Manchester

One Central Street
1 Central Street
Peter Street
A former gay club, One Central has survived on Thursday nighter Romp, with the recent addition of Funkademia and Northern Funk providing popular, but funk fuelled, Friday and Saturday nights. Not quite got the edge that it used to, but still part of a good night out in central Manchester.
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Mojo
19 Back Bridge Street
Deansgate
"Music for the people" is Mojo's mantra, with the music policy strictly 'non-house' - expect old skool and new skool rock and roll. Despite this rough and ready image, the bar is an awesome pre-club hangout, or somewhere to chill out on and sink into the sofas. Check out their excellent website.
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Trof Northern Quarter
5/8 Thomas Street
Northern Quarter
Trof is a Fallowfield institution, and this is their first (but not last) forray in to the city centre. As far as location goes there was only one place that a bar as cool as Trof could go, and that's the ever-popular Northern Quarter. Inside this downbeat bar you'll find good food, music and drinks, a combination that has proven popular with the NQ crowd....which is why Trof is about about to roll out their third venue in the Manchester.
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The Purple Pussycat
19 Back Bridge Street
Deansgate
Opened in November 2007 the Purple Pussycat comes from the team behind the popular One Central Street. That club-cum-bar has a modern design, but the Purple Pussycat is far more sleazy and intimate. Located in a basement space on Bridge Street - formerly as an italian restaurant - the bar holds around fifty punters, and they've clearly made an effort on the decor.
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Vanilla
39 - 41 Richmond Street
Gay Village
Vanilla is a girls-only bar based on Richmond Street (just off Canal Street). To be quite honest I have never been inside (I'm male) but it's widely regarded as the Lesbian centre of the Gay Village and a space where women can escape the hordes of queens and tourists who are known to take over Canal Street.
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Manto
46 Canal Street
Gay Village
The original Manto returns to Manchester, and boy is this venue steeped in tradition. Long before 'Queer as Folk' brought Manchester's Gay Village to the attention of the rest of the UK, Manto was kick-starting the gay revolution in our fair city, with the infamous Breakfast Club. Fast forward 8 years and after a refit and a redesign Manto is back and it looks fabulous. Downstairs the main Manto bar houses a small internet cafe and comfortable seating, the second floor provides club space and a balcony area, and at the top the former Sarasota restaurant is now a leather-clad lounge room.
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Common
39 - 41 Edge Street
Northern Quarter
Tiny little boozer hidden away down a back street, there's barely room to swing a cat so this bar's always packed out with arty folks. A mish mash of events take place (check their excellent website) and the bar is regularly repainted by a chosen, lucky artist or collective. Nothing special on the drinks, but worth a visit for the clientelle (if you're not meant to be in this bar then the door staff will make sure that you don't get in)
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Walrus
High Street
Northern Quarter
Stunning new bar from the designer that gave us the Sugar Lounge and Panacea (and more) with an interior that is as far from understated as you can get. A great cocktail menu, and - so far - a great addition to the Manchester bar scene.
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Queer
4 Canal Street
Gay Village
Queer is gay lifestyle caf? bar on Canal Street offering a modern, contemporary space at the heart of Manchester gay village. Chilled music played daytime and full on club style in the evenings, the venue is owned by Essential plays host to all their pre-parties.
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House 9
9 Century Street
Deansgate
***Updated August 2010*** Barely a year after opening, we can confirm that House 9 has closed. Details are a little thin on the ground at the moment but, judging by numbers every time we’ve been in there, it could be due to lack of business. Their concept was an admirable one – to provide a classier, more appealing alternative to their Deansgate Locks neighbours, but we can’t help feeling there was a lack of commitment to seeing it through. It is, after all, the details that make a place and details were definitely lacking the last time we went there – for a private party no less. No draught beer, only one choice of bottle, dirty toilets, most of the spaces in the bar closed...it didn’t bode well. The project was apparently part of a plan from a small group of local businessmen who, at the time of launch, claimed to be looking at opening two other venues in the city. Nothing has been heard of these since and, with the demise of House 9, we can only assume it unlikely we will ever see them. They spent a decent amount of time and money renovating the space though so it will be interesting to see what happens to it next. _________________________________________ ***Updated August 2009*** House 9 is now open and looks set to shake up the Deansgate scene with a sophisticated take on the independent bar scene. __________________________________________ House 9 is the brainchild of a new Tameside company who plan to open three new venues in Manchester city centre in 2009. House 9 is going to be the first of these three with a planned opening date set as 1 May 2009. The idea for House 9, they tell us, is to bring a bit of an independent, quirky feel to the Deansgate Locks area. "Even though we are next to Deansgate Locks, we'll be very different to the bars that are already there," says Ben Burgess, one of the company directors. "They do their job well, but we're trying to create something with a different identity. It could be the first of a new independent scene in this part of the city."
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Revolution Deansgate Locks
Deansgate Locks
Deansgate
Revolution Deansgate Locks was, and in some cases still is, the jewel in the crown for the Revolution chain of vodka bars. Whilst the company is based in Ashton Under Lyme, Manchester has always been their real home (with no less than three locations here) and you can tell that this is their pride and joy. Thus the venue (situated in a disused railway archway) is a very swish affair, with two floors, a VIP mezzanine and canal side seating. A number of important midweek nights are hosted at Revolution, including the popular Red on alternate Tuesday's, and some special one-off Saturday events. The downstairs club is well sized, but bar service is painfully slow at busy times ? perhaps a good reason to escape upstairs to the VIP suite where the bar staff:customer ratio is a lot better. The décor is above average as well, and drinks prices are reasonable. There are always drinks offers, and you can get pitchers of vodka cocktails as well as the infamous Revolution flavoured Vodkas. Overall Revolution is a good looking venue, and despite being a bit too busy on Weekends its success is down to being a great place to relax or ?have it large?.
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Socio Rehab
100 - 102 High Street
Northern Quarter
Small but perfectly formed, a strange little cocktail bar that's hidden away in the Northern Quarter. Socio Rehab attracts a pretty cool crowd, and they come - in part - for the drinks, which are lovingly prepared with an exotic collection of spirits. Musically this place is as off the wall as the decor, which sadly has been toned down (at least the porn has been removed from the toilets).
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TV21
10 Thomas Street
Northern Quarter
A new themed bar for the Northern Quarter, very similar in decor to the successful 'Fab Cafe' over on Portland Street.
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The Deaf Institute
135 Grosvenor Street
Oxford Road
Right in the heart of the University district, Trof 3 (now named the 'Deaf Institute'....seriously) is the third incarnation of the Trof brand in Manchester. The first - and most loved - Trof is the original in Fallowfield. Food by day, music and drinks by night, a former terraced house was converted in to a chic little cafe bar for the well appointed students nearby. The second Trof was predictably in the Northern Quarter, and this third bar is in the make-believe area called the Southern Quarter, close to Oxford Road and the nearby studentsville. The Deaf Institute opens on the 29th February.
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