Manchester

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?.
Indie and Underground bar

Revolution Fallowfield
311-313 Wilmslow Road
Fallowfield
Some say that Fallowfield nightlife revolves around Revolution - those people are liars, but the vodka bar does have a huge impact on going out and provided some much needed class and sophistication before other venues caught on to the trend. Situated on the ever-busy Wilmslow Road this is standard Revolution fare, with cheap vodkas, wine, food and a bar big enough for a few hundred. The trick, for this venue at least, is to put on some great independent events on during the week - so far this has worked incredibly well, and the introduction of 'deejays' hasn’t encroached too much on those that just want a quiet drink. During quieter times it's a great place to hang out, unwind and eat some food. The menus are decent enough and the quality is good.
Indie and Underground bar

Revolution
90-94 Oxford Road
Oxford Road
Revolution are expanding at breakneck speed across the UK, hell bent on bringing their flavour infused vodkas to every high street. Their Oxford Road venue, located a stones throw away from the Universities, was the first one they ever opened. Thankfully its undergone several refits over the years, including a strange period when it was renamed Babooshka. Inside it's standard fare for a bar of this type with a long mirrored bar at the back and plenty of seats and comfy sofas. DJs play occasionally, but its simply not big enough to support regular nights - not necessarily a bad thing as some of Revolution's other venues are so big you could get lost in them. During the summer months they open the front of the bar up onto the street by opening the top half of wooden shutters. This is one of the nicest places to drink in the summer as you can watch the Oxford Road traffic go by, as well as beautiful people wearing very little clothes. One of the most disgusting sights I've ever witnessed was in the toilets of this bar, which are located deep underground. I don’t want to go in to too much detail but it involved an old man, soiled pants (that got more soiled) and lots of embarrassment. This doesn’t reflect in any way on the bar, the clientele or the food - in fact they should probably be commended for letting someone shit themselves, most venues would kick up a right stink. The location makes it the perfect pre-bar before hitting the city, especially as it's on the hugely busy Oxford Road corridor (thus perfect if your coming from Fallowfield or Withington).
Cheap and Cheerful bar

Revolution Parsonage Gardens
St Marys Gate
Deansgate
This is the fourth opening by vodka bar supremo's Revolution in Manchester, the others being on Deansgate Locks, Oxford Road and in Fallowfield, but their new baby in Parsonage Gardens is altogether more grown up than the rest. Whereas the Fallowfield and Oxford Road venues are clearly aimed at students, and the Deansgate Locks bar has a target market of alcopop fuelled locals, the Parsonage Gardens venue is a much nicer place. Understandable really, since the neighbours include the uber-swanky Living Room, Label, Cocoa Rooms and Prohibition. The new bar is spacious, with a raised seating area at the back and second bar for service during busy times. Tucked away on the right hand side is a snug (smaller room) and even the toilets seem a little oversized. The main bar covers one of the four walls, and has a huge selection of spirits, wines, beers and everything in between. Prices are good, with plenty of offers on to keep the price down, whilst the DJ booth is getting used more and more. The midweek clubnights here do especially well.
Modern bar