The Ivy made a big song and dance about their grand reopening on July 4. Literally.
Days before the hospitality lockdown lifted, a video popped up online starring Ivy staff – dressed in their signature forest green waistcoats – grooving through Spinningfields to an ecstatic soundtrack with huge smiles stitched to their faces.
Talk about coming back with a bang.
Of course, anyone who’s been to The Ivy before will recognise that this is right on brand.
Flourish is their thing – and it’s what’s made a seat at the venue one of the most sought-after spots in the city.
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Sure enough, queues are already forming outside when we arrive for a mid-week meal, and after being beckoned down the walkway by a pair of hat-tipping doormen, I find myself mumbling something about the surprising size of the interior.
A nearby waiter smiles, nods and shuts his eyes. He’s heard this all before.
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“Yes – it looks smaller from the outside,” he chuckles.
“But there’s so much more in here than people think.”
He’s right. In every sense.
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Just like the woody plant which bears its name, The Ivy is long, high, winding; fitted with labyrinthian corridors, twisting staircases and a roaming rooftop terrace.
It’s a luxurious world of its own – like stepping into a meticulously-crafted hedge maze on a manor estate.
One cocktail too many and you risk getting lost in there forever. But that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
There’s no better time to escape the outside world than right now, and with four floors of chandeliers, marble surfaces, greenery and artwork (some it insect-themed), The Ivy has more plush interiors to explore than a royal residence.
It’s a triumph of landscape architecture.
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The staff are also play a key part in reinforcing the mystical garden setting; with the gatekeepers sporting Luigi-like outfits whilst the waiters wear flower-patterned jackets.
There’s a lot of them, and they’re a charming, chatty bunch, too – making an arrival at The Ivy feel more like checking into a hotel than booking a meal.
Before tucking in, we’re taken on a quick tour of the low-lit, luxurious multi-level jungle venue – with our waiter then walking us through some dish recommendations and offering helpful ideas on which wine to pair with each.
En route to our table, we apologetically weave around two people posing for snaps on the stairs. There’s a lot of that. The Ivy is the kind of place guests get dressed up for; with the decor guaranteeing picturesque images that send ‘likes’ soaring on social media.
But that’s not to say the restaurant is just for the younger corporate crowd. A quick glance around reveals a wide range of visitors across many demographics, including couples, groups and older families.
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The red tape for the restaurant was cut in late 2018 – bringing the illustrious Ivy brand (which is the eatery of choice among celebs in the Big Smoke) to Manchester.
Construction began just as Spinningfields had settled into its groove, with owners scattering the seeds across Hardman Square and temporarily reverting the patch of land into a building site for several months.
Even the office workers stuck with views of cranes from their windows for months would probably tell you it was worth it.
The Ivy has been absolutely booming ever since.
With longer opening hours than your average venue, there’s breakfast and afternoon set menus all available at The Ivy – as well as a suitably mammoth ‘a la carte’ at nighttime.
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With more than a dozen different starters, mains and desserts to choose from, you won’t have difficulty finding something you’ll like – including prime cuts of meat, flavourful seafood and freshly-prepped vegetables.
Some dishes are accompanied by a bit of wizardry performed on behalf of the waiter (including a ring of blue fire for the apple tart).
Presentation is pretty perfect, and the food itself is good – but what keeps people returning to this garden of Eden is the magnificent, opulent setting and the dwellers within.
As you may have already guessed, a bit of wiggle room in the bank account is required for a multi-course meal at The Ivy. But the experience is a memorable one.
There’s nothing else in the city quite like it.
Eats
Romantic bars and restaurants in Manchester that are perfect for Valentine’s Day
The Manc
With Valentine’s Day in Manchester fast approaching, the city’s restaurants and bars are turning on the charm to create some seriously romantic settings.
With so many great restaurants, if you’re looking to take your other half out to eat you are quite literally spoilt for choice.
For those lost in a sea of menus and wondering where to book, we thought we’d help make things a little bit easier by recommending some of our favourite romantic restaurants in Manchester and a few other popular date night spots to help get you started.
Keep reading to discover our top picks for where to take your date in Manchester this Valentine’s Day.
Chotto Matte, St Michael’s
Chotto MatteCocktails with a view
Manchester is climbing ever-higher, and so is the calibre of its restaurant – enter one of the city’s newest spots, Chotto Matte.
For a real get-dressed-up-to-the-nines date night, you could do a lot worse than this lavish newcomer, which has a menu of Nikkei dishes and some of the best views in town.
The restaurant space itself wraps around the new St Michael’s building, with views right over the Town Hall on one side and the city skyline on the others.
Circolo Popolare, St Michael’s
Inside Circolo PopolareA giant lemon meringue pie
You may not quite have the budget to whisk your loved one off to Sicily at this short notice, but there’s a restaurant in Manchester that’s trying its best to bring that magic to town.
Circolo Popolare opened last year from the Big Mamma Group, serving authentic and hearty Italian dishes and a gravity-defying lemon meringue pie, too.
It’s got to be one of the most opulent interiors in the city – there are ceilings draped in jasmine, thousands of vintage booze bottles, hand-painted crockery and more.
Blacklock, Peter Street
Blacklock’s cocktail trolley which roams their Manchester restaurant. Credit: The Manc Group
You might not immediately think gorging yourself on red meat is the most romantic way to woo your loved one – but Blacklock proves you wrong.
This cosy basement restaurant is all about top-grade meat, affordable cocktails, and its legendary white chocolate cheesecake scooped straight from the dish and dolloped onto your plate.
It’s a more laid-back date night spot for those who like ‘hearty fare and rowdy comfort’.
Opened by the team behind the Michelin-recommended Corvena in Chester, it boasts a stunning wine list (the name nods to the importance of weather in creating incredible wines) as well as some reportedly ‘genius’ dishes on its menu.
Serving a mixture of small and large plates, it also has one of the best panoramic views of the city skyline – looking down across Manchester from the restaurant’s perch on Blackfriars, especially at sunset, is pretty romantic.
Hawksmoor Hawksmoor Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Not many London brands successfully make the move up to Manchester, but one that has done it with aplomb is premium British steakhouse Hawksmoor.
It’s pricey but worth it, with a stunning wood-panelled cocktail bar available next to the restaurant to help you get your date off to a flying start.
Serving the very best dry-aged beef, sustainable seafood and seasonal farm produce from the UK, steaks come out beautifully blackened and charred thanks to its Josper grill whilst sides are indulgent (typically laden with rich cheese, nutmeg and cream).
The aforementioned cocktail list is excellent, as is the wine list. All around a 10/10 spot with friendly service to boot.
The Sparrows, Green Quarter
Mix and match pierogi at The Sparrows. / Image: The Manc Eats
The Sparrows signature dish, spatzle. / Image: The Manc Eats
One of the best restaurants in Manchester by a long shot, it is run by a married couple – with Polish-born Kasia Hitchcock positioned out front and her chef-partner Franco Concli working away busily in the back.
Spatzle (pictured above) is the house specialty, said to mirror sparrows in flight – hence the restaurant’s name. It’s best eaten with a simple sauce of butter and sage, but there are numerous sauce options – plus countless European dumplings, a fine sake selection and an organic wine list.
The hushed, sleek interiors, meanwhile, will have you convinced you’re somewhere in New York – not on the back streets of the Green Quarter.
With sultry low lighting, quality cocktails, £1 oysters and plenty of tucked-away seating spread over three floors, 10 Tib Lane could’ve been made for date night.
Serving a tantalising small plates menu alongside some beautiful low-intervention wines, its Cumbrae oysters with mignonette are a must-order to get your date night going.
Followed up with the likes of steak tartare, lamb sweetbreads, duck in port sauce, bone marrow and pommes anna, and charred hispi cabbage in shallot sauce, foodies should be in absolute heaven.
Erst, Ancoats
Erst has just earned itself a Michelin Bib Gourmand, a prestigious honour that recognises exceptional cooking but still at great affordable prices.
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Open Tuesday to Saturday, with its concrete floors and relatively sparse settings, it’s the food here more than the restaurant’s decor that makes Erst so romantic.
A love of fermentation and pickling has clearly passed from one sibling’s kitchen into another. Plates here are ordered to share, with a list of around a dozen to choose from.
Each designed simply to showcase the natural flavours of the produce, order as many as you can muster then tuck in with a good bottle of natural wine on the side.
Bar San Juan, Chorlton
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
This teeny tiny tapas bar in Chorlton is a treasured local gem, and for good reason.
Named Manchester’s Neighbourhood Venue of the Year at the 2022 Manchester Food and Drink Awards, this cosy little slice of Spain on Beech Road is as unassuming as it is full of European charm.
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From the warmth of San Juan’s staff, for whom nothing is too much trouble, to its impeccable dishes, it’s easy to see how this cosy neighbourhood spot is so beloved. If you’re after an intimate date with top-notch food, you cannot go wrong here.
Inside Ornella’s Italian restaurant in Denton. Credit: The Manc GroupOrnella’s Kitchen has teased a new restaurant
Home to some of the best pasta in Greater Manchester, you do have to schlep all the way out to Denton for it – but if incredible Italian food is part of your partner’s love language then trust us, it’ll be worth it.
By day, Ornella’s is very much a tiny deli cafe with room for just 12 diners at once. By night, the combination of the small space, low lighting and mouthwatering dishes make it a pasta lover’s paradise.
Dish-wise, think plump lobster ravioli, butter-drenched crispy sage and hazelnut spinach ricotta ravioli, and carbonara bucatini liberally doused in pepper and egg yolk, with crisp flecks of guanciale on top – all freshly made on-site by hand that day.
Sitting right on the waterside next to Ancoats Marina, if good wine and small plates is your love language then Flawd is an absolute must visit – even if you just pop in for a glass before heading on for a swanky dinner elsewhere.
With views across the water, you’ll find a knowledgeable team pouring gorgeous low intervention wines in a casual but romantic, laid-back setting that feels more European than Manchester usually does.
Plates comes from acclaimed chef Joseph Otway, using their own organic produce grown on the team’s sustainable farm Cinderwood Market Garden in Cheshire.
Sterling, Spring Gardens
Nestled in an old bank vault in the basement of Gary Neville’s Stock Exchange Hotel, this swanky bar from the accomplished Schofield brothers oozes charm and seduction.
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With dark wood panneled walls, low lighting, sensory cocktails and table service, plus small plates to keep you going through the drinks, it’s a great place to enjoy some romantic drinks on a date – and there are even hotel rooms upstairs.
20 Stories, Spinningfields
It feels like this Spinningfields rooftop restaurant needs no introduction at this point, but we’re going to do it anyway.
A glamorous establishment with a huge, heated outdoor terrace, it sits right at the top of the No.1 Spinningfields building overlooking the swanky glass towers of the business district from its position on high.
Long favoured for romantic date night thanks to its breathtaking views of the Manchester skyline, this swanky restaurant’s menu is not to be sniffed at either with a selection of delicious modern British dishes on offer.
Evelyn’s and The Daisy, Northern Quarter
The DaisyEvelyn’s in the Northern Quarter
If you’re after more of a laid-back eatery with a casual setting, Evelyn’s is a great choice – offering a mixed menu of small plates that can be ordered to share or larger ones to enjoy alone.
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A popular Manchester cafe by day, at night it comes alive in a whole new way, the restaurant lit up romantically with plants trailing down from hangers above your head.
Evelyn’s also boasts a ‘secret’ bar below, The Daisy, where you can sneak off with your date afterward to enjoy a few cocktails (or wines) in a romantic setting.
El Gato Negro, King Street
This AA Rosette and Michelin-recommended restaurant on King Street is a fail-safe date option in our (humble) opinion.
Serving up a mix of tapas dishes split into sections like fish and shellfish, meat, charcuterie, vegetables and para picar, tuck into the likes of Catalan bread, Padron peppers, salt cod croquettas and Morcilla scotch eggs.
Alongside a great wine and cocktail list, El Gato is also known for its sherry and vermouth selection – and both make a great complement to this style of dining.
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For an ultra-romantic twist, if you love the idea of having a bit of theatre whilst you eat you can opt to sit at the chef’s table which faces directly into the kitchen.
Dishoom, Bridge Street
If you ask us, romance doesn’t have to be all white tablecloths and rose petals – sometimes it’s more fun to get stuck in and share a curry with your loved one.
Since it opened in Manchester with queues out the door, Dishoom has remained one of the city’s most popular curry houses whilst maintaining an elusive, sultry feel – thanks, in part, to its setting within the city’s stunning former Masonic Hall.
Nestle up in one of its many beautiful corners on Valentine’s Day, with walk-ins always welcome.
Where’s your favourite romantic restaurant in Manchester? Let us know via Instagram at @themanceats.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Eats
Cult burger brand Burgerism opens first eat-in city centre restaurant on Piccadilly Gardens
Daisy Jackson
Burgerism is opening the doors to its first city centre eat-in restaurant this week, right in the middle of Manchester on Piccadilly Gardens.
The iconic burger brand, which started life as a dark kitchen off an industrial estate in Salford, is now almost ready to welcome fans into its first Manchester city centre location.
Set to open tomorrow – Wednesday 11 February – Burgerism will be serving up their signature smash burgers from a new flagship location.
And they’re doing 30% off the full menu during its opening soft launch period.
The new Burgerism site will have a relaxed walk-in-only dining experience with 22 covers, as well as takeaway, across a 1,000 sq ft space at One Piccadilly.
You’ll be able to order your food at the counter, via self-service kiosks, or through click-and-collect on the Burgerism website.
Highlights on the menu will, as always, include the fan-favourite Cheesed (two smashed patties, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and the brand’s signature sauce, served in a seeded brioche bun), as well as a range of chicken burgers, fries, and wings.
Inside Burgerism at Piccadilly GardensBurgerism founder Mark Murphy
The Piccadilly Gardens opening will be the fifth Burgerism site following its four openings elsewhere in Greater Manchester.
Mark Murphy, CEO and Co-Founder of Burgerism, commented: “The growth of Burgerism has always been very organic – we don’t follow the rules and we obsess over the details, even if that means we move more slowly.
“We’d rather get things right than rush it. So our arrival at Piccadilly Gardens is a big moment for us – and one that feels right. We’re excited to make Burgerism more accessible to the people who already know and love it, while opening the door to new fans too!
“We’ve stayed true to our values from day one, and this restaurant is no different. Same food, same ethos, same energy – just a brand new setting. We’re excited to open the doors with our 30% off deal during our opening week and welcome people into the space.”
Burgerism, One Piccadilly, will open on 11 February.
The Manc -
30th July 2020 
