The Cut & Craft Manchester — Restaurant in Manchester

We visited Cut & Craft recently to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The venue is undeniably beautiful, from the decor to the stunning bathrooms and the drinks were great. A special thank you goes to our waitress, who was incredibly attentive and kind throughout, making the occasion feel special. She was the highlight of our visit, and we made sure to tip her for her excellent service.

Unfortunately, the overall experience was disappointing due to a lack of transparency around alcohol used in food preparation, and the manager’s unhelpful and stand-offish attitude when we raised it.

One of our group doesn’t consume alcohol for religious reasons, and others avoid it by choice. When ordering, we discovered (only because the waitress mentioned it) that nearly all non-meat dishes, including fish and vegetarian options, were cooked using alcohol, something that is not stated anywhere on the menu or website.

For example, the Grilled Sea Bass Fillet (£25) simply states:

Duchess potatoes, gremolata, hazelnut & cauliflower sauce, with no indication that it’s cooked with white wine.

In contrast, meat dishes like the Herb Stuffed Chicken Breast (£25) clearly mention a Champagne sauce, which makes it even more inconsistent. Why aren’t the same standards applied across all menu items? This is especially important for those with religious or lifestyle restrictions, or those in recovery, who need this information upfront to make an informed choice.

We were told by the manager that “we should’ve mentioned dietary requirements beforehand,” but this felt unfair and dismissive. Most people don’t expect alcohol to be a hidden ingredient in vegetarian or fish dishes unless it’s clearly stated. When the chef kindly agreed to make the fish without alcohol, we were told it was only possible because the kitchen wasn’t too busy which made the gesture feel begrudging, like they were doing us a favour.

It also took around 10–15 minutes before one of us was even able to place our order, which added to the frustration on what was meant to be a special celebration.

While we genuinely appreciated the effort of the waitress and kitchen, the way it was handled by management left a poor impression. If Cut & Craft want to be more inclusive and respectful of all diners, they must be more transparent about the use of alcohol in food preparation, both on their website and printed menus. Many restaurants list “white wine sauce” or similar details to help diners make informed choices this should be standard practice here too.

In short: beautiful venue, great drinks, and a brilliant waitress but a disappointing experience overall due to poor communication and an unaccommodating attitude from...

Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted at the front desk. As walk-in customers, we weren’t sure whether we’d get a table, but the team invited us to sit at the bar briefly while checking availability. We were soon offered high chairs in the corner which, given the circumstances, was perfectly fine.

Service started promptly. Drinks arrived quickly – a mojito and a draught Peroni – both well made and enjoyable.

For starters, we ordered the croquettes and pork belly. Both dishes were excellent: well-balanced, packed with flavour, and genuinely impressive. That said, the plates weren’t presented to the standard I’d expect in a fine dining setting — they weren’t squeaky clean and had visible fingerprints and grease marks, which took away slightly from the overall polish.

While waiting for the mains, the host kindly gave us a tour downstairs to see the old vault, a nice touch that highlighted the building’s history as an RBS branch. The private dining room looked elegant and sophisticated, and I even considered it for a future special occasion.

Unfortunately, the excitement dropped once the main course arrived. I ordered the rib-eye steak (medium rare), but it leaned closer to medium. The steak itself was underwhelming – lacking the juiciness and finesse you’d expect at this level. In comparison, steakhouses like Hawksmoor, Gaucho, and even 20 Stories delivered better cuts in my experience. The real saving grace were the sauces (peppercorn and bone marrow gravy), both of which were exceptional – a definite 10/10.

As for the sides: • Potato dauphinois – fine, but lacking depth and flavour. • Mac & cheese – average, nothing memorable (Flat Iron does it better). • New potatoes – decent, but unremarkable. • Truffle parmesan fries – easily the standout: crisp, well-seasoned, and more enjoyable than those I’ve had in some top-end city spots.

Service throughout was consistent and attentive, with regular check-backs from the team. I can’t fault the staff at all – they made the experience pleasant, especially as it was my birthday, though I didn’t want to make a fuss about the food.

Overall: A mixed experience. Starters and service were excellent, but the steak and sides fell short of expectations, particularly compared with other premium steakhouses. Cut and craft Manchester ultimately lacks the consistency and impact needed to stand out in a competitive Manchester steak industry. Would I come here again for my birthday? Probably not.

In other words It’s edible - but not amazing wow factor you should expect at an...

I rarely leave reviews, but after what we experienced at Cut and Craft last Wednesday, I felt the need to share. A group of 6 of us have been hitting new restaurants regularly, but this was by far the worst dining experience we've had.

We arrived, excited to try out this newly opened spot, but that excitement quickly turned into frustration. We waited a shocking 2 hours for our steaks, which never arrived. We asked about our order every 15 minutes, and each time, we were told, “It’s coming.” But nothing came. At all.

To make it even worse, we watched as other people who arrived after us were served before us. It was beyond ridiculous. How do you explain that? We felt completely ignored and disrespected.

While MIA our server, was apologetic and tried her best to make things right, she was basically left to fend for herself without any support from the restaurant or management. Speaking of which, the manager with tattoos was completely unhelpful. He showed no empathy and didn’t even attempt to offer a reasonable solution. He just shrugged it off, citing that “staff had called in sick,” but offering no alternative or even a genuine apology. We were honestly stunned by the lack of effort.

To make matters worse, of the four starters we ordered, only two dishes arrived. We got olives as compensation for the delay. Really? Olives? That was their idea of making it right? It was beyond frustrating.

After waiting 2 hours with no food, we had no choice but to leave. The experience was honestly a complete disaster. Worst service we've ever received, and the total lack of accountability from the management made it even worse. We won’t be recommending Cut and Craft to anyone, and we definitely won’t be returning. Total...