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Living near Manchester, I was excited when I heard that a new Hard Rock Cafe was to open. It is situated in the city centre as part of the new Printworks development. Printworks features a range of leisure activities, including bars, restaurants, shops, and cinemas, and is great for an evening out.
The Hard Rock Cafe has a prime location on one side of Printworks and is accessible from the main road. If you want to have a drink, then it is only a 2-minute walk from the Victoria train station, which has great local and national train access and access to the tram system.
What is it like inside?
I like the rock' n' roll style, and you can see their motif, "Love All - Serve All," on everything, from the walls to the menus. You enter the lower area where the bar and shop are located and then move up some stairs to the main dining room (although I think you can eat at the bar). Trying to go all cosmopolitan and continental, there are tables and chairs outside, but I have yet to see anyone sitting at them, regardless of the time of day or year!
They have loads of music memorable on the walls, and it is decked out very coolly, American style with lots of darkish wood everywhere. It is a bit dark, though, as it is not the world's most spacious restaurant!
Sitting upstairs in the restaurant is also good, as it allows you to get a good look at the bar area and what else is going on! The first time I ever ate here was a bit of a shock, as they had a great big charity pin drive on. There are (according to what the waitress told me!) hundreds of Hard Rock pin badges that people trade around the world, and all the Hard Rock Cafes have their own trading sessions - we were eating in the middle of one of them! The hostess was very nice about it, though, and moved us to a quieter corner of the restaurant so that we would not have our meal continually interrupted by enthusiastic pin traders!
What's the food like?
Most of the menu consists of burgers and fries and such (always reminds me of places like TGI Friday's and Planet Hollywood), as well as salads and basic pasta dishes
I have tried the burgers, and they are good (and come with a good range of options, including about six or seven different choices of cheese): you need to be a decisive person to eat here!! I also highly recommend the potato wedges. (This is not a place to eat if you are on a diet, as it mainly has American-style, fattier foods, but they do offer healthy options and a range of vegetarian dishes!)
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Living in lively Manchester, UK!