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Almost Famous NQ Reopens
MCR’s original burger church is back
AFTER months of secretly beavering away, from Sunday 1 June the original Northern Quarter Almost Famous is back in business.
And it's had a haircut.
So it is that the new old Almost Famous opens on a whim, with new trousers, a spanking new menu and a fistful of FREE opening day grub and booze
On 28 June 2013, many in the city shed a tear.
The Manchester bastion of trashy food and trailblazer of the city’s newfound dirty burger infatuation burnt-out. Felled by a kitchen fire in its prime. The place was scorched. Knackered.
The King was dead.
So the Almost Famous don't-give-a-toss steam-rolling burger party bus could have easily spit and spattered to a halt. Wept into the ashes. Called it a day.
Famous patty
However, much like the now ubiquitous patty, Almost Famous stood fast.
They instantly threw a cutback Famous burger selection downstairs onto the menu of sister restaurant Luck Lust Liquor and Burn. The Almost Famous Beach Club popped up in the Great Northern’s mass outdoor divot for the remainder of summer 2013, while Liverpool got a Famous of its own at the end of July 2013, only a month after the Manchester headquarters was laid low.
Almost Famous operators, Beautiful Drinks (Home Sweet Home, Lust Luck Liquor Burn and Keko Moku) didn’t stop there. In November 2013 they opened a new ‘big and shiny’ Famous in Great Northern, fanning the flames of the newly invigorated Deansgate complex.
But the roots were never forgotten.
As people continued to bung Famous burgers down their necks in the new units, workmen secretly beavered away in the original restaurant on Northern Quarter’s High Street. Months spent scratching out the char, paint licking, face-lifting, buying furniture.
And so it is that the new old Almost Famous opened with new trousers, a spanking new menu and a fistful of FREE opening day grub and booze… No really, Sunday 1 June was FREE food and drink. To say hello, again.
Unfortunately, when the Famous Accountant heard 'free all day' and saw the queue around the bend, he hit the roof, then the deck, and was finally rushed to A&E. Get well soon Gary.
Almost Famous, 100 High Street, Northern Quarter, M4 1HP.
Liam from The Courteeners has a scratch in the new NQ unit
Burgers on fire (June 2013)
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38 comments so far, continue the conversation, write a comment.
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Burgers are OK, presentation and service are poor and virtually nonexistent in the second case. The emperor's new clothes of the Manchester restaurant scene...
Spot on Tom
zzzzz
First day was a write-off (got my call back 6 hours after I went down. 2 hours after I'd given up), but it's still great to see it back.
Burger King does better burgers than the Solita one I had at Friday food fight. Almost Famous are the best in town easily.
Almost Famous burgers are OKish but the dining experience leaves a great deal to be desired. Needs to up its game. When I asked them about it, I was told it was their 'concept' and was left feeling it was my fault I didn't get their concept. Well, AF 'concept' is no substitute for good customer service.
Yeah but what about This & That restaurant? Nobody's mentioned it yet and it's virtually next door!
EDITORIAL COMMENT: In line with Confidentials’ ‘Rant Policy’ we have removed this rant because it breaches our conditions, in this case unreasonable profanity. If the individual that posted this rant continues to call others 'f**king pricks' they shall be banned from posting on this site altogether.
Hey now!
Success breeds jealousy and envy. Obviously.
I don't know about that Poster Boy. I love a good burger and everything I've read and been told leads me to believe I'll love the burgers at Almost Famous. But eating out is more than that to me and I've lost count of the times I've seen mention (on here and elsewhere) and been told by people who've been, that the service is contemptuous and arrogant. So I'll pass. If many, many people are repeatedly saying that they're stuck up their arse then you can't put it down to jealousy and envy.
I agree with ghostly Tom too. I wasn't fussed on the burgers at all. Burgers aren't difficult to do..and do well. I think AF might be trying too hard with the concept and so forgetting about the food. But, if enough people do like it then AF can argue what's to change and I have enough choice of other places to visit that serve great burgers. I do wonder how many people go back a second time though...
I think it's safe to say that this place is well and truly *OVER*, and has been for a while.
I'm surprised ManCon hasn't mentioned Bill's which is opening behind Byron burgers on John Dalton Street bills-website.co.uk/…/…
Don't worry Bill, you'll get your turn.
Reasonable burgers, and fun for a couple of weeks but "Famous" is an example of style over substance. The whole patronising "cooler than thou" concept leaves me cold, although the out of towners will lap it up. "Dirty Food" is coming to the end of its shelf life.
Agree. I went before the first place burned down and again to the outdoor one. I was looking forward to going to the new bigger place, but after my girlfriend had her works party there and some of my friends went in not long after, I've heard nothing but negative comments. It's now become so hip people are cueing for hours to sit in the place with music blasting so loud you can't hear or talk to anyone? The veggie options like the halloumi burger has been taken off the menu, but they still offer it, they just don't want veggie options on the menu? Style over substance and it seems success has gone to their heads., they are raking it in though so i don't think they are that bothered.
I don't get the fuss with AF. You can get a much better burger, and better service, at Byron or Gorilla.
Service is good at Byron, but six of us did both Almost Famous and Byron in one weekend and all agreed the AF burger was quite a lot better.
I just found the burgers at AF sloppy, like they were focussing too much on the mountain of extra fillings rather than delivering a good burger. The bun fell apart.
You 'might' get better service at Byron but the burgers aren't a patch on Famous, Solita, Gorilla (this could go on for hours and get very boring if I listed everywhere in Manchester)
Miami Slice at Byron is one of the better burgers I've had. AF burgers are good though. Yes, it's about the extras more, but that doesn't make them any less nice.
BURGRRRRRRRS! I missed this free schizzle... but glad as I don't queue for hours for anything. AF, it's OK (for sloppy trashy burgers, sharp tongued servers and grease everywhere, rush rush rush!). Byron, it's OK (and v expensive espcially for lunch). Solita... had THE BEST BURGER EVER at #fridayfoodfight for a fiver, bacon and cheese burger, back to basics, served in polystyrene, and damn tasty. Better than I've eaten in the restaurant itself... maybe something to do with price, but I am an offers Dog. Grrrrrrr!
Personally: Give me a Burrito any day of the week!(but I would say that wouldn't I? ;-) That said the Beautiful Drinks machine tapped into a market with brilliant marketing & a genuine knowledge of food & drink. Thats the easy bit but to combine that with a team of good chefs & front of house staff who are so on the money & edgy you'd have thought they've been hired as actors! For gods sake you lot out there stop back biting & celebrate a bit of home grown Northern talent & all get behind each other to make this city the 2nd biggest city as they are predicting!
It's just meat and bread at the end of the day.
'so on the money & edgy'. We ARE talking about grilled minced beef here aren't we? Some of you lot go on as though it's a matter of life and death. It's just a burger shop. Get over it FFS!
Glad it's back as it is good, but frankly it's just too much of a hassle to get in to bother with a lot of the time! Unless you're there dead on opening it's a right hassle getting a table.
That's the thing...they're just not from Manchester. Bring back Wimpy's.
Just don't get all this bollocks. I go to the states for a couple of weeks every year....fill my face with all this crap and come back a stone heavier in weight. It's not hip and cool....it's just junk food ffs!
Exactly. The fact that people are willing to queue for hours for this stuff is truly bizarre.
Dont like a.f one bit, Even though my better Half work there.. food is rank.. Can never get a seat.. and Yeah food rank!!
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