There’s no better day to flex in Manchester than Valentine’s Day. With all of the best luxury restaurants and activities, premium dining on a budget options, bars and experiences on your doorstep, we’ve rounded up our favourite Valentine’s Day options for 2019.
Sometimes, you just want a great dining experience without having to pay twice as much as your normally would. If you’re looking for some quality food in cutesy surroundings, then any one of the below options from our thrifty list is sure to tick all of the boxes.
Tre Ciccio is the answer to your problems if you’re trying to impress on a budget. The most expensive thing on the menu is the £25 ribeye, and it comes with sides and sauces as standard. Plus, the space, atmosphere and quality mean that it could pass as twice – or even three times the price.
Savvy couples know that it’s not about so much about the dough you spend as the dough you sample. Rudy’s is the pace to be if you love quality pizza but hate paying three times as much as you would on any other night…you can even secure a decent bottle of red for £15.90.
Perfect for couples who like to feel at home while they enjoy a delicious dinner, Bevano Lounge in Urmston is your friendly neighbourhood eatery with decent grub at a decent price. The best part is that it’s not a typical couples restaurant, so you won’t spend all night cringing.
The home of the two pound cocktail, The Font is the gem that’s hidden in plain sight. Head there for a refreshingly diverse menu and funky vibe. It’s the ideal place for the couple who care more about what they’re drinking than what they’re eating.
Valentine’s Day is all about spending time with that person who you love the most, relishing in one another’s company and savouring those little indulgences that might be off limits on an ordinary evening. If you want to ham up the romance for your Valentine’s Day 2019, one of the below restaurants will be ideal for you.
New to Hale village, Karam is the Lebanese dining experience that will help you break the monotony of the usual Valentine’s charade. Owned by the same people as Don Giovanni, you can expect that longed-for air of luxury with all of the charm of a local business in an iconic building.
For a less conventional sit down meal, you’re invited to The Conservatory Bar to enjoy a welcome drink and canapes while being serenaded by their acoustic singer, before sitting down to a French style sharing platter and cocktails for two. For £35 you can soak up the French ambience in their beautiful glass atrium at Whitworth Locke Hotel on the 14th.
The restaurant embodies all of the passion and detail that you’d expect from a locally owned and run restaurant. Self-entitled ‘small, intimate and inviting’, the little cobbled street restaurant offers the perfect place to get cosy with some properly comforting English grub. Their set menu includes a pretty exciting sounding Cheshire sirloin steak dish and a tikka spiced stone bass fillet with an array of tasteful sides, amongst other dishes.
When we think of love, we think of our glorious city standing proudly against the skyline, with its history and its culture safely locked within. If your partner feels the same affinity with our glorious northern powerhouse, then where better to take them than the eye of the city, 20 Stories.
Left to Right:
Rosso, Tattu, Sunset by Australasia
If you’re looking for the wow factor this V day; the Instagrammable moments, the special touches that ensure you’re in the very best hands on your fancy evening of romance spectacular, then you’ll want to take a look at our experiential list below.
Manchester’s answer to designer dining, Australasia offers a haven of Australian themed dining in one of Manchester’s most exquisite spaces. Once you’re through with their artisan menu (which may take some time to peruse), you can head up to Sunset by Australasia – formerly Grand Pacific – to bask in their romantic rose gold hue and fulfill all of your Instagram dreams.
Basking in all of their architectural glory, Rosso is running a set menu that only exceeds their luxury Italian reputation. For £60 per head you can dress up to the nines and enjoy a glass of champagne on arrival, before devouring treats like their Frajota chilli fried king prawns and fillet steak with roasted and smokes onions in a red wine jus. The Tartina Al Cioccolato will seal the deal of a perfect evening.
With a three course Valentines menu, inspired by stories from Chinese folklore, and a ‘love potion’ cocktail to share, Tattu are stepping up to the mark and reminding us all what Valentine’s Day is for – showing off.
If you’re all about the names, The Ivy is the place to be on Valentine’s Day. It’s the Tiffany engagement ring of the restaurant world, and the experience matches up to the reputation. With a beautiful floral installation and exclusive Valentine’s dessert and cocktail on offer, there are enough delightful touches to charm you all the way through the evening. Still in its infancy, the price reflects an experiential restaurant that wishes to welcome the neighbourhood in. Book quickly though – we expect that Valentine’s will be The Ivy’s first opportunity to really shine.
This Valentine’s, Schloss is all about sharing. You’re invited to enjoy pan fried scallops with caper and resin puree, deep fried spiced cauliflower, sauerkraut and veil jus, before indulging in the ultimate sharing chocolate brownie with red honeycomb, blackcurrant sorbet, Bavarian cream and Chambord reduction finished with cherry sherbet. Treat your partner to a beautiful bouquet at Le Petite Fleuriste by FROG Flowers and enjoy a Long Kiss Goodnight (cocktail) in return.
If you hate a cliché, why not try something slightly different? After all, it’s not all about white tablecloths and huge bills.
Some people feel love when they’re being waited on hand and foot, your face aglow in the flickering candlelight, fireworks fizz in the distance as the champagne warms you from the inside out. Others feel alive when their River Phoenix Burger arrives at their table, finished with a side of Bacon Bacon fries and the promise of a food baby on the other side. Variety is the spice of life and it wouldn’t do to be all the same.
Hard Rock Cafe Manchester has a menu item that will make everyone fall in love. The restaurant’s limited-time “Flavours of Love” menu features the new Sweetheart Shake for Two, a boozy shake that is a delicious combination of Absolut® Vanilla vodka, creamy vanilla ice cream and the fresh flavours of strawberry and lemon, all topped with strawberry-infused whipped cream.
Alternatively, if you don’t fancy sitting in a restaurant on Valentine’s night, why not indulge in something a little more active? Making memories through laughter seems like the ultimate romantic night, to us.
Left: Flip Out Manchester
Right: Junkyard Golf Manchester
The new place to be and be seen in Manchester, Flight Club offers an evening of darts, drinks and amusement in the heart of the city. Hire your own private booth to play in, and the state of the art machines record your screen along the way so that you don’t have to keep track. You can even pre order drinks, which is the ideal opportunity to surprise your date with their favourite bottle and secure your place in the good books.
Becoming something of a date cliché, Junkyard Golf Club offers everything that you could possibly need to keep your date entertained for the evening. The space gives you the feeling of stepping into an alternate reality, with three unique worlds to explore. With bars serving ‘party drinks’ adorned with sweets along the way, there are enough Instagramable aspects to the activity to keep your follows suitably impressed. Plus, 100% of their golf proceeds for Valentine’s day go to their partner charity Love Support Unite.
The ultimate obstacle course, Total Ninja provides the opportunity to flex your hardest on their ‘impossible’ challenges. A guaranteed source of laughter, failure and triumph, Total Ninja is the ideal Valentine’s experience for the fitspo couple. Think Tough Mudder, but more competition and less unfortunate weather.
Continuing the theme of physical exertion and the thrill of being triumphant, Flip out Manchester is a trampoline park with a twist. It offers a Ninja Obstacle Course, Laser Maze, Total Wipeout, Cyber Towers, Dodgeball Court and stunt boxes. With less of a promise of inevitable humiliation, Flip Out offers challenges and games for couples at any fitness level.
If you’re less interested in getting your gym gear on for Valentine’s Day and more interested in snuggling up with a film and a good snack, then you might as well do it in style. Everyman Cinema in Altrincham is showing Notting Hill at 8:30, so you can cosy up on a two seater sofa and enjoy waiter service with something tasty from the cocktail menu.
Not ready to end the night there? Here’s our definitive list of the most romantic hotels to perfect your night in Manchester.
