With one of its venues hidden on a backstreet in the Northern Quarter, gaming bar NQ64 has just released a new menu of cocktails all inspired by retro movies, console and arcade games.
From the Ms Stay Puft, which nods to cult film favourite Ghostbusters, to the Super Coco Ball, inspired by the arcade game Super Monkey Ball, each drink embraces a different element of gaming culture.
The subterranean drinking den, which has two sites in Manchester – one in the Northern Quarter and a second on Peter Street – has proven a huge favourite since its arrival in Manchester – allowing locals to revel in nostalgia by button-bashing on classic machines such as Time Crisis, Pac Man and The Simpsons.
Now, it’s released a brand new cocktail menu – and we’re a little bit obsessed.
Image – The Manc Eats
Image – The Manc Eats
Think fruity spritzes inspired by the Mario series, like the Mega Daisy (a combination of lychee, elderflower, orange and prosecco), and the Fantasia, a Fanta-topped sour cherry margarita that nods to the iconic Final Fantasy series.
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Elsewhere, you’ll find the Simpsons-inspired Lake Springfield, combining JD Apple, melon liqueur and Toxic Waste Cordial, and non-alcoholic options like the No Uka Uka (made with Refresher sweetie syrup, guava, pineapple and lime) and Driver Spritz (Crodino Aperitivo 0%, candied strawberry, lemon and soda).
The neon-splattered bars originally launched on the Northern Quarter’s Short Street in 2019 before opening its second site on Peter Street in 2021.
Image – The Manc Eats
Image – The Manc Eats
Full of retro arcade games and classic consoles, gaming fans can sip on cocktails, craft beers and spirit mixers whilst playing all of their favourites – including the likes of Pac-Man, Time Crisis 2 and Guitar Hero will be additions such as the Mario Kart arcade game, Time Crisis 3 and NBA Jam.
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Arcade games are played using a token system, whilst elsewhere there are a selection MegaDrive, PlayStations, GameCube and Super Nintendo consoles for people to get stuck into.
All the new drinks are available now, with both bars open late until 2am every night of the week. To find out more, visit the NQ64 website here and follow the bars on Instagram here.
Feature image – NQ64
Eats
Manchester steakhouse Gaucho is serving a bottomless brunch with non-stop wine and cocktails
Georgina Pellant
Manchester has a new three-course bottomless brunch offer, and it sounds like an absolute beast of a deal – with premium cuts of steak, unlimited starters, and an hour and a half of free-flowing drinks.
Launched by Argentine steakhouse pros Gaucho,the new bottomless deal gives diners 90 minutes to indulge in drinks like citrus negronis, pornstar martinis, spritzes, lager and wine, with a choice of red, white and rose.
Spanning three courses and 90 minutes of drinks, starter dishes are unlimited whilst main highlights include Gaucho’s cuts of free-range Aberdeen Angus beef, reared on the flat grasslands of the Pampas. Think premium wet-aged sirloin with chimichurri and French fries and spiral-cute churrasco de cuadril marinated in garlic, parsley and olive oil.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
On the unlimited starters menu, you’ll find a mouthwatering selection of morcilla, chorizo and picante rojo sausage with a lemon aioli, a selection of empanadas, beetroot ceviche with nasturtium and mango nectar, plus prawn tostadas on Arepa bread.
Add in desserts like chocolate brownies with white chocolate ice cream and apple pancakes with Calvados caramel, Nutella and a dulce de leche mousse, and we’ll be surprised if you find yourself going home hungry.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Available on the last Saturday of the month between 11am and 4pm at Gaucho’s glitzy restaurant on Deansgate, dine inside a converted church surrounded by crystal chandeliers and deep leather booths whilst the restaurant’s in house saxophonist plays along to the resident DJ’s beats.
Greater Manchester chocolatier Slattery’s is selling a Hacienda-inspired Easter egg
Georgina Pellant
Greater Manchester chocolatier Slattery’s is selling a Hacienda-inspired Easter egg, and it looks absolutely brilliant.
Featuring an Acid House smiley face in The Factory’s signature black and yellow stripes, a green bucket hat, silver music notes and a Brit Pop-style electric guitar emblazoned in the Union Jack, Slattery’s has really gone all out this year.
The special Madchester Easter egg also features Oasis’s debut 1997 album Definitely Maybe, although the Whitefield-based chocolatiers told The Manc that customers can opt to request a different album cover on their egg if they prefer.
Priced at £21 each, the edible work of art is made of milk chocolate and decorated with edible icing to create the effects of the album covers, bucket hats and other nostalgic Madchester memorabilia.
It is available to purchase in person from the Whitefield chocolatier’s store, and customers can also place orders for collection closer to the Easter weekend if they prefer.
However, it is not available through the online shop as due to its delicate nature the Hacienda-inspired egg is not able to be delivered by courier.
The family-run Slattery Patissier and Chocolatier is one of Greater Manchester’s absolute go to’s for a sweet treat, spanning three floors and attracting visitors from far and wide.
Based in Whitefield, Bury, it’s so much more than a cake shop: selling everything from handmade Belgian chocolate, freshly-made cream cakes, tarts, pastries, tortes and gateaux, all made fresh each morning, plus chocolate novelties, bars and gifts ranging from Easter eggs to chocolate lollies, discs and tubs, plus a dedicated vegan chocolate range.
Add to that bespoke build your own chocolate hampers that are packed and ribboned whilst you wait, and a selection of specially selected wines, beers and liqueurs, and it’s not hard to see why so many flock here – not just at Easter, but all year round.
Georgina Pellant -
23rd November 2022 
