The Pen and Pencil

Name: The Pen and Pencil
Address: 57 Hilton Street, Manchester, United Kingdom, M1 2EJ
Telephone: 0161 660 3303
Price range: £25 and under
Rating: 4.2

4.2

750 Reviews

£25 and under

American

Top tags:

Sitting on the corner of Hilton and Tariff street in Manchester’s lively Northern Quarter, The Pen and Pencil takes its name and inspiration from the infamous mid-20th Century bar on East 45th Street in New York, which was popular with newspaper journalists and ad men – the original ‘Mad Men’.

Open seven days a week from 10am until late, the restaurant and bar not only offers a variety of beverages including cocktails, beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks, but focuses on its strong day time offering with great breakfast, brunch and lunch options as well as quality coffee and freshly blended smoothies.

The Pencil and Pencil has an array of events throughout the month with a resident DJ to get the party started every weekend, a weekly quiz night on a Tuesday, and its sell-out Bottomless Brunches! It also offers of rooms for private hire for networking meetings, private parties and launch events.

Make a booking

No. of diners

2 people

DateTime

3 Dec 2023

19:00

Booked 12 times today

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
£25 and under
Cuisines
American
Hours of Operation
Mon–Sat 10:00–21:00 Sun 10:00–17:00
Phone number
0161 660 3303
Website
http://thepenandpencilnq.co.uk/
Payment Options
Mastercard, Visa
Dress Code
Smart Casual
Private party facilities
The Pen & Pencil Manchester, situated on the corner of Hilton St and Tariff St in Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter, features an 80 cover dining space across two rooms alongside an expansive bar, with a cocktail menu of the highest quality.
Private party contact
info@thepenandpencilnq.co.uk: 0161 660 3303

Location
57 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 2EJ
Area
Manchester
Parking Details
Spaces for on street parking. Multiple local parking lots within 1 minute walking distance.
Public Transit
5 minutes walk from Manchester Piccadilly
Entertainment
Quiz night every Tuesday.DJs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Popular dishes

What 750 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.2

4.2 based on recent ratings

4.1Food
4.2Service
4.2Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Manchester/Greater Manchester
Great for brunch
Manchester
Great for brunch

750 Reviews

k
kayk
Manchester
3 reviews
vip
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 4 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Visited at lunchtime with a colleague. The restaurant was not busy. Ordered a light lunch. The service was excellent. I look forward to visiting again.
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CF
CaitlinF
Newcastle
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Excellent cocktails and really friendly staff to help us
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DE
DawnE
Manchester
6 reviews
4.0
6 reviews
Dined 6 days ago
overall4food5service4ambience4
Lovely lunch - excellent value due to 50% off on Monday! Nice cocktails and friendly staff. Have spoken to a few people since I booked this and they too have enjoyed it. Will return in the new year.
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NH
NickH
London
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 19 November 2023
overall4food5service2ambience5
The food was very tasty. Unfortunately, we had to wait a very long time for it, with no explanation of why. However, the server did offer us a complementary round of hot drinks by way of compensation.
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T
Trish
Hampshire
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on 19 November 2023
overall3food4service2ambience4
Th food took over an hour to come! However, when it finally did, the French toast was lovely!
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T
Tree
Manchester
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 11 November 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Went yesterday for lunch, and drinks , fantastic cocktails, only 1 thing on them , have more tall ones instead of small ones , staff were amazing , pleasant, nothing too much trouble always asking if everything was ok with food & drinks, food was piping hot which I like , will be back for the bottomless brunch soon to try Would definitely recommend
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S
Sandy
London
3 reviews
2.0
3 reviews
Dined on 11 November 2023
overall2food2service4ambience4
We were sat on slatted wooden seats that were uncomfortable. The coffees were very expensive for small portions. My flat white came in a shot glass for £3.50. I had the vegan breakfast that was very dry, partly because the portion of beans was so tiny (couple of teaspoons in a container used for a serving of ketchup) and the tofu scramble was heavily covered in turmeric. The service was great, lovely vibe but definitely won’t return.
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W
Willgar
Manchester
15 reviews
5.0
15 reviews
Dined on 7 November 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
We haven't been for a while, due to not being in town as much. It was a quick meal, food top quality, service exceptional.
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M
Maddie
Manchester
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on 7 November 2023
overall1food2service1ambience3
Service is abysmal - we had our plates on the table for two hours after we'd finished eating and a lot of our drinks just never arrived. Also stank of cooking fat in the restaurant area which got into our clothes and hair and wasn't very pleasant.
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D
Danim
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on 6 November 2023
overall1food3service1ambience1
Shocking service all evening. Waitresses crying at the bar because it was busy, starters taking over 1 hour, all customers complaining. Awful evening.
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JH
JenniferH
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on 6 November 2023
overall1food3service2ambience1
The waitress (who had a short bob, really nice girl) was lovely, but the service was beyond shocking, food took 1 hour and 40 minutes and we only ordered chicken wings and brisket fries. There was another dark haired waitress crying, it was just so disorganised
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LF
LouiseF
Manchester
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 6 November 2023
overall4food4service4ambience4
Friendly staff on arrival and food was great, we went for the steaks and burgers all enjoyed. Half price food on a Monday which was a good deal. The staff tried their best even though there was an issue with the staffing levels. The restaurant was busy and a good atmosphere for a Monday night.
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ST
SarahT
Manchester
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on 6 November 2023
overall2food4service2ambience4
Poor service, waited a long time for food. Felt like it was being ran by clowns. Received a phone call whilst sat in restaurant to ask if I was showing up for my booking.... I was already sat in there.
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TW
TeresaW
Manchester
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 3 November 2023
overall4food5service4ambience5
Nice food from the lunch menu. Good service. Value gor money
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D
Diner2023
Manchester
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on 30 October 2023
overall2food3service1ambience4
Pen & Pencil used to be our favourite in Manchester, unfortunately it seems to have gone downhill - we have now had two bad experiences there back to back so will no longer be visiting. We had a booking for 6:15pm and were seating quickly upon arriving. Our server promptly took our drinks order and left us with the menus to review food options, also noting one item that was not available today. It was starting well! Unfortunately from here it went downhill, no one came to take our order for quite some time (approximately 45-50 minutes), during this time we had empty glasses and were not greeted by any servers. Although it was busy, it wasn’t completely full and one server was sat at the end of the bar, not exactly rushed off his feet. We finally got around to ordering, unfortunately due to the amount of time it took to take our order one of the items we wanted was no longer available. We placed an order for two more drinks while the server was at our table, these came in a timely manner. Now this wait was painful, we waited for around an hour for our food to arrive, during this time no one came over to the table to let us know or ask if we wanted any further drinks. When the food finally arrived we had been in the venue for approximately 2+ hours, luckily we didn’t run up a large drinks tab as the waiting service was so slow. Our food, which was two burgers (Italian Job & Halloumi Burger), was okay at 50% off, but a far cry from what once was, my partners Halloumi was cold to touch, which wasn’t a very pleasant experience. We waited for someone to come over to ask how the food was to let them know, but unfortunately as previous no server was in sight. We took the loss and decided to eat it as it was. We then left our empty plates at the side of the table and waited for a server to let them know our issues with the food, unfortunately no one ever came after waiting 20 mins so we just paid at the bar and left. Disappointing, even with 50% off!
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K
Kieran
Manchester
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on 30 October 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Served by multiple waiters, everyone so hospitable & friendly. Great recommendation from the chef. Would have been made even better if they had more dessert options.
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SM
SimonM
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on 27 October 2023
overall4food3service4ambience3
Very welcoming & attentive staff, unfortunately food did not live up to previous visits, pancakes nice but with only three strips of bacon & drizzle of maple partners chip’s not hot. Having said that French 75 was vey nice.
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V
Visitor
Manchester
3 reviews
3.0
3 reviews
Dined on 23 October 2023
overall3food4service3ambience2
Not bad, a bit of a long wait and ok service. Beer is expensive and not much variety.
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CG
ClareG
Cheshire
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on 22 October 2023
overall1food1service1ambience1
Despite booking on line and advising one member of the party had a nut allergy - when we arrived and advised of the nut allergy, they told us they couldn’t serve us as the kitchen was too small to accommodate this allergy and we were asked to leave. When I queried that I had made reference to this on the online booking application- I was simply told they hadn’t seen it . The booking was made a week earlier so they had plenty of time to see it. Not impressed. Can’t comment on anything else as we didn’t get the opportunity to eat anything.
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W
Willow
North Wales
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 21 October 2023
overall5food4service5ambience5
Our table was ready on time, staff very friendly and efficient. Drinks came quickly and food fresh. The team were lovely and looked after us well. Highly recommended. Friendly atmosphere
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VZ
VeronicaZ
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on 19 October 2023
overall3food2service4ambience2
Pen and Pencil Restaurant in Manchester offers a stylish ambiance. They provide table service for food, which is a plus. However, I found the evening menu variety to be quite limited. I ordered the crab roll, but it didn't quite meet my expectations. It had an excessive amount of mayonnaise and was served in a large hot dog bun. The overall taste was alright, but not exceptional. One disappointing aspect of our visit was that despite booking a table for 10 people a month in advance, we were given three separate high tables for our team. It would have been nicer to have a single table and a better view if we had walked in without a reservation. Additionally, our table was quite wonky, and we had to request multiple tissues to stabilize it. Overall, Pen and Pencil Restaurant has room for improvement, particularly in terms of customer service and table arrangements. While the food was decent, the experience could have been better.
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SG
SteG
London
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on 16 October 2023
overall2food2service3ambience4
Booked to visit here after reading positive reviews. Discovered that on the date of booking it was 50% off burgers. Brilliant. Restaurant was nicely decorated and a great vibe. The food was mediocre, thry had unfortunately run out of burger patties which discounted most of the menu and the sole reason for choosing the restaurant. If you are running a promotional offer it's highly likely that those products are going to be the most popular. Took seconds to get a drinks order which was great however after waiting some time to order food, we had to call a staff member in order to place our food order, otherwise we would probably still be sitting there. Staff were very polite and friendly however the customer service unfortunately was lacking attention to detail.
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B
Ben89
Birmingham
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 15 October 2023
overall4food3service4ambience5
Staff very friendly and welcoming, food a good mix of american style lunch and brunch. kitchen were a bit slow but would go again.
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LM
LeahM
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on 14 October 2023
overall2food1service1ambience3
Very poor quality of food, had to wait an hour for our food to come which was cold. Waitresses were very nice, but unfortunately to food was awful.
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J
John
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on 14 October 2023
overall1food2service3ambience4
The coffee was burnt Breakfast was nearly 45 minutes to arrive. Avocado/ marinated feta / eggs on toast- the toast was completely burned on one side but had been covered up by the avacado. 3 small pieces of feta. We didn’t have time to swap it due to the above delay , but no mention of removing it from the bill. We dad heard positive things about the place but on this occasion did not live up to the hype
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PL
PaulL
Edinburgh
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 9 October 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
A lovely place with great food and drink, wonderful staff and VFM.
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L
Lisa
Dublin
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on 8 October 2023
overall3food2service2ambience3
Good variety of brunch options however customer service was quite slow and it wasn’t busy. The vegetarian meals were quite basic, I expected the halloumi wrap to have more flavour.
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t
taliebeec
London
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on 7 October 2023
overall1food1service1ambience1
Arrived and were told we shouldn’t have been able to book as they didn’t actually have any space for us :(
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OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 1 October 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fantastic place to eat. Great menu. Really good value for money. Can’t fault the service. I would thoroughly recommend.
Is this helpful?
CB
ChrisB
Edinburgh
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 28 September 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Really great place. Staff are very attentive, friendly and approachable. Food and drinks second to none.
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GM
GeorginaM
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on 23 September 2023
overall3food2service3ambience4
Loved the atmosphere, however was let down with the quality of the food. Nachos were delicious, however both burger (beef and chicken) were both overcooked/burnt
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Orlando
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on 23 September 2023
overall4food2service4ambience4
Food was disappointing compared to how it’s been previously. Grilled cheese just tasted of sweet mustard. Cod burger had little taste.
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B
julieB
Manchester
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on 20 September 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Always a good choice for brunch in Manchester, great menu choices and Bloody Mary’s a must.
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D
Daisy
London
39 reviews
vip
5.0
39 reviews
Dined on 20 September 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
The veggie breakfast is epic. Well prepared halloumi, tasty mushrooms, double hash brown, a bonus veggie burger and so much more I couldn’t actually finish. I thought it was great value. I’ve always had a good meal at Pen & Pencil and will return!
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n
naveeds
London
5 reviews
3.0
5 reviews
Dined on 17 September 2023
overall3food3service3ambience3
Good venue, reasonably priced, nice menu. Would book ahead
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MH
MillieH
Manchester
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on 11 September 2023
overall3food4service3ambience3
The food was good and drinks were delicious and really quick service and friendly staff for the most part- I have been to pen and pencil a few times I come almost any time I visit Manchester I love it but we came this Monday we saw the 50% off food deal which sounds great. When we arrived we ordered our food and drinks together, we saw £15 bottle of wine on Mondays and 2-4-1 cocktails- when I ordered I asked the waitress/bar lady (who was really lovely and helpful) which were 2-4-1 and she said all of them so I proceeded to ask for a £15 bottle of wine and 2 of the same cocktail. When we got the bill the food was discounted but not the drinks, when I asked about this the man who gave us our bill said we can’t use two offers at once which we wasn’t aware of- I feel we were mislead as wjen I ordering, I asked about the 2-4-1 and asked specifically for the £15 bottle of house wine and ordered our food at the same time so it was know we were eating too and was never told these wouldn’t be discounted, if we knew this we would have stuck just a cocktail each. When I mentioned to the waiter he said he couldn’t help. I understand there’s terms and conditions but I feel the staff should be aware of these and this should have been mentioned to me when I was ordering and we would’ve ordered different.
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LN
LukaN
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on 10 September 2023
overall1food1service1ambience1
Booked a table for dinner and the kitchen was closed when we arrived to the restaurant (even though I selected dinner when booked). It was also for a special occasion… Luckily I managed to quickly find a restaurant with amazing food (Canto - highly recommend). We were both really disappointed with this.
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RM
RebeccaM
Manchester
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 10 September 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fab food and amazing service :) really enjoyed our visit.
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JT
JonathanT
Hong Kong
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 10 September 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
The service and food was excellent. If you are going for brunch, try one of the brunch cocktails. Very dog friendly environment if you are looking for somewhere you can go to with your furbies.
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MR
MichaelR
Manchester
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on 8 September 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Super service super food top DJ Had a great night the couldn’t fault the service Looking forward to going back
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Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitising
- Surfaces sanitised between seatings
- Digital, disposable or sanitised menu provided
- Sealed or wrapped utensils used
- Common areas deep-cleaned daily
- Sanitiser or wipes provided for customers
- Contactless payment available
Physical distancing
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables

Screening
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

The Pen and Pencil is rated 4.2 stars by 750 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

No. of diners

2 people

DateTime

3 Dec 2023

19:00

Booked 12 times today

57 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 2EJ

Additional information

Area
Manchester
Hours of Operation
Mon–Sat 10:00–21:00 Sun 10:00–17:00
Price
£25 and under
Cuisines
American
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress Code
Smart Casual
Parking Details
Spaces for on street parking. Multiple local parking lots within 1 minute walking distance.
Public Transit
5 minutes walk from Manchester Piccadilly
Payment Options
Mastercard, Visa
Entertainment
Quiz night every Tuesday.DJs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://thepenandpencilnq.co.uk/
Phone number
0161 660 3303
Private party facilities
The Pen & Pencil Manchester, situated on the corner of Hilton St and Tariff St in Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter, features an 80 cover dining space across two rooms alongside an expansive bar, with a cocktail menu of the highest quality.
Private party contact
info@thepenandpencilnq.co.uk: 0161 660 3303

The Pen and Pencil

Make a booking

Additional information

Popular dishes

Halloumi Burger vt

Mini Pancakes vt

American Pancakes

Menu

What 750 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitising

Physical distancing

Screening

FAQs

How is The Pen and Pencil restaurant rated?

Is The Pen and Pencil currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Additional information