Sugar Rays

Newton Street, Manchester

Sugar Rays is one of the newest additions to Manchester’s Northern Quarter. It’s a polished underground cocktail bar which serves gourmet hotdogs and waffles alongside a huge array of cocktails, whiskeys and beers.  Situated on Newton Street, next to Alabama’s All American Eatery, it brings the vibes of New York City to the streets of Manchester.  

It’s subtle, blink-and-you’ll miss it exterior is nothing more than an open door on the pavement, with an A-board inviting you inside. You descend down the half-a-dozen steps into a modern, stylish cocktail bar, complete with wooden panelling, dark finishing and chesterfield sofas. The music wasn’t booming but it could have been slightly more subtle, considering we were in a desolate bar at one o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. Granted, though, the atmosphere was alive and kicking and there was a fine selection of soul and disco classics being pumped out.  It definitely has the feel of a cocktail bar. Dining alone in the middle of the day didn’t feel quite right. 

Sugar Rays

The staff were friendly and welcoming, inviting us to sit anywhere. I’m sure I’m not the only one who becomes overwhelmed when given free reign of seating. I’d much rather be directed to a table.

It’s a select menu, but it does what it says on the tin. There’s a choice of eight hot dogs and four waffles, all £7.50. As always, truly dedicated to my cause, I knew from the get go that I had to try both a hotdog and a waffle. Whether or not you’re supposed to do that is another matter. Judge me at your will.

I chose the Deli Dog, which was topped with sliced pastrami, dill pickles, mustard aioli (a posh term for mayonnaise) and Swiss cheese. Hot dogs are not usually my forte, thanks to the rubbery texture of the processed sausage meat. Thankfully, these were proper sausages with a smoky flavour and a meaty texture. It was a case of meat overload, as there was heaps of pastrami piled on top. The mustard was subtle, thankfully, as I’m not a fan of an overpowering mustard flavour. Along with the Swiss cheese, it was necessary, otherwise the hotdog would have been too dry. 

It was a case of not one but two ‘firsts’ for me. It’s the first time I’ve ever had a hotdog served in a brioche bun. It worked very well. Brioche is slightly sweet, which added an extra dimension of flavour to this meat-fest. It’s also very light and fluffy, which meant the hotdog wasn’t stodgy or heavy, so it didn’t sit like a brick on the chest. It’s also the first time I’ve ever had to eat a hotdog with a knife and fork. Much like a burger, when it’s simply too messy to even think about picking it up, you know it’s something special. 

Deli Dog

Again, waffles are not something I would generally order in a restaurant, but when in Rome and all that. This decision was an easy one: it had to be the Cookies and Cream variety. No description could have prepared me for the towering spectacle which was delivered. It was a triple stack of waffles, with Nutella and crushed gooey cookies sandwiched between each layer. Nestled on top were four whole Oreos and an enormous splodge of whipped cream. Add to that a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a jug of maple syrup for pouring, and it was the sweetest, stickiest creation you could imagine: a glorious sugar heaven.

Cookies and Cream Waffles

Priced at £7.50, it’s no more expensive than you would expect for a dessert in the city centre, but it was double the size. The sheer volume of constituents is just unbelievable. Oreos, cookies, Nutella, waffles, ice cream, all in one.

Sugar Rays is a sleek and stylish cocktail bar which makes you feel as though you’re in the middle of the Big Apple. The hot dogs and waffles are ‘gourmet’ in every sense of the word, I doubt you’ll find better anywhere else. We were the only people in there for the duration of our lunch, but even so there was still a vibrant atmosphere, so by night it must be electric. I’d like to return for a (non-alcoholic) cocktail.

Their extensive drinks menu can be seen, alongside their hotdogs and waffles, on the venue’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sugarraysnq/