Cafe Football - Trafford

The food at this restaurant is subpar, but the service is excellent. The location is great, but I would suggest stopping in for a drink instead of a meal if possible.

My wife and I stayed at this hotel for two days so we could attend a football match nearby. We dined at the cafe football twice, which turned out to be a regrettable decision. The first night, after waiting 45 minutes, we were informed that the chef had already left for the day. The following evening, our food arrived cold after another lengthy wait. Despite the beautifully decorated hotel, the cafe football appears to have very young and inexperienced staff who are still in training. Additionally, I was taken aback by the aggressive behavior of the hotel doorman when trying to enter after the football match. It was later revealed that the hotel had hired a former hooligan as the main doorman, which was concerning. Despite my love for Manchester United, I will be looking for a different hotel to stay at in the future.

Before Covid and the cost of living crisis, Cafe Football was a solid – clever even – American diner-style experience, albeit with the unavoidable football theme. Today, it feels like a reflection of a Brexit Britain, a shadow of its former glory, broken by economic misfortune and ill-advised decisions. The current slimmed down menu appears to have been created not by chefs – or anybody who knows anything about food – but accountants. The clever dishes – I seem to remember a 'Pot Noodle ' which was in fact, a Vietnamese-style pho – are all but gone leaving a fairly uninspired selection. A lack of inspiration can be forgiven if quality is maintained. Alas, that too appears to have scarpered. It 's never a good sign when the first chip to pass your lips tastes like an oven chip. Chips are levellers. If you don 't put effort into your chips – i.e. peeling, parboiling and frying them – it 's unlikely you 'll try any harder with the rest of the menu. A few chips later and I 'm pretty convinced they 've come from the freezer. I fear the same of my burger. The brioche bun is stale and the patties are insipid, oddly textured discs of salt and oil. My dining partner 's halloumi burger contains one miserable overcooked square of said Cypriot cheese. The kids ' burgers look as if they 've come straight from the kitchen of a pub that has reluctantly started serving food to stave off the inevitable closure. Except pubs of that depressing ilk don 't charge these kind of prices. Our burgers from the main menu cost the best part of £18 each. If they 'd cost a tenner from an actual cafe we 'd have felt stung. The 'Messi fries ' £10) is impressive in size only. It 's a large portion of suspected oven chips with what tastes like Stagg chilli and some cheese. It tastes microwaved and it may well have been. It feels Cafe Football has cut corners to maintain the bottom line but it may prove an own goal.

I had a pre-match lunch, whilst it was very busy around the bar, I was checked in and taken to my table quickly. Good service taking my order. Match day menu is £30 for two courses, I had the lamb kofta to start, followed by steak ale pie, chips gravy. I would recommend and visit again before a game.

Great match day atmosphere, average food. Service was quick and staff were friendly. Messi chips were dissapointing. And there was a LOT of dressing on the ceaser salad. Plus an extra £5 for a couple of slices of reheated chicken with it was a bit of a joke. It was a good space to be for the match build up but well overpriced for the standard of food.