Eats
A first look at Black Cat Club: the new social games bar from the team behind El Gato Negro and Canto
They're also welcoming new customers with a very exciting gaming offer.
Danny Jones -
12th March 2024 
We popped our heads into the brand-new Black Cat Club, a new competitive and social gaming bar from the team behind tapas favourites El Gato Negro and Canto right here in Manchester.
Opening its doors this month (Saturday, 16 March) from a stylish Brown Street den, previously home to the old Habas site, the maiden Black Cat Club is set to combine a small plates dining experience with entertainment and activities like shuffleboard, darts, table football, music and more.
With El Gato just down the road on King Street and Canto over Ancoats’ Cutting Room Square remaining two of the best places for tapas anywhere in the city centre, we were already pretty excited to see what the set-up was going to look like in person.
Safe to say that now we’ve had a glimpse of everything and taken a head-first dive into the food, we cannot wait for this place to launch. They’re also helping usher people in with a very enticing offer on the gaming side, but we’ll get on to that.
First announced last month, it is the games and interactive elements that are the star of this sister concept, promising to deliver the city’s first ‘immersive shuffleboard experience’, with four SHUFL tables and seven FlyBy dart stations and more at the heart of this competitive socialising bar.
Although the combination might sound a bit left-field at first glance, with tapas and small plates all about sharing and creating a more social way to eat, it actually makes perfect sense when you stop and think about it.
Speaking of the food, there is a very healthy spread to choose from on the menu: buttermilk chicken bites with curry mayonnaise, corn ribs coated in paprika and garlic; salt and pepper ribs, Cajun chicken nachos, crispy cauliflower with sweet spicy chilli sauce and more.
If you’re after slightly bigger portions to keep to yourself after you’ve just been humiliated by your mates at the oche, you can also choose from some very good loaded pizzas, ‘burgers and buns’, hot dogs with caramelised onions, fish finger butties, dirty fries and tasty wraps for meat-eaters and veggies.
All delicious, no notes from us whatsoever.
As you can see, there’s plenty to feast your eyes on, both in terms of the menu and interior — which itself is like a crossover between a popular darts bar, a contemporary European drinking spot with lots of musical aesthetics, and the obvious dining room elements from their award-winning parent restaurants — but this place is also about having a tipple with friends.
The menu is just extensive when it comes to drinks, with ice-cold pints, wines, spirits and a classic cocktails line-up featuring some of Black Cat‘s signatures: ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ (a sweet combination of Discarded Banana Rum, Licor 43 and pineapple), the refreshing ‘Yuzu Spritz’ and a zesty ‘Sevilla Southside’ — now that is a little bit of us right there.
We can’t think of many prettier settings for a drink, some scran and tipsy shenanigans than set against the backdrop of original Manc brickwork inside a repurposed wine cellar, merged with green and copper hand-painted wall art, marble finishings, art deco fittings and booth seating for big groups.
That’s another big draw for this place too, by the way. Black Cat Club will be offering premium sports viewing experiences, showing all major UK sporting events with the added perk of table-top service — you only need to tap a button to order some food or an ice-cold beer.
Read more:
- Popular chophouse Blacklock to open first restaurant outside of London here in Manchester
- A pug cafe with a ball pit and themed cakes has just opened over Salford
- ‘Futuristic’ new EE store with interactive gaming zone opens at the Trafford Centre
Also housing a private space in the back, bookings can be made for up to 20 guests at a time for special events and big sports screenings, which is perfect timing seeing as Euro 2024 is just around the corner.
Last but not least, Black Cat has just revealed that to celebrate their official opening date on Saturday, 16 March (bookings are live as we speak) they will also be offering 50% off all gaming throughout March. Say no more.
If you’re interested in going along to give a try and score yourself a discount on your games of choice on your way in, you can book for Black Cat Club HERE or by calling 0161 470 9375.
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Featured Images — The Manc Group
