A brand-new ‘high-tech’ activity bar dedicated to shuffleboard is coming to Manchester and it sounds electric – pun very much intended.
Electric Shuffle, the glamorous sister site to nightlife favourite Flight Club, is coming to the city centre later this year and it’s set to be just the second to open outside of London.
After opening their third location in Leeds back in 2022, the team behind two of the best activity and games bars in the UK are bringing their shuffleboard expertise to Manchester in time for the summer.
Promising addictive and high-energy games, semi-private shuffleboard areas dotted around a stylish art-deco-inspired central bar, an impressive cocktail list and a mouth-watering menu, the aim is to make sure you don’t need to spend the night anywhere else, with a resident DJ on-hand all night too.
You can find bars with shuffleboards all over town these days, but what sets this one apart? Well, they market their offerings as ‘supercharged shuffleboard’ that uses state-of-the-art camera vision technology to track and score every puck, much like the sensors used on Flight Club darts boards.
Again, like their big brother, the games also capture guests’ best moments with live shareable replays, and can seamlessly integrate up to 32 players – or up to 150 players at once for corporate events. Now that sounds like the kind of chaos we’d love to see.
There are four immersive and fast-paced games to choose from, each designed for team-play while still giving individuals their glory. Games include Eclipse, which sees players aiming to slide and land their puck on (or as close as possible) the target between the middle two zones of the board.
Then there’s Equaliser, which challenges players to land their puck in the zones at the far end of the table to get the highest score. As for the bar side of things, they’ve got that all worked out too.
Credit: Supplied
Food and drink for all times of day
If anyone’s been guilty of screaming down the roof of one of these activity bars before, you’ll know that like most shuffleboard is best played as a team sport and that group mentality transfers over to the food and drink selection too.
We’re talking small plates, big sharing pizzas, as well as an epic and extensive cocktails menu – all of which will be coming to Electric Shuffle Manchester.
From staple dishes already proved popular at their Leeds venue such as buttermilk chicken bites with ranch and BBQ dips, spiced cauliflower wings with red pepper tapenade and jalapeño green salsa, big sourdough pizza paddles, loaded fries and more, think big picky tea only levelled up.
As for the booze (it is a bar after all), they’re known for signature cocktails with a twist, like ‘Salted Caramel Euphoria’ – a take on the espresso martini – frozen options for those balmy summer nights and big sharing ones served in a trophy cup. And don’t worry, they’re not only for the winners.
Oh yeah, and they’re also bringing their brunch deal to our shores. Available on Saturdays and Sundays for two hours, guests can enjoy a bottle of Prosecco each and unlimited pizza from start to finish. Costing £35 for 60 minutes of shuffleboard and another hour around the table, it’ll be one of the best value bottomless brunch deals in Manchester.
You’ll have all this and more to get stuck into when Electric Shuffle lands on Deansgate in a couple of month’s time.
While we’re not giving you an exact address just yet, we can confirm that Manchester’s newest shuffleboard bar is set to open on 21 June and will take up an 11,400 sq/ft space to become their biggest site in the county, capable of hosting up to 450 people. Now that’s how you make an entrance.
CEO, Steve Moore, who co-founded Electric Shuffle and Flight Club alongside Paul Barham, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to bring Electric Shuffle to Manchester. We have loved our time in Manchester so far and the welcome that Flight Club has received over the past five years has been incredible…
“From couples’ date nights to corporate events and everything in between, Electric Shuffle is a place that is built for friends by friends, and we can’t wait to show everyone in Manchester what we’ve been working on”.
Manchester Arndale is slashing prices on food and drink across the shopping centre
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Arndale’s Summer Scran Fest is back – and that means there are some absolute bargains to be had on food and drink right across the shopping centre.
Throughout the month of August, restaurants, cafes and kiosks within Manchester Arndale will be offering some serious offers and deals.
This ranges from 25% off to buy-one-get-one-free deals, plus free meals for kids and plenty more.
Venues taking part in the Summer Scran Fest include Archie’s, Subway, Barburrito, Pizza Hut, HOP Vietnamese, Michaels Coffee House and plenty more.
And the leisure destinations within Manchester Arndale are getting stuck in too – think free drinks, combos and more at venues including King Pins and Urban Playground.
There are plenty of Manchester-born businesses getting involved and offering bargains to us all, like Archie’s giving out free soft serve when you spend £10, Barburrito offering a £10 meal deal (burrito, tortilla chips and a soft drink), and Lazy Sundae giving a free scoop of ice cream with any large drink purchase.
Big brand deals include a £5 meal deal at McDonald’s (4 Chicken McNuggets, Cheese burger or Mayo chicken; fries; and medium cold drink), and 25% off at Pizza Hut.
There’s 20% off at Sides in the Manchester Arndale Summer Scran FestLazy Sundae will do a free ice cream with a large drink purchase
Then there are newcomers to Manchester Arndale taking part in the Summer Scran Fest.
HOP, a new Vietnamese street food venue on Market Street, is doing 25% off, while Michaels Coffee House will knock 15% off their seasonal favourites like an Iced Maple Oat Matcha or an Iced Rose Coconut Matcha.
There’s also a 20% discount at Sides, the chicken shop backed by YouTube sensations Sidemen.
And as for leisure destinations – Urban Playground is doing 18 Holes of putters tech-infused mini golf, plus any three small plates from The Butcher menu for £28.20.
Kind Pins has 20% off food and drink, and Immersive Gamebox will do 20% off plus a free drink when you book a 60 or 30 minute gaming session.
Pick up a voucher booklet in the centre or download your offers from the Manchester Arndale website from 1 August.
Manchester dessert and sandwich stars Gooey are set to open another city centre site
Danny Jones
0161’s world-famous dessert stars, Gooey, are set to open another city centre site – their third in Greater Manchester and soon-to-be fifth overall.
Known for their incredible cookies, doughnuts, brunch, legendary French toast and plenty more, Gooey made their first foray out of their hometown with a Liverpool location last year, and are now set to consolidate their Manc base even further.
Set to open in a prime piece of real estate, the latest Manchester Gooey store will be opening in a sizeable empty unit over on Circle Square, right next to the Asda Express and in the heart of the student living and leisure complex.
Benefitting from being easily seen from along the bustling Oxford Road Corridor, you can expect this place to be packed to the rafters from the off on day one.
The signs are already in the window.That unreal French toast dripping in syrup.Credit: The Manc Eats
There are few details on what the new arrival might have in-store beyond all the brand favourites at this early stage, but each Gooey store shop does have its own charm.
From their original bakery and cafe over in the Northern Quarter, to the three kiosks in Ducie Street Warehouse, The Trafford Centre Selfridges and over on Merseyside’s iconic Bold Street, they all offer something a little different.
As for any hints at the launch plans, fans are yet to be given an official opening date, but you best believe you’ll be the first to know the second we do.
In case you’ve never tried or even come across the indulgent and fast-growing independent business before, another popular part of their menu is the bits between bread.
Touching on the upcoming addition, Charlotte Wild, Head of Retail & Leisure at Bruntwood SciTech – the team behind Circle Square’s ever-expanding offerings – said: “Gooey is an incredible local brand who are continuing to grow, evolve and innovate, with ever more exciting desserts.
“They will make a fantastic addition to the Circle Square community, and we look forward to seeing the impact they make in the coming months.”
In case you wonder how much we love this place and just how excited you should be about another one landing here in the city centre, sometimes we just put together random appreciation posts for that one, aforementioned butty alone.
Local foodies will also be buzzing to hear that they’re not the only calorific cult favourites that are bringing more to our mouths in 2025.
First, it was Brewski, followed by American Pies; then it was Foldies, and now the beloved culinary brand is launching yet another new concept here in Manchester.
Danny Jones -
22nd April 2024 
