Celebrate Valentine’s Day in style with fine-dining, date nights and thoughtful gifts at Great Northern

From refined tasting menus and timeless date nights to artisan chocolate and last-minute creative gifts, The Great Northern once again delivers a romance-ready line-up of Valentine’s experiences for couples, friends and everyone in between.

For lovers of classic romance and elevated dining, James Martin Manchester returns with another supremely refined Valentine’s tasting menu, running throughout this week until Sat 14 Feb. Priced at £60pp, the five-course affair showcases seasonal ingredients and signature favourites across a memorable evening at one of Manchester’s foremost fine-dining institutions. Book your table HERE.

Over at authentic tapas hotspot Evuna, couples can escape to the Med and share the love with a selection of chef’s specials throughout February, alongside an excellent wine list. Small plate highlights include mushroom croquettes with truffle alioli, traditional lentil soup with spicy chorizo, and prawn and shrimp fritters with a creamy sauce.

Pan-Asian street food favourite Suki Suki offers a more casual take on Valentine’s dining with its Love At First Bite set menu. Priced at £35pp, the easy-going experience includes a complimentary glass of prosecco followed by three courses – also designed for sharing. Diners can start with tuna tataki and orange tofu, move on to hoisin short ribs, garlic king prawns or miso butter tofu, and finish with strawberry cheesecake, mochi or matcha tiramisu.

If you’d rather swap hazy candlelight for hard-fought competition, Lane 7 brings a welcome shot of neon-flecked gaming to the conventional date night, with bowling lanes, arcade games, karaoke and cocktails all under one roof. For a night of unpretentious fun pricing to match, Lane 7’s All In package offers unlimited access to all games, all day, every day, starting from £18pp – with larger group bookings available for Galentine’s parties. Book yours HERE.

For a thoughtful Valentine’s gift that supports local independents, Dormouse Chocolates offers a beautifully crafted selection of chocolate hearts made by the award-winning Manchester chocolatier. Options include a passionfruit white chocolate heart with popping candy, a Trio Reserve milk chocolate heart with almonds and smoked sea salt, and a Tome-Açu dark chocolate heart infused with rose and raspberry. Shop online or in-store.

Foodies keen to try something new can head to Doux Chaton, the newly opened and hotly anticipated Vietnamese joint with an expanded French patisserie. From banh mi to choux and beyond, the already-popular fusion specialists provide fresh flavours, vibrant dishes and a blissfully laid-back contemporary dining experience without breaking the bank.

Art lovers can discover an array of new works throughout the month, as Great Northern hosts two new exhibitions featuring Manchester artists Ben Rock, also known as SKETCHMCR, and Jodie Silverman. Open and free to visit at 237 -239 Deansgate, the exhibitions bring together Rock’s energetic cityscapes and murals with Silverman’s narrative portraiture and figurative work. Both artists are residents of Great Northern’s GRIT Studios, so you can support local talent while discovering new fine art favourites this Valentine’s Day.

When it comes to date night planning, it’s hard to beat a classic night at the movies. From Fri 13 Feb, ODEON is screening the newly released Wuthering Heights, the latest adaptation of the sweeping love story. Pick up some snacks and settle in for an achingly romantic silver screen experience – you can also treat your favourite film fanatic to a year of unlimited screenings with the MyLIMITLESS membership, starting at just £16.99 per month.

If you’ve left it late to find a card that isn’t at the bottom of a ransacked supermarket shelf, keep an eye out for free Valentine’s postcards dotted around the Great Northern Warehouse site. Created by local artists Sally Marshall and Rachel Mackerness, they offer a unique, charming and chic alternative to the clunking poems and vaguely insulting puns.

Find out more about what’s on at The Great Northern HERE.