Manchester is packed to bursting with brilliant bars, but where is a beer drinker supposed to head on a night out, you ask.
If the many glamorous cocktail bars, the intimate candlelit wine bars, and the all-singing all-dancing ponstar-martinis-served-in-a-tree bars aren’t doing it for you, we have a few suggestions.
These are the venues in Manchester where you can order a pint but still get a little dressed up.
Most of them are operated by local craft breweries, others showcase the best the world has to offer.
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Here are Manchester’s best beer bars.
Beatnikz Republic Bar NQ
Right in the heart of the Northern Quarter is a rainbow-hued bar that’s operated by local craft brewery Beatnikz Republic.
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The bar is just a stone’s throw away from the Green Quarter brewery itself, and serves some seriously fresh pints.
There are 14 keg lines and four cask lines – about half of those are serving Beatnkiz Republic beers, while the other half champion a rotation of guest beers.
You’ll find it right beside the Idle Hands cafe on Dale Street.
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Northern Monk Refectory
When Kosmonaut announced its closure, the hears of Mancunians everywhere shattered a little bit.
But the legendary venue on Tariff Street didn’t stay empty for long, and it was a much-loved brewery from across the Pennines who swooped in to save it.
Leeds-based Northern Monk is spread across three rooms, including its intimate Cellar Bar downstairs, and has 18 keg lines.
You’ll find the brewery’s own beers – like it’s ever-popular session beer Eternal IPA – plus lots of guest beers on tap and in bottles.
Formerly known as The Pilcrow, this shed-like pub on Sadler’s Yard is now in the very trustworthy hands of Cloudwater Brewery.
The space itself was built by local people through a series of workshops, with members of the public creating everything from the tabletops to the lampshades.
The neighbourhood boozer has one of the biggest beer gardens in the city centre where you can sip on just about anything that takes your fancy.
There is, of course, Cloudwater beers, but also plenty of others to choose from, a menu of natural wines, and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails.
The Gas Lamp
This is a real Manchester gem, often overshadowed by the glossy chaos of Spinningfields and Boujee that it neighbours.
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The Gas Lamp has been pouring pints in its subterranean venue since 2010, many of which come from its sister brewery Pomona Island.
The bar itself is filled with the kind of character that money can’t buy, with two rooms covered in white ceramic tiles and ancient wooden floors.
You’ll also find a mind-boggling collection of whiskeys.
Port Street Beer House
Owned by the same team behind Common, Nell’s and The Beagle, this is one of those local drinking spots that’s part of Manchester’s very fabric.
Port Street Beer House serves a great range of craft beer and real ales from its 18 keg lines and seven cask lines.
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There are also masses of bottles and cans to drink inside the bar or carry away with you.
In the summer, the long benches outside are absolutely packed with punters soaking in the views of… erm… well the views aren’t great, but there is sunshine.
Cafe Beermoth
This bar is at complete odds with its location – the sight of its cosy, calm interior at great odds to the madness of Market Street it sits behind.
Like an oasis in the dessert, Cafe Beermoth provides serious salvation when you need it most.
The Belgian-style beer cafe champions drinks from across the UK as well as further afield into Europe and America, though it has a strong bond with Manchester’s own Runaway Brewery.
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It’s one of those places you can visit solo or with a massive group and still be welcomed with the same open arms.
Fierce Bar
Fierce is, relatively speaking, a newcomer to the city, taking over the spot left empty when Marble moved out of Thomas Street.
It’s run by the brewery of the same name and opened in the two-storey venue (plus some sizeable outside space) in between lockdowns in 2020.
Behind the bar you’ll find 15 taps with a core range of Fierce beers plus plenty of smaller batch brews.
The indecisive can also order an expertly-chosen beer flight to really get a taste for the offering without, y’know, blindly drinking half a dozen different pints.
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Piccadilly Tap
The Piccadilly Tap is so great, it almost completely eradicates the pain of having your trains cancelled.
Tucked away right beside Manchester Piccadilly (a similar bar is opening at Victoria at some point too), there are 16 kegs and six casks of reasonably-priced beers.
The bar itself has huge windows for people-watching, including an outdoor terrace upstairs.
You can grab a Bravissimi pizza while you’re sat here too.
Cask
As the name suggests, Cask is something of a specialist when it comes to beer.
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It has two sites in Manchester now – one is a huge waterside beauty in Ancoats, the other is a cosy hideaway on Liverpool Road where you’re allowed to bring your chippy tea inside from next door.
Whichever you choose, you’re guaranteed a good pint or bottle, with the continental-style bar selling beers from across the globe.
Feature image – Port Street Beer House
News
Manchester Museum has been shortlisted for the 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year
Danny Jones
Another bit of very well-deserved recognition for our city as the Manchester Museum has been shortlisted for the 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year.
Organised by the independent and membership-based British charity, which raises funds through the collection of important works and artefacts, it’s world the single largest museum prize in the world.
Shining as one of the crown jewels in Manchester’s cultural scene, the museum has been named among five other impressive finalists for this year’s award, which is evaluating inspiring projects from autumn 2022 through to winter 2023.
This wonderful news comes at a good time for Manchester Museum, which recently welcomed its one-millionth visitor since reopening to the public in February last year, following a £15 million values-led redevelopment. It really is back with a bang.
With Art Fund keeping audiences and communities at their heart, the highly revered accolade has a particular focus on community engagement, sustainable ways of working, and demonstration of ambition by reinventing what it means to be ‘the best’ museum for the audiences of today and tomorrow.
For context, the Manchester Museum (which sits as part of the University of Manchester) was the most visited indoor museum in the North of England throughout 2023, despite being shut for an entire month, welcoming a total of 790,332 people through their doors.
Speaking on this year’s selection, director Jenny Waldman, who heads up the 2024 judging panel, has applauded each of this year’s finalists for delivering “something for everyone” and keeping “community at the very heart of their programming.”
“Their commitment to innovative partnerships whilst operating within an extremely challenging funding environment is incredible”, she added. “I’m so pleased to see the way they support and centre young people through their work.
“Across a wide range of size and scale, these organisations are all real leaders in their field. I urge everyone to go and visit these extremely special spaces.” So do we.
As for the museum themselves, DirectorEsme Ward said of the announcement: “Manchester Museum’s redevelopment was the result of 10 years’ collective endeavour, so being shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year is a moment of joy for everyone to share in, from staff and partners to our communities and Manchester itself.
“It is an affirmation of museums’ power to bring people together in building a more inclusive, hopeful future.”
Built on self-proclaimed values of “inclusion, imagination and care”, the museum’s recent reopening has positioned it at the forefront of the sector here in the UK, with new galleries, partnerships, visitor facilities, sector-leading programming and digital innovations.
These updates, along with their existing and award-winning South Asia Gallery – the largest and first permanent gallery in the UK to celebrate the experiences and contribution of the South Asian diaspora co-curated by members from the community itself – are what have helped put it in the running for this prestigious prize.
Visitor numbers for the first year following reopening were up 157% on 2019/20, with 57% of those being new attendees and more than one in seven’s first trip to a museum ever.
The other four shortlisted museums are the Craven Museum in Skipton, North Yorkshire; Dundee Contemporary Arts, the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Young V&A – Victoria and Albert Museum, also in the capital.
The winning museum will be announced at a ceremony at the National Gallery in London on 10 July and will receive £120,000 to put towards internal projects and cultural work. Better still, £15,000 will be given to each of the four other finalists, so everyone’s a winner in a way.
Congratulations again to everyone at Manchester Museum and well done for all your incredible hard work – we can’t wait to be right about you again in a couple of months when we’re confident you’ll be rightly named as the winner of the 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year.
‘Disappointed’ Olivia Rodrigo issues statement to Manchester fans after Co-op Live postpones gigs
Emily Sergeant
Olivia Rodrigo has issued a statement to her Manchester fans after her run of gigs at Co-op Live have been postponed.
The US singer-songwriter was due to perform two massive sold-out shows tomorrow and Saturday (3 and 4 May 2024) here in Manchester at the city’s newest venue, the now-troubled Co-op Live, as part of her GUTS world tour – but, due to what has been referred to as “ongoing venue-related technical issues”, these gigs are now the latest in a long line of postponements.
New dates will be announced as soon as they’re confirmed, Co-op Live assured ticket-holders.
Co-op Live said in a statement: “Due to an ongoing venue-related technical issue, the scheduled performances of Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour on 3rd and 4th May are being postponed. Ticket holders can either hold onto their tickets or obtain a refund from their point of purchase.
“We deeply apologise for the significant inconvenience this will cause for many.”
We deeply apologise for the significant inconvenience this will cause for many.
The Drivers License singer also took a moment to assure her presumably-disappointed attending fans that she too was “disappointed” by the situation.
In a statement shared to her 37.2 million followers on Instagram yesterday, Olivia wrote on her Story: “Hello! I’ve been having such a great time in Europe so far and I’m soooooo disappointed that we’re unable to perform in Manchester due to ongoing venue-related technical issues.”
The 21-year-old told Manchester fans that “we’re doing our best to reschedule” the shows.
Olivia Rodrigo has issued a statement to Manchester fans after Co-op Live postpones her gigs / Credit: Olivia Rodrigo (via Instagram) | The Manc Group
Her statement continued: “You can hold onto your tickets for further info or request a refund at your point of purchase. More info will be sent directly to ticketholders.
“I’m so bummed and I really hope to see you all soon.”
As previously mentioned, the massive arena was supposed to open for the first time to the public last night with a performance by US rapper, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, but it was called off at the eleventh hour and fans were turned away from the doors just minutes before they were meant to open.
Co-op Live has now confirmed that the reason for the cancellation was due to a piece of the HVAC (air conditioning) system having “separated from the ductwork”.
Because of this, rigorous testing on the rest of the system now needs to take place before fans can safely be welcomed inside.
The next expected show on the Co-op Live schedule is Keane on Sunday 5 May, before beloved Manchester boyband, Take That, play a massive run of shows from 7-11 May and extra dates on 11 and 12 June.