A new study has ranked the top bottomless brunch offers in the city, taking into account factors like the number of 5* reviews, price and outdoor seating availability.
All very important, we’ll admit, but if your attitude to bottomless brunch is anything like that of our friends then you’ll appreciate there’s still a lot more to be considered. After all, bottomless brunch is a marathon – not a sprint.
It’s all got to be assessed tactically, which is why it’s important to take details like how long you can drink and how many drinks and dishes are on the bottomless brunch menu into account, alongside the most important question of all – ‘is it truly bottomless?’
Looking to find the most highly rated independent brunch locations, The Bottle Club has covered all of these points and more in its assessment. Suffice to say, we’re pretty impressed with their commitment to the cause.
Fress
Northern Quarter
Coming in at the top of the list is Fress, Northern Quarter’s gilded bar and brasserie cafe. It’s rarely seen without a line outside before 2pm thanks to the popularity of its brunch offering, whether customers are going bottomless or not. The way it works here is pretty simple, with one menu and the option to upgrade to bottomless house wine, beer, mimosas or prosecco for an additional £15.
Impossible
Peter Street
Whimsical night spot Impossible is just as impressive in the day time. Boasting one of the best bottomless booze selections in the city, £30 gets you unlimited drinks from a list of over 20 different options, plus a main dish and side. There are no eggs to be found here – instead, think mini burger trios, mini wrap trios, katsu fries, salt and pepper fries and togarashi tortilla.
Peaky Blinders
Peter Street
As the name kind of gives away, this is not just any bar. It’s a Peaky Blinders-themed bar, complete with hunky Cillian Murphy lookalikes in waistcoats and flat caps. Mother, may I? For £30 a head, you can enjoy as many cocktails, prosecco, own-brand gin, pale ale or draught lager as you like in 90 minutes whilst picking from a ‘birdcage’ of meat or veggie treats. Available to book from 17th May.
Elnecot
Ancoats
Of all the brunching spots on this list, Elnecot is a must for any self-professed foodies. Situated in the trendy independent neighbourhood of Ancoats, this locals bar and kitchen proves especially popular on weekends. Similar to Fress, there’s no dedicated bottomless menu here – instead, simply pay an additional £25 for 2 hours of unlimited access to breakfast martinis, aqua di Valencia, earl greyhounds (Gin, Earl grey tea and grapefruit), bloody marys and beer.
The Pen and Pencil
Northern Quarter
Inspired by New York’s famous mid-20th century ‘Steak Row’ bar of the same name, The Pen and Pencil sits right on the edge of Manchester’s Northern Quarter close to Piccadilly station. The only place on this list to feature bottomless food as well as drink, menu options include brunch staples like avocado and feta on toast, steak and eggs, a variety of poached eggs and big stacks of fluffy American pancakes. Hosted on the last Saturday of the month, go all-in for £40.
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There’s a World Gravy Wrestling Championship near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
Just on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, there’s a country pub set in a rural village that hosts a world gravy wrestling championship.
Leave it to us northerners to organise a world gravy wrestling championship because let’s face it, there’s nothing more northern than plummeting yourself into bucket loads of gravy.
At The Rose ‘N’ Bowl in the village of Stacksteads, it’s not just their meals they’re drenching in the brown nectar; they drench any willing guest in this beige saucy goodness too as part of the World Gravy Wrestling Championships.
Here’s a little taster from nearly a decade ago.
Participants are expected to wrestle in the gravy for two minutes, with the winner being judged not only on their play-fighting skills but also on their choice of fancy dress, comedy effect and entertainment.
Past wrestlers have rocked up as zebras, racehorse jockeys and famous TV characters like Ali G and Mickey Mouse.
Each wrestler is encouraged to raise money on behalf of a charity of their choice, but if you don’t have one, donations will be sent to East Lancashire Hospice, which has helped people countywide suffering from life-limiting illness for the past 30 years.
The World Gravy Wrestling Championships have been held outside this very pub for over a decade, with the first ever event taking place at a car park in Wigan before it found a permanent home outside The Rose ‘N’ Bowl.
And if swimming in a pool of gravy isn’t for you, don’t fret because there’s a handful of sauce-free activities you can get involved with spread throughout the pub’s car park.
Fret not, past events have included bouncy castles, cheerleading performances, craft beer stalls, cake and tombola stands and even a BB gun shooting range that are all completely gravy-free.
There will even be help from a local fire brigade who will be on hand to wash down wrestlers in between their gravy-filled tournament, so they can wander round all the stalls too.
The 2025 World Gravy Wrestling Championships are coming to The Rose ‘N’ Bowl in Stacksteads on 25 August, with tickets available in person only, but plenty of information about the event HERE.
If you’re after signing up to be one of the wrestlers at this event, applications are still open and you can get stuck in with all the details you need HERE.
And if that wasn’t enough Northern food competitive action, we’ll catch you at the World Black Pudding Hurling Championships, innabit.
Inside this Victorian mansion with 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and more near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
There’s a million-pound Victorian-style mansion that has 10 bedrooms and its own personal swimming pool just outside of Greater Manchester.
Just like the childhood nursery rhyme, “There were three in the bed and the little one said… there’s another seven beds, roll over!” or at least that’s how they remember it in this character property.
Located in Warrington, less than an hour away from Manchester city centre, this property is a semi-detached Victorian property built in 1860, with 10 bedrooms and its own private swimming pool, all spread across four floors.
As soon as you enter the foyer, your eyes are drawn to the sleek silver chandelier before you notice the grand staircase, which feels like a piece of living history.
Inside this Victorian mansion with 10 bedrooms and a swimming pool near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market)
The ground floor hosts two of a whopping 10 bedrooms alongside a teal-toned farmhouse-style kitchen and that extremely impressive swimming pool with its own built-in projector.
In the kitchen, the focal point is the large wrap-around kitchen unit, which is accompanied by a variety of hanging lights and a big central island.
On the way to the swimming pool, there are a handful of lockers identical to those found in a leisure and as you enter the room, your eyes are drawn to the island-inspired feature wall.
Venture upstairs to the first floor and you’re greeted by five spacious bedrooms with one having its own en-suite while the rest share a main bathroom.
Each of these bedrooms follows a completely different design style, with the largest following a muted grey palette with pops of yellow thanks to the artwork and bed accessories.
The grand staircase and one of ten bedrooms inside this Victorian mansion near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market
As you go upstairs again, you’ll find (you guessed it) even more bedrooms, three to be exact, with the standout
The stand-out of this second floor is the navy-walled bedroom with a vintage vanity unit, patterned floor-to-ceiling curtains and a similarly dark-blue rug to match its four walls.
Another flight of stairs and you’ve finally reached the top of this property, and there’s an LED-lined ceiling and a neutral bedroom colour scheme of greys, whites and everything in between.
There are various amenities nearby, including three schools and three train stations… for if you get fed up of strolling around your four-floored ten-bed, swimming pool-owning mansion.
Two contrasting bedrooms found within this Victorian mansion near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market
We know this property may not be in the price range and might not be affordable for a lot of readers, ourselves included, but we can dream, right?
You can check out this Victorian mansion and flick through even more pictures of this property – Snooping never hurt anybody? Official site HERE.
As always, make sure to check out The Manc‘s property page to check all the other stunning structures currently on sale/in progress across Greater Manchester and in the nearby North West.
Georgina Pellant -
6th May 2021 
