Bowling is such a flukey thing to me; sometimes I’m queen of the gutter ball but othertimes, when I least expect it, it’s only a blooming strike. When #TeamCoco were invited to check out All Star Lanes Manchester‘s newly launched menu, I at least knew I would ace the brunching part…
The Manchester outpost of popular retro styled All Star Lanes is housed in the Great Northern Warehouse where the old AMC cinema of my teenage years used to live. Just a stone’s throw from the gloriously fun Peaky Blinders bar and Brew Dog, this bowling alley is the great starter for a boozy night – or, my absolute favourite, day out.
At the weekends the dark, classy, americana alley and dining room opens from 11am so we bagged a table around lunch and got to doing what we do best; eating through the menu. On first glances we were impressed by the variety on offer; from the delightfully sweet Sriracha Chicken Wings, Mac’n’cheese right through to healthier options like a Quinoa Salad – if you want to save space for dessert.
The team are super clued up about vegan and gluten free options making it a great spot for catching up with your girls, if you don’t quite know what everyone’s eating at the moment…
Across four of us, we tactically ordered so we could try as many dishes as possible. We don’t usually judge a book by its cover but, in this case, every dish placed in front of us was met with a ‘woah, this is way better than I was expecting’ and a double check of the prices on the menu. This, friends, is the ace up your sleeve when pay day is just too far away but you want a luxe meal in town.
The bottomless add-on didn’t shaft us, in the way that so many places do with their Bellini’s full of sugar and no alcohol; for an extra £20 with any main dish you get 2.5 hours of bottomless Prosecco, Mimosa or a selection of delicious craft ales including my weakness, Beavertown’s Gamma Ray. The team are also not shy about getting you refills; shout out to our waiter who helped us get good and buzzed before hitting the lanes…
The bowling alleys just behind the dining area are super smart, shiny and a lot of fun. Get your insta shots of your bowling shoes with some of their ‘candy shop’ american treats, another beer and put the bumpers up; no-one’s judging.
You could even consider hiring their ‘so-tacky-it’s-glorious’ Jungle Room with its Elvis-tastic leopard print carpet for a big do, you can even come over all Priscilla and get married in there. Then we should probably talk about their other private space, The West Wing…
The All Star Lanes can be found in Manchester at 235 Deansgate M3 4EN, allstarlanes.co.uk
We’ll be back.