Manchester

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

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

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

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

Silks
22 Lloyd Street
City Centre

Lap dancing bar

Sugar Buddha
Arch 12, Deansgate Locks
Deansgate
Another change of tenant on the seemingly fickle Deansgate Locks scene, Sugar Buddha arrives to take over from the Sugar Lounge, so they could save a bit on the signage if they’re smart. Slotting into the notorious strip of bars has traditionally gone one of two ways – go wuith the flow (i.e. standard exposed brickwork, long bar, ‘modern pub grub’, funky house on Saturday nights) or try and stand out from the crowd. We’ve yet to get down there to see which way Sugar Buddha have gone but we will soon...watch this space.
Modern 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

Sakura
Arch 2 Deansgate Locks
Deansgate
Sakura is set to open on Friday 1 October 2010 and looks like it will bring a touch or oriental glamour to the Locks’ party scene. Japanese in theme, the bar will serve cocktails and drinks, as well as authentic sushi, bento boxes and pan Asian dishes. Connected to Sakura is the Twisted Tokyo Club, open from 10pm six nights a week and promises to host some of the best DJs in the world. The Opium Lounge is a VIP area within the Twisted Tokyo Club, offering exclusive table reservations. The opening weekend at Sakura will kick off on Friday 1 October with Graeme Park and Steve Smart on the decks, continuing into Saturday 2 October with Freemasons, featuring Amanda Wilson live. Sakura seems like it will fit well into the Deansgate Locks collective. Aiming for unashamed class and a clubbing experience with a touch of glamour, it should sit nicely with other newcomers such as Lakota and Sugar Buddha. The strip of bars that had developed an unwanted, and some would say unwarranted, reputation for the less desirable aspects of a night out may just be seeing itself revived, despite the recent closures of both House 9 and Area 51. With all that in mind, we’ll be keeping a close eye on how Sakura settles in over the next few months. It might just be the shot in the arm that Deansgate Locks needed. ____________________________________________________ Plans have been submitted relating to Arch 2 on Deansgate Locks for a change of use. We are led to believe that the current CP Hart bathroom store is due to become Sakura, a mini-chain that currently has venues in Lincoln and Reading. They look like what you might expect from a Deansgate Locks venue – smart seating areas, bar food, student nights...you know the deal, but Sakura also has a bit of a Japanese twist to it, which will be interesting to see. We don’t have a timescale yet but we’re hoping it’ll arrive in 2010 – maybe in time for the summer?
bar

Lloyds No. 1
Printworks
Printworks
Lloyds No. 1 is a sub-brand of Wetherspoons - so you know what to expect here. Cheap drinks, cheap food and a party atmosphere make this the destination of choice for all those that head to the Printworks. It's not my bag, but a lot of people love this place. Props to them, they're all alcoholics.
Cheap and Cheerful bar

Manchester 235
Great Northern Warehouse
Peter Street
A modern take on the casino, with two internal restaurants, a bar and a wide variety of ways to lose your hard earned cash. In fact there's almost fifty thousand square feet to play with, and thankfully the non-gambling side of things is just as good as the gambling, with decent reviews coming in from the restaurants.
Casino bar

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.
Indie and Underground bar

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.
Indie and Underground bar

Baa Bar Deansgate Locks
Deansgate 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

Direktors
109 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

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.
Indie and Underground bar

Browns
Spring Gardens
Piccadilly
The large, impressive building on Spring Gardens that currently houses Athenaeum is due to be taken over by Browns in late 2010. The magnificent space has long been thought to be undermined by the cheap and not so cheerful feel of Athenaeum, so the news that Browns are to arrive is very welcome. For the uninitiated, Browns is a chain, but a slightly upmarket one with select venues throughout the UK serving a large choice of food and drinks, with a steering towards mid-priced quality rather than cheap and cheerful. A huge range of cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, as well as an extensive wine list and champagne selection accompanies a full menu at their other venues so we are assuming Browns in Manchester will follow a similar format. If it all goes ahead this should be a good addition to what is developing into a little clutch of decent places to eat and drink – Rosso, Room, All Bar One.
Modern bar