Skip to main content

izzylanghamer
26th October 2021

Blues Kitchen: A dream come blue

Visit Blues Kitchen for soul food, exquisite cocktails and an atmospheric club night.
Categories:
TLDR
Blues Kitchen: A dream come blue
Blues Kitchen, Photo: Blues Kitchen

A bright neon sign guides you down Quay Street to Blues Kitchen, one of the best places in Manchester to spend a Friday night. Blues Kitchen’s currently has a £5 cocktail deal on Wednesdays and happy hour 5-7pm on Fridays, making it accessible for students. With its sumptuous decor, a constant hubbub of chatter and a menu that puts most to shame, it’s no wonder that Blues is packed out. Busy yes, but the staff here don’t seem fazed. In fact, they whizz around the room like skaters on ice, depositing a drink here and a smile there with professional ease. When we ordered at the bar, our drinks were brought smoothly to our table- no need to lift a finger with this level of service. This was just the start to our Blues experience, which left us as content and stuffed as after Christmas dinner. 

To start we ordered four cocktails between us, a far cry from our usual vodka lemonades. At an eye-watering £10.50 they’re certainly not cheap, but as a special treat they were exquisite. I had the Marmalade Cup, with real marmalade in, which was as sweet and comforting as a hug from Paddington bear.

Our other favourites throughout the night were the silky smooth Espresso Martini which was the best we’ve ever tried, as well as the Hurricane which came with the wow factor of a trip to Havana itself. Later, we tried the Pinot Grigio because I once read that every good restaurant should have a wine around the £20 mark! At £23.90, this wine was dry and refreshing, the perfect companion to the meal. Drinks wise, Blues really delivers. 

Grilled meat at Blues Kitchen
Mouthwatering grilled meat at Blues Kitchen, Photo: Blues Kitchen

The menu at Blues hones in on its New Orleans theme. We started with the buffalo cauliflower, a deliciously spicy dish that ended on a sweet note. We paired this with the rich and creamy spinach and artichoke dip served with blue corn tortillas – our advice is to dip the cauliflower into the spinach for a real taste sensation. Blues is known for its burgers, and to its credit they were mouthwateringly soft, particularly its vegan burger. Stray further down the menu though, and treat yourself to the beef brisket. Flavoursome and moist, the brisket is a must-try for meateaters. 

Burger at Blues Kitchen
Burger at Blues Kitchen, Photo: Blues Kitchen

Side-wise, we had the mac ‘n’ cheese and the cornbread with honey butter. Whilst both tasty, they were perhaps the most average dishes we tried. Far from ordinary was the white chocolate and ginger cheesecake, resplendent with caramelised bananas. The perfect finisher, it was light, creamy and gingerbread sweet. If you’ve really got a sweet tooth, we suggest the vegan chocolate milkshake. It slides down your throat as smoothly as a happy hour pint at Friendship, and is just as refreshing!

Blues Kitchen club area at night
Blues Kitchen at Night, Photo: Blues Kitchen, Jack Kirwin -JK Photography-

By this point, we were as comfortable as four plump pillows, and headed up to the club area. The club is free in Blues, and well worth a trip. Livelier than most clubs and far nicer an environment, we’ll certainly be returning soon! The music that night was mostly soul and pop, making for a vibrant, dancy atmosphere. Red and orange light played across the faces of the crowd as the live music from below echoed up. 

As one of my friends put it: it blue us away!!

Izzy Langhamer

Izzy Langhamer

Izzy Langhamer enjoys writing all things Manchester, covering food, drink and music across the city. In her spare time she studies English Literature.

More Coverage

TikTok and Teatox: Why social media is sucking the joy out of food

From ‘What I Eat in a Day’ videos to fad diet trends, social media’s rampant championing of toxic diet culture needs to stop

Margarita Month at Zouk: All style, less substance

Zouk is offering a trio of Margaritas this February to celebrate Margarita Month; yet it seems like all the thought was put into presentation, and less into the drink itself

Flight Club: Margarita Month with a twist

We headed to Flight Club to try their special cocktails in honour of Margarita Month, from Mango Margs to Spicy Picantes

The concept of small plate dining

Tapas, dim sum, chaat, meze, banchan and more!