Manchester

Thompson Arms
21 Sackville Street
Gay Village

Modern bar

Apotheca
High Street
Northern Quarter
Another trendy hangout adding itself to the Northern Quarter list, Apotheca is linked to neighbour and 'sister' restaurant Dough, both opening in November 2008.
Modern bar

The Lounge
478 Wilbraham Road
Chorlton
Under new management this bar is now part of the expanding family owned Lounge Ventures group. They also own Abode on Wilbraham road and soon one more to add to the collection … which WHLN has exclusive news on. The place is much larger than you expect when you first walk in. Keep walking on down to the refurbished back room with its great leather sofas and nice lighting for social and chilled chats and beers. You can tell there is new management, and a ladies touch in the place as the whole vibe is much less ‘chav wanna be gangsta’ than before. Candles now make sense and lower lightening with more appropriate music. This much needed change is added to by the addition of a decent bar menu there. Finally, catering for people with good old fashioned taste and not all ‘bling bling’ and frozen turkey twisters. Home good comfort food, classic fayre, which is on all day, great pies and pastas, a steak and the works for £7, Chorlton quality but at a fine price point beautifully cooked by the ex head chef from the LIVING ROOM. Foreign beers and a good selection of drinks all round, but not at the Northern Quarter price point. Erdigner, Leffe, Negra modello (my favorite) along side polish beers with names I just can’t remember. But what I can remember is the great idea they have about catering for the night after the night before crowd with classic hangover cures ranging from eggs Benedict to properly made Bloody Marys as well as fresh fruit salads for the healthy (we are still in Chorlton remember) Saying this, aligned with Chorlton’s socialism we have Wednesday nights where people can bring in their own tunes and they have a local bands night which apparently goes down a storm. Whilst they are finally sorting out the weekend with new DJ’s and a meet and great scheme on the door to vet people and have the 21 year old+ people inside the Lounge know they are going to have a ‘safe’ time (manc pun weakly intended) Average age: 28 but with a strangely high number of attractive women for Chorlton Verdict: With the new management and security and style conscious measures in place (along with the new food menu) this Lounge will be one WHLN will definitely chill out in, in 2007. See you there for hangover cures and an all dayer sometime in the summer.
Modern bar

Wave
35 Portland Street
City Centre

Modern bar

Overdraught
121 Princess Street
City Centre

Modern bar

The North Pole Bar
Next to Urbis
City Centre
Erected by Manchester-based events company Ear to the Ground, The North Pole Bar will be in the city centre for just eight weeks this winter. Promising to be a wintry haven from the stress of increasingly testing shopping trips, the bar serves up some specially designed, winter cocktails as well as a selection of warming stews. Striking in appearance, the large white point of the tent looms to the side of Urbis; a pathway lined with Christmas trees takes you to the entrance of what is essentially a big tent. Inside the North Pole theme becomes apparent, with various accoutrements pertaining to the magnetic location. It’s sparse inside to be truthful, with little more than the bar and a few chairs and tables dotted around, but they are promising some big party nights with DJs and live bands. Find out what we thought of the North Pole opening night here.
Modern bar

Bar Below
34 Canal Street
Gay Village
This tiny little basement bar is located at the junction of Canal Street and Sackville Street and the recent refit has improved upon what was a great venue - although very very small. In fact the only bar in Manchester that's smaller is the nearby Temple of Convenience on Oxford Street, and that used to be a public toilet. Down the stairs you've got a swish looking bar, seating at the back and some rather large toilet cubicles. For liquid refreshment this is one of the best stocked bars in the village, with a huge range of spirits and wines. Take a full wallet and empty stomach - the cocktails are equally good, and the only downside to visiting Bar Below is that it can fill or empty within minutes. Not really an issue, unless you have a phobia of mass people movement.
Modern bar

Brannigans
Albert Hall
Peter Street

Modern bar