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UK travel

Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

Friday night/Saturday in Manchester next month - tips please!

15 replies

MadameBethune · 25/10/2025 20:48

I'm going to a conference then meeting DD (24) afterwards. We'll have Friday evening and all day Saturday together in Manchester. Hotel booked near Peter's Square.

Any suggestions please for places to go and things to do?

We like:
vegetarian food
cocktails (but not a DJ bar)
art/culture/museums
vintage shopping

OP posts:
Noluthando · 25/10/2025 20:51

Vintage shopping - Afflecks palace
there are two art galleries - Manchester and Whitworth
Manchester museum is also good and is on the same road as the Whitworth

MadameBethune · 25/10/2025 20:59

Afflecks and the Whitworth look great, thank you

OP posts:
DCorMe · 25/10/2025 21:01

I love Refuge and its art deco but Browns is also a nice venue for cocktails.
do you like ultra trendy or a more chilled vibe?

DCorMe · 25/10/2025 21:04

DD recommends Samsi and says lots of veggie options

MadameBethune · 25/10/2025 21:10

I am not ultra trendy but Refuge looks amazing, do you think I would have to book a table to be able to get in for drinks on a Friday?

OP posts:
NoMumLeftBehindLiz · 25/10/2025 22:12

Speak in Code for cocktails. El Gato Negro does some vegetarian tapas.

NoMumLeftBehindLiz · 25/10/2025 22:13

Or Dishoom for their black dhal.

ZenNudist · 25/10/2025 22:29

Cocktails
Arcane off deansgate
Wood &co near King St South
Both near enough to st Peters Square
I also recommend el gato negro if over that side of town

We had great Cocktails over at from dusk til pawn in northern quarter. That's where afflecks is
Highly recommend a browse around tbe Northern quarter
Nells for massive pizza in NQ

Ruby's also good for pizza and there's one on Peter St

I went to canto, sister restaurant to el gato negro it's in ancoats so you'd have to taxi but then jane eyre round the corner an excellent Cocktail bar. I'd just stick to your side of town and go to el gato negro but ancoats is great.

Dishoom is great and not too far from arcane. There's a lovely underground bar called the lamplight or something between dishoom and on the walk to arcane. Quite characterful but proper pub, mainly craft ales and gins.

Over towards ancoats backing onto northern quarter is little Vietnam with a bunch of low key Vietnamese restaurants like blue panda.

You could go to China town. Kareoke in k2, I like pho cue for cheap eats (more Vietnamese) but not sure of veggie options. That's not too far from samsi which is back towards Picadilly.

Good restaurants in the corn exchange. Chains like mowgli and pho plus tampopo I like the dehli house cafe for Indian. Backs onto arndale for shopping.

Manchester is good if you have a guide as it's spread out and there's good places all over. I'd just uber rather than walking loads. Get the bus up oxford road towards whitworth.

Beetlebum1981 · 25/10/2025 22:53

https://erst-mcr.co.uk/

They do great food but it’s a small menu so not a huge number of vegetarian options.

For drinks/cocktails try:
https://www.schofieldsbar.com/

https://www.thejaneeyre.co.uk/home-ancoats

MadameBethune · 26/10/2025 16:57

Wow, some amazing recommendations!

I rather thought Manchester would be a good place to look for cocktails....😁

Thank you everyone

OP posts:
cluecu · 26/10/2025 17:02

It's about a 15 min walk or you can get the tram from st Peter's but bundobust is really good, Indian vegetarian food. It's fairly casual so depends if you want something special but I always enjoy the food there and I'm not vegetarian.

DisplayPurposesOnly · 26/10/2025 17:27

art/culture/museums

Royal Exchange theatre has Singing In The Rain from 29 November if youre there then. Even if not, worth popping in to see the building anyway for its history. See what's on at the Palace Theatre, the Opera House or Home.

Chethams Library (near Victoria station) or John Rylands Library (Deansgate) are both stunning.

There are free walking tours every day at 11am. Meet at the Alan Turing statue in Sackville Gardens.

MadameBethune · 27/10/2025 18:23

Thank you, I do like a walking tour and a fab library.

OP posts:
OMGitsnotgood · 11/01/2026 14:19

The Alchemist for unusual cocktails. There’s one just off Piccadilly gardens and one in Spinningfields.

Twenty stories for cocktails with a view (but I wouldn’t recommend eating there, over priced for mediocre quality). Have a look at the Ivy’s menu (next door to 20 Stories to see if it suits).

Various places for cocktails in the Corn Exchange. For food, Pho is one of my favourites and seems to have lots of vegetarian options.

Take a look at the People’s History museum website to see if that’s the sort of thing that would interest you.

OMGitsnotgood · 11/01/2026 14:21

Just realised this is an old thread so my suggestions are a bit late for the OP. Might be useful for others tho!

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