Dusk Til Pawn

Polly Checkland Harding
© Dusk Til Pawn

Don’t be fooled by the old suitcases and ancient guitars, this “pawn shop” is actually a Northern Quarter cocktail joint.

“We’ve had people bringing in their old TVs. They think it really is a pawn shop,” Tom the barman says as he caramelises a piece of passion fruit with a blowtorch. “Until they get inside, of course.” Dusk Til Pawn is one of a number of camouflaged bars in the Northern Quarter: the words “PAWN SHOP” standing proudly in molten neon behind its front windows. A leather suitcase, some looped necklaces and three electric guitars complete the illusion, while the dark doors make it impossible to see what’s actually inside.

If you do venture in beneath the three golden balls hanging above the door, a slightly more conventional bar interior awaits, with circular tables lining the wall and a free jukebox by the door. But the real magic happens in the mixology: the quality and showmanship of Dusk Til Pawn’s cocktails takes some beating. Every drink contains a hidden surprise and ordering is addictive: ask for a Hard Candy and, like a conjuring trick, a wad of candyfloss disappears as the liquid is poured. The bar evens get creative with the names: Fool’s Gold, Making Cents and Rolex in the Deep are among some of the more puntastic offerings. The cocktail menu also includes some wonderfully unexpected ingredients, from pineapple and jalapeno to sage, pea and homemade custard. The Pawn Star Martini comes with a side of champagne sorbet, which, according to our man Tom, is made extra creamy with egg white. Engaging with the bar guys can warrant more than just insider knowledge too. Tom and his team are keen to come up with tailor-made mixes and weekday discounts are offered for off-list challenges. More curious patrons can sample the house infusions of rosemary rum and fig bourbon but should watch out for the gin and blue cheese combo.  The bar staff promise it’s excellent, but the smell alone is enough to put us off.

Like a conjuring trick, a wad of candyfloss disappears as your cocktail is poured

It’s only the minor details that let Dusk Til Pawn down. The wooden spoon accompanying the Pawn Star Martini’s sorbet has a parching effect on the tongue and the A Million Dollars cocktail comes with a disproportionally low quality chocolate banknote. Then there’s the bar itself; so tall that you barely graze the top with your chin when sitting at one of the stools. The amount of attention customers will be paying to bar measurements very much depends on which night you visit though. Dusk Til Pawn’s clientele is split between the sippers and the suckers-down and its drinks menu includes wine, beer, bubbly and a selection of specialist Bloody Marys alongside the cocktails.

Outside Dusk Til Pawn, Stevenson Square is undergoing a makeover. Trees and hanging baskets are shooting up and Out House, the disused-public-toilet-cum-art-installation is soon to be turned into a café. But with fears that such regeneration projects run the risk of gentrifying the Northern Quarter into homogeneity, it’s little wonder that Dusk Til Pawn has turned to inverse advertising. Disguise, like a secret, is a fast track to intimacy. Even if you do turn up carrying an unwanted VCR, they’d probably still serve you something astonishing.

Stevenson SquareManchesterM1 1FB View map
Telephone: 0161 236 5355

Admission Charges

Free

Services and Facilities

Bar

Opening Hours

  • Monday4:00pm - 1:00am
  • Tuesday4:00pm - 1:00am
  • Wednesday4:00pm - 1:00am
  • Thursday4:00pm - 1:00am
  • Friday3:00pm - 3:00am
  • Saturday3:00pm - 3:00am
  • Sunday6:00pm - 12:00pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

What's on near Dusk Til Pawn

Until
ComedyManchester
Creatures of the Night Comedy Club

An insanely committed seven-nights-a-week, Creatures of the Night Comedy Club opens its doors (20.30-22.30 typically, though please check) for evening after evening of side-splitting comedy.

from £5.00
Until
ComedyManchester
Killer Comedy Club

Killer Comedy Club showcases “the UK’s best upcoming and coming comedians” for a night of roof-raising laughs, with pop-up nights all across the North West.

from £12

Where to go near Dusk Til Pawn

Slice Pizzeria in Stevenson Square Manchester.
Manchester
Restaurant
Slice

When was the last time you stumbled out of a bar and into a takeaway that served up food as fresh as Mama made? If your answer is “never”, we’re guessing you haven’t yet found new Manchester pizza parlour, Slice.

Manchester
Restaurant
Public

New to Stevenson’s Square, Public is the Northern Quarter’s new local, from the team behind Evelyn’s.

Northern Quarter
Restaurant
Flok

A much-needed addition to the fast-growing Stevenson Square area of the Northern Quarter. Flok offers sophistication, superb tapas-style food and an impressively well-stocked bar.

Image of signage outside PLY in Manchester's Northern Quarter
Manchester
Restaurant
PLY

Ply is a stylish pizza restaurant in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Bakerie, Manchester. Courtesy Bakerie
Manchester
Restaurant
Bakerie

Bakerie in Manchester’s Northern Quarter is an open-plan restaurant which features comfy booths, ordinary tables and communal-style benches.

Manchester
Event venue
Kraak

Manchester’s northern quarter is renowned for its offbeat enterprises. Many are hidden away in the area’s shady side streets, where there’s always some small adventure in venturing. As one of those places, KRAAK (pronounced “crack”) is appropriately named; you have to slip into the gap between buildings to find it.

the peer hat manchester
Manchester
Music venue
The Peer Hat

Hailed as something of a cry back ‘to the way the Northern Quarter used to be’, The Peer Hat is a great pub and music venue.

UNITOM bookshop
Manchester
Shop
UNITOM

UNITOM is home to a wide array of publications on contemporary art, design, fashion, photography and counterculture, alongside an extensive range of independent magazines.

Foundation Coffee House Manchester
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Foundation Coffee House

An echoey, spacious coffee house in the northern quarter, filled with designer furniture, a meeting room on wheels and carefully-crafted brews.

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in Manchester and the North

Affecting contemporary performances and fresh, relevant takes on enduring classics, we pick out shows that help us scrutinise the world we live in.

Teenage Dads
Music in Manchester and the North

Fresh concert seasons, forward-thinking festivals and a revolving door of amazing gigs. Things are looking bright as spring comes into view.