Jam Street Cafe Review:

Jam Street Café is cool. Sat at the bottom of Upper Chorlton Road, it is beloved by the arty types of Whalley Range for giving them somewhere bohemian to drink without having to trek into Chorlton. It also has a healthy following among the Chorlton massive, who end up there when they tire of the faux-cool of trendy bars like the Lead Station and Polar Bar.

Jam Street looks like a cross between a bar and a greasy spoon (which, apparently, it was in a past life). Outside, a pavement beer garden attracts smokers on rainy days and drinkers on sunny ones. People sat cross-legged on straw pouffes on the floor and the relaxed vibe gives the place an appealing festival vibe. Inside, the restaurant area is all about glowing wood tables and a natural look, while the cosy downstairs bar only has room for about twenty people.

What really warms our cockles about Jam Street is its ramshackle nature. Ok, so they have the same range of exotic beers and poncy bar snacks as you might find in Chorlton, but you get the feeling that everything about the place has been achieved on a wing and a prayer. For example, by night Jam Street is a restaurant but you only have a choice of two meals and they stop serving either at 9pm or when they run out of food.

Having said that, you'll rarely see a quiet night at Jam Street Café. It might not be as smooth as the bars down the road but it has plenty of character to make up for it. And judging by its popularity among the locals, character is what really counts in this neck of the woods.

Read user reviews for Jam Street Cafe here
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Jam Street Cafe's User Reviews:

22 Nov 2009 LN

Lovely place, never disappoints. Honest food, reasonable prices, neighborly hippie atmosphere with no aggro, what more do people want?

5 out of 5

22 Feb 2009 wuh

It may have been a nice place, but it's gone down the drain in recent years. Last visit was quite typical: 4 people 'working' there, but no-one takes your order. The male waiter just hangs around, trying to look 'bohemian'. He's obviously waaaaay to cool to wait tables (wake up, lad, you're a fluke). The cook seemed to wait till she had 4 orders so she could do 'em together. More time for chatting that way. Getting food took another 40 mins after finally placing an order at the counter. Bit long for a full English, methinks. It's not exactly Gordon Ramsay stuff. It may be that the Chorlton crowd is still taken in with this, like the 6-strong family with baby that was there when coming in, and still when we left 1.5 hrs later, without them placing any order. It is a pity - it was a genuinely nice place when it won the Observer awards, now 5 years ago. Now it is just another place, just about acceptable when you manage to get your plate of food in reasonable time.

1 out of 5

28 Aug 2007 kevin etheridge

i went to the jam street cafe on august bank holiday sunday night for the fish ain`t bittin` soul and jazz reunion and what an excellent little venue this is great atmosphere a downstairs room where the wheels of steel are and seating for about 20 people good bar upstairs didn`t try the food but i will next time i`m up in manchester and a great smoking area out front with cushions. i`d rather spend my money at places like this than in all those horrible theme pubs and chain wine bars. more power to the owners elbow.

5 out of 5

01 Aug 2007 Peanuts

Worth a visit to spend a night with sexy Kev - the best bar person in town. Good beer, Good Food, Great atmos, Great people.

5 out of 5

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