We visited Verve, in Bury St Edmunds, for Mexican flavours and 90 minutes of ‘free-flowing’ bottomless drinks and this is what we thought

Scrolling through socials last month I happened upon a post about a monthly ‘bottomless’ Mexican dinner event at Verve, in Woolhall Street, Bury St Edmunds.

With summer still in swing and my close friend Lucy booked in to visit for a few days, we decided to book a table for the late August event.

Verve’s bottomless concept offers a choice of one or two courses (£34.90/£37.90) and 90 minutes of ‘free-flowing’ bottomless drinks.

With both Lucy and I on a budget we thought it would be a good way to enjoy an evening out without it breaking the bank, while having a good idea of our total spend before even leaving home.

On arrival for our Friday night booking we were greeted by our server Michael, who was cheerful, chatty and attentive throughout.

Our table was adorned with bright sombreros (which we immediately donned for the obligatory selfies) and there was a holiday feel to the atmosphere, with buzzing tables and Latin American music adding to the vibe.

Starters on the Mexican menu include nachos, fries (regular or sweet potato), dirty fries topped with braised beef, guacamole and salsa or pulled chicken, or lime and coriander flatbread with a salsa dip.

I opted for the dirty fries topped with guacamole and salsa and, when it swiftly arrived at the table, was pleased to see generous heaps of toppings on a sizeable portion of chips.

In fact, the portion was potentially a little too big as I hoovered up the whole delicious lot within minutes when I should probably have saved more stomach space for my main course.

My well-travelled friend Lucy was similarly impressed with her starter choice of nachos.

In her own words: “They immediately transported me back to my time travelling in Mexico: The guacamole was fresh and zingy, the melted cheese went all the way through and wasn’t just sprinkled on the top, while the fresh salsa matched any I had in Mexico, with just the right amount of spice.

“But it was a very generous portion size, which left only a small space for my main course.”

The main courses available on Mexican night included fajita pizza; braised beef pizza; magherita pizza; burrito (with braised beef, king prawn, pulled chicken or vegetables with rice, guacamole, salsa and cheddar cheese); tacos (with braised beef, king prawn, pulled chicken or vegetables) or Tex-Mex veggie pizza.

Lucy ordered the Tex-Mex veggie pizza, topped with peppers, onion, coriander, salsa and guacamole.

Her verdict? ‘Very tasty but not stand-out, although there was enough to take home in a doggy bag’.

She was impressed with the pizza’s hints of Mexican flavour, such as fresh coriander and jalapenos, while she described the base as ‘nice and crispy’.

Meanwhile, I had ordered the king prawn burrito, which arrived at the table fat and bursting with rice, guacamole, salsa, cheddar cheese and plenty of juicy king prawns.

Somehow I managed to find room for all of it despite the earlier dirty fries – which is definitely a testament to how tasty it was.

But of course, while we were primarily there for the food we cannot forget those bottomless drinks.

‘Bottomless’ diners have the option of the standard drinks menu (including Corona, Aspall, tequila, prosecco, mimosas, house wine and more) or paying an extra £10 per person for the ‘platinum’ selection.

Boasting themed cocktails including frozen margarita, Paloma, espresso Martinis, bloody Maria (a tequila twist on a bloody Mary) and more, Lucy and I opted for the platinum upgrade.

During our 90-minute session we enjoyed mimosas on arrival, frozen mango margaritas and a bloody Maria – along with plenty of water.

At no point did we feel rushed. In fact, staff came to our table 15 minutes before the end of our booking to take orders for our last cocktails and our choice from a long list of shots to finish.

Shot-wise, I chose a standard shot of tequila – with salt and lime – while Lucy had a tequila rose, which she said ‘slipped down a dream’.

By now, our 90 minutes was up, but we were under no pressure to finish and leave.

With long cocktails still on our table, we savoured the changing atmosphere of the venue: As the night progressed the lights went down, the upstairs club opened and the music changed from Gypsy Kings and J-Lo to club beats.

Eventually, having finished our last cocktails, we paid the bill and left Verve for the balmy walk home, vowing to return for another bottomless experience next time Lucy is in town.

For more information about bottomless at Verve go to https://www.vervebar.co.uk/bottomless

The venue’s themed bottomless calendar for September includes an ABBA dinner on September 9, Mexican dinner on September 15 and Noughties dinner on September 23, while standard bottomless sessions are available Wednesday to Saturday, morning and evening.