You are viewing
Manchester
> bars pubs > Bars
ManchesterSearch Manchester Bars
Bar Reviews
Thompson Arms
Tried to get in on 28th October 2011. I am a regular at the ..
Lamarrs
Had lunch with some work collegues on a Friday and we were all ..
Ye Olde Cock Inn
Absolutely amazing place! Staff so friendly and helpful. My ..
Living Room
wank..
Mulligans
this place is a dump! staff very rude and full of wanabe gangsters! ..
Matt and Phreds Jazz Club
Great place, a welcomed change from the over stylized hair cuts ..
23 reviews written in the last 30 days.
Thompson Arms
Tried to get in on 28th October 2011. I am a regular at the ..
Lamarrs
Had lunch with some work collegues on a Friday and we were all ..
Ye Olde Cock Inn
Absolutely amazing place! Staff so friendly and helpful. My ..
Living Room
wank..
Mulligans
this place is a dump! staff very rude and full of wanabe gangsters! ..
Matt and Phreds Jazz Club
Great place, a welcomed change from the over stylized hair cuts ..
23 reviews written in the last 30 days.
Bar updates
You searched for: Bars
Fernandos1-7 Chapel Street
City Centre
By popular demand, here we give you our official listing for Fernando’s; Manchester’s ultimate dating venue made famous by ITV’s Take Me Out, the dating game show hosted by Paddy McGuinness. For the uninitiated, Take Me Out involves a large group of young ladies being presented with a potential suitor who, naturally, tries to impress them in various ways. The girls each have a light that they can turn out when, or if, they feel the gent in front of them isn’t impressing them enough. At the end of the ritual humiliation...sorry, the man’s attempts to impress the girls, he has to choose one from those with their lights left on to take on a date. It’s a bit like Blind Date used to be only with more people involved, no ‘Our Graham’ and less teeth. Paddy McGuinness takes the Cilla role and when the lucky couple have been whittled out of the collected participants they are ceremoniously sent off for a date in Fernando’s, Manchester’s ‘best bar’, according to Paddy. We do have some bad news for you, however, Fernando’s fans – it doesn’t actually exist. Well, that’s to say that there is no bar in Manchester with Fernando’s written above the door. The place where they film the dates is a real bar and all the shots used in the programme are of a real place, it’s just not called Fernando’s - it’s called Bijou and far from being charmingly down at heel, as Paddy often suggests of Fernando’s, it is rather a swanky place, recently refurbished and erring on the classier side of a night out than the pint and a packet of peanuts ambience of Fernando’s. Quite why it was decided to make up a bar in Manchester called Fernando’s, and then use a real bar to pretend it existed, we have no idea. If you want to go to Fernando’s in Manchester, the closest you’re going to get is Bijou. Check out our Bijou listing.
Cheap and Cheerful bar
Ithaca36 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
Direktors109 Princess Street
City Centre
***Updated May 2009*** Direktors is now Baby Platinum, a gentlemen’s club offering...well, all the things gentlemen’s clubs offer. If you don’t know you probably shouldn’t be going. A new lapdancing bar on Princess Street that plans to open it's doors in May 2008.
Lap dancing bar
Revolution Deansgate LocksDeansgate 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?.
Indie and Underground bar
TV2110 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.
Indie and Underground bar
Bar EpernayGreat Northern Tower
Peter Street
***Updated March 2010*** We recently went down to Epernay and are pleased to report that alongside the expected swish, champagne-oriented persona lies a much cooler, relaxed inner. A live sax player, great choice of drinks and a distinctly eclectic crowd dispelled any idea that this was purely a place for the wealthy and well groomed, or a once a year destination for when your parents are in town, and actually a very cool place to hang out. Reports from readers below also seem to confirm this and Epernay seems to be slowly and subtly gaining a reputation for being a great place to go for a few drinks – or even a whole evening. With Cloud 23 at the Hilton nearby, by all accounts charging nearly double what Epernay does for cocktails (if you can get in), and the infamous Peter Street venues across the road, it seems to be a bit of a shining light in an area not known for such venues. ________________________________________________________ ***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
Socio Rehab100 - 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).
Indie and Underground bar
Corridor6-8 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
Grinch5-7 Chapel Walks
City Centre
Very popular two floored bar/restaurant, used mostly for the latter but you can safely sit out on the street in the Summer without incurring the rath of the waitress for not ordering food. Widely lauded as the bar that server Maddonna drinks, for once the self promotion is worthwhile. If you're eating, try the new style special chicken, if you're drinking then avoid boring spirits and go for the cocktails.
Style Conscious bar
Living Room80 Deansgate
Deansgate
Three storey complex that has become the blueprint for many top-end city centre bars in Manchester (and beyond). Upstairs is a small, but sumptious, members only bar that harks back to colonial India. The restaurant on the middle floor offers mid-market modern English, and the bar downstairs - complete with a small number of pavement tables - is still popular with the 25+ group.
Members Bar bar
OpusWithy Grove
Printworks
Launching in March 2006, Opus has taken over the huge four level building in the Printworks. Promising to bring "the future of entertainment and dining" to Manchester, the venue houses 4 separate spaces, with five bars and two restaurants.
Cheap and Cheerful bar
TapsWatson 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 now open.
Modern bar
House 99 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."
Indie and Underground bar
Chicago Rock Cafe23 Peter Street
Peter Street
Formerly Life Cafe, this is now the Chicago Rock Cafe. Located on Peter Street, which is regarded as the hard-drinking alcopop-fuelled area of Manchester city centre, the venue holds around 400 and provides a nightly selection of mainstream music and drinks offers. During the day the venue offers light meals and coffee.
Cheap and Cheerful bar
TriBeCa and BED50 Sackville Street
Gay Village
Situated on the edge of the Gay Village, Tribeca is a New York themed cocktail bar that has proven to be a huge hit with both gay and straight revellers. Named after an area of Manhattan (Tribeca stands for TRIangle Below Canal) the bar is decorated in leather and wood, with a double vaulted ceiling in the main bar area. At the back is a raised seating area that can be hired out for private parties and above the main entranceway is the Purple Lounge, which is a 25 capacity area that can be reserved as well. The drinks prices can be a little on the expensive side, but you can grab a good-sized cocktail pitcher for ?12. BED is located downstairs, and unsurprisingly it has very few seats and lots of comfy beds to lounge around on. Despite a positive launch it hasn't captured the imagination of the Manchester public despite being a decent enough 150 capacity bar. The d?cor is well executed and its well worth a visit, although if it's busy it can be annoying waiting for a bed to become clear - or just jump on a bed with some strangers!
Modern bar
Baa Bar27 Sackville Street
Gay Village
A larger gayer version of the Baa Bar on Deansgate Locks, which in itself was quite a gay place to hang out a the best of times! Just like the original location, there are mirrored walls (which really confuse you), but there is also an amazing 70s style dance room in the basement. Clearly designed by someone who has never drank in their lives, the lighting and mirrors in this room are somewhat disturbing to the stomach. Nether-the-less, this place offers something different from all the other village locations, and can be an intimate place to spend time during the week. The drinks are also well priced.
Modern bar
Dukes 92Castle Street
Castlefield
Dukes 92 is situated in the heart of Castlefield overlooking the Bridgewater canal and within walking distance of Deansgate Locks. Like a spacious version of a typical pub, Dukes is laid back and low-key and has plenty of outdoor space at the front and back. Like most of the bars in Castlefield this place is for summer drinking, once the sun comes out it suddenly gets very busy!
Cheap and Cheerful bar
The Deaf Institute135 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.
Indie and Underground bar
Beluga2 Mount Street
City Centre
Beluga sits next to One Central Street, just off the main drag of Peter Street and behind the central library. Upstairs is a bar area, whilst downstairs is home to a restaurant. Bar prices, average. D?cor, average. This place comes into its own during the summer when you can sit out on the pavement and enjoy the sun.
Members Bar bar
Home Sweet HomeEdge Street
Northern Quarter
***July 2010*** Potentially some competition for Common in the heart of the Northern Quarter, Home Sweet Home recently submitted their licensing application for all the usual business – selling alcohol, playing music and making music. The name suggests a bar/pub style place with a relaxed vibe, maybe a little live music on a Sunday night. Nice.
Indie and Underground bar
NohoNorthern Quarter
Another new opening that sees the Northern Quarter trendy zone stretching further east to Stevenson Square. We?ve heard a lot about Noho, from the origins of its name (some area in New York) to its drinks policy (no draught ? although policy is perhaps the wrong word as they?re, apparently, unable to store it due to the building?s listed status). So we went down to see what it was like, take a few photos and generally be able to report back to our lovely readers about what it?s like here but...we couldn?t find it. I know, embarrassing but true enough. In our defence it was day time, so no neon lights to seek out, and cold, and raining, and...err...that?s it. We?ll give it another go soon...watch this space.
Modern bar
Odder14 Oxford Road
Oxford Road
Much loved bar on Oxford Road that offers quality beers in an eclectic environement. Don't be put off by the tiny bar downstairs, as the main action is up the wooden stairs at the back and in to an aladdins cave of clocks and vases. Regular events offer music and DJs, whilst the recently updated menu offers delicious, low priced grub.
Indie and Underground bar
Rain Bar80 Bridgewater Street
City Centre
A huge, and hugely popular bar, that sits on the banks of the Bridgewater canal.
Cheap and Cheerful bar
All Bar One73-79 King Street
Piccadilly
King Street home of the national chain, All Bar One have a self-styled reputation as the stylish choice of chain bar. All Bar One are your classic modern chain bar – modern pub grub, versatile drinks selection, a leather sofa or two and a bit of a chic, minimalist finish to the place. It’s well placed to catch shoppers with tired feet, nestled on King Street, a stone’s throw from Market Street and on many well trodden routes between Deansgate, Kendals, The Arndale and Selfridges. Popular for after work socialising too...and evening drinks.
Modern bar
Baa Bar Deansgate LocksDeansgate Locks
Deansgate
Baa Bar has been around since the conception of Deansgate Locks (a strip of bars and clubs built into railway arches and sat alongside a canal) and its still one of the busiest venues on that block despite the size. Combining cheap drinks and shooters will always mean a messy affair, but after a recent refit they're removed the giant mirror balls and side mirrors so ultimately reducing the chances of vomiting. Their speciality is definitely shooters, of which there are far too many varieties to mention. They're lethal but a lot of fun and ultra cheap. On weekends the bar can get far too busy, resulting in long waits at the bar and very little room to move. Good thing that there are more bars and clubs nearby as you can wander down the Locks and grab a drink somewhere else.
Modern bar
Fab Cafe111 Portland Street
City Centre
Possibly the strangest bar you will ever go to, the Fab Caf? on Portland Street is a sci-fi theme pub that's cluttered with memorabilia and trinkets. A bar this unique demands an equally unique music policy so your likely to hear the strangest collection of tunes in here. This doesn't stop a fiercely loyal set of regulars from busting a move on the dance floor and on a Friday and Saturday there's constant battle between the dancers and the sitters. As with any good niche bar, the Fab Caf? regularly puts on sci-fi themed events - in the past they've even had Neil & Christine Hamilton on their UK tour (!). Definitely worth a look, but only for those with a sense of humour and fun?
Modern bar
Lamarrs57 Hilton Street
Northern Quarter
Lammars has a bit of a reputation for being a ‘hidden gem’, tucked away in the Piccadilly wasteland that isn’t quite the Northern Quarter but isn’t quite bang in the city centre. In reality, it’s not really that tucked away but is nicely away from the Northern Quarter ‘scene’ to not feel like it’s being sucked into the uber-trendy mob, but also close enough to be a reasonable option on your way into or out of town, via the train station. It is, of course, a decent option for a night out in itself. Inside has the feel more of a luxurious living room than a bar, with sofas, loungers and quirky furniture giving a a relaxed air to the place. A bejewelled piano sits in one corner.
Indie and Underground bar
The BasementBlackfriars Road
Deansgate
***Updated March 2010*** The Basement is set to be the new incarnation of Sound Garden, a place we were never really sure what is was, in truth. Rumour and speculation have been around for a long time about just what The Basement was going to be and we are here now to tell you that...we’ve still no idea. They’re either keeping very tight lipped about it or they’re still working it out themselves. Either way, we’re hoping The Basement will be arriving fairly soon. ***May 2009*** In the space that was The Soundgarden, rumour has it a new bar called The Basement is on its way. What, who, when and, indeed, why are all questions we don’t know the answers to – we’ll let you know when we find out.
Indie and Underground bar
The Bay Horse35-37 Thomas Street
Northern Quarter
A popular pub in the Northern Quarter that shuns the bright lights and glamour of the nearby 'nu-northern quarter' bars (Socio Rehab, Bluu et al) and instead offers a slice of relaxation. It's easy to miss The Bay Horse from the outside, but once you get in you'll find a relatively sparse bar with a small bar in one corner, a pool table and more room in the basement. Drinks prices are 'ok', i.e. Above average but not ridiculous. The Bay Horse is well worth a visit - it's quiet, and somewhat sparse interior may put you off - but it's a welcome addition to the Northern Quarter.
Style Conscious bar
Varsity ManchesterOxford Road
Oxford Road
Formerly the Barracuda Bar, Varsity has two locations on Oxford Road - this one's right in the heart of the City, and (as with all Varsity bars) it offers cheap drinks, cheap food and cheesy music.
Cheap and Cheerful bar
BarbirolliBarbirolli Square, Lower Mosley Street
City Centre
***Updated again, February 2010*** Barbirolli held a little low key open evening the other week, to which we were fortunate enough to be invited. On a Friday night at 6pm, it gave us a good idea of what the place is like. First impressions were of surprise – it was packed. Not with invited guests (there was a little area reserved for that) but with smart revellers. Not bad for a bar in its infancy. The decor is clean and modern but with a comfortable feel, the cocktails are ‘bloody lovely’ (according to those accompanying me for the evening), the beer cold and served in proper glasses and the live music unobtrusive but entertaining – just what you need at that time of night, post work on a Friday. Their aim of providing a sophisticated live music venue appears to have been realised and we look forward to going back there again soon to see the place in full ‘gig-mode’. If the preview was anything to go by, it’ll soon be something of a destination in an area that traditionally didn’t offer much in the way of nightlife. ***Updated February 2010*** We’ve finally received some more info from the people behind Barbirolli – it’s pitching itself as a sort of upmarket Matt and Phreds. That seems to be the idea anyway - “stylish, sophisticated and upmarket live music venue,” is how they put it. Positioned well for such an aim, right next to Bridgewater Hall and GMEX (sorry, Manchester Central), it’s an area of town that is more likely to attract the ‘stylish and sophisticated’ crowd than, say, the Northern Quarter, or even Deansgate, which seems to be turning into the new Peter Street. With two bars, a stage for live music (think jazz, blues and acoustic sessions) as well as cocktails and both bar meals and a la carte dining, Barbirolli looks to be carving itself a new niche in Manchester’s nightlife. _________________________________________________________ This bar has been rumoured for a while and Barbirolli, on Barbirolli Square, opened just in time for New Year’s Eve 2009/2010. Handy for the Bridgewater Hall and Manchester Central, it’s set itself up as a classy, up market joint. We’ve yet to have the pleasure and only have the attached ‘artists impressions;’ to go on so far, but we’ll be sure to get down to Barbirolli soon to check it out.
Modern bar
Font7-9 New Wakefield Street
Oxford Road
***Updated July 2010*** We spent a Friday night in Font recently and can thoroughly recommend it for a decent place to warm up for a night out. They’ve got a huge range of drinks – from real ales to a choice of gin to plenty of lager, and it’s all reasonably priced. The place has the air of an organised but friendly independent bar, which is kind of what it is (it’s one of a small chain of three – two in Manchester, on in Liverpool), with decent food and very accommodating staff – we asked if we could reserve a small area for 7pm on Friday night and were able to do so no problem. The top end of Oxford Road is becoming increasingly popular and prosperous as a drinking destination (Jilly’s/Music Box notwithstanding), and Font is definitely one of the venues of choice for us. _________________________________________________________ The Font has been around for ages now, and its combination of drinks offers, playstations and table football has worked well for them. They're also one of the few venues that lets you hire the place out for free. Each weekend the DJs will play anything from hip hop to house music, and its location - tucked away down Wakefield Street (just off Oxford Road) - means that it's visited by those who are heading to the Music Box (Jillys/Electric Chair) or the Attic (Kindergarten et al). The Font is equally good for food, as it's cheap and quick. The fry ups are particularly good (£3) or the burgers for a mere £3.80.
Modern bar
Sofa236 Wilmslow Road
Fallowfield
Situated on the busy Wilmslow Road, opposite the student halls, Sofa has undergone a number of refits recently, but at the core it remains the same. A laid back, well priced bar that often features DJs and provides pre-parties for other clubs in the centre of Manchester. Sofa has been around for as long as we care to remember, and it's still a good enough place to hang out in Fallowfield. With the recently refurbished Glass, and the ever popular Revolution, the competition is tough and Sofa but the bar's popularity is down to the fact that it's a bit rough around the edges.
Indie and Underground bar
Your search returned 316 results
WHLN Login | 
Content, unless otherwise stated, © Copyright 2001 - 2011 theEword Ltd.
contact us | rss | promoters | friends
sankeys tickets | everything Manchester | lap dancing manchester |
warehouse project tickets | Manchester bars
