Holding the impressive title of the world’s first cricket simulator, Sixes Social Cricket inn Manchester brings both a fun experience and a menu of British gastropub classics. The venue has sister sites in London and comes from the team behind much-loved Scottish chain Mac and Wild who are renowned for their creative twists on dining and entertaining (previous gigs include a virtual deer stalking experience).
Here, in Manchester, hearty fare is at the centre of the menu which can be enjoyed before, during or after cricket, or without a side of sport if your preference for physical activity around your dinner is somewhat unenthusiastic. Small plates can be served as starters but are best shared with friends so you can try a little of everything. Think retro cheese straws, coronation bubble and squeak pakoras with a mango chutney dip or homemade sausage rolls encased in all-butter pastry.
Mains include a hefty 45-day aged bone-in ribeye steak served alongside burnt onion jam, a bone marrow crumb and the ever-essential triple cooked chips. A roast chicken crown with Charlotte potatoes fills the Sunday roast shaped hole in all of our lives, while veggies and vegans are catered for too by way of dishes like slow roasted aubergine with white bean puree, burnt onions and tamarind.
Cocktails are a playful take on traditional serves with names like Tea Time and Cloud Atlas. The former is a mix of Yorkshire tea gin with strawberry, lemon and cloudy apple juice; while the latter is a pink grapefruit and vodka concoction offset with flavours of rose, dry cherry, lemon and topped with mysteriously named ‘clouds’.
If you’re there for the match points then make sure to book your net in advance. Parties between 2-9 can be accommodated and you can choose which skill level you’d like to play at to make for a fun experience for all.