Cafe Continental — Restaurant in Tameside

Not sure what the hype is about. 🫠 The restaurant was loud, and the staff were just okay. Nothing stood out.

Food: • Oysters: Just average. Fresh enough, but nothing special. • Tuna Crudo: Texture was off. Chewy in places, not exactly tender. • Fried Twice Chicken: Maybe it was fried twice, but it was not crispy. Soaked in sauce, overcooked meat, and bland ranch on the side. • Flatbread: Clearly reheated. Overcooked and soggy in the middle, likely because the tomato sauce had been sitting on it too long before serving. • Tiger Prawn: Overcooked. Disappointing. • Beef Short Ribs: The meat was tender, likely due to sous vide cooking, but it lacked seasoning. The gravy tasted like a generic store-bought version. • Cabbage: Undercooked. Only the edges were soft while the base was hard and nearly raw. Served warm, not hot.

Service: • The food runner slammed plates on the table and pushed them around as if it were a cafeteria. Very poor service. • When we placed our order, we were told dishes would arrive in a specific sequence. That did not happen.

Timing: • Our booking was for 7:00 pm. We arrived and sat down at 6:55 pm and ordered promptly. • The first dishes, fried chicken and flatbread, arrived at 7:08 pm before any cold starters. • Cold dishes followed, then the short rib and prawns arrived at 7:13 pm. • By 7:14 pm, every single dish had been served. I had not even finished my small glass of white Rioja, which tasted like a basic supermarket wine.

It was a Wednesday night, the restaurant was not full, and yet service felt rushed. If the aim is to turn over tables this quickly, it reflects poor management.

We did tell the restaurant team the feedback and they kindly offer 25% off the bill, which then came up to around £79, so originally the billing was ard £110. This action was appreciated but hope they will take in the feedback. But sadly we defo will not give it a second chance.

I was genuinely looking forward to this experience after hearing so much about it. We even drove 40 minutes to get there. Sadly, it did not live up to the hype. It was not worth the money, especially when there are far better restaurants in Manchester that offer real quality and...

From the moment we arrived, the experience was uncomfortable and unprofessional. The host greeted us with a scowl, barely acknowledged us, and simply pointed to a table instead of showing us to it – setting the tone for what was to come. We were left waiting far too long before anyone came over to take our drinks order. All of the floor staff appeared very young and were dressed completely inappropriately for a dining environment – crop tops and exposed midriffs don’t exactly scream professionalism. When our food finally arrived (after another long wait), we were served four roast dinners that were absolutely inedible. One of the carrots was literally a whole raw carrot, the roast potatoes were rock-hard and dry, the Yorkshire puddings were burnt, and the beef was cold, fatty, and looked like it had been sitting out for hours. We ended up sending all of it back. To make matters worse, when we asked for the bill, the full cost of the meals was still included. We asked to speak to a manager, and instead, a rude, arrogant man – who we later learned was one of the owners – came over. Hit tone and body language were very aggressive, he took offense to our suggestion that the potatoes and vegetables weren’t fresh, and spoke to us in a patronising tone before storming off with a curt, “I’ve took the food off your bill.” No apology and no accountability. He then went to sit across the restaurant, drinking wine and socialising like he was at a private party, not running a business. To top it all off, from the moment we sat down, several of the chefs were openly staring, whispering, and pointing – it felt incredibly uncomfortable and inappropriate. This place may have some hype on TikTok, but don’t be fooled – it’s clear those influencers were paid to promote it, because there is nothing remotely special about this place. In fact, it was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t feed that food to a stray dog. Avoid...

I'd heard about this place for a while via TikTok and YouTube videos...and I finally got to try it out myself on a rainy Thursday lunchtime in September...and I am so so glad I did!!!

Let's get the minor negatives out of the way first...Stalybridge is a bit of a pain to get to...it's a 30 mins drive from Central MCR...and the place was almost empty when I was there.

But from the second I walked in I was greeted warmly by one of the waitresses who showed me to my table and asked immediately if I wanted a drink while I waited for my dining companion to arrive.

I ordered a bloody Mary and she asked me how spicy I wanted it before coming back in 2-3 mins with one of the best bloody Mary's I've ever tasted.

From there it only got better...my friend arrived and we ordered some oysters, garlic bread, king prawns, fried chicken and hangar steak...plus a bottle of red.

The bottle of wine was served at perfect room temperature...and the food was brought out at the perfect time thoughout the meal...all with the warmest and attentive service.

And the actual food?

In a word - WOW. 🔥🔥🔥

Everything we ate was simply divine...the oysters were fresh and came with a really vibrant dressing...the prawns too were fresh...with firm and bouncy flesh...no mushiness at all.

Plus they were huge for the UK...and the sauce they were covered in was...I actually don't have the words to do that sauce justice...it was so so tasty! 😍

The fried chicken and the hangar steak both kept that bar...both dishes were executed perfectly and the sauces were unbelievable.

I honestly have not been paid for this review...but I can understand anyone thinking I have because it's so positive.

But believe me...it's this positive because Cafe Continental is just...