Bars & Pubs

Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor

In Manchester city centre alone, there are over 650 licensed bars and pubs. Like the old slogan goes, there’s something for everyone. Like your boozers underground and repurposed from old public toilets? Or hundreds of feet up in the air, with awe-inspiring panoramic views of cranes, drizzly skies, cranes and more cranes? Relax, we’ve got you.

So whether you picture yourself as some non-conforming romantic, staggering through cobbled streets bellowing poetry at the moon, or a vanguard-pushing maverick, knocking back colour-changing cocktails, this storied city has a drinking hole for you. Find them below. Make a list. Visit each in turn. Forget what you thought. Rinse and repeat.

Our top picks

Speak In Code

Speak In Code, 7 Jackson's Row, Manchester , M2 5ND - Visit now

A secret entrance, plant-based cocktails and a near-zero waste policy? Could Speak In Code be any more modish? It might hit all the latest bar touchstones but this is the kind of place that sets trends, never follows. This Jackson’s Row speakeasy is widely regarded as one of Manchester’s best bars, and we’d go to the wall for it.

Speak In Code
Ian Jones

Bar Lina Manchester

Bar Lina Manchester, 17 Quay St, Manchester , M3 3HN - Visit now

Bar Lina brings Italian glamour to Quay Street. It’s a low-lit aperitivo bar with mirrored walls, a soundtrack of Italo Disco and expert cocktails.

Bar Lina
Ian Jones

The Rose & Monkey Hotel

The Rose & Monkey Hotel, 31 Swan St, Northern Quarter, Manchester , M4 5JZ - Visit now

Now under the expert control of Band On The Wall, The Rose & Monkey Hotel is one of the Northern Quarter‘s most vibrant live music venues-slash-self-proclaimed dive bar, injected with a fair amount of old-school pub vibes.

The Rose & Monkey Hotel
Ian Jones

Isca Wines

Isca Wines, 1032 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester , M19 3WX - Visit now

In olden times, the word ‘Isca’ meant ‘flowing water’. Here, in Levenshulme, it’s all about flowing (natural) wine, with a neat sideline in meat-free dishes to soak up the sozzle.

Impiety Hour (P3 Annihilation Eve)

Impiety Hour (P3 Annihilation Eve), 70 Oldham Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 5EB - Visit now

Impiety Hour is the dive bar spinoff of high-minded clubbing institution The White Hotel. Sure, it’s a bit silly – part moody pub, part avant-garde bookshop – but it’s great that places like this can thrive in Manchester. Don’t forget your scarf and Oxfam-sourced Camus paperback.

Nordie

Nordie, 1044 Stockport Rd, Manchester, M19 3WX - Visit now

A proudly independent Levenshulme gem, Nordie does everything from smart cocktails to craft beer, with a neat sideline in natural wines. Everything you could want from a neighbourhood bar.

 

KERB

KERB, 49 Henry St, Ancoats , Manchester , M4 5DH - Visit now

Kerb in Ancoats is part wine bar, part gallery, with a quietly cutting-edge side. Innovative art, guest DJs and walls piled high with bottles of natural wine. Very Ancoats and very, very good.

Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers, 7 Keepers Quay, New Islington Marina, Manchester , M4 6GL - Visit now

Finder Keepers, as the name suggests, is a hidden gem of Manchester bars, tucked away at the New Islington Marina. It’s a cocktail bar that’s all about inventive, all-vegan mixology.

Renae

Renae, 45-47 Thomas Street, Manchester, M4 1NA - Visit now

A relative newcomer to Thomas Street, Renae is a music-led bar with a breezy, Lisbon-like energy – vinyl by day, dancing by night.

Stray

Stray, Mackie Mayor, Eagle St, Manchester , M4 5BU - Visit now

Stray opened in Mackie Mayor in late 2023 and immediately caused a stir. It’s not hard to see why – this is the kind of cocktail bar you can imagine stumbling across in prohibition-era Brooklyn, a well-kept secret, adored by a select few.

Stray
Ian Jones

Where to go in Manchester

Salford
Restaurant
Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar

Kallos is a Greek restaurant and wine bar in Salford, serving up exquisite dishes throughout the day and evening.

The Rose & Monkey Hotel
Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Rose & Monkey Hotel

The Rose & Monkey Hotel is one of the Northern Quarter’s best music-led bars, with a truly impressive beer garden. Our new favourite Manchester pub.

Ancoats
Bar or Pub
Finders Keepers

Welcoming waterside bar in New Islington Marina, serving a wide array of carefully-curated cocktails.

City Centre
Restaurant
Climat

Highly-regarded wine-led, French-leaning wine bar and rooftop restaurant in the city centre.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Henry C

Henry C is an intimate neighbourhood bar in Chorlton, serving up superb quality drinks.

Manchester
Restaurant
11 Central

11 Central is a new bar and microbrewery launched by local brewing legends SEVEN BRO7HERS BREWING CO at the Central Bay site in Salford.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Kennedy’s Irish Bar

A fan favourite in Altrincham, Kennedy’s Irish Bar offers live music, a vibrant atmosphere and undoubtable Irish charm and hospitality.

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UNITOM bookshop
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