Valentine’s Day, hey? Comes around every year, just like clockwork, and if you’re anything like us here at tastecard, then you forget about it until about two weeks beforehand and then get into a mad scramble wondering about the right kind of gift for your loved one. We want charming and we want fun, but ultimately we don’t want to break the bank. The coffers are stretched to their very limits after the excesses of Christmas and New Year, and then around comes good old Cupid with his day of romantic gestures, and the bank account takes another battering. When thinking about what to get your partner for Valentine’s Day - we have the answer. Why not get your loved one a membership to tastecard?
Tom Pressman
10-01-2025
Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion for a romantic dinner. They say the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, so with that in mind, tastecard makes for a brilliant gift to treat your loved to 2 for 1 dining, 25% off the total bill and 50% off food across 1000s of mouth-watering restaurants all over the country.
Whether you’re planning a cosy meal for two or exploring new together, tastecard is accepted at thousands of exciting and diverse eateries around. To give you a taste of what’s on offer, we’re highlighting two incredible restaurants – but trust us, there’s a whole world of dining discounts waiting to be discovered with your tastecard.
This Valentine’s Day, make it extra special. Savour delicious food, save big, and let tastecard help you create memories that will last a lifetime.
tastecard is accepted in thousands of the most interesting and exciting eateries, and we’ve selected just two to talk about here - but believe us when we say there’s a whole host of two-for-one dining value in the UK’s towns and cities and many of them can be enjoyed when proffering your tastecard.
If it’s a taste sensation that you're looking for, then you’d be wise to try the bold and brilliant Afrikana in Manchester. It’s part of a growing national chain of restaurants that offer a rich and welcoming atmosphere synonymous with Africa. You can use your tastecard in all of the Afrikana locations but we have been to the Manchester one so many times they practically have a table with our name inscribed.
Stylish and contemporary with a mood that takes you straight to the heart of Africa, the location in Manchester is bright and boldly adorned with African wall art. Marry the taste-bud-tingling aromas with the intoxicating drum beats of African music, and your Valentine’s Day meal will be truly ‘dramatic’.
If you’re looking for a dining experience that is romantic and a little more subtle - drum beats are not everyone’s cup of tea - then we can highly recommend the Podium Restaurant on Manchester’s Deansgate. Sitting at the bottom of the well-known landmark, Beetham Tower, you’ll find Podium, tucked away inside Manchester’s Hilton Hotel. Fine dining is what it’s about, and we recommend not waiting until Valentine’s Day itself to sample the menu, which uses only the best seasonal ingredients from the northwest.
This classy eaterie gets booked up weeks in advance, particularly on ‘celebration days’, so why not avoid the crowds and book your Valentine’s Day meal ahead of time? The date itself is fairly arbitrary. There’s no special sauce that makes February 14 more romantic than any other day, so choose to eat at Podium Restaurant the day before, and you can enjoy both 25% off your total bill and the ability to hear what your partner is staying. Genius. Most people will be home on Valentine’s Eve, which leaves the typical date-night spots mostly devoid of flirty patrons and with the Podium Restaurant a little quieter you can really work on your romance game.
If you’re stuck on what to get your girlfriend for Valentine’s Day or how to delight your man with the most then, yes, a meal is a great shout, but with tastecard, it’s not your only option for a truly memorable Valentine’s Day. Giving the gift of tastecard means your loved one has access to a multitude of brilliant discounted days out. Whether it's high-octane thrills and spills at a theme park, a day of fishy fun at an aquarium, or being a culture vulture at the theatre, you can do it all and not break the fragile post-Christmas bank.
We recently visited the Sea Life Centre in London, and it was truly a superb and immersive experience. If your romantic relationship is on a fairly new footing, then an aquarium date day is ideal for this annual celebration. You can chat as you wander through the aquatic environments, marvel at the perfect penguins, gaze upon the slippery stingrays, and if there is an awkward pause in the conversation, then you have much to talk about right in front of you.
Equally, a day at a theme park is a brilliant way of using your loved one’s newly gifted tastecard. Theme park trips are all-day events, so a two-for-one theme park might not be the best choice for your very first date, but hey, if it’s a Valentine’s Day date, then you can whoop and weep (at the cost of the doughnuts!) together, strolling hand in hand through the different zones, scoffing popcorn and creating shared memories.
You could even take to the arcade games along the way to win a prize for your significant other. It might seem cheesy, but it’s a classic move for a reason! Your date will be thrilled that your pounds and effort were spent trying to do something nice for them, and you’ll have the added bonus of watching them carry the prize all day. Everyone's a winner!
Whether it's a whole day or just an evening’s romance, the gift of tastecard is always going to be appreciated by the ‘other half’. It’s not just about saving money - although it does feel great to know that not only are you having a romantic encounter, but you are also saving the £££ - it’s about creating memories as a couple.
So, remember, if you’re still scouring the internet for what to get your girlfriend for Valentine’s Day or quaking under the weight of all the options for what to get your boyfriend for Valentine’s Day, look no further than tastecard, the gift that keeps on giving.
Italian, American, tapas - it’s all available to you at tastecard. Get ready to enjoy the flavours of the world without even having to leave the UK with tastecard!
