Halloween is right around the corner, and you can get the party started early at one of these ghoulishly-good themed brunches right here in Manchester.
They say the spooks come out at night, but why save your celebrations for after sunset?
Here’s five of the best Halloween brunches in Manchester this year.
Tuck In: Drag Brunch at PLY
Northern Quarter
Sunday 31 October | 11:30am
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Some of the UK’s best drag queens are ready to delight you with devilishly daring costumes, lip-syncing and all-round sassiness.
Enjoy delicious breakfast plates, prosecco and live DJ sets to start your Halloween right.
The Halloween special of Revolution’s famous Manchester brunch is set to be a boozy affair, with Aperol Spritz, Prosecco and Blood Mary cocktails all included in the bottomless drinks offer.
The brunch will feature classic Rocky Horror music and a quiz that’s sure to bring out the true fans.
The organisers will be awarding prizes for the best costumes, so don’t hold back.
When you think of Halloween brunches in Manchester, a round of darts may not immediately spring to mind – but the team at Flight Club is here to change that.
Add a competitive edge to your Halloween brunch with a game at the city’s favourite darts bar.
There’ll be a special Halloween cocktail on arrival and food and prosecco throughout the day.
The Rocky Horror: Sing-Along Brunch at Brickhouse Social
New Wakefield Street
Saturday 30 & Sunday 31 October | 12pm
Time warp your way through the Halloween weekend at Brickhouse Social’s Rocky Horror brunch.
Fill up on ‘franken-furters’, endless pizza slices, and specially selected horror cocktails before singing along and dancing to your heart’s content.
Costumes are highly recommended, and you can find more details and tickets here.
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The Miss Blair Witch Project Halloween Bottomless Brunch at On Bar
Canal Street
Saturday 30 October | 11am
Drag queens Miss Blair, Liquorice Black, and Banksie are getting ready to welcome you to a Halloween extravaganza where you can expect a delicious brunch, 90 minutes of bottomless bubbly, Halloween games, prizes for the best Halloween costumes, and four hours of party for the price of your ticket.
A DJ will play a monster mash up all afternoon to keep the party going.
Government refuses to deny reports HS2 may not run from Manchester to central London
Emily Sergeant
The UK government is refusing to deny recent reports that HS2 may not run from Manchester directly through to central London.
The Sun reported this week that HS2 is currently in “shambles” and that rising inflation and construction costs could mean that trains may terminate in the suburbs of west London instead of London Euston, as has always been planned – with the paper saying transport bosses were considering pushing back the service’s Euston terminus to 2038, or even scrapping it all together.
The paper reported that trains would be instead stopping at a new hub at Old Oak Common in west London’s suburbs, which is about 8km (five miles) away from Euston.
Passengers would then have to finish their journeys into central London by using the Elizabeth Line.
On top of all of this, the paper also reported that anywhere between a two to five-year delay to the entire project is also being considered by the government, however ministers are refusing to confirm or deny any of the reports.
Government refuses to deny reports HS2 may not run from Manchester to central London / Credit: HS2
A statement provided by a Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson reads: “The Government remains committed to delivering HS2 to Manchester, as confirmed in the autumn statement, and as well as supporting tens of thousands of jobs, the project will connect regions across the UK, improve capacity on our railways and provide a greener option of travel.”
HS2, which has the full name High Speed 2, was originally intended to connect London with Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds.
The leg to Leeds has since been scrapped in November 2021, but work on the first phase of the project between London and Birmingham is now well under way, with a part of the line due to open by 2033, despite the fact the project has faced delays and mounting concerns over the exact route, and its potential environmental impact.
While a budget of £55.7 billion for the whole of HS2 was set in 2015, this was made before the Leeds leg was cancelled, and the estimated cost of HS2 was therefore set between £72 billion and £98 billion at 2019 prices.
Transport bosses are reportedly considering pushing back the service’s Euston terminus to 2038 / Credit: Network Rail
A report published last October found it was unlikely that the £40.3 billion target for the first section of the line would be met.
A senior figure at the DfT warned last week that ” tough decisions” could lie ahead for the scheme.
Featured Image – HS2 (via gov.uk)
News
This hidden Manchester pasta and dumplings restaurant has just made the Michelin Guide
Georgina Pellant
Michelin has just added some new additions to its guide, and one of our favourite Manchester restaurants has finally made the cut.
Loved by locals for its continental pasta and dumplings, gorgeous European wine list and sake collection, The Sparrows in the Green Quarter is something of a hidden gem – tucked in a disused railway arch on Red Bank.
It received rave reviews from local and national critics alike when it first opened in 2019 in a tiny space with room for just 12 covers. Since then, it’s relocated to a bigger home and its following has grown significantly.
After spending years wowing foodies in the know, the restaurant has made it onto the radar of Michelin’s inspectors at last – and we have to say, the accolade is well deserved indeed.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Front of house is headed up by Polish-born Kasia Hitchcock with her chef partner Franco Concli at the helm in the kitchen. Plates celebrate Franco’s Tyrolean heritage, with their signature dish spätzle, a rustic fresh egg pasta from which the restaurant takes its name, sitting front and centre.
Traditionally made by scraping dough from the wooden board straight into a pot of boiling water, these irregular-shaped delights translate from Swabian-German to mean “little sparrows.”
Served in multiples ways, they can be enjoyed either savoury or sweet – mixed with braised onions into a creamy gruyere and Emmental cheese sauce, as is traditional, or transformed into a pudding with a touch of cinnamon, brown sugar and butter.
Joining the now seventeen Manchester restaurants to be featured in the prestigious guide, its description reads as follows: “Nestled under the railway arches in Manchester’s Green Quarter is a restaurant whose name is (almost) the English translation of the word ‘spätzle’ – which gives some clue as to the style of food on offer here.
“The dumplings and assorted pasta dishes are all made in-house and include excellent pierogi. The focus on Eastern Europe carries through to the wine list, which has a leaning towards Polish wines.”
A welcome new addition, if you haven’t yet visited then we recommend you book in swiftly. No doubt the news of its conclusion in the Michelin Guide will send reservations filling up pretty sharpish.
The Manc -
11th October 2021 
