Blanco Lounge Bolton – the verdict on Middlebrook’s new café bar

I have to admit that I spent large part of 2024 wondering what on Earth was being built in between Wagamama and Wingstop, on Middlebrook Retail Park, and a couple of months ago I finally got my answer – Blanco Lounge.

Blanco Lounge is the latest addition to the portfolio of the Bristol-based Loungers group and becomes the eighth ‘Lounge’ in Greater Manchester – joining Navarro (Manchester), Benito (Chorlton), Bevano (Urmston), Expo (Didsbury), Pionero (Rochdale), Molino (Oldham), and Berretto (Stockport).

As someone who works a stone’s throw away from Middlebrook and who spends around 20 Saturdays per year watching Bolton Wanderers at home, any new venue opening on the retail park is very exciting.

I was fortunate enough to be invited along to the launch party a couple of weeks ago, with the promise of free tapas and an open bar between 6pm and 8pm. As it was a school night, I decided to drive but I brought Mrs Molloy along with me to sample their cocktail menu.

Inside Blanco Lounge

With it being a launch party, all the tables were completely full, which gave the place a really nice buzz. The décor caught my eye straight away, with tons of portraits and other pieces of art fighting for space on the funky wallpaper. It also got additional points for having a mural of Bolton Wanderers’ Toughsheet Community Stadium (or The Reebok as it will always be known to me) painted behind the bar and I wonder if the ‘Blanco’ name is a nod to the white shirts of the greatest football team in the land.

Usually you can choose to order via QR code but for the launch event, it was all table service and I’ll take this opportunity to give a shout out to our server, Edy, who waited on us diligently, explained everything in simple turns and even made us laugh a couple of times throughout the night.

Within about 15 minutes of being seated, we had our first round of tapas. It was a ‘get what you’re given’ approach to the food and although I’d been eyeing up a couple of the dishes, this ended up being a blessing in disguise.

First impressions

First up was the honey whipped feta. The sweetness from the honey didn’t really cut through the sharpness or the tangy flavour of the feta for me, but I love feta anyway so this wasn’t really an issue and I did enjoy the velvety texture of the whipped cheese on the soft pillows of pitta that it was served alongside.

We dived into the mini pulled brisket chilli next and this was absolutely perfect for the cold winter nights – smoky, warming and comforting, with fresh chillis giving it an additional kick of heat and the dollop of sour cream balancing it out for anyone who wants to dial back the spice.

Possibly the highlight of the entire night came next, however, in the form of the cheddar and sweetcorn fritters. It is something that I would never probably order given all of the other choices available but the vegetarian dish was to perfection in a delicious cheesy batter, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with kernels of sweetcorn bursting from its tasty seams. The chipotle chilli jam it was served with also complemented it superbly and I probably could have polished off approximately another 10 helpings.

I washed it down with the ‘cherry fakewell’ mocktail (which consisted of Caleño Dark & Spicy rum alternative, almond syrup, and cherry juice). It did taste quite a lot like a cherry bakewell and I polished it off quickly so I could try my next drink, but it was probably a bit too sweet for me to order again.

Round two

We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly our next tapas board came out and it was three dishes that we hadn’t yet tried; patatas bravas, spicy beef quesadilla and lamb kofte.

The patatas bravas did a job but it was the two meaty dishes that stole the show in this round. The beef quesadillas weren’t particularly spicy, despite their billing, but they were delightfully messy and had a lovely birria-esque taste to them. Meanwhile, the lamb kofte was served with a roasted red pepper sauce and dill yoghurt, which were both brilliant in their own right but which became heavenly when mixed together.

I decided to try one cocktail and opted for the ‘lemon meringue’ (Smirnoff vodka, limoncello, vanilla, pineapple and lemon juice) – which the menu told me is the creation of someone called Kian, who works at Castello Lounge in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

If Kian didn’t get a raise for inventing the cocktail then he deserves one – it was exceptional and really did taste like the dessert it’s based on, which also happens to be a personal favourite of mine.

Family-friendly touches

Before we left, I decided to have a look round and found some other features that I thought were a really nice touch, including games and toys for children, a ‘book swap’, and even a suggestion box, welcoming ideas of events and clubs that could be run from the venue.

Time will tell whether Blanco Lounge is a success on Middlebrook. For every Wagamama and Wingstop, there’s a Yo Sushi and Confessional Burger (me neither) that doesn’t stand the test of time.

I really hope it is though. It offers something a bit different for anyone who fancies a bit of food and a couple of drinks after a trip to the cinema, on a matchday, or even just somewhere nice to unwind with a coffee and a book after a day of shopping. The prices are really fair too, with the tapas board that we got costing £13.75 – you can even get a glass of wine chucked in for free if you visit after 5pm on a Tuesday as well, with other menu items on offer on other days of the week.

Have you visited Blanco Lounge yet? Share your thoughts or favourite dishes in the comments below – or let me know your go-to dining spot on Middlebrook.