The Eat Out to Help Out scheme is already into its second week and off to a flying start in Manchester.
Under Eat Out To Help Out scheme, which was announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak as part of the UK government’s #PlanForJobs, visitors will receive a 50% discount, up to a maximum of £10 per person, when dining-in at participating venues on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout 3rd – 31st August.
This unmissable offer – which can be used on more than one occasion and will see participating establishments simply remove the discount from customers’ bills – is available on food and non-alcoholic beverages, but does not include takeaway purchases.
The scheme is designed to encourage people to dine-in and support their favourite local hangouts.
Plenty of Manchester’s independent eateries have signed on to take part in the scheme, but if you’re looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat in the city centre without having to leave your pup at home, then the team at dog food company tails.com have compiled a list of 12 dog-friendly restaurants taking part in Eat Out to Help Out this month.
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North Tea Power
Northern Quarter
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North Tea Power
Often talked about as serving some of the best coffee in Manchester, North Tea Power is super dog-friendly.
Dogs are welcomed inside with open arms, plus they don’t even mind if the little ones curl up on the bench next to you. Even better, they’ve also got a covered outside area on the rows where you can sit if you have an extra large furry friend or the tables inside are taken.
For bookings and more information, visit the North Tea Power website here.
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Takk
Northern Quarter
Takk
One of the Northern Quarter’s most popular hangouts, Takk are experts at everything from coffee and tea, to light continental dining, wifi, seating and cakes – the latter made by the brilliant Trove bakery. Plus, it’s also dog-friendly too, so you can take your four-legged friends along with you.
For bookings and more information, visit the Takk website here.
Common
Northern Quarter
Common
You’ll never be unwelcome with a dog at Common.
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With delicious food and drinks, this Edge Street hangout is the perfect spot for you and your pup to get some downtime. Common is known for its quirky artwork on the walls, which seems to change every time you go in, so you’ll always have something to admire whilst you enjoy your food.
For bookings and more information, visit the Common website here.
The Wharf
Castlefield
The Wharf
After a walk along the canal, there’s no better place to make a pitstop with your pub than at The Wharf.
Even if the weather takes a turn for the worse and you can’t sit in their amazing beer garden, you and your furry friend can head inside to the bar area, where food and drink is served all day.
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For bookings and more information, visit The Wharf website here.
The Pen and Pencil
Northern Quarter
The Pen and Pencil
With food and drink served all day, from brunch and burgers, to healthy smoothies, beers, wines, spirits and bespoke cocktails, it’s easy to see why The Pen and Pencil is such a popular Northern Quarter hangout.
It’s also super dog-friendly too, so you and your pup can enjoy the relaxed environment together.
For bookings and more information, visit The Pen and Pencil website here.
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Tariff & Dale
Northern Quarter
Tariff & Dale
Serving up classic cocktails and British Beer in a building that is steeped in true Manchester history, Tariff and Dale offers you a tranquil environment to relax and enjoy some modern British food from the grill and sourdough pizza from the wood oven.
If all this wasn’t enough, your four-legged friend is also welcome to soak up the history with you and will be greeted with a warm welcome by all the staff.
For bookings and more information, visit the Tariff & Dale website here.
Cottonopolis
Northern Quarter
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Cottonopolis
Cottonopolis is a lively warehouse-style venue with an Asian-inspired menu featuring tempura, katsu and steamed asian-style greens, and a bar that serves up every drink you can possibly imagine.
It’s also a great place to take your four-legged friends as your dog is invited to enjoy the complete luxury along with you.
For bookings and more information, visit the Cottonopolis website here.
Rudy’s
Ancoats & Peter Street
Rudy’s
Rudy’s is a relaxed, neighbourhood pizzeria that follows the traditions and artistry of pizza from Naples, and even better, your furry friend can join you while you tuck into an authentic and delicious pizza. The Ancoats location also features a newly-extended outdoor area, complete with canopy, meaning that you and your pup can sit comfortably outside and enjoy the atmosphere of Cutting Room Square.
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For bookings and more information, visit the Rudy’s website here.
The Refuge
Oxford Street
The Refuge
The Refuge is a public bar and dining room set in 10,000 square feet of breath-taking space at the iconic hotel on Oxford Street. Plus, four-legged friends are allowed in until 7pm daily, but if it’s not a busy night, you can usually get away with them staying a little later.
Check out the Winter Garden area, which is full of trees, sofas and fairy lights.
For bookings and more information, visit The Refuge website here.
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Cocoa Cabana
Ancoats & West Didsbury
Cocoa Cabana
Cocoa Cabana has gained a respected reputation for its artisan, additive-free chocolates, homemade cakes and chocolate afternoon teas. This place has it all, from delicious chocolates and a selection of cocktails, to a food menu with plenty of choice.
Your dog is also very welcome here and will even have a little friend for company in the form of resident dachshund, Frank.
For bookings and more information, visit the Cocoa Cabana website here.
The Font
New Wakefield Street
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The Font
Craft beer, cocktails and hearty home-cooked food is always on the menu at The Font.
There’s an outside terrace at the front and plenty of room inside for any size dog. Plus, they host regular events, ranging from pottery workshops, BBQs and dog-themed parties.
For bookings and more information, visit The Font website here.
Richmond Tea Rooms
Sackville Street
Richmond Tea Rooms
Inspired by the desire to enjoy an exquisite afternoon tea in the heart of the city centre, Richmond Tea Rooms’ award-winning ‘Alice in Wonderland’-themed dining experience is completed with freshly made sandwiches, cakes and treats.
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Your pup can enjoy this unique dining experience with you as the tea room is super dog friendly and will greet your four-legged friend with a water bowl and a treat.
For bookings and more information, visit the Richmond Tea Rooms website here.
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The COVID-19 pandemic may have taken its toll on industries of all shapes and sizes over these past few months, but supporting local/independent business has never been more important than it is right now.
The Manc is #BuzzingToBeBack – find out more about eats in Manchester here.
Eats
The best beer gardens in Manchester for when the sun is shining
The Manc
With the arrival of spring comes the first promises of sunshine and, being British, of course we’re already thinking about where to go for that first sun-soaked pint.
With the sun finally starting to stick its head out, even if his visit is brief, we expect we’ll be seeing plenty of packed beer gardens soon enough.
We all know the pain of walking pub-to-pub trying to find a seat on a sunny and/or warm Manchester day, so we’re rounding up the best, the biggest and the most hidden beer gardens in the city to help you to make the most of the good weather.
You might actually stand a chance at getting a seat in one of these, if you’re quick enough.
Thomas Street and Edge Street, Northern Quarter
Common on Edge StreetAd Hoc on Edge Street
This was one of the few positives to come out of the pandemic – removing vehicles from a back-to-back stretch of the Northern Quarter.
It means that the bars along Thomas Street and Edge Street can now fill the roads with tables and chairs in one giant beer garden, but being such a busy stretch it’s often the first place punters think to go for a drink in the sun.
You’ll find the likes of The Morris, Common, Ad Hoc, Terrace, Smithfield Social, the Bay Horse Tavern, Cane and Grain and Wolf At The Door all being given the al fresco treatment.
Terrace also has a gorgeous little hidden beer garden upstairs, and if you find yourself really struggling to find a perch head over to Trof which has a tiny little hidden beer garden on its middle floor.
The Wharf and Dukes 92, Castlefield
Two beer garden institutions both stand in the canal-side setting of Castlefield.
Both The Wharf and Dukes 92 are stuffed to the brim with pub-goers in spring and summer, thanks to their massive terraces, with more people spilling out onto the green lawns surrounding them.
Down here you’ll also find Bar Barca and Albert’s Shed, both in prime position for soaking up some rays with a broad array of seating on offer.
It’s one of the prettiest spots in the city centre too, right on the water with narrow boats and plenty of lush greenery in view.
Stevenson Square, Northern Quarter
Stevenson Square has turned into one giant beer garden in ManchesterPublic’s beer garden in Manchester
Very much in the same wheelhouse as the aforementioned Thomas Street is Stevenson Square, another pocket of the Northern Quarter that’s really still benefitting from those relaxed pavement licenses of 2020.
A number of local operators vie for precious outside space here, including Flok (which does a roaring trade in Aperol spritzes and peach Jubel in the summer), Public, The Faraday, and Eastern Bloc.
There are even a handful of seats outside Soup and Noho when the weather is good, even if they don’t get quite as much sunshine.
The Oast House, Spinningfields
Manchester’s massive free festival Manifest is back for the August bank holiday weekendManchester’s massive free festival Manifest is back for the August bank holiday weekend. Credit: The Manc Group
Beer gardens seem to be everywhere in Manchester these days, which is of course a good thing, but we still have a soft spot for the original outdoor watering hole.
Cast your mind back a few years and The Oast House was one of the only venues that really focused on an open-air offering.
It’s still the same today – masses of tables in the heart of Spinningfields, with bleacher seating all the way round, plus live entertainment and a belting Aperol Spritz.
The Corn Exchange
Banyan is one of the Corn Exchange bars with a great beer gardenSalvi’s sunny terrace at the Corn Exchange
Another corner of the city where bars and restaurants spill outside alongside one another is the Corn Exchange.
Its residents – including Salvi’s, Banyan and Cosy Club – almost all have their own terraces, but it’s the ones on the Exchange Square side who get the most sunshine.
Neighbouring it, meanwhile, are two of Manchester’s oldest pubs – Sinclari’s Oyster Bar and The Old Wellington – both of which also boast large sun trap beer gardens, for those after something a little more traditional.
You might have to queue a little while, but with so much seating, you’ll be sipping a drink in the sun before you know it.
Cutting Room Square, Ancoats
Set in the middle of Ancoats, also known as one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world, Cutting Room Square is guaranteed to get the sun all day long – and with plenty of bars here to choose from you’re pretty much guaranteed to find a seat one way or another.
There’s the classic pub reborn Edinburgh Castle, brilliant cocktail bar Jane Eyre, and local brewery bar from Seven Brothers – drinkers are spoilt for choice.
You can even soak up some rays outside Rudy’s (and the Ancoats one is the OG pizzeria), perch outside the award-winning Erst with a nice glass of wine, or jump in to Elnecot’s patio, where you might even find a BBQ on sunny days.
Waterside neighbourhoods are difficult to find in Greater Manchester, which is what makes New Islington marina feel so special.
In the warmer months, the bars and cafes along here throw out the furniture so you can sit with a pint overlooking the water.
There’s Flawd, an award-winning wine bar; Cask, a brilliant local craft beer bar; and Pollen, if you fancy a pastry garden rather than a beer garden.
Piccadilly Trading Estate, East Piccadilly
Drinking around the Beermuda Triangle in Manchester
Beer paradise awaits just past Manchester Piccadilly, with plenty of beer garden space too, in an industrial estate that’s nicknamed the ‘Beermuda Traingle‘.
There’s the lovely Track Taproom with a huge outside space out the back; Cloudwater Taproom, which is an absolute sun trap; and then Balance Taproom and Sureshot just around the corner, which have less space but just as many vibes.
It’s the perfect activity if you’re looking to drink really great beer and not walk very far whilst still visiting a range of top class spots, because after all…variety is the spice of life.
Society, central
Manchester bar Society to give away FREE Aperol Spritzes to gig-goersThe beer garden at Society Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Not only is this spot right on the water, with excellent views of the Bridgewater Hall, but it’s also home to the biggest beer collection in Manchester.
Society has a whopping 44 beer taps, with a vast range from loads of different top northern breweries, including Cloudwater, Pomona Island, and Rivington (along with a few globally-brewed favourites).
The new beer range is flowing now, alongside all those amazing food traders that call Society home too.
Mala, Northern Quarter
This ‘secret garden’ bar is right in the heart of the Northern Quarter in the midst of the pandemic and is another great outdoor space for getting the drinks in when the sun is shining.
Tucked behind those big mint-green wooden boards on Dale Street is a cluster of picnic tables and wooden huts festooned with fairy lights and plants.
It might not be the tropics, but they’ve got the cocktails to trick your tastebuds into thinking it is – we’re talking frozen strawberry daiquiris and frozen pina coladas. Oh, and there’s beer too.
Featured image – The Manc Group
Eats
Manchester pubs are doing half-price pints of ‘proper northern stout’ for St Patrick’s Day
Daisy Jackson
Pubs across Greater Manchester are pouring half-price pints in honour of St Patrick’s Day – but it’s not Guinness on the taps today.
A Manchester-based brewery has decided to seize an opportunity to show off its own ‘proper northern stout’ on a day that everyone rushes to the pub for a pint of the black stuff.
JW Lees pubs right across the North West, including two in Manchester city centre, are slashing prices for one day only.
There’ll be 50% off pints of its Black Tuesday stout, a proudly British beer that they’ve created to show St Patrick’s Day isn’t exclusively limited to Irish beers.
The brewery has selected 50 of its pub locations across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and North Wales.
That includes two in the heart of Manchester – the Founder’s Hall in Albert Square, and Rain Bar and Great Bridgewater Street.
William Lees-Jones, Managing Director at JW Lees, said: “While 17 March is traditionally seen as a celebration of St Patrick, we don’t think it should be a celebration exclusively for Irish stout fans.
“As more and more British pubgoers participate in St Patrick’s Day, we are challenging them to ‘dare to be different’ and try our Manchester-based stout in one of the selected 50 pubs during what is set to be a truly party atmosphere next week, on Black Tuesday.”
50 select JW Lees pubs will serve half-price pints of Black Tuesday stout on 17 March.
A full list of JW Lees pubs taking part in the Black Tuesday offer can be found HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
10th August 2020 
