Ibérica

Iberica was very busy when we went but u can understand why! The food was delish! I really enjoyed their seafood paella :) it was pretty authentic and the seafood was fresh. The service was good and staff very helpful. They’ve got a good wine selection too — would never say no to a bottle of Bobal :) will definitely return to Iberica soon!

This was a terrific find (thanks, Unilocal!). Iberica is a rather swanky tapas restaurant with a standard of food that is well ahead of your usual fare. The patatas brava were amazing even when comparing them to the better places I have been to in Barcelona!
Their wine list, too, is pretty outstanding. You will find little of the middle-​of-​the-​road stuff but can instead immerse yourself in a carefully curated list of authentic (and great) wines that you will not find every day.
Cheap it is not. But fully worth it!

Phenomenal meal here last night for my office Christmas party. We all ate off the set menu and it was amazing — the dishes never stopped coming out! The octopus was a real highlight as was the amazing cheesecake at the end. I also couldn’t fault the staff; extremely attentive and polite — they kept the wine coming too! The restaurant itself is lovely too, the Spanish theme comes across everywhere. I will absolutely be going back!

I love this swanky tapas restaurant. It’s a bit pricey but if you want to try ‘fine-​dining’ tapas when you’re a bit bored of the tomato sauce-​heavy and rustic style tapas we usually get, come here! The tapas dishes are delicately presented but packed with flavour. I do think the chorizo lolly pops are too much though!
The waiters all speak Spanish and deliver very smart service. The restaurant itself is decorated to a high standard without it looking like a souvenir shop. Check out the toilets! Love the bar and the gin cocktails on offer and Spanish beers on tap.

I really need to go back to Iberica to try their food — I’ve sat outside in their little outdoor but actually indoor seating area. Its not table service out here and the downside to ordering at the bar is that you need to squeeze in between the people sat on the bar stools and you could also be there quite some time.
On the plus side the drinks are nice and relatively good value for money. Definitely give the jug of sangria a go which you can get made up with white or red wine!

Second time my wife and I have eaten /​drank at Iberica and it was just as magic as the first time.
The Iberian ham was incredible as expected, the cava sangria extremely more-​ish.
Had the asparagus toast for the first time. I’ve never eaten asparagus like this before and it was very very tasty.
We took advantage of being able to buy Iberian ham and cheese directly from the restaurant to take away with us, can’t wait to eat it later with bread and olive oil.

It wasn’t bad by any means and the food actually tasted good, however I was a little disappointed with this place.
For the price you pay here, I expected better, in both service and food. As I said the food tasted good, but for a high end tapas joint it wasn’t mind blowing and nothing had the ‘wow’ factor.
So highly recommended and rated by friends and Unilocalers alike, I will put this down to a one-​off and revisit soon!

I loved this place the moment I walked in it was my first time here and my mother in law treated me to a cocktail.
The décor is just beautiful I love all the colours the furniture the lay out everything. I love the Spanish feel to the place.
We only have cocktail as we’re on are way somewere, but it was probably the best cocktail I have ever had, it had fresh strawberries and raspberries with cava could of drank it all day so refreshing and tasty.
I would definitely like to return and try the paella and the sangria it’s somewere nice for the afternoon or evening anytime really. The staff were really friendly and couldn’t do enough gor you, I really loved it definitely reccomend.

I have heard a lot of positive hype about this place, and as a lover of sharing tapas plates, I was quite excited to try this place.
Firstly, I have to give the interior and décor a huge thumbs up — it really is beautiful inside and has an ‘outdoor’ part surrounded by glass which would be nice on warmer evenings. The staff were attentive and welcoming, and we were seated over at a nice table and were talked through the menu’s and all dining options.
My first negative experience was when my pregnant friend ordered a ‘mocktail’, which cost a very expensive £8. Mocktails are usually a lower cost that alcoholic cocktails, so I did wince a little at this … but anyway… the menu’s looked incredible so it was soon forgotten about.
Between three of us, we ordered x3 plates each plus an order of tomato bruschetta style bread, and hats off to Iberica because this was more than enough and satisfied us all, sharing a little bit of each other’s. The plates came out around 5 minutes apart from each other, which I actually liked, as it was like a little surprise as to what was coming next, keeping the food options coming.
I cannot fault any of the food too much — the serrano ham croquettes were really delicious and easily my favourite plate, followed by a prawn and ham selection and potatas bravas. However, the friend spring onions and fried chorizo lollipops were a little too greasy. Another nice option was the asparagus toasted on truffle oil toast plate — I would recommend this one as a nice, filling option.
Something very strange happened when I dined here — I have absolutely no food allergies but something I ate didn’t agree with me and I actually had the tingling numb sensation in my mouth after eating here, which I looked up to be a reaction to a food allergy. It only lasted 3 hours so much have been a small disagreement to something I had ate, but for someone of 29 years old who has never had a food allergy, I did find this worrying. I did inform the staff and they were helpful and concerned, so I can’t fault the way they dealt with this.
Very pricey for a tapas — therefore rating this at 3 stars.

After reading all the excellent reviews on Unilocal I really wanted to try Iberica. The place is ultra stylish and opulent. The glass décor and high ceilings give the place a light airy feel and the cured hams hung on display add a bit of authenticity. There are some very interesting and original dishes on the menu. We ordered the patatas bravas which were delicious, the spring onion tempura which was beautifully presented, the croquettes which were like a meal in itself as well as the squid ink and prawn rice which was my favourite dish. I also like the fact that they offer a range of different sangrias. I can definitely recommend the cava sangria.
The only issue that is stopping me from giving this place 5 stars is the service. The manager was really pushy and wanted us to order off the set menu which was priced at a whopping £32 per person. He got quite irate with us when we wanted to order off the ala carte menu saying that it would spoil our experience as all the dishes would come out at different times. Isn’t that the idea of tapas anyway! Don’t expect good service in here unless you are prepared to pay a lot of money.

Possibly the best looking restaurant in Manchester right now, Iberica is seriously opulent inside. It’s a welcome new addition to Spinningfields opposite the Oast House, with an outdoor seating area that has a retractable roof should you wish to sit outside in the summer months.
Inside the décor is really elegant with high ceilings, chandeliers and matador-​themed lamps, as well as cured hams on display. You can sit at the bar if you’re having a glass of wine with some olives, or sit down at a table if you want to have a more formal meal. I took a friend of mine for lunch and she was super impressed with the place, as was I. The service was excellent– our waitress was very chatty and attentive. To start we ordered a jug of the Sangria Cava which is a bit of a refreshing, summery twist on the traditional sangria, using cava instead of white or red wine. It was delicious and turned our lunch into a boozy one!
We had the set lunch menu, which was a good deal at £15 for 3 tapas, but in hindsight I think I would rather have just ordered individual plates because the dishes on the set menu were a bit random. The chorizo lollipop was really tasty, but the confit of cod was like a fish mousse and I’m not a fan of fish mousses. The chickpea purée was OK but essentially a bowl of hummus with some chorizo and a rather peculiar taste.
For the last tapas I ordered the creamy black rice, which was very creamy and very heavy so I couldn’t eat too much of it. Also stains your mouth black so make sure you down some water afterwards! I’ve had quite a few squid ink risottos before, which I love, but this was more like a creamy porridge consistency and didn’t have enough seafood for my liking so the jury’s out on that one. My friend had the chicken with chilindron sauce, which was good.
All our dishes arrived, except one middle course… the Miljohas… which they seemed to have forgotten about. By this time our original server’s shift had ended so could forgive the slip. Not too much of a big deal, it came as soon as we’d asked about it. The Miljohas were like huge nacho type things with aubergine and red peppers.
You can tell a lot about a venue by the bathrooms and my friend came back saying ‘you HAVE to check out the toilets!‘
All in all a gorgeous restaurant and I can imagine I’ll be back here in the summer months for a jug of sangria and some tapas off the menu.

It was a bit difficult of getting a table upstairs without reservation. Paella is not as good as the one in Madrid. Suggest more dishes on the seafood menu.

Wow. Wow, wow! Spanish food done good in the good ol UK — first off I have to say that I was invited to the soft opening and received some dishes for free but also paid for quite a few as well as drinks so this is a fair review to make based on our real experience!
Basically anything with squid rocks, especially the black rice –the burger was fantastic, the potatoes, octopus superb — in fact I’m struggling to think of a dish we ordered that I didn’t enjoy!
A lovely bar downstairs to enjoy a drink in luxury with friends and an intimate dining experience upstairs — lovely!
There’s a pretty big terrace for summer which I’m sure is going to be really popular and it’s great to see this part of town becoming a genuine foodie destination — long may it continue!

Attending a soft launch sitting at Iberica recently, I was super excited, especially after hearing so much buzz about it online. Having previously been an All Saints store, it’s a huge space split over two levels; downstairs looks to be more of a bar area (presumably recognising the need to welcome in the Spinningfields crowd for Friday night drinks) with a more ‘restaurant’ feel to the upstairs area.
After a quick scan of the drinks menu, I couldn’t resist a glass of sangria, especially after seeing the large jar of it Michael was making his way through! Unlike the sickly sweet sangria you can often find on offer in places such as M&S, this was made with care and attention, the process of which is actually quite mesmerizing.
Upstairs, we were handed menus and started to try and decide what to have — this is not the time to be indecisive! They have a well priced lunch menu, but the main page of tapas was too good to resist. Like seafood? They’ve got it. Vegetables more your thing? Go ahead! Meat lover? Got you covered. If you’ve got a fussy eater in your circle of friends or family, this could be the answer to your prayers.
The food comes — and it keeps coming! — so get ready to tuck in. Tomato topped bread was refreshing between heavier dishes, chorizo lollipops a little gimmicky fun, and silky smooth croquettes worth writing home about. The twice cooked lamb was a real standout, as were the Iberica burgers, which were seriously good considering they initially seemed a touch out of place on the menu.
I’m looking forward to heading back when they’ve got into the swing of things to see if the magic can continue; service was knowledgeable and super friendly, especially the downstairs staff who stopped to chat while I was waiting for my coat from the cloakroom.
The first of many new openings in this area of Manchester in 2015, and they’ve really upped the competition.

2015: The year the Spanish invaded Manchester. We surrender. Feed your slaves amazing tapas.
Our city’s latest big restaurant opposite The Oast House and next door to Thaikhun is, in two words, seriously opulent.
As you enter (past the soft-​covered outdoor terraces wrapped around the building — these will be packed full when the weather improves) you’re welcomed into their seriously impressive double height ground floor bar area. It’s light, bright and beautiful down here. They’ve apparently spent a couple of million refurbishing the space that was once All Saints clothes store.
The main restaurant is upstairs, but you can enjoy a drink seated at the bar or grab a quick lunch at one of the tables, underneath a display of wine that must be 20 feet tall.
Check out the matador-​suit lampshades, a bit of cultural kitsch in an otherwise top notch interior.
After sipping on a very tasty glass (i.e. jar) of Sangria freshly prepared in front of us, we were shown to our table on the mezzanine level.
It’s slightly less airy up here, but still spacious and filled with plenty to admire. A row of booths lines one side, with lots of seating throughout, but you don’t feel hemmed in at all. It’s a hive of activity with the innumerable small plates constantly being served by the wait staff, dedicated drinks staff and managers keeping an eye on proceedings.
Their menu contains a nice range of contemporary tapas (£4 to £10 each), paellas, Ibérico hams, cured meats and cheeses.
We chose four plates of tapas each, plus some bread with olive oil and toasted bread with tomato. I won’t bore you with a detailed overview of each dish but let me say that everything we had was very good indeed — praise in particular for the mini ‘Ibérica burgers’, ‘asparagus, manchego, onion confit & truffle oil toast’, ‘aubergine, honey & pinenuts’ and ‘Ibérica’s Serrano ham croquettes’. The ‘Twice cooked lamb, marinated cherry tomatoes & red peppers from El Bierzo’ was also fantastic.
Our group didn’t have to pay for most of the food as it was their soft opening, but we were billed for the extra dishes and drinks we ordered. That being said, I’d have happily paid up in full for what was an extraordinary meal. Service was friendly from start to finish, wait times were minimal (those plates just kept on coming!) and the atmosphere made you feel a world away.
We’re very lucky indeed to have them here, go as soon as you can — I’ll most definitely be back for those croquettes… and Sangria… and lamb… and…

It is not very often that I give a 5* review based on one visit… but then I don’t often visit Iberica. WOWEEEE is all I can say.
My favourite country in the world is Spain. And my favourite food is Spanish food. Having said that, my mother lives in a small Spanish village near Alicante and when I visit I eat the most amazing food you could possibly eat. Also the pintxos I have had in the basque region really makes me excited just thinking about it. Blows the socks off French and Italian. Because of this, I very rarely eat at Spanish restaurants in the UK (or anywhere else that isn’t Spain for that matter).
So, although I was excited to get a table at the soft launch, I was also a bit sceptical and went with the expectation that it would be a disappointment in comparison to the food I eat in Spain.
Oh boy, how wrong my assumption was.
The wine selection is awesome. Took me a while to choose but went for the Crianza. Was so drinkable.
For food, we had tapas. Our selection was the gazpacho, patatas bravas, squid, ensalladia ruso (second best I have ever had, only to my mum ‘s local), chorizo lollipop and the butifarra. All were awesome. The chorizo lollipops come with a pear alioli that tastes spectacular. We were so full by the end of it.
The loos are FAB. Unisex, sort of. There is one loo but different stalls for gentleman and ladies. There are wash basins inside the stalls as well as a tap in the communal area.
Now the icing on the cake which sealed my 5* review was the digestiv selection. My friend had a coffee one which she loved. Now. I had the Forest Herbs and this made my day.
A good few years ago (7 now I think of it) I was at a bar local to my mum’s and the bar owner came out with a bottle of booze after our meal and two glasses. It would have been rude not to drink it so when he offered me glass after glass I joined in — this is a compliment in Spain as the owner was sharing his favourite drink with me. To thud day, every time I come back from a visit to mum I get a bottle of this: it is called «liquor de hierbas».
Until a few hours ago I had never seen this in the UK. But I had some in Iberica and it makes me so happy. Ok they calked it a different name but it tastes the same. I told the staff how pleased I was to see this on the menu.
The service was great from moment of arrival to when we left.
I definitely think everyone should visit Iberica. It is the best Spanish food I have eaten outside of Spain and will definitely be back.