Where the Light Gets In

Excellent meal for my birthday. We were slightly late as we struggled to find the restaurant as it was quite tucked away. But glad we found it. An amazing venue. Loft style, wooden beams and exposed brickwork. Completely open plan kitchen so you can see everything being prepared. Staff were so knowledgeable about the food and wine. The wine list was the most extensive I’ve ever seen (orange wine!). Now the food. It’s a set tasting menu consisting of five courses. Sides are available as optional extras (we ordered mayo chicken, and cheese for afters). Every dish was tasty, fresh and amazing flavours. Portions are small but we expected that. Definitely recommend. However, food intolerances are not catered for but this was made clear during booking.

Wonderful experience at WTLGI! We went for my husband’s birthday having wanted to visit for a while and it did not disappoint! All the staff were wonderful and the setting is open, beautiful and relaxed. We had the tasting menu paired with the wine flight and added the cheese course on. The sommelier was knowledgeable and more than happy to chat with us for a while about the different wines! The portions were more than enough and neither of us left feeling hungry or disappointed in what we’d had. Ignore the people complaining about portion sizes - if you know anything about fine dining or tasting menus this is standard! We will definitely be visiting again!

This is our third time at WTLGI and it smashes it out of the park every time. The food is excellent; interesting, different, a mix of genuinely healthy and indulgent, and truly delicious. We asked for wine pairings which paired brilliantly with what we ordered. Every member of staff is warm and charming. We love the chef’s table but the main restaurant tables are also lovely. It is cool without being pretentious and relaxed without being overly casual. Great for a date night or celebratory occasion with friends. Love it - we’ll be back again. Go here - you won’t be disappointed.

A wonderful experience dining at Where the Light Gets In, we had the taster menu. The staff were great, service was prompt and they were very knowledgeable about the food which was all seasonal and presented in ways I hadn’t tried before which made for a great experience. It was really relaxed but professional, and you can tell how much thought went into each part of the experience. Would highly recommend a visit.

A relaxed yet elevated dining experience, the team here are definitely focused on delivering not only a fine dining tasting platter but also engaging the customer in the journey of the food and wine. It was such a relaxed experience even though you are literally in the kitchen and watching how they prepare and deliver your food. The food may seem small but the flavour certainly packs a punch and if you really want yo elevate your experience then get the wine pairing and enjoy the delicate and robust flavours that it brings to the dining.

Was bought a voucher for a birthday, was so so excited to experience this place! Found the food really underwhelming and bland. Genuinely the food was so basic. One course was a chicken breast barely seasoned. The only course we really enjoyed and were wowed by was the desert. Our meal cost over £200 in total it felt heartbreaking to spend so much on something so basic. Service and atmosphere was fantastic.

Anyone that says there's not enough food needs to get a grip, what do you want a Big Mac! The food is gorgeous, the hosting was perfect nice bit of personality and a pleasant atmosphere, wine is paired very well and variety of foods I wouldn't have elsewhere, I would give it 4.9 as I would say it couldn't class itself as high as Michelin standard but it is still just a very nice treat for birthday or special occasion. Ps the reviews of not enough food - you can order a starter no one's stopping you 😂

We had an extremely underwhelming experience. A tasting menu where only one dish wasn't shared. One of the shared dishes was just a piece romanesco cauliflower. Wow. The wine menu, although extensive, was severely overpriced. As for the service, the waitresses were lovely and attentive. However, the manager was simply rude. Not sure he understands what customer service is. His flowery shirt betrayed his demeanour. In my opinion I would save yourself some money and eat elsewhere. This place really isn't worth the money whatsoever.

Came here for my birthday and really enjoyed it. The restaurant is at the top of Rostron Brow, opposite the church and up some stairs (I assume wheelchair access here may be an issue as toilets also up stairs so you may need to check first). To start we had some hot gin with rosemary (hot gin! so great!) some kind of delicious chargrilled cabbage leaf (finished on the woodburner next to the nice sofas you chill out on initially) topped with a really good scallop and apple mix. The vibe is basic romantic industrial with eclectic music and an open plan kitchen so you can watch the chefs at work (very quietly). Also quiet are the announcements of each dish - would be great if they could provide a crib sheet for the hearing challenged among us! I think broadly the dishes we had next were: Trout tartare - I really liked this Beetroot, hazelnut, sprouts - I felt this could have done with something sharp to contrast the more rounded flavours of the beetroot/hazelnuts although as ate more realised the sprouts were kind of doing this job, at least in texture Plaice, cod roe - same as above re maybe needing a lift but I still liked it Sourdough bread Broth Wild mallard - this was my fave, I thought it was fantastic although bf not so keen and preferred the plaice - each to their own! Blood orange and tarragon granita - bf went mental for this Quince and custard - bf v excited to discover quince is a real thing outside White Men Can't Jump Meanwhile the wine pairings also went well - I think they need to give you a heads up on when 1 wine is matched with two courses so you can pace yourself (although you do get a top up). We went nuts for the smoky white Italian wine we started with and also found the cloudy Austrian white interesting although might not go for that again. The red and sweet dessert wine were also excellent. There were some negative comments on tripadvisor which I think have been addressed/I disagree with because: - [Re not being much wine poured out] - There was lots of wine, I thought the glasses were actually pretty full for a wine flight (more than L'Enclume, for example) - [Re people leaving hungry] - Portion sizes were more than ample - we were feeling full before we even got to the duck and I am incredibly greedy as anyone will tell you. Really good because you got more than just a taste of each depth and could really appreciate all the flavours in multiple bites. Perhaps this has been changed following feedback? - [Re being cold] - I think the woodburner has fixed this, I was wearing short sleeves in February There were also some slight quibbles that I think are fair but would require only the most minor correction - The chairs are not that comfortable - cushions would be good - Bread came with only 1 pat of butter - as both are delicious, 2 would be good! Overall would really recommend this for a special occasion and especially if you want something fancy but not super traditional. Too bad I cannot justify going back immediately owing to price tag but I would come here regularly if I could afford it.

Could I really give this place less than 5 stars? I think I have to. It doesn't necessarily deserve a less than perfect review given its competition, but this place isn't trying to compete, it's trying to redefine. Where the Light Gets In is far and away the best restaurant in Stockport, probably in Greater Manchester, and certainly one of the best within the North West. But I feel like it could be the best and isn't quite there, hence the 4 stars rather than 5. This place has a lot of hype to live up to right now, which makes things difficult for anyone. Head chef/owner Sam seems to take it all in his stride with a totally zen kitchen open to the dining room. There's no shouting, no sense of stress, everyone is in the zone doing their thing, although perhaps things are a little too zen (more on that later). The place is pitched as a menu free experience which is right up my street. I hate making decisions so just bring me one of everything. It was (in my opinion) slow out of the blocks though with the first 3 courses leaving me a little underwhelmed. 'Flavour your own crisps', radish with nettle puree and a crab and mushroom taco all had good intentions but lacked much of a flavour punch. Thankfully things picked up pretty quickly from there with some amazing dishes including smoked trout, a pork broth, and a cod and zest carrot combo to die for. The main pork loin was literally unbelievable and whilst the deserts lacked a little creativity, they were certainly good enough. What disappointed for me was the ambience. Seeing how in control the kitchen was when we entered was impressive, but as the meal progressed that confidence started to feel like a little like nonchalance. The servers energy seemed to fade half way through service, the kitchen (which is put centre stage as if a theatre production) went from 6 busy chefs to 1 by the end of our meal, and the announcing of the dishes felt a little like the chefs would rather be back in front of the hob than talking to guests. The other minor niggle for me came half way through the meal. We had opted for the tasting menu with wine flight assuming everything would be included for that price. It was a little unexpected then when offered a cheese board supplement. If you have it, we want to try it, but why not include this in the menu?? Not only was the cheese extra, but we were then asked if we wanted a drink to go with it. Given I'd ordered a wine flight to complement the meal, of course I want a drink. But what are the options? Will it cost me more? If I say no are there any more drinks coming or is that my night over? Like I said above I feel like everything should be included when paying for a tasting menu, but if there are upsells then at least make it clear what the options are. These are minor complaints in an otherwise exceptional experience though. If you're looking for the best of the best then Sam still has some creases to iron out, but for the North West he's made a bold statement that's highly worthy of the praise it's received.