think once the trade picks up at Evelyn’s it’ll be a great restaurant, because the food is ace!