7 Date Ideas in Manchester – The Winter Wonderland of Romance

Everyone knows city centre living and dating don’t mix. We also know that it’s nice to have someone to hold during the holidays whether it’s a long term thing or just a seasonal fling. You never know what could happen! Read on and you may learn a thing or two how to make him or her your special ‘boo’. This is our guide on the best date spots in and around the city… I Love Manchester style.

1. Coffee.

We say coffee but we don’t mean sit in Cafe Nero drinking subpar lattes on Market St. Manchester has oodles of adorable little independents spread across the city. Take a tour of our favourites and warm up by sipping your way through the city.

• Takk Coffee
• North Tea Power
• Caffiene & Co.
• Fig & Sparrow
• Grindsmith Brewbar

2. Music.

Check out a jam session at Matt and Phreds, a gig at Band on the Wall or head over to The Whiskey Jar on a Tuesday for open mic night. There’s nothing more romantic than swaying side to side to a guy playing love songs about that girl he met in Barcelona.

3. Ice Skating.

So you may not be Wayne Gretzky or Michelle Kwan but what is a date without mistakes? Fall one, fall all. Spin each other round the rink and follow with a cheeky cocktail at the Lawn Club where you can watch and laugh at everyone else slip and slide all over the place.

4. Terrace Bars & Champagne.

Sip some festive fizz at Epernay, wine and dine at Manchester House and snuggle up in style at Great John Street Hotel. There’s nothing better than an evening of rooftop romance.

5. Games.

Throw in a bit of competition and mix things up with some mulled wine and a game of bowling at All Star Lanes. Surely you can think of a reward for the winner!

6. Cook.

Become a hot shot in the kitchen with help from the master chefs at Chaopraya. For just £60, you’ll learn how to cook authentic Thai dishes using traditional and temporary techniques! Who knows, you may have to put those skills to use in the near future!

7. The Pictures VIP style.

Welcome to the ODEON Gallery; where the cinema stops being the sticky, cramped nightmare-date hovel it so often can be, and becomes a rather chic and mature night out.

The first reason why this is true is that there is a bar, and everyone knows that where there is a bar there are grown ups. The alcohol isn’t free but the prices are decent (£5.95 for a cocktail!)

The sofas are enormous and almost impossible to sit delicately on: don’t fight it, you are going to sink right in.

Enjoy the luxury. Have free nachos refills. Wait leisurely for the film rather than sitting through a hundred adverts with Kevin Bacon in them.

There’s a fridge of soft drinks that you can help yourself to, and there’s a rather exciting heater filled with boxes of popcorn that you can also dig into. All of this is included in the price of upgrading.

If you’re the person who opts for nachos, popcorn and a drink before you settle down in your itchy chair then rethink your life! For the same price, you can have a gigantic leather chair, unlimited free snacks and the option of alcoholic beverages.

All for under a tenner upgrade.