The best places to spend Valentine’s Day 2024 in Manchester
The most romantic day of the year (or the most tiresome, depending how loved-up you are) is almost upon us, and Manchester is ready for another Valentine’s Day.
Whether you’re looking for the ultimate in luxury dinners, or just something a bit more casual you can do with a few mates, there’s no escaping the love season.
On the higher end of things, there are set menus with views of the city, wine tasting tours, and luxury spa packages with dinner thrown in.
Or if you’re more of a casual cupid, you can go for bottomless tacos, heart-shaped cookies, or tequila disguised as a love potion.
You can even go and sculpt a p*nis out of clay, if that floats your boat…
Platzki, Great Northern
One of Manchester’s most delightful little restaurants, Platzki is a perfect Valentine’s spot for foodies.
They’re doing a traditional Polish feast this year exclusively on 14 February.
For £50 per person, you can have confit duck pierogis (or beetroot and goat’s cheese) and a choice of main courses including Kaszotto (pearl barley risotto) and Sarna (thinly-sliced venison steak) served with homemade dumplings.
Evelyn’s, Northern Quarter
Evelyn’s is a real neighbourhood spot, always full of groups of mates nattering over brunch or couples sipping wine in the candlelight.
They’re doing a Valentine’s Day menu where, for £45 per head, you get a selection of snacks to share, a small plate and a main from the grill each, and a pudding per person, plus a glass of champagne on arrival.
It’s unreal value, really. Book a table here.
Zouk, Oxford Road
Down on Oxford Road there’s Zouk, one of the best curry houses in Manchester, who love an excuse for a good party.
The restaurant is doing a special Valentine’s Day feast, which includes a ‘lovers sharing platter’ with Pubjabi lollipops oyster pakoras, tandoori grilled prawns and samosa chaat, then a choice of curries, and a selection of hand-made desserts.
And if you’d rather be on the other side of the kitchen, you can do the Valentine’s cooking class on 17 February.
See the menu and book on to either event here.
Insomnia Cookies, Cross Street
Late-night cookies served warm straight from the oven – it’s no wonder that Insomnia Cookies has been a roaring success from day one and has already managed to open three sites in Manchester since first arriving here last summer.
For Valentine’s Day, you can order special gigantic heart-shaped red velvet cookies, or mini ones that come with a pot of vanilla frosting for dipping in.
And you can order an extra treat with The Sweet Beats – a six-piece brass band you can book to serenade your sweetheart on their doorstep.
To be in with a chance of having the brass band-o-gram rock up with your red velvet heart-shaped cookie, just pre-order via insomniacookies.co.uk by 8 February and select 14 February as your delivery date.
Tattu, Spinningfields
Manchester’s beautiful Chinese restaurant Tattu has been bathed in red ahead of Valentine’s Day, turning its pink cherry blossom tree extra-romantic.
For the special occasion, they’ll be serving up a limited-edition sharing cocktail called the Elixir of Love, a partnership with Laurent Perrier.
Each cocktail comes with a small red envelope, which will contain a golden ticket for one of three spcial gifts.
It’s running alongside their Lunar New Year celebrations too, so there’s plenty of banquets and feasting menus to try. Book here.
Madre, Kampus
Madre at Kampus is doing date night right with bottomless tacos. Because nothing screams romance like indigestion.
For £35 per person, diners on 14 February can stuff themselves silly with the restaurant’s excellent Mexican tacos, with fillings including Pollo Asada, Cochinita Pibil, Birria, Hongos Asada or Brussels.
You can find out more and book a table here.
20 Stories, Spinningfields
If you like to go BIG on Valentine’s Day, 20 Stories is the place to do it – it’s a beautiful restaurant with unrivalled views across Manchester.
This year they’re doing a four-course menu of canapes, starter, main and dessert, with dishes including seared scallops, treacle-cured beef, and dark chocolate marquis.
And you can feast while looking over the twinkling lights of the city way below you. Here’s everything you need to know.
Crazy Pedro’s, Bridge Street and Northern Quarter
Manchester’s most notorious pizza join – where the margs and the slices flow until the early hours – has gone all soppy on us for Valentine’s Day 2024.
Crazy Pedro’s is doing a £35 bundle that includes a massive calzone, two drinks, and ‘love potion’ (that’s tequila, apparently).
They’re even promising fancy table cloths, silver service, fizz, and even cutlery. Email bookings@crazypedrosnq.co.uk to book your spot.
Big Licks, Liverpool Road
There’s a bargain afoot with all that romance down on Liverpool Road, and it’s one that burger fans will want to get involved with.
Big Licks is serving up the ‘perfect date night’ – two desserts and two shakes for only £20.
And if you eat in, you can get two burgers and two fries for £20 too.
Browse the full menu here.
Rosa’s Thai
Rosa’s Thai, the brilliant little restaurant on Deansgate, will be giving diners a chance to win a free sweet treat for Valentine’s Day.
Guests will be invited to draw a card from a deck of cards – if they pull out a Heart, they’ll be given a free Thai dessert or a bubble tea.
Rosa’s is also urging groups of friends to join in the fun, not just couples.
The Lawn Club, Spinningfields
Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s or Galentine’s this year, The Lawn Club’s got a little something to suit you.
Their ‘Love on the Lawn’ deal includes two heart-shaped pizzas with two sides and two drinks, for £25 each.
Or the Galentine’s Bottomless Bunch event on 17 February comes with a soundtrack of heartbreak anthems and 90 minutes of bottomless drinks, including a Valentine’s special cocktail.
Manchester Wine Tours, city centre
If your dream Valentine’s Day date is more glasses of hearty Beaujolais than heart-shaped balloons, then the Manchester Wine Tour might be the perfect shout for the big day.
You and your chosen date (or mate) will head out in a small group from 3pm on Friday 16 February.
Then over the course of four hours, you’ll walk between several venues in Manchester city centre, drinking at least six different wines with elite snacks and learning a bit along the way too.
You can book tickets here.
King Street Townhouse, city centre
Manchester’s beautiful city centre boutique hotel King Street Townhouse will have a range of experiences for Valentine’s Day.
There’s a special dinner-for-two with a dedicated menu and bottle of wine per couple, an exclusive Valentine’s spa experience (which includes a hot stone massage, use of the thermal suite, and a two-course meal with champagne), and romantic film screenings in their secret cinema.
If you’re staying overnight too, King Street Townhouse have loads of special room packages to enhance your stay.
Ducie Street Warehouse, Northern Quarter
Ducie Street Warehouse has a couple of things on for Valentine’s Day – including the return of its ‘Sexy Sculpt’ event.
You can mould your own p*nis-shaped decoration out of clay, with supervision from the lovely pottery experts at Cork & Clay.
They’ll also have a delivery of Half Dozen Other’s special Red Croissant with a passion fruit crème filling available to pick up from Ducie Street Warehouse on the day.
Refuge at the Kimpton Clocktower
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Kimpton Clocktower is opening up its beautiful Winter Gardens to diners for the first time.
The huge space has a giant glass ceiling and is full of trees, making it one of Manchester’s prettiest venues.
Diners will be able to enjoy a delicious tasting menu, made up of small sharing plates and hearty pies made using the finest from local ingredients, as well as an extensive cocktail list.
Suki Suki, Great Northern
You can find your soy-mate (geddit… geddit) at Suki Suki, a brilliant pan-Asian restaurant on Deansgate, this year.
For just £30 each, you’ll get a three-course set menu and a glass of prosecco, and their deal is running from 13 to 15 February.
Dishes will include classic salt and pepper seasoned ribs, and honey and chilli-glazed pork belly. It’s all delicious.
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Featured image: The Manc Group