Manchester

Boutique
18-22 Lloyd Street
Deansgate
A swanky new lap dancing bar in an underground venue off Deansgate, and close to Albert Square. Pretty high end inside, the club is decked out tastefully and entrance is pretty well controlled so there's no idiots. Clearly the nicest in Manchester, but we've got a long way to go before our venues are comparable to London.
Lap dancing bar

Lounge 31
31 Withy Grove
Printworks
Lounge 31 is a new late night bar within the Printworks featuring seven days of entertainment, and opening hours till 7am on weekends. The venue opened in October 2007, and has been pretty busy thanks to it's swanky interior and late night opening - a godsend in Manchester which, despite it's '24hour Party People' tag, tends to close down after 2am! Lounge 31 has a mixed music policy, concerntrating on the softer side of urban and R&B, but as a self described 'style bar' - with luminaries such as The Living Room, Sugar Lounge and of course Cloud 23 as it's rivals - the venue was going to have to pull out all the stops to succeed. Inside you'll find a stunning venue that's certainly up there with the best of them in Manchester, in fact a large proportion of their staff have been 'borrowed' from these venues so you may recognise some faces. Private booths are available for hire, each with their own LCD TV, and a VIP area that's seperate from the rest of the bar by curtains.
Modern bar

Label
78 Deansgate
Deansgate
Label was the cooler younger brother of the Living Room - in fact it's situated right next door (the two are actually owned by different people, but appear somewhat similar). Whereas the Living Room caters for those who prefer a sophisticated drink, Label is much more in your face with a dance floor and the necessary DJs to go with it. Designed in a sensitive fashion it's an uber chic hangout that's aimed at the 'up for it' crowd: pumpin house music, groovy disco - it all goes on down here. Label's location at the base of Deansgate, close to Prohibition, The Cocoa Rooms and Club V, has set this area alight. It's the trendy place to come out and party, and a few more steps in either direction will take you to the Circle Club (lovely), Panacea (good, but troublesome) and a whole load of traditional pubs.
Modern bar

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

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

Odder
14 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

Bedlam
33 Peter Street
Peter Street
Bedlam takes over one of our favourite spaces on Peter Street and gives it a much needed revamp. Halfway between Teasers and M2, the glass fronted bar is now playing host to some of the best local house talent (albeit house of a funkier nature) and it's succeeding where past incumbents couldn't.
Modern 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

Manto
46 Canal Street
Gay Village
The original Manto returns to Manchester, and boy is this venue steeped in tradition. Long before 'Queer as Folk' brought Manchester's Gay Village to the attention of the rest of the UK, Manto was kick-starting the gay revolution in our fair city, with the infamous Breakfast Club. Fast forward 8 years and after a refit and a redesign Manto is back and it looks fabulous. Downstairs the main Manto bar houses a small internet cafe and comfortable seating, the second floor provides club space and a balcony area, and at the top the former Sarasota restaurant is now a leather-clad lounge room.
Indie and Underground 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

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

Sofa
236 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

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

Trof Northern Quarter
5/8 Thomas Street
Northern Quarter
Trof is a Fallowfield institution, and this is their first (but not last) forray in to the city centre. As far as location goes there was only one place that a bar as cool as Trof could go, and that's the ever-popular Northern Quarter. Inside this downbeat bar you'll find good food, music and drinks, a combination that has proven popular with the NQ crowd....which is why Trof is about about to roll out their third venue in the Manchester.
Indie and Underground bar