Liverpool’s lovely Vetch features in the SquareMeal top 100 list for the second consecutive year, ranked at No. 36 and the highest spot of any venue in the city. We loved it and you will too.

Chotto Matte’s Valentine’s event takes place on February 13 and 14, showcasing Nikkei flavours. Two new cocktails at £14 each: the pisco-based Spicy Beso and a Highland Blush made with Johnnie Walker. The food menu includes sharing plates like beef carpaccio, fresh oysters, and a Tomahawk steak, alongside a Wagyu udon carbonara. For dessert, there is a shared baked peach melba brioche. There’s also a neon-lit Kissing Booth from February 11 to 14, plus photobooth for the main event.

For the big love day, Side Street runs a cocktail and small plates tasting on Friday February 13 and Saturday February 14. For £40 per person, guests receive five taster-sized house cocktails paired with matched snacks.

Salford’s biggest food hall, Kargo MKT hosts a range of events throughout February, including
Lego building sessions, Valentine’s-themed arts and crafts, and K-Pop-themed family parties.

Ready for love, like Elton? (John, not Ben.) Pip at Treehouse Hotel hosts a Valentine’s weekend (February 13-15) packed with social experiences, ranging from Friday’s communal ‘Seats for Strangers’ dinner for solo guests to a Sunday drag brunch hosted by Anna Phylactic. The evening set menu (£60-£70) delivers Scottish landed clams and Yorkshire grass-fed beef, alongside Saturday’s illustration-led lunch and a new daily 4pm-6pm happy hour.

The unfailingly excellent Blues Kitchen provides a dedicated outpost for the Super Bowl, screening every bit of ball-in-motion, and, of course, the half-time spectacle on its big screen. It’s a late-night deal, but fear not, the bar and kitchen remain open until 1:30 AM, serving grand old menu of American staples: think Buffalo wings and burgers.

Albert’s Schloss on Peter Street has transformed into the glamtastically titled Chalet Albert up til the end of March. This means a menu of Alpine-inspired indulgence featuring cheese fondue and the gravy-drenched Baron Burger. The three-month takeover combines high-energy après-ski entertainment with five-shot schnapps paddles and even a competition to win a seven-night stay in Val Thorens.

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill offers a five-course Valentine’s set menu for £39.95, delivering technical Punjabi craft without the usual seasonal markup. The evening features live accompaniment from Royal College of Music musicians alongside signature dishes like Achari Lamb and Lasooni Tiger Prawns, while a morning cooking class (£150 per couple) serves as a hands-on alternative for those preferring to master the kitchen themselves.

From February 5 to March 14, Freight Island transforms into a dedicated Six Nations hub, screening every tournament fixture alongside its formidable culinary roster of Burgerism, Nell’s Pizza, and V.Goode Pies. General admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis, though reserved seating options start at £5 per person for those requiring a guaranteed vantage point and a house drink.

Stow is among the very, very best of the new wave of Manchester restaurants. The menu isn’t long or overly elaborate, but by Jove it’s mighty. Thoughtful and exciting small plates, that manage to wow outside the Michelin-defined confines of ‘fine dining’.

The Horse and Jockey is back and better than it ever was. Based on this and the Black Friar, the restoration team is doing important, brilliant things to the Manchester landscape.

Two of the North-west’s most respected chefs are teaming up for a one-night collaboration dinner and we couldn’t recommend it more. On Tuesday 27 January, Oli Martin of Aven in Preston, a former finalist and later winner of MasterChef: The Professionals, joins Dan McGeorge, GBM Champion of Champions 2021, at McGeorge’s Liverpool restaurant Vetch.

The six-course menu reflects their post-TV evolution and shared influences. With just 26 seats, the evening is an intimate snapshot of where both chefs are now. Tickets are £95 per head, with an optional wine pairing available.

Our famed guide to the best deals in the city. All restaurants and bars tried and tested, and all doing something above the norm. Keep checking back – we’ll add more throughout the month.

Spring Gardens isn’t historically known as a hotspot for first-rate drinking holes, but with this and the recently-launched Posie, it looks like we might have another destination district on our hands. Just don’t call it a quarter.

Buck your ideas up, sort yourself out, stop eating meat. That’s the kind of tough love you need in January. Follow through on your eco-conscious, healthy eating resolutions with our guide to the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Manchester.