Cornerhouse

Always a nice relaxing place for a glass of wine in the evenings or even a coffee and a bit of lunch in the day. Been coming here for years and never leave disappointed.

Modern bar and Really friendly bar staff. 5 stars

Trendy looking bar on the corner of Portland Street and Oxford Road near the Ritz nightclub. A retro style bar/eatery which shows old films in a funky and old-fashioned atmosphere. The food is pretty good but pricey at times and the bar doesn't offer a wide range of many drinks but definitely worth going for a quick coffee on the way back from the Palace Theatre or from town. 

Firstly, I have to say that we only stopped off here for a drink between a course at the Palace Hotel and a meal in Felicini’s. My son had organised this part of our visit to Manchester and, as he is not a member of CAMRA, is not really “au fait” with bars and beers. He checked out the site and was convinced they did real ales. On arrival, we pointed out that real ales do not ever come through gas-assisted founts, but settled for the Halletts real cider.
Although artificially gassed up, this was an extremely tasty drink.
The fact that there are three cinemas, showing a selection of films, a bookshop and an art gallery intrigued me. I must return sometime to see what these offer as we were short of time today but, on an admittedly cursory viewing, Cornerhouse seems to offer much to a wide variety of tastes.

Das beste Kino in Manchester. Gut ausgewähltes internationales Programm, leckeres Essen und eine gemütliche Atmosphäre.

Manchester’s best cinema. Well chosen international programme, yummy food and a cozy atmosphere.

such a great place, a true arthouse with lots going on. Always a good selection of film and love the occasional film festival they put on. I can always manage to pick up a book or card for birthday/special occasions as well from the little shop. Its a Manchester gem and if you’ve not been treat yourself to an arty film and a drink in the bar.

I saw the Ayrton Senna documentary at the cinema and it was a unique experience at the Cornerhouse. The chairs are unbelievably snug and uncomfortable and there’s not much leg room. Screen is a bit small for a cinema that’s so long (screen 1) and the concessions were rubbish, just a Coke bottle machine in the lobby. Sound and picture quality were good though and you can buy a dedication for seats in the cinema which are put on plaques on the back of the chairs and are interesting to read whilst you’re waiting for the film to come on.

I hope it has a new operator for the cafe when it moves. why? so read this.

Well, never been too impressed with the Cornerhouse cafe and bars since they were franchised out to the current operators. Often had Cranberry juice out of their taps that is obviously watered down so much that it tastes of slight flavoured coloured water.

But today, was the epitome of my visits. After ordering a cup of tea, I got this swanky glass jug with loose tea leaves in (a new style tea for the Cornerhouse – incidentally I asked for a cup of tea not a jug!). The the girl who served me had put so much loose tea in it that it was half full with tea leaves by the time they had brewed and there was barely enough tea to fill the cup – but boy was it strong (stronger than bricklayers tea). I found it hard to swallow so complained and they filled it up again with water. A couple of minutes later, she took came over and took it away saying that she would make me a fresh one. Fair enough and nice enough I thought, but then came along a replacement that was obviously too weak with barely enough leaves to colour the water !! The waitress suggested I let it brew for a couple of minutes. Five minutes later it was no different, as weak as washing up water !! So I had to complain again, and this time was given a cup of tea with a t-bag – but it wasn’t much better as they are quite weak t-bags.

Verdict: if you like you tea to be nice and flavoured, don’t drink it at Cornerhouse as they serve the worst tea in town and obviously the staff need a lesson on how to make good tea.

Also, the staff need to learn some customer service skills. Manager of CH, always teach your staff to keep the customer happy, no matter how much it hurts, and don’t make the customer feel that they are in the wrong. Even the manager was a bit reluctant to admit they had served me inadequate tea. Teach your staff to smile and be nice to customers, the rather salom girls who work there are false and their faces would probably crack if they smiled.

The food by the way is nice – so there is a plus for eating there, just don’t expect decent tea and pleasant staff.

Brill

I'm so disappointed that the Cornerhouse will be moving soon ! Dont really feel much like going there anymore as there didnt seem to be any consultation with those that have been using the spoace for years. Such a shame it will be going to a bland corporate home at first street, probably leaving it too be another tesco !

Well first visit to see a film at the Cornerhouse today (The Way Back)...and I love it!
Glad I have found this place. I love films and am really looking forward to seeing what comes on here in the future.
I'm not really into the books and art but films...yes indeed!

The phrase 'Mancunian institution' is tossed around at a lot of places, but the Cornerhouse really does deserve that title. I have an incredibly soft spot in my heart for the Cornerhouse, it being the location of one of my first jobs when I was a callow youth. I had many great nights working behind their bar, being taught how to pull pints, listening to silly records and pirate radio stations in the pot wash room and dancing around the tables at the end of the night with the security guards.

It's changed a lot since then - the bar has had a revamp, and the food they serve has gotten much MUCH better, but the thing that hasn't changed is the atmosphere of the place. It's warm, welcoming and inviting, a place where you can stop in to have a cup of coffee, or watch the latest independent film, or browse in their art galleries upstairs or just buy a magazine from their well stocked downstairs bookshop. Bijoux and atmospheric, it really does provide everything you could ever want from an inner city arts space.

If you're a fan of independent, arthouse or World cinema, or just want to go somewhere where you can eat good food and enjoy a nice glass of wine in a relaxed environment, then you should definitely check the Cornerhouse out.

Probably the coolest cinema in Manchester. watch any film here and you'll enjoy it.

Great for art house films and often good exhibitions.

I've seen a few good films here.. Donnie Darko... Czech Dream. Quite cosy and comfortable... and an excellent location.

As someone who generally hates the cinema experience - that of bleachy smells, hideous queues, stupid neon lights, dismal popcorn, rubbish screens, murky sound and hoards of braying simpletons tearing about the place - the Cornerhouse is a magnificent sway away from that.

The Cornerhouse is everything I'd hope for in a cinema. They run film-festivals, student shows, show great oldies that I may have never got the chance to see on a big screen, ace foreign films and the best in independent cinema.

Naturally, this makes it all a bit of a chin-stroke fest, but that's exactly what's needed against the funfair of the Odeon and That Other One.

As well as being a place of film, Cornerhouse also serves a decent pint in the cosy bar and, on top of that, if you pop upstairs you can chow down on some cracking food. It's a great place for an informal tea or a great lunch. I've heard the breakfast is pretty good too.

Basically, Manchester needs a place like The Cornerhouse. It's situated right next door to Oxford Road train station, meaning that, should you be travelling from outside the city, it's incredibly easy to find.

One of the best spaces in Manchester, no question.

For one reason or another, over the past two years I've not been to Cornerhouse very often. There was the time, however, when I all but lived there. I could buy discounted tickets with my student card, so I took the chance. I'd been to several retrospectives and film festivals, and watched a plenty of indie, box office, and art house films there. Whereas before 2004 my interest in Cinema was more that of an outsider, since 2004, and thanks to Cornerhouse, I've realised that cinema actually means the world to me.

Patroned by the likes of Danny Boyle, Damien Hirst, and Helen Mirren, Cornerhouse provided me with much inspiration, as well. There are wonderful views of the crossroads of Oxford Street, Whitworth Street, and Whitworth Street West (the latter is tipped to be renames into Anthony Wilson Way). The view is particularly inspiring and romantic at dusk.

As far as the exhibitions go, Cornerhouse keeps doing its best as an arts centre to bring the forward-thinking artists under its roof. The extension that is now being built will allow to do more, particularly as far as various classes are concerned. Cornerhouse has long established great relationship with different universities, and several professors in Film regularly introduce foreign films to the public. They are also sometimes invited to run public courses, but the presently available space is too small for all the people who may want to attend. Hopefully, the extension will extend the possibilities, as well.

Cornerhouse has always been doing good drinks, alcoholic and not, and their cakes have been delicious recently. On the menu they usually have a good choice of pizzas, and if you've been up all Saturday night, you can come in for a breakfast and a movie on a Sunday morning.

It's not cheap but it's got a great view of oxford road, good beer selection, adequate food menu and convenient art and cinema. Close to Oxford Road station so it's an ideal meeting place for people coming in by train. Highly recommended.

Great place for coffee or lunch, staff friendly with independant vibe. Recommended.

I never found this place to be intimidating or pretentious,maybe that depends on the punter rather than the place-beer is good,food passable & if you find the independent/world films too challenging or obscure,you could always go to ANY other cinema in Lancs and not run that risk...