Kala Bistro in Manchester

Had Christmas Dinner here today. Perfect food, friendly helpful staff.

Great food, loved the braised feather blade of beef. Would melt under the knife.

Always really well thought out good quality food

Middle of the road pate below parr duck no texture everything on the plate far too soft! Great for somebody who couldn’t chew!

We booked Kala on a recommendation and only realised after it’s a sister restaurant to Wreckfish—which we know well! It didn’t disappoint. We were a table of four on the lunch menu, and despite the restaurant being busy, service was seamless. The roasted butternut squash with hazelnut starter was incredible; such a lovely balance of flavours. My partner couldn’t stop talking about how good the sticky belly bacon was, with the parsnip purée and smoked garlic honey. The featherblade of beef and cod fillet were just as impressive, and the wine list had some fantastic options with excellent pairings for the dishes. A gorgeous spot, great value, and such a treat! We all had a fantastic time and left throughly impressed by the food.

Delicious and well-crafted dishes, nice textures and flavour combinations, with a lot of finesse. Lovely staff, great value.

Lovely lunch , great afternoon with friends

Absolutely outstanding food and service for our weekend late lunch. Fairly priced too! Staff even posted my mum's hearing aid back to us that had fallen out unnoticed! Looking forward to our next meal.

Outstanding! The arancini were possibly the best thing I've ever eaten!! I made a detour on my trip from Spain to York, just to come here and it was well worth it!

Nice compact and enticing menu. The staff are very welcoming and efficient but not intrusive. The first two courses stole the show for us (if you are making the decision on having 2 rather than 3 courses).

Terrible Service - we went for lunch were greeted by huffing and buffing from the waiter. The manager said “we are short staffed we’ve been busy “ in a very aggressive tone ( purple hair nose ring ) I took the unusual step to write a complaint it wasn’t even acknowledged or responded to which shows what the owner thinks of his customers. As a person who eats out a lot I really think this place has gone down hill I wouldn’t waste your hard earned money

This restaurant was recommended to me by a local from Manchester when I asked for recommendations for a nice Sunday Roast. I’d been to the UK quite a few times and realized that I’d never tried it. And Kala definitely did not disappoint. For Sundays they have a menu and it was definitely worth it. Everything came nice and warm and fantastically plated. It was absolutely delicious and worth the price! If I were to come back to Manchester, I would definitely try eating here again. Their deserts were to die for as well! It’s a good thing we decided to go for it even if we were already really full.

Unfortunately I can’t recommend this restaurant for somewhere to go for a special occasion. I stated on the reservation that it was my Dads 70th birthday. It had taken me ages to decide where we were going to go as there are so many good restaurants to choose from, but I wanted somewhere really special. I knew friends that had recommended Hisbi in Didsbury the sister restaurant. So I chose Kala. We arrived at the restaurant and no one wished my father a happy birthday, I even prompted them a few times, only to be ignored. Finally I said to a waitress as we ordered a celebratory bottle that it was his 70th birthday, to which she replied that they were fully aware, as I had mentioned it on the booking and sarcastically turned to my dad and said happy birthday. Her attitude was bad throughout. There were 2 tables in the restaurant that day and they could have really made that a lovely experience for my Dad. I’m so upset that they failed to make it a memorable experience as my dad deserved and I’m so upset at the service. We will not be returning and I have had to write my first ever bad review because I was so upset at how we treated. We spent £200, I didn’t want to leave a tip but didn’t want to cause a fuss on my dads birthday and ask the to remove the 10% service charge that they absolutely did not deserve. The food was good, so I hope my tip goes to the chefs

Full marks for friendly service 💯 It's a pity that it's so expensive good

Been on the list to go for some time and felt the £20 bistro menu was a good entry point. Won't say I was disappointed but it changes monthly so it could be a different experience based on your tastes. Did feel as though the flavours were quite subtle. Will most likely come back to try some of the regular menu options to give a proper review.

I can't believe we've only just discovered this restaurant. Excellent, well organised and friendly service. The food was very good, we dined during Austrian month and were impressed by the flavours. Great price too at £20 per person plus 10% service charge. The menu changes monthly so we'll definitely be back in November.

very nice flavours, staff were good but seemed to be understaffed.

Lovely food if on the pricy side. But worth it. Duck particularly good. Disappointed with choice of drinks -too pretentious. Very quite on a Sunday afternoon.

Massively underrated for the quality of food. On par with anything in Manchester.

A delicious meal was made particularly memorable by our amazing waitress Holly who went above and beyond to make it such a special night. The sweetest, kindest waitress i’ve ever had :)

Came for dinner a couple of weeks ago and had a very bizarre experience I feel I need to share. I’ll start by saying the service was good and most of the staff were very nice and efficient. The food was okay but nothing special. The reason for the review is a very strange and unnecessary interaction with whom I assume was the manager. I ordered a Campari spritz, which wasn’t on the menu but is a classic cocktail that I’ve ordered many times all over the world. What I received was a very weak Campari and soda. I politely said that it wasn’t what I’d ordered and asked for a Negroni instead. A few moments later, who I assume to be the manager, a woman with curly red hair and tattoos, came over and was instantly confrontational claiming I didn’t know what I had ordered and I was mistaken for thinking a Campari spritz contained Prosecco and that was in fact a spagaliato, (a completely different drink) then proceeded to tell me I probably wouldn’t like a Negroni. The whole interaction was so unnecessary and completely ruined the experience. This woman clearly doesn’t know what she’s talking about and I can’t believe the way I was spoken to as a paying customer! She was so rude and condescending, speaking to me like I was a child. I didn’t want to make a scene as I was with someone but I’ve never been spoke to like that in any restaurant and I’ll never be going back.

food was excellent and the staff were so helpful and lovely with it

Fantastic service from the start. A wonderful relaxed lunch with delicious food. I can go a long way to find better pate.

Horrible Customer Service, place has no sense of hospitality, had to cancel my reservation, as had fallen severly ill, Restaurant had no sense of sympathy & was extremely rude

There's far better in Manchester for less of the cost. That said, it was still an enjoyable meal.

Came here for a sunday roast, and were excited to try Kala! We were met welcomingly by the waitress but quickly the experience deteriorated. From the overall atmosphere to the food we found everything either fairly boring, overcooked or bland and the service (other than the first friendly waitress) to be particularly average. The waiter at the end didn’t bother asking us how the food was and when we mentioned it wasn't great, he didn't seem to care either. You will get much better food and experience down the road. Dont waste your money here.

Lovely lovely food and fantastic friendly service. Reasonable prices for 2 or 3 courses of good quality food.

Excellent service, lovely staff, tasty food. They had a gluten free menu for my mom who has celiac and the downstairs is also dog friendly which is why we decided to come in :)

Extremely disappointing. Portions were very very small. One small size of quiche with a bit of lettuce and that’s considered a main course. Duck was tasteless and small. The bread was okay taste wise but was too crunchy. At the end was given the check and card machine but didn’t realise that a service charge was automatically applied. I questioned this with the waitress and all she did was say sorry. Unfortunately not a good experience but £100 later and still had to grab a takeaway after to actually feel like we’ve eaten. I’d appreciate if the restaurant could get in touch as the menu portions really need to be reassessed. I too own my own hospitality business so know when it’s just not fair to a customer.

Ate as part of a party of 30ish so it dastards the service would be good but slow. Nothing else was an issue, good food!!

Had 2-course meal. Octopus salad was not my favorite (mea culpa because I ordered it with oil on the side, so was a bit toasted) but the sea bream was beyond 🖤 Mom had the chicken schnitzel which was crazy good… Would just suggest to have more variety of beers as my mom wanted a simple blonde beer, and had to have some citrusy-morphed beer…

After a few drinks at the bar I had dinner with 2 friends. Service was excellent (as always) My ‘Torched Garlic And Lemon Sea Bream’ was perfect. They take allergies seriously - I have several and substituted some things to give me more options. I’d definitely recommend.

Pre wedding meal ,very nice ,good service .

Excellent lunch menu. I was expecting small portions but they were actually fine. Interesting dishes and service was great. Not the cheapest place around but if you want something a bit more upmarket this is a great choice

We booked a table for lunch, but arrived an hour earlier, but they were happy for us to sit us down earlier with no issues. The restaurant is upstairs, where it was a lovely and relaxed atmosphere. Service and staff were friendly and efficient, ordering and waiting of food was nicely paced. The food and drinks were excellent, in presentation and taste. They do a reasonably priced 2 or 3 courses, where a few items cost a bit more but a good choice of dishes. We enjoyed our lunch here and will be back again.

So Birthday celebrations for our niece and staff are very accommodating, helping with table decorations. Not very busy even though it's a Friday night, maybe due to school holidays . 2 courses for £43 thought it was a bit expensive, but only 3 tables when we were there. Must recommend the shredded lamb breast starter, very tasty, and the featherblade of beef was so tender and flavoursome, didn't have a dessert but not much choice mainly ice cream variants. Difficult to park as a restricted area, so maybe get a taxi, not open too late either so best check when booking, but excellent food

Very yummy! Everything we tried was really good.

Very high quality cooking, a bit on the expensive side but my kids in there late teens really enjoyed the whole experience and loved the music and vibe even though it was very quiet at mid afternoon on a Tuesday before a show.

Came here with a special friend for a catch up. It was a Wednesday lunchtime and for an hour or so were the only customers which was a real shame as the restaurant and food are lovely, hence the low stars for atmosphere. Our waiter Alex was exceptionally friendly. I hope that the bistro does get busier in the evenings and weekends as Manchester deserved this place.

The food was absolutely beautiful, in particular the featherblade of beef. The service was top notch and everyone was so attentive. The gluten free menu was extensive and I had plenty of choice. Will definitely be back!

Terrific place. Would definitely go again. The food was fabulous with perhaps one of the best Sunday Roasts I have ever had. My appetiser was a bit underwhelming and I don't think it was appropriately described on the menu but the main more than made up for it. It's a bit on the pricier side vs a pub roast but the quality is there. Service was very good too. A solid 9/10 overall.

Lovely service, tasty food and overall a spotless experience. Easy recommend!

Rude staff. Me and a friend were sat outside on their tables having a drink and a server came out with drinks looking confused as in who the drinks were for I said “oh that’s not ours it’s for the table behind us” she then proceeded to give us a weird look asked us if we’re alright and then said to the table behind us “imagine trying to steal someone else’s drinks” I couldn’t believe how rude she was when all we was doing was trying to help. Will never go there again.

Wish we'd tried here sooner. Great value set menu with plenty of choice. Service, food and drinks were exceptional. The crème brûlée was sublime! Will be back soon.

Our food was excellent, I had the goats cheese on sourdough then the braised beef with a beetroot sauce which I can recommend. Good night out.

A new restaurant and has a lovely menu served by proficient staff and cooked before your eyes. In the heart of Manchester so plenty of competition around but they do go above and beyond. Well worth a visit.

The food is cooked to perfection, the staff are fun and friendly and the wine list is eclectic. Good value too. Go! X The Suit Convention Guys.

One of, if not the best Sunday roast I’ve had. Flavours, quantity and quality all exceptional. The fabulous service topped everything off. Can’t recommend enough.

Disappointing meal at Kala Bistro. The bacon starter tasted saltier than salt and was barely edible. And I say that as someone who likes their food saltier than most! Then the two fish dishes, one again overloaded with salt and ironically the other barely seasoned at all. Giving this a 3 star review rather than lower as the service staff were understanding and took one of the dishes off the bill.

Great food and excellent service. Highly recommend.

The food was excellent, well presented and cooked to perfection, with good portion sizes with the exception of the fish dish that one of us had, which in my opinion was extremely small. I also felt the black pudding starter was a very small portion. £39 for a bottle of white wine seemed excessive, but not as excessive as £18 for a large glass of red. The extremely loud music made it very difficult at times to hear, which made it almost impossible to have a conversation.

The food is good, correct, nothing to throw rockets a lot of meat.

Poor service, nice food, but way overpriced... We were served by a lady who asked what we would like to drink: Water please Still or sparkling? Tap water please That's ok she said as she rolled her eyes... We had a repeat of this twice, it was a bizarre thing to say and they way she said it as if giving us permission The food: It's very good, similar standard to the Ivy, but the price is massive, £49 for 3 courses, £43 for 2, BUT when your bill arrives, they have added 10% service charge, so really it's: £47 for 2 courses £54 for 3 courses The restaurant is nice, but lacks atmosphere and is not worth this price

We visited here with family as a group of 4 for Sunday lunch Locally sourced ingredients All amazingly fresh Service was fab and the food absolutely Devine Only criticism is they don’t have mint sauce for my beef roast pudding (I know !!!!!!) Brought over some incredible whipped horseradish to compensate which more than did the trick!

Lovely food served by excellent staff. Great, friendly atmosphere.

Had a lovely lunch here with a group of friends today. Food was great. Service was also friendly and professional. They really looked after us.

Wonderful food and service in Kala 😊 Would definitely recommend!

Looks nice taste, meh Duck was dehydrated before cooking that’s why it probably came out with the consistency of beef jerky. The sweet potato mash was smooth and tasted great. The spice used was nice but was over shadowed due it retaining too much moisture which dulled the spices.

Excellent food and service all round. Not a scrap of food went back on the plate and all four of us left very satisfied.

Just not worth the money. It’s expensive and food is not up to standard at £130 for two people having two courses and two drinks. Had the sirloin steak to share and it was fatty, tough, dry, devoid of flavour and overcooked. It looked like it had been reheated (microwaved?) anyway it was pathetic. Won’t be back

Had an excellent birthday meal here! The server was really friendly and welcoming. The food was delicious!

Fantastic food. Never had the bistro menu as didn't appeal but the Chicken escalope and Confit duck were fab. The desserts were delicious too. Definitely be back!

The dishes were great on paper, so I decided to go the 2-course way to try starters and mains. The duck was tasty and abundant, the trout was so good. Decided to also try the lamb's tongue and wasn't disappointed.

Popped in today at lunch - ‘ask for our lunch time menu’ notice outside read. Waitress on upper level looked down at us - ‘can we look at the lunchtime menu please?’ The response was ‘Huh?’ Can we look at your lunchtime menu?’ She then brought down the menu with another a la carte menu…..my wife and I decided we would choose from the a la carte menu so we ventured up the stairs and looked for someone to welcome us….after some time the same waitress approached us and I said we would like to choose from the main menu……’Huh’ I repeated that we wanted to choose from the a la carte menu - so do you want a table then?’ She asked….. yes please I responded….. she then walked to a table and slapped menus on that table…. Nothing else was said - my wife asked ‘is that table for us then?’ ‘YES! we were shocked and I said ‘the service just did it for us!!! As we left….. disgraceful way to treat customers

Have to walk a steep flight of stairs to gain access to main restaurant seating area. Also back down same stairs if needing the toilet. Not suitable for elderly patrons. Felt like we were in a warehouse.

We wanted a casual yet great quality meal while in Manchester and Kala absolutely hit the mark. The food was exceptionally well considered and prepared, service was friendly with the trademark northern humour, and the atmosphere was also on point. The staff were able to work around some dietary requirements and we were impressed with the portion sizes, taste and value for money. Also nice being able to watch the kitchen staff working their magic in the kitchen. Highly recommended.

Best food i’ve ever had in manchester. Staff were lovely, drinks were made quickly and were extremely tasty. I had the bacon starter and the confit duck and i’ve genuinely never had duck so tender. Would recommend this place to anyone looking for a proper meal in manchester.

Food, service, ambiance - everything at Kala is fantastic. Had a lovely evening and the specials were superb. Thanks! Can’t wait to come back soon.

Great weekend lunch. Great food and service, thank you.

Pefect pork et al on a Sunday .. cheers x

Superb high-end restaurant 👌 Will be back

Fantastic food, excellent service and staff. Particular shout out to John even though lunch service was busy he still gave each table his full attention.

Nice restaurant. I had the January deal. Welsh rarebit toast for start and the confit duck for mains. Overall the food was really nice, I felt the duck on it's own could have done with some more flavour but that's my personal opinion. The dish as a whole was really nice when eaten together. The starter was great. Service was very quick, but didn't feel rushed. I went solo, on Wed at 17:45 and was out in an hour.

Excellent place, best Sunday lunch I've had for a while

Beautifully presented food. Perfectly cooked fish. Great service. Looking forward to dining here on New year's eve. New year's eve was fabulous. The amazing menu and service was faultless.

Everything here was great can’t complain although the food and experience were pretty standard it was done done well

I’ve dined here a few times and each time has been exemplary. The food is outstanding, everything is clearly made with care and love. The wine list is interesting and the seasonal cocktails are excellent too. The service and hospitality from the front of house team are impeccable. They always go that extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction and I invariably leave feeling satisfied and gratified! Highly recommended

Amazing food, relaxed atmosphere. All round fabulous place for an evening out.

I booked Kala for my girlfriend's birthday, and we couldn't have been happier with the experience. The drinks are very tasty, big fan of the wine pairings on the main menu, my partner doesn't drink alcohol so we were happy to see a wide range of non-alcoholic options. The food. My lord. I have quite an appetite, but my eyes were bigger than my belly at thos place. The level of richness, the decadence, simply outstanding. We had pigs cheeks to start, exceptional. Confit duck leg and halibut for mains, sizeable portions and every mouthful was incredible. Desserts of chocolate oblivion and classic Crème Brûlée, unbeatable. You. Must. Order. Parmesan. And. Truffle. Chips. Chunky, fluffy, truffle goodness. Will easily be back again.

Lovely food but atmosphere and experience got ruined by rude staff. I am not one to complain and i understand working in hospitality is difficult because i worked in hospitality too. When we were placing our orders the waitress SHUSHED ME whilst she was taking the order of the people across the farthest end of the table when she could have moved closer to them. Snapped at us passive aggressively multiple times. Bumped into me and stepped on my foot multiple times without apologising when she came to the table. All of this and restaurant was more than half empty. So if it was really full i would have understood that it could be overwhelming and frustrating but she was just rude overall. Everyone else was very nice. She definitely should have not work in hospitality unless she learns basic manners.

Rather uninspiring for a Gary Usher restaurant and wow. £90 for a bottle of Chardonnay . Still recovering from that !! Restaurant was virtually empty 10 days before Christmas, not really surprised.

Food was amazing... Service was good but could have been more attentive. Wasn't too busy but we waited for 15 minutes until someone came to take our drinks order. Then another 10 minutes to take food order. I had the turkey was delicious... Could have done with a nice Yorkshire pudding with the turkey! Husband had the beef and was delicious and lots of both on the plate. Staters were also great. Cheese plate was ok. But cheese was a little dry and very small pieces of cheese. This wouldn't put me off, would still go back if we visit Manchester again.

Just as good as Wreckfish (one of our favourites in Liverpool!)

Didn’t eat - waiting staff picking their teeth, whilst seating you? (Is this ok?)

Absolutely fantastic food. Stunning flavours that are well highlighted and not hidden behind excess flavouring. Service was great from our female waiter but the male waiter was too informal and neglected small but significant details (replacing a used napkin, bringing olives with the starters instead of the cocktails). Well worth the price overall.

We had a very tasty dinner here last night. Food and service were second to none. Thank you will be back if we are in Manchester again!

Had a delicious birthday meal here. The food was great and so too was the service. The kind of place where you want to eat everything on the menu and it's all great value for the very high quality food on offer. Would highly recommend!

We dined on a Friday night and the restaurant was quieter than expected. The cuisine was excellent, well presented and executed, particularly the crab cake and poached pear. Service was efficient. I don’t rate it 5 stars as the surroundings and ambience didn’t match the quality of the food. The lighting wasn’t right and my husband had a light directly on his face. The music system speakers were awful and the sound quality spoiled the experience. Having to go down a large staircase to use the loo was a hazzle. The chefs here are doing something right and despite the small issues I wouldn’t hesitate in visiting Kala again.

Amazing food. The three course deal has the perfect portions, both me and my friend absolutely loved all our meal. The cocktails were great and the staff were very friendly, including the chefs.

A hidden gem in Manchester. The loveliest restaurant with the best food. More of a classy, high dining experience. With lovely staff who don’t keep you waiting long. The portion sizes aren’t too big or too small. I recommend chicken schnitzel was 10/10. You can also order cocktails off menu, would recommend to anyone looking for a new restaurant to try out. Will be visiting again!

Outstanding in every way. Exceptional value, delicious food presented beautifully, straightforward menu, friendly and attentive service. Relaxed atmosphere. Best restaurant in Manchester.

Stunning place! Loved the bistro menu, slightly more limited choice, but all the better for that. Try the Kala crispy chicken thigh 😋, yummy! Brilliant service from a knowledgeable, friendly, gracious waiter. In fact, all serving staff were outstanding. Just visit!!

Excellent meal here last evening. Endive salad and Chicken Schnitzel were lovely. Honeycomb ice cream was delish. Wry sense of humour from Alex our server which was appreciated. Remember Honeycomb ice cream in New Zealand is known as Hokey pokey ice cream...

Great food, lovely staff and a good vibe. A real gem.

Very, very average food but quite expensive

A bit pricier than your regular roast but absolutely worth every cent! The ambience and staff were so lovely and the food was amazing! I had the beef roast and a sticky toffee pudding to finish and I couldn't have eaten another bite! 2 courses for 35 pounds, it was delicious! Compliments to the talented chefs!

The taste of the food is top notch. The portion sizes were just right. The service was very friendly and prompt.

Absolutely perfect for a date night.

We went for a birthday meal party of 7 on Friday 25th August. We had Dorothy as our server , a very bubbly friendly and helpful young lady who gave us excellent service . The food was outstanding , overall could not fault the place in any way hence the 5 stars . Thank you to the service and kitchen staff especially Dorothy for a great experience

Lovely Sunday lunch one of our party is a very fussy eater, the team bent over backwards to accommodate her and nothing was to much trouble. As for the rest of us we really enjoyed to food and wine on the menu.