Velvet Hotel, Manchester

Velvet, situated at the Piccadilly end of Canal Street is a small, well decorated basement cafe bar. The steps into the bar include an underfoot fishtank - surreal, but cool. In the daytime it is possible to drink or eat outside on Canal Street in the summer. The food served throughout the day is excellent and reasonably priced, with generous portion sizes. For night-time eating, it is best to book a table in advance. At night, it becomes less of a restaurant and more of a bar, attracting young sophisticants. Do make sure you go to the loo to enjoy watching QVC as you relieve yourself! ... more

Velvet is a funky night out and a superb place to go for lunch! The music is loud and fun, the people are friendly and the atmosphere is great! The decor is wooden floors mixed with fantastic colours for the seating, etc and very well maintained. The staff always helpful and approachable and the beer’s reasonably priced for the City centre! The food is expensive but very well prepared and beautifully presented. The potato skins with cheese and bacon are definitely worth a try (although expensive for the size of the portion). Nice place to go with friends for food or beer! ... more