The Knowhere Guide

Eating and Drinking in Blackpool, Lancashire*

Blackpool, Lancashire Pubs, Cafes, Coffee Shops and Restaurants

Food

• FRANKIES, IN BISPHAM VILLAGE, GOOD HOMEMADE FOOD, LOTS OF IT AND VERY REASONABLE,.
• La Fontana is the best Italian restaurant I've ever been to.
• La Fontana near to Yates North Shore, lovely atmosphere and very accommodating - especially to our 4 year old daughter who just wanted "plain olives!" - Well worth a visit.
• Waywells is the key, on grassmere road, it has the best sandwiches, check out the oldest till in the world. ask for big dave.
• Chicken express next to syndicate great kebabs
• subway, kfc
• Taylors bakery, 29 Anchorsholme Lane East
• Golden Palace, chinese on Bond St, South Shore, cheap, clean, friendly and yum.
• WAH WAHs thai restaurant is ace for price and amount of food. its acroos the road to JENX and its only about £2-3 for bi portions of noodles and other similar thai recipes. it has site find it on google. DOODLES- one in Bpool and poulton both cheap. they were doing half pizza and chips for £2 but it changes every month.
• Red Eye Cafe
• best chippy without doubt is Tower Fisheries on Topping St - takeaway cod, chips, and mushy peas £2.35. Same in restaurant with mug of tea and bread n butter is £3.00. The food is excellent, service friendly, and you can easily pay twice their prices for crap.
• Sweaty Pete's
• Shalamar Gardens on Talbot Rd....the best.
• Mimmo's italian resturaunt in thornton is beautiful, Saathi Indian brasserie is absolutely bloody brilliant (gorgeous food and staff). u can get a 'Mumbai feast' for 7.95 p.p inc.free welcome drink!
• Best Chinese, Fu Yan and Goodall Best Indian, can't remember the name but it's on Common Edge Rd, near the corner of Highfield. Best kebab - Chris's on Red Bank Rd, Bispham
• La Fontana in town, italian restaurant, friendly staff and nice food, not too expensive.
• the same nothing but a bunch of dives
• The Sunam Tandoori, Red Bank Road, Bispham - Pretty much the best curry house in Blackpool. Tony Blair's had a curry from there.
• Aromas cafe bar Deansgate Blackpool The highest quality food in blackpool
• Frankie & Bennies near ODEAN, Mustard (((PLEASE DO NIGHT TIME TRADING KATIE))) on Cedar Square, Nunzios on Queen Street and for a tremendous BALTI you have to go to TERRYS BALTI HOUSE on Clifton Street. Best Chinese this side of China can be had at JADE DELIGHT on Bond Street south shore.
• Your correspondent who wrote about Yorkshire Fisheries on Topping Street Blackpool must really led a sheltered chippy life if he rates that establishment. When I visited 28.8.03 I ordered haddock and chips and was served by a surly middle aged woman. The haddock was 90% hard batter and the chips were over cooked and hard. Never again, I might as well have gone into the nearest fish and chip shop near the station.
• Having just moved to BLACKPOOL.Me and my Family have eaten plenty of so called fish and chips.Until last week just by chance we found a chippy on READS AVE.Thought why not tried everything else. But to our surprize a wicked serving of FRESH HADDOCK,REAL CHIPS,HOMEMADE MUSHY PEAS.Having enjoyed our meal i would recomend this chippy to anyone and EVERONE.READS FISHERIES on READS AVE.and a big THANK YOU TO ANN and RON for a wonderful serving of FISH and CHIPS.10/10..
• McDonalds!!! KFC!!!! Burger King!!!!!!
• UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES VISIT THE "TAJ MAHAL" IN THE TOWN CENTRE. It's above a fish & chip shop on the corner of one of the main streets off the main promenade. 12 of us went on Saturday 6/7/02, when we were walking up the stairs, a group of lads who'd just eaten there advised us not to bother, but we ignored them as we were ravenous and carried on. What happened over the next hour and a half will amaze me for the rest of my life. There was a hen party of 6 girls there waiting for their food. Despite ordering starters, not all of them actually received them and when they did, their mates had finished. One girl ordered scampi & chips, which she received with lashings of curry sauce over the top - her mate then received a chicken curry with pilau rice, no ordinary rice though, this was covered with lashings of tartar sauce! Despite this (I know), we ordered. Starters first etc, the waiter writing everything down. We then asked if we could order some drinks, he said yes but we each had to order seperately and pay for each drink there and then as a seperate transaction, as opposed to simply adding it to the final bill. 3 vodka & cokes were ordered amongst other things, and each vodka drinker was charged a different price for the exact same drink of £2.00, £2.50 and finally £3.00 respectively. Dave ordered a soda water and line, the waiter said "cider and lime?", Dave said, "no, soda water please." The waiter then came out with a pint of soda water. Dave said "sorry, I asked for soda water and lime", the waiter came back with soda water, ice and a slice of lemon. Dave explained that he'd asked for lime, the waiter didn't seem to know what it was (!) and eventually, a young Scottish kitchen hand came out with a bottle of lime. After what seemed like an eternity, the starters started coming out. The waiter had written our orders down yet came out with approx 8 mixed grills, despite 4 max having been ordered. The chicken pakoras resembled nothing like any pakora I've ever seen, and I live near Leicester so I've seen quite a few over the years. Only 10 starters arrived, some cold, 2 of our party were left waiting. We asked the waiter on several occasions if the remaining 2 dishes were coming, he said "yes". After another 10 mins, one of us actually went to the kitchen and collected the remaining (now cold) starters. And now for the mains. Wes, the poor sod that had to collect his starter from the kitchen, ordered a Bhuna, traditionally a medium dish. He tasted it and nearly choked, it was hotter than the madras. Each and every one of us had a taste and were immediately reaching for our drinks. We then asked for a jug of water, it came minus any glasses to drink it from. The nan breads were more like pizza bases, I had the misfortune of ordering a keema nan, which was more like a pizza base sliced down the middle with beef sandwich spread inside, no keema to be seen. Cor blimey, nearly forgot the rice. We all ordered rice, it didn't come until approx 10 mins after the curry and nans had arrived. When it arrived, we were given no plates but simply had to scoop some rice onto our fork, then try to fit some curry on top. Funnily enough, we didn't stay for dessert or coffee. A young couple entered the restaurant as we were sorting the bill out, sat down at a table across from us and ordered 2 drinks and some poppadums. They were given a plate of poppadums, with the top 2 half-eaten!!! It seems that the previous customers hadn't finished theirs, so they were recycled, leaving teeth marks and all. Alas', they walked out behind us. All in all, I can say with 100% conviction that I've never experienced such unbelievably crap service in all my life and I reckon a week in Fawlty Towers would pass with even less trouble.
• Loads offreally expensive shitty greasy spoon cafes all around the golden mile
• West Coast Rock is wicked!!!
• Barrista is the New West Coast. More than one flavour of coffee, cheaper munchies, less 80's decor and nice staff.
• vivaladiva the restaurant is in my opinion very good and is well worth a visit www.vivaladiva.co.uk
• Pies at Bloomfield Rd
• Paramount Chinese Restaurant on Highfield Road. Excellent food and service.
• Yorkshire Fisheries the best in Blackpool. Seniors? Okay but not that special.
• Yorkshire Fish and chips. Heskeths fish and chips.
• The Peppermill also has an excellent restaurant upstairs. Montys butty shop on New House Road is worth a look. If not for the two sexy ladies that work there.
• Frankie and Bennys is the best place.Ever.
• geores chippy on st annes rd is the best in the area.....ironically run by a southerner......
• Papas* Restaurant poulton-le-fylde *(modern italian food)
• Have to go a long way to beat Yorkshire Fisheries on Topping Street, say hello to George and Val.
• The Barmcake shop down the side of the grand Theatre is top! (CJW)
• We now have 5 McD and 4KFC just to let you know.
• Don't knock all the chip shops; the ones on Highfield Road were great - I can't get anything as good in the US.
• Nothing special: lots of shitty chippies; 3 McD's, 2 KFC's and a BK.

Pubs

• Just a quick one on The Clarence. It has been refurbished (cost 3 quarters of a million, place looks great. New manager/ess, Jonathon and Christine. Good ale, Fun quiz on Tuesdays, Folk music on Wednesdays and Pop Quiz on Sundays, what more could you ask for
• Rose & Crown - Very nice traditional style pub in the centre of town. Complete with outside seats - good for a summery day. Arriba - Has quite cheap drinks but quite a dive these days.
• I am about to go to Blackpool, and quite frankly Im scared! Sounds like the place is as common as muck!
• The pubs are really rough-full of glorified scallys from all over Lancashire and beyond going round like they own blackpool when they don't even live there
• The Star on Ocean Boulevard at South end of the Pleasure Beach. I know it's owned by the Pleasure Beach but it's a very big pub with a stage that has acts on every day during the season. Beer is great (not watered down like some, food is great and pretty cheap and it's open all year round. There's is big screen TV with pop or sport on every day and the staff are very friendly
• The greatest pub in the town centre is without question "The Hogs Head" which is now called "The Stanley Beer Engine" but those who have been around for a while still remember its fine days before the refurb and name change. Great jukebox and the best place to drink on a friday before hitting the tache or jenks.
• The Clarence Hotel on Preston New Road,,,has the potential to be a really good boozer,,,,just get rid of that miserable sarcastic twat landlord "Stewart",, needs a really good kicking this cunt. He advertises family functions - but doesn't let kids in,,,what a wanker!
• The Jaggie Thistle is the best.
• think the washington has gone down a bit
• About pubs, Winmareth is now The Burlington. Stanley Beer Engine is dead (never more than 20 people in at any one time).
• scrooges the hogs head
• Washington on Topping St. good meetin' place, good beer, not over pricey, half decent staff. Full of tidy birds on a Friday night......PAPPARAMA!!!!!!!!!
• stanley beer engine is the local with a variety of gibbons. Watch out for the likes of Ted and Scall as they get a little crazy.
• Cahoots (skater owned)
• If there is just you and your girlfriend out don't bother. The town is full of gangs of big brave tossers just out to have a pop at what they think are easy targets!
• The Philidelphia Club if it's still there.
• Hundreds, but to pick a good un', just avoid the tourists and local 'townies'- addidas tracksuit wearing scum.
• The Queens pub on Talbot Road is a cool place to be on a Sunday. Live bands, etc.
• is the Winmarith still going ?? failing that - The Dunes (boddies anyone ??)
• NEVER ON A SUNDAY, THE COUNTING HOUSE, YATES, THE ROSE AND CROWN, THE WAREHOUSE, EDWARDS.
• Gillespies, The Washington, both on Topping Street, and Funny Girls in Queens square is especially worth a visit with a full drag show and all transvestite bar staff
• Scrooges Wine Bar. I so love this place, it is expensive but great, it cant be beat, where locals live (young locals), its trendy but good, a mix of trendies and rockers. Get sworn at by Brenda the Landlady! (CJW)
• Brannigans is OK, it's quite townie but it's not bad. Stanley is still the best pub.
• Lots of irritating "townie" pubs, but some good ones around: I recommend the Stanley Beer Engine (ex Hog's Head, ex Stanley Arms) on Church Street, in town, opposite MGM.

Cafes and Coffee Shops

• There is a new icecream parlour on Bond street that sells 40 different flavours of homemade icecream, like ice cream with chunks cadburys chocolate in it. MMmm, icecream, perfect when you've got the munchies! It's near the junction with Dean Street - might be closed out of season/
• Moccachinos great coffee shop on birly st ask for the toffeechino???
• m3, when ya got the munchies
• Jackson's Cafe opposite Bhs, and down from Brannigans, it rocks big time, clean and lush food.
• Red Eye Cafe is a brilliant Cafe which plays great music and has great arkwork.
• Red Eye Cafe and Coffee Shop 179 Church Street. New skater friendly venue. They run a gaming night every other Wednesday 6.30 - 10pm on behalf of Twisted. Card games, rpgs etc, and its free!
• They all just seem to sell nowt but fish and chips
• Quilligans on Church St, if you're lucky enough to get a table, it's the best.
• my fave is called the lowry (near toy master (outside the hounds hill centre)) it offers a full english breakfast and a cup of tea for £2.80!!Bargain.
• Burleys Coffee shop in Cleveleys in Blackpool It was good value food,Home made pies,pastrys E.t.c. We were in Blackpool on holiday we found this to be the best eating place ever. The choice of food was great,there was 5 of us we all had different meals,all was great.Keep up the good work Carol and team .....The essex girls...
• Aromas cafe bar Deansgate Blackpool
• (((Mustard)))on Cedar Square, Katie the owner is (((BEAUTIFUL))) great food, NO seriously GREAT food as well as the eye candy.
• FRYING SQUAD FISH SHOP ON LYTHAM ROAD IS THE BEST CAFETHE COFFEE SHOP DOWNSTAIRS IN HOUNDS HILL DO THE BEST EVER LATTES AND CHOCA MOKAS
• too many tacky greayspoons. NEED A STARBUCKS!
• O,Briens in Birley St is no longer there due to a fire.
• Loads on the prom-they're all a rip-off though
• The Irish Sandwich Shop on Birley Street is great + you can even use the internet there.
• O'briens on Birley Street has a nice atmosphere.
• Wintergardens- come see me. Hounds Hill - nice coffe, cream, yeah.
• The Peppermill on Birley Street is a cool little coffee shop.

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Last updated: 2008-02-25