Summer has finally arrived and with temperatures set to soar in Manchester, people will be flocking outside to beer gardens.
With a heatwave on the horizon, the city’s streets will likely be packed with revellers sipping on cocktails and drinking pints out in the fresh air.
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 beer gardens in the city to get a seat.
Some of them are massive, some of them are overlooked, but either way, you might actually stand a chance at getting a seat in one of these – if you’re quick enough, that is.
Thomas Street, Edge Street and Stevenson Square
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, Stevenson Square and Edge Street can now fill the roads with tables and chairs in one giant beer garden.
You’ll find the likes of Common, Flok, Terrace, Smithfield Social, the Bay Horse Tavern and Wolf At The Door all being given the al fresco treatment.
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The Mews
Image: The Mews
Wine and charcuterie bar The Mews sites on the often-forgot Deansgate Mews walkway, wedged between the tail end of Deansgate and the Great Northern Warehouse.
Its large, secluded outdoor area is the perfect place to try when everywhere seems full – as this hidden gem delivers in spades on food, drink, and sunshine too.
Up here you’ll also find the likes of Siam Smiles cafe, Whistlepunks, Another Hand and Lion’s Den.
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Crazy Pedros, Bridge Street
Image: Crazy Pedro’s
Drenched in sun for the best part of the day, the beer garden at Crazy Pedro’s also happens to be huge – having benefited from a pavement extension thanks to Covid.
You can drink margaritas and enjoy slices of pizza all day here whilst soaking up the rays, but we do recommend trying for a table early – it does tend to get pretty packed come the late afternoon / evening.
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 the terrace at Atlas Bar also a good consideration, being somewhat hidden at the back of the bar, it’s often overlooked by sun seekers.
It always helps that Castlefield is one of the prettiest spots in the city centre, too.
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Escape to Freight Island
This hospitality giant was initially purpose-built with social distancing in mind (wasn’t 2020 a wild ride?!), leading to a seriously roomy outdoor space.
While the bulk of the action has now shifted indoors to the Ticket Hall, Freight Island’s colourful outdoor space is back in its element – now open seven days a week.
You’ll find street food traders like One Star Doner Bar, Madre tacos, Batard, Voodoo Ray’s pizza, Burgerism and Mi & Pho all trading here, on this formerly-forgotten patch near Manchester Piccadilly.
The Oast House
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 (and its grassy Spinningfields counterpart The Lawn Club) was one of the few venues that really focused on an open-air offering.
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It’s still the same today – masses of tables in the heart of Spinningfields, with live entertainment and a belting Aperol Spritz too.
Hatch
Hatch. Credit: Jody Hartley
Hatch’s little village of shipping containers, each one home to an independent business (from food and drink 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.
This ‘secret garden’ bar opened right in the heart of the Northern Quarter last year.
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
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.
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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.
Featured image: Escape to Freight Island
Eats
The Cut and Craft are hosting a bottomless Boxing Day brunch this year
Danny Jones
This holiday season, The Cut and Craft are hosting an extra lavish take on their usual bottomless brunch on Boxing Day.
Suddenly, we’re looking forward to 26 December maybe even more than our mam’s Christmas dinner…
Yes, the much-loved steak and seafood restaurant is already well-known for one of the best bottomless brunches in Manchester, not to mention evening meals, but they always elevate things even further over the festive period.
Promising top ingredients, the best booze labels you could ask for, as well as stunning service in an even more stunning room, you can’t go wrong if you’re looking to make the most of your toasts this Boxing Day – and don’t worry, vegetarians: there are some great options for you, too.
Typically held over a long weekend, The Cut and Craft bank holiday bottomless brunch will be held for the last time this year on the final Friday of 2025. You couldn’t ask for more perfect timing than that.
The group have transformed the beautiful room in the heart of the city into what they’ve dubbed “a scene straight out of Miracle on 34th Street.
Adorned with grand wreaths, the reliable warmth of twinkling fairy lights, stockings hanging in front of the fire in ‘The Gossip Room’, plus Santa guarding the wine cellar, the only thing more inviting than the space is the menu.
Besides the usual 90 minutes of non-stop Moët & Chandon champagne, as well as DJs, live entertainment and dancers, the food offerings include flat iron steak and chips served on a hot stone with a grilled tomato and signature salt.
If you prefer something to steer away from the red meat/have already had plenty over Christmas, you can go for grilled seabass with Duchess potatoes, gremolata, hazelnut and cauliflower sauce, OR opt for the halloumi fajitas packed with roasted peppers and onions, guacamole, salsa and chive sour cream.
You can even load these up even further with the addition of free-range British chicken breast, rump steak (if you change your mind on the day), and even king prawns.
We’re almost drooling just thinking about all this – as are our mates from The Hoot after confirming the same promotion is available at their equally gorgeous sites over in Leeds.
Veggie options are Cut & Craft’s ‘Redefine Flank Steak & Chips’ (tender flank-style cut of plant-based steak), or spicy cauliflower wings, served with broad beans, English garden peas, buckwheat, baby gem, baby spinach, broccoli couscous, toasted cashews, pistachio crumb, and maple-mustard dressing.
Once again, all of this can be tweaked here and there by the exceptional waiting staff; for instance, if you’d rather wine than champers, you can always swap the bubbly for Whispering Angel Rosé, which will be served straight from their limitless fountain.
Guests who fancy visiting Cut and Craft for Boxing Day 2025 can choose between a bar table with unlimited Whispering Angel drinks only from just £55, or go all out with a restaurant table and a dish from the set brunch menu starting from £75.
The full Moët fizz upgrade package will set you back £100, if you’re really looking to indulge yourself this year, and who could blame you? It’s a long, old winter, after all.
If you’re interested in securing your seat at 38-42 Mosley St, bookings are available from 1pm onwards, and you can reserve your table right HERE.
Three Manchester pubs are officially serving some of the best Guinness in the UK
Daisy Jackson
Guinness has released the first edition of its Harp Guide, which has highlighted the best pubs around the UK to grab a pint of the black stuff – and three are here in Manchester.
The iconic Irish brewery has singled out just 35 British pubs that are serving worthy pints of Guinness stout.
Of the three in Manchester that made the list, one is a legendary Irish pub in the city centre, while the other two are neighbours out in the suburbs.
Up first is – unsurprisingly – Mulligans of Deansgate, an authentic Irish pub in the heart of Manchester city centre that’s been a popular watering hole for Mancs for more than a century, selling more than 13,000 pints a week.
The pub expanded last year and now has two spaces – its traditional, den-like ground floor, and its much larger live music space with vaulted ceilings upstairs.
Pádraig Brady, owner of Mulligans, said: “Being recognised in the inaugural Guinness Harp Guide is a real privilege.
“It’s no secret that every pub gets the same kegs of Guinness delivered, but what makes the difference is everything that happens after that.
“The right equipment, correct cellar procedures and conditions, staff who know how to pour it perfectly, the atmosphere, the daily live music – it all matters. We’ve always focused on doing things consistently, and being the sole Manchester city centre pub in the guide is testament to that consistency.”
Mulligans in Manchester is in the Guinness Harp Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
Next in the Harp Guide is Kennedy’s in Didsbury, a pub which has only been open since August following the success of its original location in Altrincham.
The pub recently welcomed Yard & Coop into its kitchens too, so you can get a traditional Irish spice bag with your Guinness.
Kennedy’s said: “We are super excited to announce that we, amongst 34 other bars across GB, have been selected for the Offical Guinness Harp Guide 2026.
“Not only is this an exceptional achievement within the Guinness community, but it’s an accolade that represents everything we work towards here at Kennedy’s Irish Bar.
“The Guinness Harp Guide celebrates those few bars that capture the warmth, character, and vibrancy that makes enjoying a Guinness so special, and of course, those that serve beautiful Guinness’.”
Completing the list is The Station pub, also in Didsbury, a cosy local favourite and key stop on the legendary Didsbury Dozen pub crawl.
This popular Irish pub has sports, live music three nights a week and a serious love of Guinness – and now it’s officially one of Britain’s best spots to drink it.
These are officially the spots to head if you’re a discerning Guinness fan.
Daisy Jackson -
15th July 2022 
