Kim by the Sea

A hidden gem in Hulme.
I really liked this quirky restaurant. Borderline kitsch, but also arty and intriguing in its eclectic style.
I only had a warm vimto as they ran out of tea pots. Next time trying out the food!

Great venue for groups and parties!
Cocktails and big portions are excellent.
Kim has the look and feel of a Parisian café with warm and friendly staff.

Every time I’m on a bus which passes Kim by the Sea (which is often), I gaze out of the window and think how nice it looks. Despite this I never visited until last week, with Natalie W and Oonagh C.
I arrived a bit early and was treated really well by the woman on the bar, who came over to ask if I needed anything and brought me a glass of water while I waited. The menu (and specials board) was huge and varied with some interesting options such as swordfish. It’s nice to see a menu that’s not a carbon copy of the rest.
We started with some sweet potato wedges (incredibly delicious) and baba ganoush (tasty but a bit too garlicky). I think the amount I ate at this point is to blame for my poor show in finishing my main. I chose the lamb burger which came with potato wedges. I would have preferred fries but I wasn’t given an option — if I order a burger here again I will definitely ask. The burger was really tasty but just so dense and filling that I could barely eat half of it. There were actually two burgers in the bun! This is where you want to go if you want a decent feed (although they do serve salads one of which I spotted another customer eating, which looked amazing).
After our food we were talked into having a dessert of warm brownie with ice cream, which was obviously excellent. To drink we shared a jug of Kim’s Crabbies which included vanilla vodka, lime, ginger beer and possibly other things that I’ve forgotten. I loved it and would happily drink more! I noticed when it was being made that they make their own vanilla vodka by putting vanilla pods into a bottle, which is a nice touch.
The bill was more than reasonable and I had a really lovely evening. I hope this was the first of many visits!

I object to most of Kim By The Sea’s reviews being premised with statements along the lines of «Hulme is the worst, but…»
Actually, Hulme features one of the greatest food destinations in Manchester: Buzzrocks, two theatres, and an off licence called Booze Crooze. So basically, it’s fantastic.
So is Kim’s. I expected slow/​inattentive service given many of the reviews but it was noticeably excellent. The sweet potato fries were sensational and I am looking forward to my next visit for those alone. The menu in general is very appealing with lots of choice, from pizza (including build your own) and burgers to a whole host of interesting specials, including sea bass curry and falafel with ratatouille. I had a quarter roasted chicken which was very well cooked. I could have done with a bit more of the delicious tomato sauce but overall it was very good. Emily B and Ooanagh C’s food also looked good and the portions were more than generous.
We also enjoyed a chocolate brownie for dessert and a jug of a ginger based cocktail. It was a Monday night after all.

For some reason I have made excuses regarding the faults that exist with Kim by the Sea. I think I made allowances because it is local and I wanted it to be a success, but they continually test my loyalty with the lacklustre overpriced food and hit and miss approach to service. Recently the quality of the food has been poor and there is no consistency as the same dish can vary so greatly from one visit to another making it impossible to recommend a dish to friends. In order to regain previous plaudits some serious work needs to take place with staff training and pricing.

Good choice of drinks, well served British ‘classics’, staff a little transient, temporary and distracted. Fair prices though.
Great place for a cold drink on a sunny day — lovely sun-​trap on a surprisingly quiet inner city road. Hulme Garden centre across the road and Birley Fields behind you, you may be mistaken into thinking you were in the country… perhaps not.
Perfectly nice place to eat and drink.

Kims is one of those great, little places that I’m a bit reluctant to shout too much about — just in case it gets too darn popular and results in me struggling to ever find a table there ever again. In short, compact, intimate, quirky and very much a one off with delicious home cooked food and lovely folk. Here’s hoping I still manage to get a table !

Also look out for the flying seagull with Christmas hat on

Located in one of Manchester’s least cool, least lively and least trendy areas is one of Manchester’s most cool, most lively and most trendy bars, Kim By The Sea.
Its name remains a mystery, though the ‘by the sea’ setting must be a joke about the location of this oasis. As anyone who’s seen Hulme knows, it’s the furthest from an idyllic setting one can imagine. If you’re in Hulme, there certainly wont be any walking along the beaches looking at the peaches, and if you want to avoid an experience akin to being in a sewer, or on the end of a skewer, you’ll have to make sure you’re within the walls of this unique establishment.
Decorated in flamboyant Parisian style, Kim By The Sea is effortlessly distinctive, with inimitable character. From the walls and ceiling, adorned as they are with quirky kitsch, to the range of drinks, the staff and the gorgeous food, Kim By The Sea is on all accounts nonpareil.
The drinks list in extensive, with everything from German wheat beers through to cocktails served by the pint (!) or half and elaborate shots.
The food is possibly the piece de resistance, with the seemingly random menu full of gorgeous delights, ranging from hearty fish and chips to vegetarian mezze.
Their latest forthcoming event sums up their class; a specifically non-​themed party at which ‘any theme like behaviour will be severely reprimanded’, and any accidental appearance of a theme will be corrected until ‘securely regular’.
In short, its bloody cool, just like their website, which as Alfie B said really IS pretty scary if you’ve seen Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Five Stars.

I’m always annoyed by the irritating phrase ‘best kept secret’, often applied to places that are not only anything but secret but also used in the very act of advertising somewhere you’re claiming you want to keep secret.
So to completely contradict myself, Kim by the Sea is Manchester’s best-​kept secret.
Of course, nobody is trying to keep it a secret, especially not me, but it is a secret, somehow! Kim by the Sea is literally the coolest, quirkiest, most beautifullest bar in Manchester. It is situated in the centre of Hulme. For those of you that don’t know Hulme, this does not mean its in the centre of somewhere, i.e. a town or urban space, but rather, its akin to saying ‘its situated in the middle of nowhere’.
And Kim by the Sea does even look like a pub from the outside. It looks like a derelict swimming pool or community centre. This makes the joyful shock upon entering even greater.
It’s a lovely little bar with amazing décor, and a gorgeous upstairs balcony that’s just opened this week. They serve an array of quality drinks including several flash European beers including wheat beers and they have an extensive wine list including a house bottle for less than £10. They also serve exciting cocktails in half pint or pint measures! Its £3.50 a half or £5.80 a pint. In addition they do a load of exciting flavoured shots for £2 each.
The food though, trumps even the drinks. Its hard to say where the amazing range of dishes come from as its so varied but everything is delicious. I particularly recommend the steak, as I have literally never had a better one.
Also, the website is ridiculously cool, though a bit disconcerting if you’ve seen Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’…

WOW — a restaurant in Hulme, that deserves applause in its own right! but a quirky, real Manc kitsch restaurant that has survived the last financial disaster of a year — in Hulme! that must deserves an award, or freeman of the city status — or something! anyone else ever wonder why it is called Kim by the Sea? They do serve quite a few fish dishes? will someone ask Kim & let me know…
Anyway, this is really a little gem… it opens at 11am faithfully every single day of the week, and starts the day by serving up breakfast food like Manx kipper with bread & butter! apart from having a separate day and evening menu, they also have different menu for the weekend … and a Tapas menu! most of the food is British at its best, and some is Mediterranean inspired. My personal favorite is the smoked haddock chowder with crusty rolls — simply divine!
The décor is wonderfully eclectic, and would not be out of place at a festival, yet it is warm and relaxing. The bar is top notch too stocking brews like Maissel Weise, Anker, Ename, Erdinger, Staropramen, San Miguel, Guinness and a fine range of wines too.
On a merit of uniqueness and all the above, I will continue to travel the 3 miles from my home to thoroughly enjoy this space and its food, music and wine!

This place is brilliant. I don’t think I’ve ever seen who Kim is but her place is really cool. The food is really reasonably priced and gorgeous.

When I moved to Hulme briefly in 2004 i regularly frequented this place. it was £10 for a lovely 3 ourse meal and BYO. I went back a few years later and things had changed. Its OK now but prices have significantly increased and the food was not as good. I went recently to a private party and they ran out of wine by about 10pm. Not good. Still, it seems that its a bit hit and miss so I might try it again sometime.

A café in a really weird setting, with funny staff. Reminds me of being at Glastonbury, sort of. Very alternative.

My friends love Kim’s, for all the reasons Lizzie put in her review, but I can’t decide.
I like regular opening hours, but we often turn up to find they’ve decided not to open. I like good service, but the staff are a little too laid back for me. I also like to order off the drink or food menu, but I’ve been there when they’ve run out of beer, milk, all desserts, all starters you get the idea. And everything takes so long.
However, when your food does finally arrive, bar the bland Sunday lunch, it usually is good and very varied for such a small place. And no one rushes to move you when you’re done, which is a bonus.
But mostly, it’s great that someone thought to open anything other than scary pubs in Hulme.
I always hate the fact that my friends want to go to Kim’s, but I always enjoy myself when I’m there, despite the irritations. If it were better run, that might result in the loss of what makes Kim’s so relaxed and unthreatening. Except for the tomato plants that attack me when I sit by the window

Kim’s café is located ‘unfortunately’ across from the garden centre in Hulme (a stone’s throw away from Asda). I’m positive if this were to be in town or on a side street off Oxford Road it would be heaving!!! If you are lucky enough to have visited this lovely little hideaway you will have already sampled the amazing menu. The food tastes and looks great, with a lot of fish options… it is by the sea afterall! The general mood and ambience makes you feel like you are on holiday. The staff are extremely friendly and laid-​back, and there are plastic seagulls hanging from the ceiling!!!
The venue is available to hire for small functions, my friend had a 30^th birthday party there and the night was fantastic… Bob served up a fantastic Paella and everyone was happy. If you experience a Sunday hungry hangover this is also a decent place to go and get a massive cooked breakfast with all the trimmings… the Bloody Mary’s are also a treat with a something extra special ;D