Kro Piccadilly

Shame. Kro has been a good central meeting spot for many years, that is ideal for a business meeting and to take your parents for a meal.
And now it’s going to become yet another burger bar? Really? That’s crazy.

Kro is a really funny one. I remember when I first moved to Manchester 7 years ago that the whole Kro bar estate seemed quite cool places to pop into and enjoy a drink with friends. They were kind of up there with the Trof’s in terms of being a fine Manchester institution with an ever expanding portfolio of properties.
I used to have breakfast here, pop in for coffee, hold meetings and grab a few pints in the sun. Unfortunately 7 years is a long time and things have moved on significantly in terms of the Manchester socialising scene, with this Kro in Piccadilly Gardens looking particularly tired.
I popped in yesterday for a quick coffee and kind of realised the place was a bit soulless, seats were threadbare and it just didn’t fill me with much excitement at all. Drinks on the bar seemed generic and the food menu a bit dull — I didn’t stay long.
If the truth be known most people I speak to say that they end up here and a lot of places around Piccadilly Gardens due to proxy with offices being close and work colleagues saying it’d easy to go here due to this. I can kind of see with an evening and weekend market that’s going to turn up anyway that there’s not a huge amount of incentive to really move the business on.

Good Cocktails, took them ages to make it though! Good bar to start the evening !

Kro is one of those places I often start a night out at. That sounds ridiculous when I live in the Northern Quarter with all the great independent bars, but my friends live north/​south Manchester and in different parts of the city centre, so it is a good place to meet. It is easy to find from buses/​trams/​train station.
The drinks are reasonably priced and I find the bar staff are always really helpful and good humoured. There are a couple there at the moment who are quite good looking, which is an added bonus on a night out ;-)
I’m often tempted by a slice of chocolate cake to start my night/​line my stomach. It is always a good choice — chocolately and sweet but not sickly so.
Having said all of the above about being a good place to start a night, I recently made my first ever Saturday afternoon visit for lunch to Kro. Considering I have lived in town for 7 years and been going here regularly for about 5 years, I can’t believe I have never a) eaten here and b) been in the afternoon.
I had the fish finger sandwich with chips, as I was recovering from a really heavy Friday night. The tartare sauce was good, as were the mushy peas — and I’m not even a huge mushy peas fan. It was perfect hangover cure. My friend had a pork dish (sorry, I can’t remember the name of it, was very hungover) and she really enjoyed it, particularly the crackling.
We both had desert — I had the Piccadilly Mess, which was a gooey, creamy glass of gorgeousness, again very good in a hungover state. My friend had a fruit tart with custard and liked it.
The price for food was very reasonable and I will definitely go back for food sometime.

Kro Bar is another chain bar that is better than a Wetherspoons but lacks the soul of a local independent bar. I met a friend here on a Friday night and while it was easy enough to get a drink most of the tables were taken. There was plenty of standing room and it didn’t feel over crowded.
The bar staff were friendly and actually seemed to want to serve you. The drinks range was decent but not cheap. If you’re just wanting a drink, you may as well find another chain that does a better happy hour.
The sun had set by the time I arrived at the bar so it was hard to tell if there was much of a view. I suspect this place would be a good option on summer evenings as the big glass walls and outdoor seating areas will give you a good view of the world outside. That said, you’ll be looking at Piccadilly Gardens — hardly the greatest view!

I could take or leave the bar itself, but the restaurant at Kro Piccadilly is always a great failsafe option when it comes to tasty food and comfortable surroundings, plus it’s close to the station and easy to find (handy when you’re meeting friends who don’t know the city particularly well).
I tend to visit the restaurant at Kro Piccadilly on a fairly regular basis and am always impressed with the friendliness and attentiveness of the staff. My friend and I were seated right away by a chirpy waitress with good conversation.
The restaurant itself is spacious and decorated in a modern, contemporary style that I’m sure would please anybody.
Plus, the menu is fairly extensive, with options for even the fussiest of eaters.
I ordered the black pudding muffin to start from the temporary menu, which consisted of a single muffin topped with a slice of finest pud, a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce — right up my street. The starter was absolutely delicious and I can’t stop thinking about it. Kro Piccadilly, please add this to your main menu, it’s divine.
For my main course, I sampled the roasted duck with mashed potato, wilted greens and red wine jus. The duck was tasty, if a little rubbery. The mash was good, but far too much of it. Overall, this dish was ok, if a little bland.
I was feeling pretty stuffed by this point, but still decided to share dessert because, y’know, life’s too short. My friend and I ordered the sticky toffee pudding with custard. The portion was a decent size and the pud itself was delicious.
Kro Piccadilly, no doubt I’ll be back again soon.

Not only was this weekend Chinese new year It’s was national Yorkshire pudding day on the 2 Feb and being a Yorkshire lass I do like a good pudding! Opted for the 2 course Sunday lunch at kro Piccadilly for £11.95. Had Chinese style chicken wings for starter (nod to the new year and all that) and then the main event roast beef with the biggest pud in the world! The pud didn’t disappoint and was suitably crunchy yet a little bit spongy in the centre. Lots of fresh vegetables added a bit of balance to my meat and carb fest. Only slight gripe was that the beef wasn’t pink enough for me but I do like my beef virtually mooing! All washed own with a nice glass of red wine and a bit of people watching thought the large glass windows Sunday heaven :) portions were large so there was no room for dessert!

Man, when it is sunny, the front patio of Kro is absolutely SPILLING with people trying to soak up their Vitamin D. You get the added benefit of being able to have a pint while watching all the people go by, looking over Picadilly Gardens and everyone else outside and relaxing.
Sure, that scenario only happens in the summer (and even then, rarely), but even outside of that, Kro is a good stop on your way through City Centre. It’s split into a restaurant half and a pub half, though the line between the two isn’t clear — my mates and I sat at a restaurant-​side table with our pints and no food, and weren’t asked to leave (though it wasn’t busy).
Interior is open and clean, lots of space and people. It isn’t noisy, it isn’t too quiet — it’s like a Goldilocks where everything is just right. That, however, might be part of its downfall as well — there’s nothing to really stick out to say «wow, THIS is what makes Kro better than any of the other bars nearby.»
It’s still a good place to go, and I’m certain I’ll return, but if you’re looking for fascinating experiences this isn’t where you’re going to get them.

I had my first ever date in Manchester (which turned into a 2 year relationship) at this very place so obviously I have a lot of fond memories here! Unlike a lot of bars you can actually sit and have a conversation here (very important on a first date) in peace. They have a good selection of coffee/​beers/​cocktails and cakes so just in case you don’t want to drink you always have the option of having a latte with a strawberry tart (yum yum).
I have come here so many times now that I have literally lost count, there are several reasons why a) It is a convenient spot so everyone knows where it is, b) They have an outdoor seating area which is gorgeous during summer and c) They have those long comfy couches where you can spread your legs and relax with a pint.
I had my 22^nd birthday drinks here as well because my friend from Toronto (poor girl didn’t know much about Manchester) decided to give me a surprise here and it was pretty good as the staff were involved in the whole plan and arranged for cakes, candles etc. (Yes yet another fond memory *sigh*)
The English breakfast here can be a great hangover cure when you can’t be asked to cook but let me warn you its not very cheap. Kro is on the expensive side in terms of price and i wouldn’t rate any other food here besides the Breakfast and cakes.
Verdict: Great place to have a few drinks and conversation on one of those (rare) bright sunny day’s in Manchester!

Ok, a Sunday evening review — don’t go here after a football match (unless you like football, of course). Beer is still good, but not a pleasant experience and still cold!

Kro: Not that good, not that bad, just OK.
Tea, pints, café, food. It can’t really decide what it is, but that, I suppose, is it.
I’m not a particular fan, but people always seem to want to drink here. Not really sure why, but I’m willing to go, though I probably wouldn’t choose it on my own.

If maclaren f1 made bars, this would be it. Right in the heart of Manchester city centre. Normally I’m not a huge fan of places like this. They’re usual clientele are a certain kind of pretentious that normally have ideas well above their stations. This place was a thankful opposite. The people drinking in there looked to be a great mix and everyone was having a good time.
The drinks selections were very good and all the usual suspects were available. The bar was spotlessly clean and the bar staff very efficient and quick. Check it out. The view over the square is definitely worth a trip to the boozer.

Kro Picadilly was the first bar I ever visited in Manchester. Oh the nostalgia.
It’s not that it’s a bad place to go, I’d just rather have a short stroll (even in the cold and wet of the Spring) to one of the more homely or welcoming places of the Northern Quarter. There’s just something about it I don’t like. It seems clinical (not to be confused with ‘modern & chic’), and is almost always cold.
A friend, odd as it was, ordered liquer coffees — have I mentioned it’s cold out? They came in wine glasses. Interesting.
The staff are pleasant and friendly and honest, something I admire, but on a mildly busy Tuesday afternoon, the service (even at the bar) seemed fairly slow, bearing in mind there were probably enough front-​of-​house staff for there to be one to every two customers.
Like something from 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are better places close by.
⁵⁄₁₀

This bar is not so great. The drinks are generally un-​inspiring, the food disappointing, and the atmosphere is pretty much non-​existent. It is not cheap.
It has two plus points: you can sit outside and watch the world go by in Piccadilly Gardens, and the really big one, the one it undoubtedly gets 90% of its custom from: it’s really easy for people who don’t know Manchester to find and use as a meeting point.

The Kro2 Bar across from Manchester Uni is quickly becoming a student hot spot and I can often be found frequenting there when hungover, tucking into a thick cut pork and cheese sarnie. So, due to its rising popularity, me and the boyf (the boyf and I) headed to Kro Piccadilly in order to explore whether it came up to the standards of the one across the road.
Yes, it has a lot of glass and metal, but that’s what I like! It feels like you can sit and watch the world go by without being disturbed whatsoever. We chose a sit up table with our backs to the rest of the bar and, though it may seem a touch unsociable, it felt much more personal than sitting facing the world and his wife. Or his business partner.
The menu at Kro never fails to entertain me and I am forever pouring over the Danish selections and cursing myself for not liking seafood in any shape or form. However, what I do eat is plentiful — meat. As I have mentioned, the thick cut pork and cheese is delish, and what you need with a hangover. This time I had a chicken flatbread type thing, in the style of a pizza and, though it was very tasty, god there was SO much on it. And hard to cut. Wrist ache central. I did regret my choice in the end but, hey, you live and your learn.
The three stars here is for the full english breakfast. Alas, just not up to scratch. The sausages are a bit… wierd. Good vocab, I know, but that is how I can describe them. They were good enough to subsitute anything I didn’t like and, being the fussy pants I am, I have found many an eatery who refuse to switch items without an excess charge, so this made me suitably happy. If only I had switched the sausages aswell!
Altogether, I believe Kro Piccadilly will be a new hot spot for me and the crew. Prices do vary but the location is ace and the perfect stop off between the bus stop and the northern quarter or beyond.

Have you ever seen something so cute that you literally squealed and attracted strange glances? Oh, Kro had me at passing a tub of water to a gent with a little sausage dog so that said sausage dog could have a drink in the rare Manchester sunshine and heat, just like its owner. That to me says so many things. Dogs welcome, a good sign. Staff friendly to dogs and dog owners, so much so that they fetch tubs of water for dogs — even better. A sausage dog? Heaven.
My friends pretty much had to stop me from stealing the sausage dog, but that’s another story.
Anyway, my five star review is completely biased mainly because of the sausage dog… not really. This bar serves so many of my favourite things… strawberry Fruhli, my most beloved of fruit beers, cakes, food with halloumi in it, water to sausage dogs… (Right, I promise now that I’m going to pinch myself hard every time I type sausage dog as a form of aversion therapy) and on top of all that, there are certain comfy seats that you can grab which genuinely resemble beds. It’s true, they are sofas that simply… come out much further than generic sofas. Outwards, not out of the closet. So that when you sit on them your feet are up. We took to one of these when waiting for the arrival of our friend once, and actually decided to move because we were on our way to a gig and needed to be energised, whereas these sofas, well, you could easily fall asleep on them. I want one.
And a sausage dog. (Owwwww!)
There are some traditional Danish dishes on offer as well as your standard pub fare, and the beer options are plentiful in addition to the generously stocked bar. The décor can feel a little impersonal and minimal, but this is how Scandinavians roll. Service can be slightly hit and miss but I’ve never found myself irritated or impatient while in there. Piccadilly Gardens is really becoming an area in which I’d like to spend more time, and Kro is a big part of that. You can while away many hours here and while the outdoor seating is generous, it fills up mighty fast during summer so get there nice and early.
I might find myself there again sooner than I thought. Now, to get me a… daschund (see, I got round it) to take there with me.

I like the atmosphere of KRO in Piccadilly, very modern and Scandinavian, but for what it is it’s very expensive. They have a nice selection of teas, but I found that for what is effectively Twinings flavoured teas, that £2.50 for a cup was a little steep.
Still nice atmosphere and a great location for meeting clients and friends alike.

I’ve already reviewed ‘Daddy Kro’ on Oxford Road but this Baby Kro has a completely different vibe to it than the Oxford Road one.
Did I just say ‘vibe’?! Eurgh, what have I become?!
But it’s true, it feels like a different bar. Daddy Kro is all studenty and kind of shabby, Baby Kro is ultramodern and very classy.
The thing is, this should make me choose, it should make me shun one Kro and only like the other… however what it so good about Kro is that it can do anything and we’ll all still love it!
The food here is incredible, nicer than the Oxford Road one but I don’t quite know why. Definitely a more comfortable surrounding, a little more expensive I think but you’re city centre here so you expect it.
I agree with Angela on the service, this place is a bit of a hot-​spot as it’s so central so the service can be a bit hit and miss. But the food quality never seems to suffer so it’s OK.
Quite often they have live music here too which is a really good place for it, definitely check it out if you see a band you think you’ll like.
I’d recommend this place for after work drinks during the winter and anytime drinks during summer when you can sit out in the sun.

This Piccadilly branch of Kro is a popular stop off for Saturday shoppers and work lunches. It’s a very large and modern space, and can feel quite clinical when it isn’t bustling with people, but the seating is actually quite comfortable and the staff very welcoming. However, I’ve come here for a quick bite to eat and lunch time on a couple of occasions and have found that depending on the how busy the staff are, the service can be spot on or a little haphazard.
Regardless, there are a good choice of sandwiches (or should I say Danwiches) and salads here at very reasonable prices. The open-​faced Pastrami sandwich is a winner, as is the Pork Melt. The Cofffee and Cake deal is just £2.95 and Tuesdays are cocktail happy hour, two offers I’ve made good use of recently!

When I dined at Kro Bar in Piccadilly Gardens, I was very hungover. The kind where all you want is bread. Thankfully I arrived last out of our party and what was on the table? Pitta. Ciabatta. Pumpkin seed roll. With Olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My prayers had been answered.
Kro’s motto is ‘all together different’ and I’m in two minds whether or not to agree. Yes they have ‘Danwiches’ (open faced Danish sandwiches) and some of their seats are really low. And yes their breakfast menu amazingly doesn’t finish until 3pm even on top of their All Day Brunch. But when I came to choose my main course, what was I faced with? Steak and chips, Salmon Fishcakes and Penne.
No, I’m not being fair — there was also Kro’s Classics — Frikadeller, Biksemad and Pork Schnitzel. I played it safe with their Char grilled Halloumi salad which I thought was good until about a third way through when I realised I couldn’t eat much more — too samey (oh, I’ll make a restaurant critic one day).
The staff here were both attentive and helpful; they let me keep a rather large piece of luggage behind their front desk without any problem.
One bugbear: the layout is a little confusing as their bar faces out onto Piccadilly Gardens with outdoor seating. And it was in this area that we ate, at a pretty small circular table. We had no idea if the menu was the same in the much nicer looker surroundings of the ‘restaurant area’ around the back. We only discovered this as we were leaving, via this second exit. Very strange since we did eat a full dinner. That said there was a good atmosphere in the bar, allowing for all the stood up men who’d clearly just finished work.