Nachos of the World: Manchester
Pie and Ale Rating: 1 Cost: £6.95 ($9.50 USD) Location: Manchester, UK Customization: Not Always On Menu Website
Full Disclosure: This review was written in fall of 2019, but never posted and thought long lost on a USB drive. It has since been found, so I am posting all of the reviews contained on it.
This was a rather unexpected Nacho review, as we weren’t even looking to buy Nachos. We had just moved to England and we were in the process of discovering all the local eateries. We had a strong craving for Steak and Ale Pies and found a highly regarded area in the Northern Quarter a short walk from our flat called Pie and Ale. While perusing the menu, we were surprised to see Nachos listed. Most of their offerings fall in line with the Pie theme, but there were a few oddities. We were there for Pie, but what was the harm in having a little Nacho Appetizer? Before I commence with the review, let me first state that Pie and Ale became a staple of our time living in Manchester. The beer selection was good and cheap, the staff was awesome, and most importantly: the Pie’s were heavenly. We tried most of their pies throughout our visits, and each of them were incredible. I highly recommend this place to people looking to eat pies. Unfortunately, The nachos are a different story. It should also be mentioned that it doesn’t appear that the Nachos are always on the menu either. It seems like a dish that is only occasionally available. Before you read on, just know that the Nachos are not indicative of anything else at the restaurant.
Pie and Ale only had one type of Nachos on their menu. The listing was standard fare, and were comprised of a body of chips with Cheese, Guacamole, Salsa, Sour Cream, and beef.
When the Nacho arrived, I couldn’t help but think it looked like something a teenager would make after school. Half the chips on the plate were small broken bits. The cheese was only partially melted, distributed poorly, and severely lacking in presence. The Salsa looked like it was poured straight from a jar, and the meat looked like something scrounged from a previous meal. I’m here to tell you that it tasted like it looked. Bad. The chips were stale and mostly naked. The Salsa was very sweet tasting. We would discover of the next several months that Salsa, and Mexican food in general, is quite sweet in England. So, with that said, the Salsa might be what locals want, but it was quite terrible to me. The Guacamole tasted very artificial, and the Sour Cream was just ok. Despite all these disappointments, the worst part was yet to come. The Meat that we ordered appeared to just be dried meat shavings. Its almost as if they pulverized a cooked roast, dried it, then sautéed it. It had little flavor. This Nacho was incredibly disappointing. We only ate a little of it. To be honest, I was worried about the Pies we had ordered based on the quality of the Nacho. Thankfully, the pies that came were world class. We weren’t sure if the failure of the Nachos was due to cultural expectations of Nachos in England, lack of proper ingredients, or any number of things. We would learn some of these answers over the next few months as we ate other Nachos throughout England.
In the end, I would highly recommend people going to Pie and Ale, but NOT to order their Nachos. Order a Pie and Ale like their name suggests. You won’t be disappointed.
