Beer Gardens in Manchester

The Briton’s Protection, 50 Great Bridgewater St, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M1 5LE - Visit now

The Briton’s Protection, close to The Bridgewater Hall, is Manchester’s oldest pub. It feels suitably historic, stocks around 300 whiskies, a good choice of local ales and is a popular place with musicians (we’ve heard rumors about certain performers nipping in for a cheeky pint mid-performance). The beer garden is reasonably spacious and traps the sun for most of the day.

Rain Bar, 80 Great Bridgewater Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M1 5JG - Visit now

This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city. Rain Bar’s food menu of traditional pub fodder can be enjoyed outside, while barbecues are also available for special functions.

The Pilcrow, The Pilcrow, Sadler’s Yard, Hanover Street, NOMA, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M60 0AB - Visit now

Beer gardens don’t get much better than The Pilcrow’s. Based in Sadler’s Yard in the fast-developing NOMA district of the city, around Victoria Station, this is an elegant space, with a relaxed Scandinavian feel.

Bar Fringe, 8 Swan Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 5JN

Situated on the edge of the Northern Quarter, away from the raucous weekend scrum, Fringe is a Belgian-style bar where luminous orange draught cider flows as regularly as strong Trappist treats. Out back, the cobbled beer garden offers a secluded break from the surrounding dual carriageways. Look out for the hand-shaped tree overhead, and barrel of fish. While bench space is limited, there’s always the option to grab a keg and form your own garden furniture.

The King’s Arms, 11 Bloom Street, Salford, Greater Manchester, M3 6AN - Visit now

This cultural hub, just off Chapel Street in Salford, offers great real ale and cheap, hearty pub food. Its main bar is adorned with tour memorabilia from landlord Paul Heaton (of The Beautiful South), while the snug welcomes a regular knitting club, and the upstairs function room hosts theatre, comedy and music. To top it off is the beer garden, providing ramshackle furniture and a lively atmosphere that attracts Salfordians by the dozen.

HOME Manchester, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M15 4FN - Visit now

We love HOME. The cinema programme is second to none, the exhibitions and theatre are daring and the pizza is just as good as it ever was at Cornerhouse. Okay, so it’s not really a beer garden and it’s definitely not a pub, but the downstairs bar opens up onto First Street and has a great choice of drinks. On sunny days, there’s no better place to be than slumped in one of their deckchairs, soaking up the sun.

The Beech, 72 Beech Rd, Manchester, M21 9EG

If you fancy moving out of town, jump on the Metrolink and head to Chorlton. While the residents are often lampooned as the “liberal urban elite”, you cannot argue with the choice of watering holes on offer. You could enjoy cocktails in the sun at Proof, sample Pi‘s very own PiPA, mingle with the parents and kids at The Font or keep it more traditional at The Horse & Jockey. You’ll find us at The Beech, slowly moving across the beer garden, avoiding the long shadows and chasing the late evening sun.

Marble Arch Pub, 73 Rochdale Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 4HY - Visit now

It’s not the biggest outdoor drinking space in the world, but it’s a nice one and the beer here is so bloody good that we’re willing to overlook this. These guys were doing real ale before the Carhartt clad crews had their first triangle tattoo.