You'd be mad as a March hare to miss this lot...
HAVE you seen a cracking deal around Manchester that we've missed? Or are you a restaurant owner with an offer you'd like to shout about? If so, let us know @mcrconfidential or by email.
SALVI’S - £11 charity pizza
Now here’s a rare instance where scoffing pizza can be virtuous. When Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco found out his best friend’s daughter had been diagnosed with GM1 - a rare, life-limiting regressive genetic condition which currently has no cure - he set about creating the Florence pizza: a take on the classic Fiorentina, with a tomato base topped with fresh mozzarella, a cracked egg and friarielli (wild broccoli). Not only does this Neapolitan delight taste good, it does good too; with profits from both this and the JustGiving page going towards funding vital research into GM1.
Various locations - more info here
GRAFENE - 3 courses for £24 + more
Proof that great offers and quality dining shouldn’t be mutually exclusive, Grafene has a hat-trick of deals that will put a spring in your step for, er, spring. Express lunch is just £19 for two courses, three for £24 - including courses such as Goosnargh chicken, leg croquette, wing, heritage carrot, jus; and cheesecake, rum soaked pineapple and coconut sorbet - while their decadent afternoon tea starts at just £14.50 per person and on Sunday there’s three courses for £24.
Grafene, 55 King Street, M2 4LQ - more info here
HARVEY NICHOLS - Three courses + cocktail for £22 until 10 March
It may be nearing spring but you can still benefit from Harvey Nichols’ three-course winter dining menu until 10 March. Considering it includes the likes of mackerel with red pepper muhammara, kale, walnut & tahini yoghurt - not to mention steamed treacle sponge and the limited edition Golden Kiss cocktail - we’d get a wriggle on sharpish. Available Monday 5-6.45pm and Tues-Sat 5-9.45pm.
Harvey Nichols, 21 Cathedral Approach, M1 1AD - book here
MUSTARD - 15% off food at Mustard for Waterside Arts Centre customers
It’s a win-win scenario at Waterside Arts Centre: not can you choose from a profusion of both regional and touring theatre, book a show and you can benefit from 15% off food at nearby diner Mustard. This Sale hotspot recreates New York’s vibrant hospitality scene, with a plethora of quality comfort dishes spanning brunch to lunch to dinner.
Mustard, 23 Northenden Road, Sale, M33 2DH - more info here
ROSSO - 2 course lunch £16.95 + more
Rosso may have kicked off 2017 with a handsome revamp but one thing it has retained is a roster of impressive value menus, spanning lunch to a la carte. Buy a two-course lunch at £16.95 or three-course Sunday lunch at £25, for example, and accompany dishes like herbed pork loin and calzone primavera with a bottle of wine for just £9.95. T&Cs apply, full details on the website.
Rosso, 43 Spring Gardens, M2 2BG - book here
JAMES MARTIN - Five-course tasting menu for £30
That means each tasting course at the celeb chef’s restaurant costs just £6. Expect the likes of wagyu ox cheek, celeriac, aubergine, caramelised onion and pea shoots. Add matching wines to the winter-themed gastravaganza for just £17.50 extra. Available Monday to Thursday, quote ‘tasting menu’ when booking. T&Cs apply.
James Martin, Manchester235, 2 Watson Street, M3 4LP - book here
DON GIOVANNI - £7 lunch + more
Not content with one deal, this Italian institution has several. Tuck into one-course lunch for £7, or get two courses for £12, with options spanning steak to sea bass and lobster ravioli (available 12-3pm daily). Off to the theatre? Then check out the pre-theatre menu, with dishes like fresh gnocchi and grilled salmon at two courses for £15.95, three for £19.95. Buon appetito.
Don Giovanni, Peter House, 1-2 Oxford Street, M1 5AN - more info here
THE FRENCH - Lunch specials from £15
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know we recently published a review of The French, which has opened under new executive chef Adam Reid following a subtle yet statement refurb. If you did indeed read our illuminating prose (ahem) on the Midland Institution, you’ll also know we thought it well lived up to ‘fine’ dining. But there are no prohibitive price tags of the kind you’d normally find with such calibre: Reid’s dedication to accessibility means, alongside the popular tasting menus, you’ll now find individual lunch specials at max £15.
The French, The Midland, Peter Street, M60 2DS - more info here
SAKANA - 50% off sushi on Mondays
From building schemes to politics, public opinion doesn’t seem to feature very highly on anyone’s agenda at the moment. But fear not: here’s one thing at least where the public has spoken - and someone has listened. Yes, due to popular demand, sushi Mondays are back: promising half priced sushi rolls and fresh sashimi when you book your table over the phone quoting ‘SushiMonday.’
Sakana, 23 Peter Street, M2 5QR - book here
PER TUTTI - Two courses £15 / Three courses £20 on Sunday
Reasonable deals on a weekend are relatively hard to come across, but Liverpool Road’s longstanding Mediterranean restaurant is bucking the trend with a Sunday set deal steal. For two courses for £15, or three for £20, expect the likes of slow-roasted hay-baked lamb complete with all the trimmings. Nearby during the week? They still have their popular two for £10 too.
Per Tutti, 3-11 Liverpool Road, M3 4NW - more info here
WAHACA - £1 tacos on Tuesdays
It unsurprisingly went so well in January that Wahaca is extending its #TacoTuesday offer to the rest of 2017. That means each diner’s first plate of tacos will be just £1 when ordering at least one other dish from the street food or bigger food menu. Each plate includes three tacos, including flavours such as pork pibil - five-hour braised in a secret Yucatan marinade - with an estimated 1000 snapped up each Taco Tuesday. T&CS apply, full details on the website. While we're on the subject of tacos, Revólucion de Cuba is celebrating the launch of its new menu with two free tacos for the first 500 people through the door from midday on Tuesday 14.
Wahaca, The Corn Exchange, Exchange Street, M4 3TR - more info here
ODD - 50% off food on Thursdays
Odd is starting the weekend early, with half price on all mains: from crispy Beavertown ale battered haddock and ‘proper’ fat chips to crispy crumbed halloumi & avocado stack and the famous house burger. Available 12-9pm, excludes small plates and sides.
Odd, 30-32 Thomas Street, M4 1ER - no need to book
EAST Z EAST - 20% off takeaways
Sofa so good. Some nights you simply can’t be bothered - either cooking or dining out. Fortunately Indian restaurant East Z East has extended its 20% off takeaway deal, with a fifth off takeaways when you come and collect. From Punjabi specials like butter chicken to vegetarian karachis and saffron biryanis, there’s no lack of choice either.
Various locations - check the website
NO. 1 WATSON STREET - £10 pizza + pint
It’s not called number one for nothing - this craft beer and pizza sanctuary is a surefire winner when it comes to great value grub. Stop by on weekdays after work for pizza and a pint £10 (that’s a full one by the way, not just a slice) from 5-9pm, drop in for a free hot or soft drink with your homemade sub from 12-4pm weekdays or visit the same time on weekends and you’ll get a free kids’ meal with every paying adult meal.
No. 1 Watson Street, Great Northern Square, M3 4EE - more info here
ROSYLEE - 20% off a la carte with a Manchester Arena ticket
It’s not mentioned on the website but we can confirm this offer’s running - handy if you’ve got an upcoming gig and are searching for one of those elusive percent-off deals that mainly disappeared come Feb. Simple satisfying a la carte meals include chicken pot pie, Inka grill and cheese soufflé. Doesn’t float your boat? Check out our handy guide to eating before an arena gig.
Rosylee, 11 Stevenson Square, M1 1DB - call 0161 228 6629 to book (must produce valid arena ticket on arrival)
SHORYU RAMEN - 2-4-1 buns on Monday
Whilst something doesn’t sound quite right about getting ‘two-for-one-buns,’ it has to be said that Bun Mondays is anything but a bum deal. As Shoryu puts it, you get ‘twice the fluffy goodness’ on a choice of BBQ pork belly, chicken, tiger prawn tempura & grilled halloumi and shimeji mushrooms. You must, however, order a ramen to get your 2-4-1 buns.
Shoryu Ramen, 1 Piccadilly, M1 1RG - more info here
TAPEO - 3 tapas for £11.95 + more
Not content with one offer fantastica, Tapeo have several. Popping in for a weekday lunch, midday to 5pm? Choose from three tapas for £11.95 - spanning Valencian paella to chargrilled octopus with spicy paprika - or stew of the week and any one tapas for just £10.95. If you’re just dropping in for a drink, meanwhile, you’ll get a free pintxo dish with every beer or wine or soft drink, weekdays between 4 and 6pm.
Tapeo & Wine, 209 Deansgate, M3 3NW - book here
GUSTO - 2 courses for £12.95 + more
One place that certainly lives up to its name, Gusto has put some clout into its new lunch, early evening and Sunday menus. Lunch is available 12-5pm Monday to Saturday - including dishes like garganelli arrabiata and homemade doughnuts with Chantilly cream - at two courses £12.95, three for £14. Early evening dining (5-7pm) includes a starter, main and spritz cocktail for under £20. And Sunday offers the likes of oven-baked cod fillet wrapped in
Tuscan ham with spiced pepperoni lentils, at two courses for £15.95 and three for £18.95.
Gusto, 4 Lloyd Street (off Deansgate), M2 5AB - book here
BLACK DOG BALLROOM - Sunday roast for £9.95 or £11.95
You may or may not be aware but - in case of the latter - we’re dutifully letting you know that Black Dog now do Sunday roasts. Yep, roast strip loin of beef or honey roast belly pork with crackling - both served with too many things to list here (but think fresh garden peas sautéed with bacon & cream and roast potatoes with rosemary and garlic…) That’s of course in addition to their assortment of other offers (NWS and NQ). Black Dog takes its role as a man’s best friend very seriously indeed.
Various locations - more info here
BIERKELLER - 50% off Friday night packages
It’s ‘March madness’ at the Bierkeller, and that means half price of all their Friday night packages: from bronze to silver to gold. Great for parties, all include live music, cloakroom use, table service, free shot and a soft pretzel - add a stein of cider/beer or cocktail for silver packages and a Bavarian sausage meal for gold. With discounts of up to £10 per person, that means group savings are pretty substantial.
Bierkeller, The Printworks, Withy Grove, M4 2BS - book here