Unique Ideas for Date Night in Manchester
Last month, I spent a couple of days in Manchester for my Boyfriend’s birthday. As you might all know, I’m always planning trips and I love to be super organised. I’d done a bit of research on Manchester to find some of the best places to visit for date night. Turns out, there are so many options in Manchester. Too many to choose from! We managed to go to quite a few places but I thought I’d put my research to good use and put together a blog post on places that make a fun and unique night out in Manchester.
Junkyard Golf
The top thing we were desperate to do is Junkyard Golf which is located on First Street near the Deansgate and Oxford Street Train Stations. I’d seen so many people try out Junkyard Golf in the various cities that it’s located in (also in Oxford, London and coming soon to Leeds – YES!). It’s for 18+ only and serves drinks and food with a very unique spin the traditional crazy golf scene. There are three courses which you can play on for £8 a round; Bozo, Pablo and Gary. We went for the Pablo course which was described as tropical madness. I’m a massive fan of this course as I won and got three holes in ones – Winner!
Junkyard Golf isn’t the only unique crazy golf course in the city. I’ve had my eyes on Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Park for a couple of months. We are yet to try the course which features huge Dinosaur models, every time we’ve passed in the car it looks crazy busy with insane ques. I’m hoping to stop by mid-week and in term time when it’s a little quieter.
Sunday Roast Fondue at Bøck Café
Whilst I found plenty of amazing looking places for a roast dinner like The Hawksmoor and The Albert Square Chop House, it was Bøck Café that caught my eye for its Sunday Roast Fondue. Served on a Sunday and Monday, this European Cafe offers a Sunday Roast for two with a twist. For £25, you get either slow-cooked beef brisket or roast chicken served with Yorkshire pudding waffles, a large selection of Veg and a big, amazing pot of gravy to dip everything in. The whole experience was delicious, and I thought the price point was so reasonable for the amount we had. Throughout the week, the menu looks just as amazing with cheese fondue, chicken waffles and even a pizza fondue on the menu. I’ll definitely be back very soon!
Sunset by Australasia
This is certainly the talk of the town. When we were in Manchester, Sunset by Australasia had been open just a couple of days but now everyone seems to have paid this pink piece of heaven a visit. The decor in this place is to die for with floral walls and pink furniture making it the perfect place for a few drinks. Sunset is the sister bar to fine dining restaurant; Australiasia. I believe Sunset does also serve food and also does an Afternoon Tea which I’d absolutely love to try.
If you’re looking for some lush places for a few drinks in Manchester, I’d also recommend 20 Stories which is just around the corner from Sunset and offers incredible panoramic views over the city.
Dog Bowl
We popped into Dog Bowl which isn’t too far away from Junkyard Golf for a few drinks but it’s actually got five full-length ten-pin bowling lanes. It was quite busy when we were in, otherwise we would’ve had a go! They also own Black Dog Ballroom across town which I’ve been in before where you can have a game of pool. Both bars are great for a few drinks with a bit of fun thrown in!
Roxy Ball Room
Similar to the latter, Roxy Ball Room is another bar offering great food and drinks whilst allowing you to play a few games. Roxy Ball Room on Deansgate has ping pong and pool tables. I’m not too sure how I would fair playing ping pall, there might be balls flying everywhere! Roxy Ball Room has also opened its own Golf Course in Manchester and have branches across the north with a bowling alley in the Leeds bar.
Finding a Secret Bar
There are plenty of hidden and secret bars in Manchester. One I have heard a lot about is called The Washhouse, which poses as a working Laundrette but there’s actually a bar behind one of the machines! It’s not too far from The Arndale, and I believe you have to ring ahead to find out instructions on how to enter. How exciting?!
Another hidden bar I’ve heard of is The Convenience Store, which is located in the Northern Quarte,r which has plenty of amazing restaurants and bars. From the outside, The Convenience Store looks like your normal corner shop, but actually, it’s a bar!
InflataNation
Another activity that’s on my list for when it’s a bit quieter is InflataNation. These have been popping up across the country. I think the one in Manchester near Trafford Park was the first one. InflataNation is an inflatable theme park complete with a huge ball pool, and on a Friday night after 7 pm it’s adults only! They have recently opened one in Beverly which is a lot closer to home so we might have to pop over and check it out!
Chill Factore
Also out at Trafford Park is the Chill Factore, which is an indoor snowboarding and skiing slope! I’ve had zero experience on the slopes but I’d really like to try this out. I think it could actually be a lot of fun. This is also perfect to brush up on your skiing skills before a skiing holiday, an hourly pass is only £15!
Have you been to any of these places in Manchester? What’s your ideal date night?
Stefan is a very lucky man! I need a trip to Manchester now.
Definitely gonna keep a few of these in mind when I visit Manchester. That InflataNation place looks so fun (but maybe not after you’ve had a few haha)
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The secret bars sounds great! I’ve never heard of one before, guess I’ll need to make the 3 hour trip to Macnchester. I’ve only ever been there three times in my life. I loved the Chill Factore! We watched from the warmth of the cafe as we didn’t have time to try it out. We did visit Old Trafford though and had a tour around the stadium. We also played arcade games in the Trafford Centre which was a lot of fun.