Manchester

Boutique
18-22 Lloyd Street
Deansgate
A swanky new lap dancing bar in an underground venue off Deansgate, and close to Albert Square. Pretty high end inside, the club is decked out tastefully and entrance is pretty well controlled so there's no idiots. Clearly the nicest in Manchester, but we've got a long way to go before our venues are comparable to London.
Lap dancing bar

Cloud 23 - Hilton Skybar
Beetham Tower
Deansgate
The highest bar in Mancheter (23rd Floor) and the one with the highest aspirations, the door to Cloud 23 is strictly controlled on the weekends, this rather attractive (and somewhat expensive) drinking hole remains unseen by large numbers of Mancunians - some by choice. For hotel guests and tourists it's a great pull, with windows in the floors and fantastic views across Manchester (and beyond)
Style Conscious bar

Long Legs
Basement 46 George St
City Centre
Review updated: A full strip is now offered by Long Legs (hurrah) and the Fantasy Bar is rumoured to be re-opening. Manchester gained a third strip club with the opening of the classy Boutique bar on Lloyd Street. Located in the heart of China Town, slightly off the beaten track, Long Legs charge between five and ten pounds to get in, depending on the season but this includes a free dance. Walk down the stairs and there's a bar to your left, with a dancefloor-cum-standing area and two seating areas around it. Stringfellows this ain't, as the carpet/wallpaper/furnishings will tell you, but you?re here for the titties right? The girls are strictly boobs only - no amount of money will result in you seeing a front-bum. The long legs girls are decent looking girls with at least 10 working each night, and sometimes more. Some are friendly, some aren't. Doesn't really matter does it? The girls dance for ?5 for approximately five minutes, whilst ?10-?15 will get you a two girl dance and maybe some nipple licking. Some people consider this a waste of money, but unless your some sort of alcoholic regular who's spending the rent money (and child support) on titties then it's not really a big deal. Long Legs is a great place, don't get me wrong, but Manchester deserves at more than one strip club. It almost looked like we were going to get one, but sadly the actress who plays Rita Sulivan on Coronation Street took great offence to Peter Stringfellows plans - due to the fact that it would take place very close to her front door - and kicked up a huge fuss. With hundreds of solicitors in that same area, you'd make a mint from it, but equally you'd have to be insane to go up against so many legal eagles.
Lap dancing bar

Bijou
1-7 Chapel Street
Deansgate
***Update March 2009*** The slightly confusing situation as to whether this place is actually open or not has been cleared up thus: The officialy launch night is on Saturday 28th March - that's for Saturdays@Bijou. The club's been open for a couple of months already, however, on Thursday and Friday nights - 'Censored' every Thursday, 'Sintillate' every first Friday of the month. We're not sure when the launch night was for them - they just seem to have opened. So, presumably, you can go to Bijou on Friday 27th March for a normal night, then go to their EXCLUSIVE OPENING NIGHT the following evening. Confused? You will be... On the site of the old Cocoa Rooms, Bijou pulls no punches - it's swanky, expensive and very exclusive.
Members Bar bar

Bar Epernay
Great Northern Tower
Peter Street
***Updated May 2009*** Those plans became less tentative and more pro-active with Epernay opening recently in The Great Northern Tower on Watson Street. The venue is on the first floor and delivers perhaps what you might expect of a champagne bar – classy surroundings and lots of champagne on offer. Perhaps not likely to appeal much to the crowd frequenting the bars nearby (Brannigans, Chicago Rock, Walkabout et al), and even if it did one suspects most wouldn’t get in anyway, Epernay will surely be looking to attract custom from the nearby convention centre/Midland Hotel/posh restaurants around Deansgate. ________________________________________ A Birmingham based champagne bar that has tentative plans to open up an outlet close to Peter Street.
Style Conscious bar

Fantasy Bar
140 Deansgate
Deansgate
A lapdancing club on Deansgate, in central Manchester. One of the first venues in the city, and recentyl refurbished, it's located on the corner of Deansgate and John Dalton Street in a hidden doorway. If you have a hankering for nudity then this strip bar should keep you happy.
Lap dancing bar

Lounge 31
31 Withy Grove
Printworks
Lounge 31 is a new late night bar within the Printworks featuring seven days of entertainment, and opening hours till 7am on weekends. The venue opened in October 2007, and has been pretty busy thanks to it's swanky interior and late night opening - a godsend in Manchester which, despite it's '24hour Party People' tag, tends to close down after 2am! Lounge 31 has a mixed music policy, concerntrating on the softer side of urban and R&B, but as a self described 'style bar' - with luminaries such as The Living Room, Sugar Lounge and of course Cloud 23 as it's rivals - the venue was going to have to pull out all the stops to succeed. Inside you'll find a stunning venue that's certainly up there with the best of them in Manchester, in fact a large proportion of their staff have been 'borrowed' from these venues so you may recognise some faces. Private booths are available for hire, each with their own LCD TV, and a VIP area that's seperate from the rest of the bar by curtains.
Modern bar

Corridor
6-8 Barlows Croft
Salford
Brand new for 2009, Corridor opens in January a stones throw across the river from Deansgate (and technically in Salford). Coming from the famed, and award winning, brains behind Socio Rehab, Ian Morgan, one would expect nothing less than cocktail opulence. And that, it seems, is what you get. Initial information suggests a minimal, sleek interior, heavy on a moody red colour scheme, and a drinks list that errs on the trendy cocktail side, rather than the bag of peanuts and a quiet pint side of things. Classics will of course be offered (Mojito, Margarita, Martini) alongside ?Corridor Specials?, which seem to be slightly different versions of the classics (Corridor Mojito, Corridor Margarita, Corridor Martini). Interesting idea but surely a Mojito that contains pineapple and coconut is just a different drink altogether? Anyway, we?ll go and check it out once it?s had time to warm its cocktail shakers up, so check back to see what we thought!
Modern bar

The Circle Club
Barton Arcade
City Centre
Members only club that has undergone quite a transformation over the years. Still popular with the gliteratti, but not quite as used by the local media as this bar would like. Recent rennovation, and lunch time menu, suggest that there is still life in this venue but it's credentials as the home of media in Manchester have long gone.
Members Bar bar

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)
Indie and Underground bar

Taps
Watson Street
City Centre
***May 2009*** Taking the ground floor spot in The great Northern Tower, below champagne specialist and newcomer Epernay on the first floor, Taps brings an altogether different offering to the party. Far from the magnums and flutes upstairs, each table in Taps gets...believe it or not...its own tap. Yes, of beer. Sit down, get some glasses and fill them, and yourselves, up as much as you wish. No more visits to the bar, no queuing, no endless fiddling with change. Just turn up, drink as much as you wish and pay on your way out. Brilliant. Taps is due to open soon. When we know, you’ll know.
Modern bar

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.
Indie and Underground bar

Obsessions
2b Whitworth Street West
Deansgate
A new lapdancing bar that's right next to the busy Deansgate Locks. House above the even newer Area 51 nightclub, it's a fairly swanky affair with a glitering array of girls. Bit more swanky than the other venues in town (Long legs, The Fantasy Bar) but nowhere near as good as Boutique (Lloyd Street)
Lap dancing bar

Sugar Lounge
Deansgate Locks
Deansgate
The Sugar Lounge has had an interesting history, but there's no doubting that the tiny venue at the end of Deansgate Locks is an equally interesting place to hang out. Attractive, and with attentive service, there's a bling bling vibe in this bar and a 'take it or leave it' attitude. If that's your cup of tea then get your glad rags on and prepare to brave the oft-strict door staff. As the saying goes, if you deserve to be in this bar then they'll let you in.
Style Conscious bar

Bluu
Smithfield Market
Northern Quarter
As one of the first bars in the second phase of the Northern Quarter revival, Bluu is one of the busiest venues on the block with big-ass queues outside on a Friday and Saturday. Inside the venue consists of two floors - the welcoming upstairs bar, with plenty of seating and bar space, and the lower floor which is a bit more intimate - some might say sleazy. Although many argue that Bluu's popularity is waning, the selective door policy keeps this place a well behaved haven and you can't beat the restaurant during quieter times. Actually owned by the same people as Fat Cat's Cafe Bar on Deansgate Locks, Bluu still remains highly individual and is a great place to hangout - although it's mighty tempting to head over to the excellent Socio Rehab or Odd Bar (across the road)
Modern bar

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.
Indie and Underground bar

Label
78 Deansgate
Deansgate
Label was the cooler younger brother of the Living Room - in fact it's situated right next door (the two are actually owned by different people, but appear somewhat similar). Whereas the Living Room caters for those who prefer a sophisticated drink, Label is much more in your face with a dance floor and the necessary DJs to go with it. Designed in a sensitive fashion it's an uber chic hangout that's aimed at the 'up for it' crowd: pumpin house music, groovy disco - it all goes on down here. Label's location at the base of Deansgate, close to Prohibition, The Cocoa Rooms and Club V, has set this area alight. It's the trendy place to come out and party, and a few more steps in either direction will take you to the Circle Club (lovely), Panacea (good, but troublesome) and a whole load of traditional pubs.
Modern bar

Relish
Great Northern Warehouse
Peter Street
Relish is located in the Great Northern Warehouse, on that site that was formerly Persia. The bar comprises a 120 cover restaurant, 350 capacity bar and a VIP mezzanine for the bling bling. Over ?3million has been spent on this place, but only 10p of that was spent on the website. We jest, this is a nice enough place to hang out and it gets a bit hip and trendy on Friday and Saturday nights, with some well selected local DJs. Two years ago I wouldn't have walked down Peter Street if you had paid me, but with the recently opened Manchester 235, the new Radisson and the nearby Beetham Tower (Skybar, Podium bar et al) this is turning into a decent area of town.
Modern bar

Ithaca
36 John Dalton Street
Deansgate
A four storey venue that - by it's own admission - is more of a restaurant than a bar. The ambitious members club at the top, and the bar area, suggest that this could well be winning awards for it's drinkgin as well as dining. Dress up and act the part, as this ?3million dream girl won't be letting just anyone inside.
Style Conscious bar