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

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.
Indie and Underground 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

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

Direktors
109 Princess Street
City Centre
A new lapdancing bar on Princess Street that plans to open it's doors in May 2008.
Lap dancing 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

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

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

Pure Space
11 New Wakefield Street
Oxford Road
The lively Pure Space Cafe Bar has existed in it's just-off-Oxford-Road location for a good few years now. The bar-cum-restaurant exists over two floors - the main bar area, complete with comfy booths, whilst an upper floor houses a conservatory with mini-bar and kitchen. To add another string to it's bow, Pure Space also has a club underneath (Sub Space).
Indie and Underground bar

Spirit
Canal Street
Gay Village
Spirit is right in the heart of the Gay Village, located in a prime corner position on Canal Street, and overlooking the canal. Don't let the small front put you off, this venue goes WAY back! In the summer this place gets really busy, and cramped, with people spilling out on to the streets and sweat pouring from the walls (not literally, although it sometimes gets quite warm). The toilets are right at the back, which means that it's a struggle to get through, but the drinks prices are cheap and there's plenty of offers on. Upstairs is a small seating area, then up another flight and there's a smaller bar.
Cheap and Cheerful bar

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).
Indie and Underground 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

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

Varsity Manchester
Oxford 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

Obsidian
18 - 24 Princess Street
City Centre
Modern, contemporary bar out on it's own on Princess Street, beneath the Aurora hotel. Despite the touchy bar staff, this venue has a fairly relaxed door policy and is home to some extra special cocktails. Not for the faint hearted, or small walleted, the bar sits somewhere between the out and out pretention of the nearby Cloud 23, and the mainstream mediocracy of the Gay Village.
Style Conscious bar

Matt and Phreds Jazz Club
64 Tibb Street
Northern Quarter
Manchester's famous jazz club, Matt and Phred's provides everything you need to indulge in Jazz related fantasies. A packed diary means that you can head down on almost any night of the week to see great musicians play within a sultry environment, there's a range of fresh food on offer that won't break the bank, and they've got a fun selection of cocktails. Based in Manchester's Northern Quarter Matt and Phreds has been around for over eight years, and in that time a number of key bars have opened around it - the kind of bars that attract people with trendy haircuts and far too much make-up. What warms that heart is that in face of this increased competition and changes in the area, Matt and Phreds is still going strong and providing something that it's neighbours can't! The venue takes part in the annual Manchester Jazz Festival (usually the last week of July) and you can check out the Matt and Phreds website for up-to-date listings.
Cheap and Cheerful bar