Eats

Bar Fringe – The decades-old eccentric Manchester pub with one of the city’s best beer selections

Jukebox, beer garden, and great European pints

Harry Quick Harry Quick - 1st October 2026

If you’re looking for some of the best European beers in Manchester, there’s one quirky boozer you need to know about.

This is Bar Fringe on Swan Street, and it’s been serving Belgian and continental beers since 1996 – meaning a very happy 30th birthday to this absolute cult classic.

The whole place was built around a love of North European beer culture, bringing a bit of that classic Belgian café feel to Manchester.

And while the beer list is always changing, at the minute they’re celebrating Oktoberfest, so the German stuff is very much the flavour of the month.

And the beer really is the star of the show. You’ll find a huge selection of Belgian and continental bottles, Trappist ales, lagers and changing cask beers, with plenty of interesting and unusual options you’re unlikely to find in your average pub.

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It’s also earned a proper reputation with CAMRA and real-ale drinkers over the years, so if you’re serious about your beer, this is definitely one to have on your radar.

But there’s much more to Fringe than what’s behind the bar.

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Look around and you’ll find cartoons, pink elephants, a motorbike and an old jukebox firing out everything from vintage metal to indie classics.

Bar Fringe is an eccentric pub specialising in European beers in Manchester
Bar Fringe is an eccentric pub specialising in European beers in Manchester
Bar Fringe is an eccentric pub specialising in European beers in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

And then there’s the beer garden.

Tucked away at the back, it’s a surprisingly chilled little spot, packed with plenty of nooks and crannies to settle into with a pint.

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And with such a huge selection behind the bar, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be drinking something you’ve almost definitely never tried before.

So, if you’re into European beer, slightly eccentric pubs and places with a bit of proper Manchester character, put Bar Fringe on your list.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Inside Prologue, Stockport’s brand new independent bookshop, cafe, and wine bar

Lydia Mastrolonardo Lydia Mastrolonardo Prologue is opening this week in Stockport

Stockport is celebrating the arrival of a stunning new bookshop, which doubles up as a cosy café by day and a swanky wine bar by night. What more could we possibly ask for?

Created by the team behind Bramhall’s award-winning independent bookshop, Simply Books, you know we’re in good hands – with a selection of literary events, book clubs, and comedy nights, as well as live music, language classes, and writing workshops all under one roof.

Prologue can be found nestled inside Weir Mill, the new Capital&Centric development by the River Mersey, which houses 253 homes inside Grade II-listed cotton mills and industrial-style new builds.

It’s described as a meeting point for readers, writers, and creatives to connect with like-minded people, learn new skills, and explore new authors or music – with at least two live ticketed events a week.

This new bookstore concept is a welcome addition to the growing selection of independent local businesses popping up across Stockport in recent months, providing further space for the community to thrive.

Upon entering, you are met with every literature-lover’s dream bookcase – a 10m wall of books equipped with two rolling ladders, stocking every kind of genre imagineable, alongside a stylish bar area.

A miso martini and mango picante at Prologue
A miso martini and mango picante at Prologue
Prologue will host events all week round
Prologue will host events all week round
Basket of books
Basket of books

The ‘best book sellers in town’ are also doing things a little differently with a concierge desk for buying books, joining clubs or asking for recommendations, instead of a regular checkout.

However, the centre piece of the space is definitely the purpose built stage to accommodate a range of speaking events and live music, contrasted by the cosiest reading nooks lining the perimeter.

Not to mention a lovely outdoor area which will be absolutely perfect in the warmer months.

Prologue has a wide selection of specialty coffees on offer, seamlessly flowing into a sleek wine and cocktail bar in the evening, with drinks like a miso martini and a mango picante.

This one isn’t just for adults, there are also plenty of children’s books stocked making it the perfect location for a waterside café family day trip, down under the viaduct.

Cosy reading nooks at Prologue
Cosy reading nooks at Prologue
A huge range of curated books
A huge range of curated books

Ben Johns, co-founder of Simply Books and Prologue, said: “We’ve always believed that bookshops are a place of connection. With Prologue, we wanted to create something special for Stockport – somewhere everyone can feel right at home. We can’t wait to get to know a whole new community of readers.”

If you like it as much as we did, there is also the opportunity to join the Prologue Society. As a member you gain presale access to all events, treats throughout your membership like a free birthday book or coffees and tickets for quarterly special events such as supper clubs and bookshop lock-ins.

Not to mention exclusive access to new releases and early entry to events.

Opening Saturday 3 October at Prologue, Weir Mill, Stockport, SK3 0GS.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Manchester pub brilliantly exposes ‘dumb dumb’ criminal after attempted break-in

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Manchester pub North Westward Ho brilliantly exposes ‘dumb dumb’ criminal after attempted break-in

A pub in Manchester city centre has shared hilarious footage of a bungled break-in, and made a rather sarcastic swipe at the criminal in question too. 

North Westward Ho is the stunning boozer launched back in 2023 by the team behind Pomona Island brewery. 

It’s in a prime city centre location, just off Market Street and Cross Street, and has been decorated in the style of a historic boozer, with dark wooden details, ornate tiling, wall sconces, and oil paintings.

But North Westward Ho has recently caught the eye of an unwanted patron, who attempted to break the door down in quite a ridiculous way. 

CCTV footage shared by the bar shows a man running full-pelt into the locked, reinforced door, bouncing back some distance into the road. 

He tries four times before giving up, hopping back on his bicycle, and disappearing.

The pub said it’s not normally bothered by criminals these days, with no cash on site to make it worth their while, adding that it’s usually only ‘the real dumb dumbs’ who attempt to break in. 

Then they dialled the sarcasm up to 100 and laid into the man caught on CCTV. 

They wrote: “Once in a lifetime you get this kind of Machiavellian genius, a man so smart that he’s always three steps ahead. 

“It doesn’t feel great at first because you know you and your pane of toughened glass are no match for his mental dexterity, but then… You start to respect it. You realise you have to up your game. You have to think like him, live like him, become him. 

“If you see me banging my head against a brick wall with no trousers on, dribbling on myself with a glazed expression, I’ve either been on the Factotum or I’m trying to get inside the mind of my Moriarty here. 

“Well played sir, you didn’t get in this time and if you had, it really wouldn’t have achieved anything, but you made us all have a good laugh. And maybe that’s the real point.”

Pomona Island then added: “Ram raid on a bicycle.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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