This Port Street venue serves up exciting food from the Horn of Africa in a simple, unshowy space. Think buzzy café rather than equity-funded chain-in-the-making.

Head Of Steam ticks all boozy boxes. They’re nailing beers and cocktails, and serving up the exact kind of food your alcohol-addled brain could want. All high-quality, all with enough variety to keep you happy for many a midweek blowout.

We’ve long been fans of Manchester’s Blues Kitchen here at CT HQ. Art deco design features, generous Americana plates and a Northern Soul-heavy soundtrack – what’s not to love?

Tea-brining? Put your trust in the Butter Bird crew. They’re the chicken boffins, and we salute them.

The Lowry Hotel’s Valentine’s programme is built around a £60 four-course menu at The River Restaurant. The kitchen is serving Morecambe Bay oysters and Dexter beef fillet, followed by a dark chocolate cremeux for dessert.

Over at the RE:TREAT spa, the Couples Serenity Suite combines a 90-minute hot stone massage with a session in a sensory deprivation tank.

Hotelwise, for an overnight stay on February 13 or 14, the £395 “Lowry Love Story” package includes a superior river-view room and a bottle of champagne. A second deal, “Love at The Lowry,” runs through the rest of the month and offers room upgrades alongside a £35 restaurant credit.

Canto in Ancoats is running a selection of Valentine’s specials on February 13 and 14. The kitchen is starting with fresh oysters in either a Bloody Mary or leche de tigre dressing, alongside tuna tataki with vegetable ceviche. The main dish is a 300g fire-charred sirloin steak served with a Manchego sauce. For dessert, they are serving a meringue with coffee cream, cherry, and dark chocolate shavings.

El Gato Negro is running some special Valentine’s plates on February 13 and 14. A mixed croquette platter carries Payoyo cheese and piquillo pepper croquettes alongside a chicken chorizo paella bowl. More? A roasted rack of lamb is finished with a pistachio and herb crust, plus olive potatoes. For seafood lovers, king scallops are paired with ginger pea purée and coriander gremolada.

San Carlo’s Manchester locations – including Fumo and Cicchetti – are running an Italian-themed Valentine’s event from February 9 to 15. The week features signature cocktails and exclusive desserts designed for the occasion. Between February 13 and 15, the atmosphere will be stepped up at Cicchetti Manchester and San Carlo Alderley Edge with live music and DJ sets scheduled across the weekend.

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.

Sticking with Liverpool, Titanic Hotel Liverpool has launched its 2026 Valentine’s schedule, featuring a new Galentine’s Afternoon Tea from February 12 to 15. At £31.50 per person, the menu includes champagne and rose macarons alongside berry and matcha Battenberg. For a more substantial meal, Stanley’s Bar & Grill is serving a £105 surf and turf for couples, pairing 6oz steaks with lobster thermidor.

Throughout February, the Rum Bar and Stanley’s are also offering two glasses of Lanson champagne starting at £20. The hotel’s subterranean spa, Maya Blue Wellness, is providing ESPA couples’ massages within its thermal suite. Overnight guests can book room additions ranging from rose petals on the bed to bottles of Lanson.

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.