Of course it’s also the perfect opportunity to show someone that you fancy them and want to get off with them, and the good establishments of Manchester have put on plenty of things to ensure you can do it in a classy way, as opposed to just getting your mate to tell them they’ve got a nice arse while dancing in 42s. Check this out…
Intimate 4-Course Valentines Dinner at Albatross & Arnold
Treat your partner to an intimate Valentine’s dinner in Albatross & Arnold and enjoy a beautiful 4 course dinner including pan-fried cod with liquorice and squid ink, and Cumbrian rump steak. The evening will begin with a Perrier-Jouët Champagne reception and there’ll be awesome live music from jazz band, Skylark, throughout. Book a table now for £40 per person.
Valentine’s Day Dining at Harvey Nichols
Head on down to the elegant Second Floor Bar and Brasserie in Harvey Nichols and you can take advantage of a sumptuous 3 course meal for 2 for £100, which includes a glass each of Moet Rose Champagne, or you can splash out on the bubbles and get a full bottle instead for £130. There’s plenty of frankly rather stunning dishes on offer including some Lamb Rump with black garlic puree, Cod Supreme and even some huge Prime Ribs to share. You can check the full menu right here.
Harvey Nichols Second Floor Bar and Brasserie
https://www.harveynichols.com/restaurant/manchester-dining/
Valentines Set Menu at Cottonopolis
Not only is Japanese food delicious, but it also manages to effortlessly look fantastic – ensuring that while eating it you won’t end up with a load of sauce around your face, on your hands and in your hair. Therefore, Cottonopolis is a definite winner, with a set menu for only £35 per person which includes an Oyster & Cucumber Shiso and French 75 cocktail on arrival, followed by 3 courses of their notoriously wonderful grub. You can check the full menu here, and book yourself in below.
4 Course Valentines Menu at Scene
Continuing the Valentine’s menu theme of this entire article, Scene have decided to go the way of everyone else and offer an exclusive set of dishes for this very special love-inducing night. The menu is 4 courses for £19.99 per person, so with that extra penny you can give something to charity, and you can expect a plethora of tantalising Indian Street Food dishes to share seductively with your other half. They’ll also be serving their off-menu special Chicken Bemisaal which is actually flavoured with rose water – very Valentines-esque!
Scene Indian Street Kitchen, 4 Left Bank, Manchester M3 3AN
www.scenedining.com/
4 Course Luxury Menu at The Lowry Hotel
If you want to woo them with a fine dining experience, then look no further than The Lowry Hotel’s River Restaurant. For £49 per person, you can enjoy four sumptuous courses which include such luxury dishes such as slow-cooked fillet of Cheshire beef, seared foie gras, pomme anna, confit shallot and dark chocolate creamuex. This menu is available Wednesday 14th February and Saturday 17th February, and be prepared to leave a £15 deposit when booking.
The Lowry Hotel, 50 Dearmans Pl, Chapel Wharf, Salford, Manchester M3 5LH
https://www.thelowryhotel.com/
Valentines at Zouk
For £25 per person you can partake in a huge Valentines banquet at Zouk and right royally tuck into some fantastic curries and Indian fare, including the brilliant Samosa Chaat and a Lamb Laziz that will blow your socks off. Which will probably be a good thing – nobody likes it later when you leave your socks on. Or a hat. To be fair though, after this amount of food, it’s unlikely you’ll be getting upto much once you get home.
Zouk Tea Bar & Grill, 5, The Quadrangle, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5QS
http://zoukteabar.co.uk
Love Support Unite at Junkyard Golf Club
The good folk at Junkyard Golf Club have decided to do something nice for charity this Valentine’s Day, and so all golf proceeds on the day will go to their partner charity Love Support Unite. Love Support Unite is a grass roots charity changing lives everyday through sustainable development in Malawi. They strive towards helping break the cycle of poverty with a leg-up rather than a handout approach. Last year they raised £12,500 to help feed 450 children a day, and so they obviously want to try and beat that. Grab your other half, or just some randomer off the street who you want to get off with and do something nice this Valentines.
Valentines Menu at Sakana
As is probably going to be the case with pretty much everywhere on this list, Sakana are offering a unique Valentine’s menu on the special day to make it easier for you to get some well needed brownie points. They’ve got a choice of two menus, depending on how much you love your partner and want to spend on them this year. They are pretty substantial, and you can check them out right here.
Sakana, 23 Peter St, Manchester M2 5QR
www.sakanapan-asian.co.uk/
Cocktail Specials at Roc & Rye
There is a bunch of offers happening at Roc & Rye on the big day. First up, enjoy 2-4-1 on all hot drinks on February 14th, because we all know that it is in fact coffee which makes the world go round. Then from 12th-18th February they are putting on some cocktail specials to get you in the mood for love including Spirtz of Love (Lille, Watermelon, Suze, Peychaud bitters, Salt, topped with prosecco), Hanky Panky (Beefeater Gin, Roc & Rye sweet vermouth, Fernet Branca) Kiss from a Rose sharer cocktails for £15.
Roc & Rye, 60 Spring Gardens, Manchester M2 2BQ
www.rocandrye.co.uk/
Meat Feast at Cane & Grain
If your idea of a romantic night is tucking into some lovely ribs and getting absolutely caked in BBQ sauce, then Cane & Grain is definitely the one for you. Their Valentine’s Day Special is a cracking Meat Feast featuring Baby Back Ribs, Beef Short Ribs, Pulled Pork Sliders and a choice of three sides, all washed down with a chilled glass of champers for only £25pp.
Cane & Grain, 49 -51 Thomas Street, Manchester M4 1NA
https://www.caneandgrain.co.uk/
The Frog & Bucket’s Valentine Special
If you’d much rather laugh at a random stranger on stage than laugh at the sorry state of your relationship, then the Frog and Bucket is probably your best bet. Perfect for forgetting just how much you both hate each other for approximately 3 hours – the Frog’s Valentine’s Day line-up includes 3 top acts and their legendary compere Jonathan Mayor. They’ve got Kate Lucas, Simon Wozniak and Danny McLoughlin wading in with enough jokes about their terrible relationships to make us all feel better.
The Frog & Bucket Comedy Club, 102 Oldham St, Manchester M4 1LJ
www.frogandbucket.com/
Wine Tasting at Portico Library
Located above the decidedly mundane The Bank pub on Mosley, the Portico Library is one of the city’s best hidden gems. This Valentine’s they will be hosting a luxurious group wine tasting event with food critic Neil Sowerby, who I’m sure will have plenty to say about the wet stuff while you can enjoy some lovely sharing boards, in the opulent surroundings of this very special space.
Valentine’s Dinner and Champagne at The Bay Horse Tavern
The Bay Horse’s Valentine’s Day offer includes a full 3 course dinner, accompanied by a glass of champagne for £27.95pp and will be the perfect place to sit, eat and chat in front of their big fire, or perhaps partake in a game of darts, or just to bring your other loved one – your dog. Every time I’ve been in here there’ve been a couple of cracking pooches to cuddle and stroke – it just makes everything 10x better in my eyes. They’ll probably be the only thing you get to stroke that night too.
The Bay Horse Tavern, 35-37 Thomas St, Manchester M4 1NA
thebayhorsetavern.co.uk/
Dinner and Bowling at Dog Bowl
If you’d much rather find yourself actually doing something other than eating and having to talk to each other – Dog Bowl are offering a two-course Valentines Dinner complete with a glass of Prosecco and a game of bowling for only £25. I was going to make some kind of joke involving the gutter and getting dumped and then getting a strike, or even a spare but it’s late and I’m not funny enough to complete it. I’ll let you think of something yourself instead.
Dog Bowl, Whitworth St W, Manchester M1 5WW
https://blackdogballroom.co.uk/dog-bowl/
5 Courses & Prosecco at Brasserie Abode
What’s a Chateaubriand I asked. What is a Champagne granita too? Chocolate leigeois?! There was some serious Googling going on when I read Brasserie Abode’s Valentines Menu and now I’m really, really hungry and want to eat everything. Available on Saturday 10th, Wednesday 14th & Saturday 17th February, their 5 courses with a bottle of Prosecco is only £90 for two. Book it and check the full menu here.
Brasserie Abode, 107a Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2DB
Valentine’s Steak Sharer at El Capo
Nothing could be more romantic to me than eating some brilliant Mexican scran while getting pissed up on some wine with someone I fancy. Thank you then El Capo for providing me with the perfect Valentines evening. For £40 for 2 people, you can enjoy a 16oz steak to share, 4 sides, churros with chocolate sauce and a bottle of house red or white. It’s available from Monday 12th – Friday 16th Feb too so you can just stay in on Valentines and avoid all the crowds if you prefer.
El Capo, 12 Tariff St, Manchester M1 2FF
www.elcaponq.co.uk/
Pen & Pencil
The Pen and Pencil are having a jolly good knees up this Valentine’s Day with 2 main ingredients – Gin & Jazz. I’m not a fan of Jazz at all, in fact I actively despise it – but if there is one thing that can make me enjoy it, it’s getting sloshed on the best drink out there – Gin. There will be jazz from Yemi, who I’m sure is fine if that’s your bag, but also Sipsmith Gin deals, cocktail specials and even free personalised Vedett bottles knocking about with a picture of your little face on it.
Pen & Pencil, 57 Hilton Street, Manchester M1 2EJ
thepenandpencilnq.co.uk/
Exclusive Valentine’s Menu at Randall & Aubin
In typical Randall & Aubin fashion, there will be an indulgent and lavish dinner taking place this Valentines, one where Executive chef and co-founder Ed Baines has personally designed the menu. There’s plenty on offer including Oysters Parker (6 French oysters garnished with creme fraiche & caviar), Seafood Bourride and even a Fillet of John Dory which sounds phenomenal. I should also note that their usual A La Carte menu will also be available on the night, so if you want to splash out on a Plats de Fruits de Mer, be my guest.
Randall & Aubin, 64 Bridge St, Manchester M3 3BN
Valentine’s Screenings & Exclusive Menu at Tattu
Tattu are putting on a host of Valentine’s movies in The Parlour, featuring 3 romantic movies each paired with a 3-course menu and Love Potion sharing cocktail. For £35 per person you get the choice of The Notebook, Romeo + Juliet and 50 First Dates. 50 First Dates is absolutely terrible though, so give that one a miss I say. Unless you like Adam Sandler, which is about 3 people nowadays.
Tattu will also be offering a proper Valentine’s Day menu inspired by three romantic tales from Chinese folklore. Featuring dishes such as chicken Xiao Long Bao filled with red Thai curry, shallots and coconut, a honey-soy ribeye with sesame and truffle mushroom and sweet mango chicken served with pineapple and yellow bean, it’s priced £50 per person and includes a ‘Love Potion’ sharing cocktail for two.
Tattu, 3, 4 Hardman Square, Gartside Street, Manchester M3 3EB
tattu.co.uk/manchester/
Seal at O2 Apollo
What better way to serenade you loved one by singing very loudly into their ear to the song ‘Kiss from a Rose’? Answer: there isn’t. Seal will be hitting up the O2 Apollo on Valentines night and he will most likely be singing some very romantic songs, ones that speak directly to you about the state of your relationship including ‘Killer’, ‘Crazy’, ‘Don’t Cry’ and ‘I Can’t Believe You Threw a Plate of Spaghetti at me!’
Valentine’s Menu at Sandinista
Good old Tapas – officially been destroying relationships for about 100 years now. The insistence on an odd number of little bites usually ends up with a small argument about who gets the last one, which invariably ends up in a massive bust up and someone getting put in a headlock. All over a croquette. Well Sandinista are hoping to appease couples everywhere by offering you a choice of 6 tapas and a bottle of wine for £40. Should be enough to go around.
Sandinista, 2 Old Bank St, City Centre, Manchester M2 7PF
Valentines Menu at One88
Head Chef and Co-Owner David Gale has designed a rather impressive Valentines Menu for anyone visiting One88 in Whitefield this February. The menu above does all the explaining for you – I mean just look at it – it sounds proper good. ‘Locally reared Beef with Maple crushed sweet potatoes’? Yes please! ‘Crispy Goats Cheese Fritter’? I’ll have 2! Oh and gimme all of that chocolate too while you’re at it.
One88 Bar and Kitchen, 188 Bury New Rd, Whitefield, Manchester M45 6QF
one88whitefield.co.uk/
Breakout Manchester
Perhaps a bit of an odd choice for Valentine’s, but what better way to show someone that you fancy them than locking them in a room with just yourself and some mind-bending challenges!? Perhaps you just want to lock them in a room so you can finally talk about how much weight they’ve put on, or perhaps (more likely) you want to work as a team to show you can accomplish anything, then Breakout is a great option!
Breakout Town Hall: 14a Brazennose Street, Manchester, M2 6LW
Breakout High Street: 36 High Street, Manchester. M4 1QB
www.breakoutmanchester.com
The Hallé – Opera Lovers’ Night
Over at the Bridgewater Hall on the 14th, they will be hosting an Opera Lovers’ Night, which depending on how good your grammar knowledge is – could mean two things. It could be a night for people who love opera, or indeed it could be a night for lovers to listen to opera. It doesn’t matter – there’s a massive list of foreign sounding names that I know nothing about in the line-up for the night – all of which will probably make your relationship feel like it’s in some sort of Fellini movie for one night only.
CRINGE – Valentine’s Day Special at Satan’s Hollow
Right up my street this. Instead of shelling out a load of money on some food and drinks and sitting there with an ironed shirt on and brushing your teeth, why not instead just throw two sheets to the wind and head to Satan’s Hollow? You won’t need to wear anything special, and you’ll probably end up coming home with more money than you went out with. It’s a CRINGE Halloween Special so it’ll be packed with a load of terrible tunes, all of which are great to dance to and get off with someone to (if you’re single of course).
Satans Hollow, 101 Princess St, Manchester M1 6DD
Buon San Valentino from Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni won the Most Romantic Restaurant in the UK at the Italian Awards 2015, so it seems like a decent place to take your Valentine this February. Adding to this list of reasons, they’ve also put together a special 5 course menu, where for 50 quid diners will enjoy a welcome glass of champagne garnished with 24 carat gold leaf, followed by a mouth-watering selection of bespoke dishes, with a final cherry on top being some complementary Mangrove’s Mozart chocolate liqueurs at the end of the evening. They’ll also have live entertainment – primarily funk, soul and jazz to get you even more in the mood.
Don Giovanni, Peter House, 1-2 Oxford St, Manchester M1 5AN
dongiovanni.uk.com/
