Top Stores in Manchester, United Kingdom

Love this place. Its a brilliant niche play centre and it was great to join them for their 10th birthday 🎂 party

Absoloutly bonkers! My baby was in the smaller sensory room at the back, which lacks resources in my opinion. What made it worse was that older children kept running into play and nearly fell onto my baby.

The place was so busy that we left earky

We attended a production for the first time in many years, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The performance was amazing, and the space at Royal Exchange Theatre is just spectacular! Always a pleasure to visit!

My wife has mobility issues. Knees only bend a little. Cinema and aeroplane seats are unusable, but some theatre seats are OK. We wanted to see' The Importance of Being Ernest'. Ticketing staff were incredibly helpful. We were able to identify and buy seats that we could use. If you haven't been to live theatre, then I recommend the Royal Exchange. Access and egress are excellent, located in the Manchester City centre in a beautiful building. Theatre in the round. An experience not missed.

It was very nice, and my child loved every minute.
A little buffet was included for the children, and an Easter egg was presented to each child by a large Easter bunny.
The interaction and entertainment were lively, with most of the staff being pleasant and welcoming.

Most children under 5 would love this place

Parking was close by and not too expensive.

Title: Discover the Vibrant Arts Scene at The Lowry

Located in the picturesque setting of Salford Quays, The Lowry stands as a beacon of artistic excellence, offering a diverse array of performances across its multiple stages.

This modern performing arts center has quickly become a cultural hub, attracting visitors with its dynamic programming and state-of-the-art facilities. Whether you're in the mood for theater, dance, music, or comedy, The Lowry has something to offer for every taste and interest.

As a relatively recent addition to the area, The Lowry has injected new life into Salford Quays, providing locals and visitors alike with the perfect destination for a day out. Its sleek design and bustling atmosphere create an inviting ambiance, setting the stage for memorable experiences and enriching cultural encounters.

In summary, The Lowry is not just a venue for performances; it's a vibrant community space that adds vibrancy and excitement to the Salford Quays area. With its diverse programming and modern amenities, it's a must-visit destination for anyone seeking to immerse themselves in the arts and culture scene.

Lowry Galleries – A great place where the artwork takes centre stage

What is the Lowry Art Gallery?

The Lowry Art Gallery is a modern art space that is located in the heart of Salford, Greater Manchester. It is a great place for art fans where a variety of permanent and temporary exhibitions take place throughout the year.

In addition there is the LS Lowry collection where there is a beautiful selection of his artwork and paintings that are on display.

Exhibitions Visited

Julia and Axel – Thirty Years Of Favourite Stories

Who are Julia and Axel?

This exhibition charts the lives of writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler. It also showcases the brilliant illustrations from their famous works. Julia is famous for children stories including The Gruffalo, The Smartest Giant in Town, Zog, and more.

Beautiful Stories

This exhibition showcased each story that is written by Julia Donaldson in a lovely way. Each one such as Zog gave us a eye-catching summary of what the story entails and the characters involved. It is done in a way that is engaging and appealing to both adults and children.

The Illustrations are magical

Axel Scheffler’s artwork and illustrations are brought to life by injecting a large palette of colours. They were imaginative and captivating to see. However, descriptions were on the thin side. I expected a bit more.

Games and interaction

It was great to see the exciting flaps on the walls where if opened it revealed little interactive one liners and silly games which are mostly aimed at children. I would have liked to have seen something interactive too that was aimed more for adults.

The Exhibition as a whole

It was a good exhibition that gave an interesting insight at the work that a hard-working partnership have produced. The way that it was organised was great in that for each story they produced they gave you a summary, creative artwork that related to each storybook however the downside in that it was aimed at a younger audience. It is great that this exhibition is designed with care at children but I expected more for adults. They should have injected something exciting for them whilst the kids are enjoying the activities for them.

Entry and Admission

This exhibition Julia and Axel – Thirty Years of Favourite Stories is free to enter however due to the busy demand then you are required to book a time slot ticket in order to guarantee entry.

Facilities

There is a Tower Café on the premises but not on the same floor that offers a variety of sandwiches, cakes and drinks at a reasonable price.

There are other cafes nearby if that is not your taste.

Toilets are on site.

Lighting and Access

The environment in which the exhibition took place was well lit which meant that I was able to take advantage by seeing all the artwork and reading the summaries for the stories produced.

In relation to access at the Lowry Gallery then there are lifts or escalators that will enable you to access the floor in which the exhibition is taking place.

Parking

Parking is available at the Quayside Media City UK (formerly The Lowry car park). If you have a Blue Badge then you can stamp the ticket at Customer Services where you can get 4 hours free. This takes effect from the time of arrival. If you go over that time then you are required to pay £1.10 per hour over.

If you are a fan of Julia and Axel’s work and you want to learn more in an interesting way or that you have children that love the story books then you are guaranteed to have a great day out at the Lowry Gallery for their current exhibition. Grab those tickets before it ends

The Lowry in Salford offers a diverse range of cultural experiences, from theater performances to art exhibitions. The modern architecture of the venue complements the vibrant atmosphere inside. The theaters are well-equipped, providing an immersive experience for performances. The art galleries showcase a mix of contemporary and classic pieces. Overall, The Lowry is a cultural hub that caters to a broad audience, offering a delightful blend of entertainment and artistic expression.

A modern & comfortable venue. Excellent views of the stage.

Shame the bar wasn’t open to get any refreshments. Plastic cups & tap water only available!

We had our son’s 1st birthday party today and it was amazing. The venue is clean spacious and decorated lovely with everything you could need for a brilliant party.
The staff are fab and polite who fully get involved and make your time stress free and super fun.
Nothing was too much trouble it’s a full 5 🌟 from us thank you cheeky cherubs see you soon 🤍

We just visited the lowry exhibition and had an amazing day, it was such a privilege to be so up close and personal to so many of his works. An extra special thank you to Martin and his colleague for 2 very informative talks and taking the time and interest to answer our questions. Also, lunch in Pier 8 was great value and very tasty. Well worth a visit.

Chris Currie photography would 100% recommend The Royal Exchange Theatre as a wedding venue. The Team at the venue are lovely and were a pleasure to work with. The interior is stunning, with soaring ceilings, large glass domes and pillars that help to set the space apart. It was a pleasure to photograph plus I really enjoyed taking advantage of using the set design inside the theatre module to create my couples portraits. If you are looking for an unforgettable venue to enjoy one of the best days of your lives then you will struggle to find a more unique setting. I think the Royal Exchange Theatre is one of the best alternative wedding venues in the country.

An amazing venue. The performance was on the floor with the audience all around. The building is amazing and worth a look. Fantastic architecture.

Great angles from all over made watching a great play really enjoyable. And what a production! Really creative but with some fun moments given such a morbid subject. Note: there were lots of young children in attendance and I would have said 12A was a better rating for this show but your mileage may vary.
Getting out of the carpark at the end was a major pain and took almost half an hour so be prepared to be patient.

What won this place over for me was the staff are so lovely and welcoming and really make an effort to speak to you. They keep it very clean, the the lady who played the trumpet is amazing!! The kids loved it here my older 7 and 8 year old enjoyed playing with there younger brother who’s 20 months would say it’s not really for the older children but perfect for ages 6 under
Great experience
Thank you

Some friends chose the Royal Exchange as the meeting place for a coffee and chat. Had never been before as I don't often visit Manchester.

Really good coffee and the atmosphere was great. Was quite busy around lunchtime.

Will definitely come again instead of one of using one of the other coffee chains.

Great place to come and get you tablets

My 2 grandsons had a party today and it was wonderful . The staff are lovely. The play area is great. They have a sensory room so children can have quiet time if needed. I would recommend it for parties.

Amazing place to go with my twin boys (10 months). The staff were lovely, everything is so reasonably priced and play structure / equipment is really good. It's also nice to go to a soft play where my babies can actually have something to eat off the menu!!!

Last visited over 30 years ago, with Wilmslow Green Room production of The Lion in Winter, when I researched and hand painted the individual shields that decorated the various levels of the theatre seating.

Gorgeous theatre. Absolutely huge. Sound is amazing in there too. And staff and crew are fantastic, really helpful and made my night playing there a breeze. Great venue as a punter, one of Manchester’s finest.

A great day with the kids. A gorgeous Julia Donaldson's exhibition, lots of fun in the play area and at the play kitchen within the bar. I can see how it would be a great place to go and see a show and have some drinks beforehand.

Great venue for a children’s party. Small children are well catered for. Place is closed so you and your toddler/preschoolers have exclusive access to the place, this makes for a much nice experience for your children and their friends. The staff are wonderful, they organise all the party games and entertainment as well as cut the cake if you require them too and hand out your party bags as the children leave the party. Wonderful place to host a children’s party.

Sent my sister to get beef cubes and she returned with a bag of pale, dry looking meat. I phoned to complain and the man insisted it was fresh. So we wasted nearly £20 on 2kg of meat that cannot be used. So definitely won’t be returning.

Creative use of circular stage surrounded by multiple levels of seatings in a circular pattern. Performances are always carefully selected, sometime challenging, sometimes experimental but never dull. Has an emphasis on using actors and performers from the North.
They have stopped offering discounted car parking recently, but parking at nearby q Park costs about £8 for 3.5 hours.

The Royal Exchange is a purpose-built theatre within the stunning architectural space of Manchester's former cotton exchange.

The performance space is 'in the round', with seating on three levels all offering excellent views.

The productions are wide-ranging in genre and subject matter, and invariably well-staged.

All performances usually have a selection of 'pay what you decide' tickets, so you can enjoy top-quality theatre in a stunning setting for as little as £5 or £10.

It's well worth a visit.

Ich kann vor Schmerzen nicht schlafen. Ich kam, um einen Termin zu vereinbaren. Die Sekretärin sagte, gehen Sie zu einem anderen Arzt. Nun, wir wollen nicht mehr zu Ihnen kommen. Ruhen Sie sich aus.(20.3.2023)

Excellent. Nothing is too much trouble for any of the staff. They, are so friendly and helpful

The worst taste of meat I have ever tasted in my whole life. 👎🏻
Looks dry and nasty.
Absolutely NOT recommended 👎🏻

Very efficient and friendly, can ask them for advice and they will do their best to help

Brilliant shop, larger than what you expect as it's narrow and very long. Has more than just Hala meat. They sell masala powder in boxes and biscuits too. As well as various other items. They guys are really helpful always ready to give advice on the cuts of meat and how best to prepare and cut them. Its also really clean and does not smell bad like other meat shops tend to. I order from here and they have really good promotional deals and offers on. Highly recommend plus you can phone in and place your order before and just collect later. Nice shop, good customer service, I'd give it 7.5/10.

One of the only meat shops where it takes less time then the others but the service is excellent and the meat is fresh, the young butcher was also quite a laugh and we had some good banter! Really makes my day whenever I go for my meat. Recommend to anyone reading this! Thoroughly deserves a 5* review.

I only moved to Manchester 2weeks ago and have been buying Shanzans meat produce from Sainsburys whilst I tracked down a decent Halal butchers. So after reading many reviews of several butchers, this one in Burnage had the best reviews. I'm a little sceptical of reviews as I'm suspicious that the owners and their friends leave favourable reviews, but who cares if they do or don't as long as when you get there the place is decent. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.

The place was clean and the young butcher was really helpful and friendly. He cut up the chicken exactly how I wanted, skinned the drumsticks and cut the lamb as I asked. For the first time ever I was able to cook straight away when I got home without having to trim and cut the meat like I use to and wash everything up afterwards. This butcher saved me so much time. The price compared to supermarkets was noticeably cheaper. I'm reluctant to say how cheap in case he reads this and puts it up. But hey, I struck gold finding this place. I'll be going back here every Sunday from now on.

I buy meat and groceries since it opened i am a butcher by proffesion so I know what i am buying I can guarantee the meat in the shop is high quality and fresh I wouldn't go anywhere else.

Really impressed with quality of meat, went by recommendation. Met my expectations in a very positive way. Clean shop and friendly service.