Manchester 235 is situated in the heart of Manchester City Centre, just off Deansgate, making it the perfect location for not only a Casino experience; but with two fantastic restaurants (one soon to be taken over by celebrity chef James Martin) and a brand new Vegas style bar, it’s a great place dress up, people watch and grab a cocktail - whether you fancy a flutter or not!
The Venue
Manchester 235 is situated in the Great Northern and accessible via a side street entrance or through the warehouse up a giant escalator. The casino has an open door policy meaning that you can stroll straight in and grab a drink at the bar before you decide what game you fancy your chances at. Manchester 235 has just had a revamp – there are private booths available to hire in Vega Lounge - making it a great place to start your night with all the glitz and glamour you would expect.
Manchester235's recently refurbished Vega Lounge cocktail bar
Clientele and Atmosphere
I had opted to take part in one of Casino experiences with two friends and settled into one of the private booths in Vega lounge to grab a drink before our lesson began. It was early on a Saturday evening and the casino was full of groups of people young and old dressed up and ready for a night out. Although there were a few serious gamers at the tables the majority of the crowd seemed to be made up of celebrations and other groups coming to take part in a casino experience. We were introduced to roulette and blackjack by the extremely patient and knowledgeable casino team and by the time the 30 minutes was up we had a basic grasp of both games. It would have been nicer to spend a bit longer practicing but we ended up just getting involved on the main tables – and walking away with a £100 win (can’t guarantee you will do the same though!).
Food & Drink
We were treated to one of Vega Lounge's specialities – Shot Roulette. The ultimate party game; we had to spin a wheel of shots to find out who would end up drinking the mixture of 'light & fruity' or 'hard & strong' shots. A good deal of fun (though perhaps it would have been more sensible to enjoy this after we had finished playing on the tables) but the party atmosphere was too tempting to turn down. The bar is open till 6am, perfect for a late night drink with a 24 hour food menu featuring pizzas and light bites. For something a little bit special Linen restaurant serves contemporary food till 11pm which also features a private chef's table and even a boutique wine room. We didn’t have a chance to enjoy either of these as we were too busy on the tables, but it’s certainly on the cards for next time.
Shot Roulette; just one of the innovative cocktail concepts at Manchester235
Summary
Manchester 235 offers a relaxed casino experience without compromising on the excitement and glamour you would hope for and expect from a city centre casino. Its open door policy and central location makes it the perfect place to go and grab a late drink even if you don’t gamble. The casino organises a mix of one off events such as burlesque and live music, along with weekly DJs and a poker lounge. I’d certainly recommend the casino experience to anyone interested in learning a bit more about the games in an entertaining way.
