Bevano Lounge, Manchester

Bevano Lounge is a café bar and… erm… lounge on two levels with open plan seating across the front faced by the bar counter across the rear, above which is a mezzanine seating area that extends back over the kitchen at the back. The upcycled furniture throughout has been splattered with paint making them look like they’ve been removed from a nursery, which will suit the daytime punters. Premium keg was available, I went for half a Hofmeister Helles which set me back £3.15, enjoyable but the most expensive drink of the day. The food seems to be more reasonably priced with the burgers coming in at £11. The service was very polite, but I prefer a proper pub so will walk past next time.

You just know from passing this place that it is going to be the kind of establishment that is full of mums with buggies drinking coffee and nattering to their mates. I was correct, and on this occasion that was perfectly OK as I was out with my wife and our newborn so we weren't out of place. I wasn't aware that this was part of a chain but have since discovered that it is - such is my knowledge of this kind of establishment. It's probably not the kind of place I would choose to frequent on a night out. No real ale of course but it offered Estrella, Dark Stout (by Bath) and a house pale ale in addition to the more standard stuff. The Dark Stout was decent enough and a welcome discovery. The sound system was a bit heavy on the bass for a lunchtime visit. The walls are covered in mock retro wallpaper, there is what looks like a reclaimed gymnasium floor, a bare concrete ceiling, mismatched furniture, 80s style lamp shades, and paintings everywhere. There is a mezzanine level and no sign of a lift, so this should be pretty much guaranteed to be pram free, which may offer a sense of escape to some. It's also dog friendly. It's not a pub, but it served its purpose and the food we had was fine.

Very popular on this warm sunny afternoon. Like all these Loungers places the decor is all fancy lampshades and lots of paintings on the walls. This one, as noted has an upstairs part. Also as noted it is full of kids, prams and dogs. God knows how bad it'll be during school holidays. One thing it doesn't have from most of the others I've been in is chairs they've pinched from junior schools.

I have never been in a bar with so many pushchairs, little kids and dogs. It's one large room with an upstairs area. There are high ceilings and the walls are covered in crap paintings. There's an area with low sofas and the rest are trendy "distressed" cafe tables. No real ale of course and I ended up having a half of Stella as the Becks was off. It's not a pub, it's a creche. Awful.

Official site of Bevano Lounge - thelounges.co.uk

Official site of Bevano Lounge - thelounges.co.uk