The best beer gardens in Manchester for when the sun is shining
From hidden terrace gardens in the heart of the city to sweeping purpose-built pubs, there are so many places to grab a bev in the sun in Manchester - if you know where to look.
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.
At last, after several years spent drinking in makeshift beer gardens set up in the streets, life feels like it’s going back to normal – and with the sun finally starting to stick its head out, 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
Thomas Street. Credit: David Dixon via Geograph
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.
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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 Fierce Taproom, 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.
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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.
Castlefield
Image: The Manc Eats
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.
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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.
The Oast House
Image: Supplied
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.
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Hatch
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Hatch’s little village of shipping containers, each one home to an independent business (from food to retail), is a true all-weather venue.
Part of it is sheltered by the Mancunian Way that soars overhead, other parts are heated by patio heaters, and parts are left in optimum position for soaking up some sunshine.
The rooftop terrace that overlooks the whole space is our personal favourite.
Image: MalaImage: MalaMala in the Northern Quarter
This ‘secret garden’ bar opened 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.
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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.
The Corn Exchange
Image: Supplied
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.
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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
Image: Supplied
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.
From Vietnamese restaurant and bar Nam, which serves delicate fruity cocktails alongside a range of beers, to classic pub reborn Edinburgh Castle and brilliant cocktail bar Jane Eyre, drinkers are spoilt for choice.
Add to that rock bar Jimmy’s, wine pros Blossom Street Social, and local brewery bar Seven Brothers, and you’ll soon see how easy it is to spend a whole day drinking down here.
Featured image – Terrace
Eats
Three more Manchester restaurants have been added to the Michelin Guide
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester has just had three more restaurants placed in the Michelin Guide, marking a sensational year for our city’s hospitality industry.
This month, the prestigious restaurant guide has added Stow, Climat, and Bangkok Diners Club to its list of the top quality restaurants across the UK.
It brings our total to 18, after three others were added to the guide back in August (Winsome, Pip, and Cantaloupe).
Manchester also now boasts two Michelin stars after going decades with none, thanks to the opening of Skof last year.
While stars remain the most prestigious accolade in the hospitality industry, Michelin also dishes out Bib Gourmands, and Michelin Guide entries to recognise excellent restaurants at lower price points.
The first big Manchester name added to the guide this month is Stow, a brilliant new restaurant on Bridge Street where everything – even the desserts – is cooked over fire.
It’s technical and utterly brilliant and has received rave reviews across the board since its launch.
Stow in Manchester has been added to the new Michelin Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
The Michelin Guide said of Stow: “With its winning combo of cocktails and cooking over fire, Stow feels like a restaurant for our times. Start (and end) your visit with a drink in the front bar, before taking your seat at the counter in the tucked-away dining room.
“The small size gives it the feel of an intimate secret supper club, as you watch the chefs close-up, extracting maximum flavour from their ingredients.
“Prime cuts of meat, including ex-dairy beef, are a feature, but don’t miss the imaginative vegetable dishes too. Finish with the smoked cream tart, its gentile smokiness coming through in every mouthful.”
Stow wrote: “Today marks a very proud moment for us and the team.
“This time last year there wasn’t even a barbecue in the kitchen or furniture in the restaurant. Today, we’re officially a recommendation in the @michelinguide.
“We’re so proud of our team. Up the f*cking Stow.”
Next up is Bangkok Diners Club, a fantastic Thai restaurant tucked up above the Edinburgh Castle pub in Ancoats.
It’s headed up by Chef Ben Humpheys – formerly of the futuristic Thai restaurant District – and his wife Bo, and fuses his 20-year obsession with Thai cuisine with a ‘new-found love for low-n-slow cooking’ inspired by the BBQs of Miami.
The Michelin Guide says: “A taste of Thailand has arrived, of all places, above a Victorian pub in Ancoats. Sitting on the first floor of the characterful Edinburgh Castle inn, it’s a lively, deservedly popular place with a cool rustic-meets-retro vibe.
“Despite the name, the cooking takes inspiration from all over Thailand, including several dishes from the northeastern Isan region, such as raw bass with calamansi nam jim or a classic papaya salad. Each plate looks neat and vibrant, delivering an array of well-balanced flavours and the occasional hit of creativity.”
Bangkok Diners Club said: “We are delighted to be included in The Michelin Guide 2025 alongside the very best of Manchester. Thank you to everybody who has visited so far and we look forward to meeting many more of you.”
And last but definitely not least is Climat, a sky-high restaurant famed for its vast wine collection and fabulous views across the rooftops of Manchester city centre.
Here’s what the Michelin Guide had to say about Climat: “You have to be in the know to come across Climat, tucked away on the eighth floor of a city centre office building. You arrive at a dedicated entrance and make your way up to the chic penthouse, where stunning city views await you.
“An open kitchen is the focus of the room, with its aromas filling the air, and the concise fixed-price menu includes well-executed dishes such as halibut with spinach and sorrel velouté, where the ingredient quality shines through.
“Wine is a feature with one side of the room acting as a bar and the carefully curated list deftly mixing traditional and modern styles.”
Climat said: “Pleased as punch! We’re very happy to have been included in the @michelinguide.
“Thank you to all the team for their hard work and to our suppliers for their fantastic produce. Santé!”
A huge congratulations to all three new additions to the Michelin Guide – another very proud moment for Manchester.
Bar Posie – The beautiful new cocktail bar with an oyster happy hour from the team behind 10 Tib Lane
Daisy Jackson
The team behind Manchester’s 10 Tib Lane restaurant are ready to open a brand-new city centre cocktail bar, with an oyster happy hour.
They have announced that Bar Posie will be opening next week in the old Philpotts sandwich shop, right off Market Street.
The brand-new bar for the city centre will be serving cocktails, small plates and bar snacks, at the foot of Bruntwood SciTech’s Bloc building (also home to the Reset by Form pilates studio).
Bar Posie will be doing an aperitvo and oyster happy hour every Tuesday to Sunday between 12pm and 4pm, with £8 aperitivo and oysters for a quid.
It’s all coming from the 10 Tib Lane team, which opened in the old Bock Biere site back in 2021, transforming the space into a cosy multi-storey restaurant with seasonal sharing dishes.
This week, Bar Posie has shared a sneak peek of its menu, which will feature quality plates like confit chicken and wild mushroom croquettes, pork belly skewers, and a bitter leaf salad with buttermilk dressing.
As for drinks, expect cocktails like a cacao nib negroni, a classic vodka martini, and ‘La Isla’, a blend of Aperol, almond, Takamaka koko, mango and melon soda and acid.
That’s alongside conventional and natural wines, craft beer, and plenty of coffee.
Cocktails at Bar PosieHighlights of the snack menuA selection of snacks and cocktails at Bar PosieBar Posie is just off Market StreetInside Bar PosieInside Bar PosieCredit: The Manc Group
The space itself will be split into a mix of cosy booth seating, bar seats, and al fresco dining across two levels, with the cocktail bar at the very heart of everything.
Sophie Robson from Posie said: “We’re thrilled to finally be opening the doors to Posie. We’ve put all our passion and expertise into curating a menu that feels fresh and exciting, and into creating a space where people feel comfortable, looked after and relaxed.
“We can’t wait to welcome guests and show them the best of Posie.”
Matt Pazos, Retail Commercial Manager for Bruntwood SciTech, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Posie to the Bloc community.
“The team’s unique style is clear to see in the space, transforming it into a beautiful and inviting bar with an innovative menu offering that is testament to their expertise.
“Posie will make a fantastic addition to Manchester’s food and drink scene and we can’t wait to see how the brand grows in the coming months.”
Bar Posie will open in Bruntwood SciTech’s Bloc building on Tuesday 4 November.