Eats

The Mean Eyed Cat – Manchester’s brand new Deep South-inspired dive bar opens in Northern Quarter

There's a new bar to play in on Oldham Street.

Daisy Jackson - 27th September 2023

The Mean Eyed Cat, a Deep South-inspired dive bar with free pizza, is ready to open its doors in Manchester city centre.

The bar is already a familiar face on the bar scene, pulling out all the party vibes for almost two decades.

It’s now slinking its way onto Oldham Street, with a late-night sister bar, Tiki Hideaway, tucked down in the basement.

The Mean Eyed Cat has taken what was the futuristic, Blade Runner-esque dining room of District and flipped it into an American dream, with neon signs, weathered wooden walls, and rows of beers and bourbons behind the bar.

District’s old basement cocktail bar is now dripping in straw ceilings and bamboo walls as it turns fully into a Hawaiian-themed rum shack famed for its flaming Zombies.

The Mean Eyed Cat comes with plenty of unusual details – where else in town could you roll a dice and let fate decide how much your round at the bar will cost (FYI, it’s 25% off if you roll a two or a four, and it’s free if you roll a six).

Every drink you purchase at The Mean Eyed Cat in Manchester between 5pm and 9pm comes with a free pizza. Credit: The Manc Group

You can roll a dice at the bar at The Mean Eyed Cat in Manchester to save money on your round. Credit: The Manc Group — Every drink you purchase at The Mean Eyed Cat in Manchester between 5pm and 9pm comes with a free pizza. Credit: The Manc Group

Every drink you purchase between 5pm and 9pm comes with a free pizza. The catch, you ask? Nope, there isn’t one.

Pizza toppings include cheeseburger, chipotle fajita and buffalo cauliflower, with the West Yorkshire branch getting through hundreds every day.

There are several Johnny Cash-themed drinks on the Mean Eyed Cat menu, including I Walk The Lime (a Key Lime Pie-inspired creamy classic with Absolut lime vodka, apple juice, sugar syrup, cream, lime curd and a sprinkling of lime zest) and Ting of Fire (a zesty, fruity, vodka number with watermelon liqueur and Ting grapefruit juice).

Grant Dexter, Managing Director at Escapism Bars, said: “With many hospitality firms and venues feeling the pinch due to the energy crisis and cost of living, it’s exciting to be able to open these awesome venue, which includes not one but two incredible bars, in this popular area in Manchester which spans the NQ and Ancoats.

“We opened The Mean-Eyed Cat in Leeds back in 2004 and it has stood the test of time, attracting students, after work drinkers, party goers and anyone that likes to let their hair down. We can’t wait to see what Manchester’s legendary revellers make of the venues!”

Featured image: The Manc Group