At last, the boozers are open. Even better, we can finally sit inside them.
Hopefully, this means no more battling it out against the elements with our anoraks and brollies – although those scenes did make us very proud of our fellow Mancs’ commitment to their locals.
Still, if you’re planning a big one it can soon add up price-wise. Especially if you’re paying over a fiver per pint, which has pretty much become the norm for anywhere selling craft beer in the city centre.
Suffice to say, after a year of not really going out and just over a month back at it, we’ve all been feeling a bit skint.
But there is some great value beer out there for the drinking – if you know where to look.
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We asked, and you delivered. If you know of any more, let us know @themanc and we’ll add them in here.
Sinclair’s Oyster Bar is well-known for its cheap pints / Image: Wikimedia Commons
Sinclair’s Oyster Bar, Shambles Square
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The most suggested pub on the list by a mile, this black and white Samuel Smiths boozer off Shambles Square is one of Manchester’s most iconic. Famously moved after the 1996 IRA bomb to its current spot just a few yards down, it wins hands down on both value and aesthetic. Note to tourists, they don’t actually sell oysters here.
2 pints at £2.20. Dark mild and Alpine lager.
The Courtyard, Chester Street
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The cost of Carling at this popular student bar has increased by a whopping 5 pence a pint since the start of the pandemic whilst other spots in town have put theirs up by several pounds. It’s also huge, with plenty of tables inside as well as in its namesake courtyard.
Carling, £2.60
Hare & Hounds, Shudehill
With completely intact interiors dating back to 1925, this pretty pub is considered to be of some historic national importance. Popular with Manchester’s mature drinkers and sports fans, it’s got regular entertainment on here and pre-covid was quite well known for its karaoke.
Two pints at £2.70, Holt Bitter and Mild.
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The City Pub, Oldham Street
This grade II-listed one-room pub at the top end of the Northern Quarter is full of characters in the day but typically quieter in the evening. For a time you could find some good real ale here, but it left the CAMRA fold in 2018 due to falling sales and now is very much keg over cask.
Joseph Holt Smooth £2.00, Boddingtons £2.10 (on happy hour, prices increase by 50p after 6pm).
Abel Heywood,Northern Quarter
This bar and boutique hotel is named after a former mayor of Manchester, as is, coincidentally, the town hall clock ‘Great Abel’ which can often be heard chiming across the city centre. Close to the Arndale, it’s a good, quiet place to head for a cold one when you’ve had enough of shopping.
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£3.45 Hydes Original Bitter.
Seven Oaks, Chinatown
Located just off Mosley Street, this classic pub is a favourite of city centre locals, bored shoppers and off-duty bartenders alike. It also runs a ‘husband creche’ on the weekend.
Seven Oaks ale, £2.50
Trof, Northern Quarter
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One of the Northern Quarter originals, due to its slightly hidden location in the midst of many new bars and restaurants, Trof is shamefully easy to forget about nowadays. At £3.50 a pint for its house lager it’s definitely stretching the boundaries of ‘cheap’ but deserves a shoutout nonetheless – much like its brilliant roast dinners.
Trof Lager £3.50 (on happy hour 4pm – 8pm, Monday-Friday).
Brickhouse Social NWS, New Wakefield Street
This New York-themed diner and bar boasts a pool room, roof terrace and ‘day of the dead’ themed basement club. Find it just off Oxford Road.
BH Lager, £2.50
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The Footage, Oxford Road
Formerly known as the Grosvenor Picture Palace, this student haunt still retains many of the charms from its cinematic heyday. At £3.45 for Carling, it’s pushing the boundaries of what we can really consider cheap, but their craft beers can be bought for £3 during happy hours with a choice of Punk IPA and 4-5 rotating guest beers.
£3 craft beers (on happy hour, Tuesdays and Thursdays).
The Friendship Inn, Fallowfield
Another great student drinking spot, The Friendship’s got a great sun trap beer garden with seating that goes all the way around the pub. Indoors, there’s plenty of big screens to catch the football on, too.
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Holston Pilsner £2.10 (on happy hour, 12-6 Monday to Friday)
The Victoria, Withington
This cosy little Victorian boozer in Withington mixes students and locals quite happily, with a big screen for sports and a popular pool table inside. There’s a good weekly quiz here on Thursdays and live Motown nights on the first Saturday of the month, plus a nice little beer garden out back that catches the sun in the afternoon.
£2.50 Holston
The Red Lion, Withington
Another very decent Withington pub, this one’s set just off Wilmslow road heading towards The Christie. Spacious inside and out with some cute little nooks and crannies, it boasts a large terrace area overlooking the bowling green and some decent pub grub.
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2 pints at £3.05. Manchester Pale Ale and and Dark.
The Blue Bell Inn in Levenshulme has some good beers at great value / Image: Geograph
The Blue Bell Inn, Levenshulme
A very smart Samuel Smith’s pub, The Blue Bell Inn was fully refurbished to a high standard around 2006. Spacious inside with a large garden to the rear, it’s at the heart of the community with a variety of groups using the pub to raise funds for local improvement projects. There’s even a knitting club.
2 pints at £2.20. Dark Mild and Alpine lager.
Featured image: Pixabay
Feature
Meet the team that reimagined The Horse and Jockey into a gastropub masterpiece
Lydia Mastrolonardo
The Horse and Jockey is a historic neighbourhood pub that has forever been a cornerstone in the heart of Chorlton, with its iconic Tudor exterior and outdoor seating looking out onto The Green.
Since the team behind the well-known and loved The Black Friar and Leo + Roobs in Salford, headed by Managing Director Neil Burke and Executive Chef Ben Chaplin, reopened the pub in October 2025, we have since seen some significant changes.
Positioning themselves as Chorlton’s first-ever proper gastropub, they’ve expertly balanced maintaining the pub’s character and restoring the cosy indoors while catering for Manc foodies, with an ever-evolving menu consisting of fresh local produce as well as a wide selection of Joseph Holt award-winning beers.
Credit: Bigger Boat Hospitality
We’re not the only ones who have noticed the hard work these two have put in – the transformation has led to the Horse and Jockey being crowned as one of the best local boozers at the Pub and Bar Awards.
Today, we had a chance to talk with Ben, who is the mastermind behind their delicious dishes and makes it all possible…
For anyone who doesn’t know you, give us a little bit of background on your career as a chef thus far?
“I started in the kitchen when I was 15 and worked my way up through different kitchens. Ended up working for Aiden Byrne, who remains the youngest person ever to achieve a Michelin star at 22. I worked for him for about nine years, ran one of his pubs for him and helped develop Manchester House.”
“I then went off and worked as head chef at Australasia for two years and 20 Stories for another three years before meeting Neil. Together we opened The Black Friar in 2021, Leo + Roobs in 2024, now the Horse and Jockey and are 100% looking for more venues.”
How would you sum up the Manc food scene at the minute?
“Very diverse. Within the industry side of it, it’s difficult with a lot going on with VAT and wages, but there are some great venues doing some great food even just in Chorlton alone, and there is a lot of choice – I actually think it rivals London.”
This has become a staple of their annual calendar of events. See more from this year’s edition HERE.
We already know you’ve worked wonders bringing The Black Friar back to life and taking it beyond just a pub – what lessons have you taken from that experience to the Horse and Jockey?
“I think not just the Horse and Jockey but one of our values as a company for Bigger Boat is we are ‘yes people.’ So trying new things and not just saying no to something because we don’t want to do it, saying yes first and trying to find a way to achieve it.”
“It’s something that we don’t just do here, but we do it at the cafe, The Black Friar, and we’re going to do it going forward, opening more and more places.”
If you could describe how the approach is different between the two venues, what would you say?
“The spaces in The Black Friar allow us to do a lot more events; we obviously have a bigger outdoor area, so that leads to us being able to sell different areas for different events. We don’t have that as much here, and this is more of a neighbourhood, local pub, serving gastro-style food.
“The Black Friar we can go from events to weddings pretty seamlessly – we do a lot more there as there’s space for it and even more to come.”
They’ve even started doing a picnic basket offer. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
What is your favourite dish on the menu?
“We change the menu so often here (the Horse and Jockey) following the seasons, often changing a dish a week. However, right now my favourite is probably our lamb rump with a red pepper and harissa hummus with a hazelnut and sesame seed dhukka.”
And if you could sum up the food in three words, what would they be?
“Evolving, tasty and bold.”
These two truly know what they’re doing with these restorations, and we can’t wait to experience what else they take over in the future.
Don’t believe us? Go on down and try it for yourself.
You can read our full review of the food and drink from when they first reopened the gorgeous suburban, village-style spot down below.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press shot (supplied via Bigger Boat)
Feature
The best England fan zones, screenings and places showing the World Cup in Manchester
Danny Jones
The 2026 World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest sporting event happening this year, and for those looking for the best fan zones, supporter parks, and exclusive screenings, we’ve got all the best places to watch it here in Manchester.
We’re not going to get carried away and declare this as ‘England’s year’, but let’s just say we’ve got a very good squad and a head coach who has won some of the biggest footballing trophies on the planet. Now into another semi-final, we’re starting to really believe.
That being said, we have every reason to feel positive, especially with so many great Manc pubs, bars and more showing the World Cup games.
So, let’s not drag this out like a long VAR check: here are some of the best places showing the 2026 World Cup in Manchester city centre and beyond.
Fan zones, screenings and top places showing the 2026 World Cup in and around Manchester
1. The Grosvenor – Oxford Road Corridor
Up first on our list is the old Footage pub, which these days has been updated to The Grosvenor. They’re teaming up with Fireball for a big fan zone, including everything from free shots of that famous cinnamon whisky and other giveaways to quizzes, games and more.
One of Manchester’s biggest and best new food halls and bars, House of Social, is also hosting its first-ever big tournament viewing party, with five big screens being installed. Standard entry is free, while seated (£15) comes with a free drink included and a comfortable view of the action, and VIP (£30) tickets come with £15 to spend on food, too.
In addition to pre- and post-match parties with live music and even a margarita truck out in the garden section, not to mention the terrace benches with heated canopies, this one is a great package all-around. Tickets are right HERE.
In at number three, we’ve got The Faraday over in the Northern Quarter (formerly Seven Sins, for anyone unaware), which has all the games you could need – and we don’t just mean the ones up on the telly. They’ve got pool, shuffleboard, darts, and more, not to mention live music throughout the week.
They may have a different name on the door these days, but it’s still as enjoyable as ever.
Rounding off our top four (the Champions League spots, if you will) is the very impressive space set up by Boundary over at The Union on Manchester Metropolitan University’s campus.
Not just for students, this is much more than one for the uni kids: besides the pub itself, they’ve turned the gig and club room into a huge fan zone, with live DJ sets, super cheap drinks, 100 FREE cans of Jubel to give away for those earliest to the first game, and even 10p off Carling every time England score.
Say no more; book your spot for the Three Lions games HERE.
Next up, we have Manchester’s dedicated Oasis pub, Definitely Maybe, also over in NQ. You may associate this place more with Britpop and/or pre- and post-gig vibes, but the brilliant Afflecks music bar also has three large screens in the main room, not to mention tables and regular standing tickets available.
Food and drinks packages will also be available, and there’s even a Green Room that can host private screenings of up to 60 guests. With live music in steady supply from Friday to Sunday, this might be ideal for those weekend games;reserve your spot now.
Number six is, of course, the now-famous Road to Victory, which returns for every big international competition. Having been at multiple places before landing at the AO Arena most recently, they’re now putting on something even bigger for the semis and hopefully the final.
Making the most of the sunny weather shining down on Greater Manchester at the minute, they’re following up Castlefield Bowl’s 2026 edition of Sounds of the City with a brand-new outdoor fan zone. More than 70% of tickets have already been sold – grab yours down below while you still can.
From Road to Victory (RtV) to ‘Victory at the Baths’, over Chorlton way, is also holding a big fan zone for the latest international tournament.
We don’t need to tell you how stunning a space this will be to watch ‘the beautiful game’, but it will also have some of the best acoustics in the business when those goals go in, the limbs go up, and the pints are sent flying. Find out more and grab your tickets while you can.
Similarly, their old neighbours at Depot Mayfield are bringing back their own building-wide watchalong party, ‘We Are Football Festival’. Operating in partnership with 4TheFans, the fan park specialists return for World Cup 2026, with several big rooms to be made the most of.
One entry on the list that may surprise you is Zouk Tea Bar and Grill over at The Quadrangle, just off Oxford Rd, but it’s a decent option for anyone who wants a more laid-back setting that comes with scran and a guaranteed seat.
Now, it goes without saying that there’ll be some unreal Indian and Pakistani scran being served up here over the summer, as there is every single day, but they’re also putting up big screens for select games over the next month or so. Book your table with food starting from £29 per person HERE.
Now, we thought we’d lump a few of these into one, because St John’s – just off Deansgate and behind Spinningfields – is gradually becoming one of the fastest-growing districts in central Manchester city centre, not least of all thanks to the brilliant food and drink scene over in this small slice of the city.
With Trading Route, Courts Club, Stables Tavern and now ‘The Green’ all helping create a great atmosphere ahead of this year’s sporting summer, food, drink, and pure vibes will be in full flow.
Find out what they’ve got on right through until August.
12. O’Malleys – Central
Heading over to O’Malleys on Portland Street, right in the heart of the city centre, we may be bursting with some great Irish bars and pubs in Manchester at the moment, but O’Malleys MCR undoubtedly has some of the cheapest pints and value for money across the board.
They’re doing free entry throughout, and they’re showing every single game, so you don’t just have to be backing England.
Heading toward the outskirts for a spell, Hotel Football, which sits in the shadow of Old Trafford, is obviously a footy-obsessed venue from start to finish, but this isn’t just limited to Man United affairs.
This World Cup, they’re showing every England game and even offering special stay-overs, with dinner, as well as bed and breakfast included. Find all the options HERE.
This package comes with a stadium view and tour of Man United’s Carrington complex (Credit: Supplied)
14. GRUB On The Docks – Salford Quays
As we cross the halfway point, and since we’ve strayed just beyond the city centre, we thought we’d shout out the fantastic festival feel being set up for GRUB On The Docks over at MediaCityUK.
Formerly known as BOX on the Docks, this new-look outdoor leisure and live entertainment hub will hopefully serve as the perfect suntrap, not to mention there’ll be plenty of boxes showing the football itself.
Any place offering free fan zones gets a big thumbs up from us, and fortunately, we already know plenty of people heading back to Nell’s for World Cup watchalongs.
Nell’s Pizza and frozen cocktails speak for themselves, but in case you weren’t aware, they have a big projector up at their Kampus location, as well as screens at their other sites, such as Common, The Beagle, and over in Salford Quays, too
The Manchester Blues Kitchen site just off Deansgate is another one that we can vouch for when it comes not only to watching the biggest sporting fixtures, having watched the Super Bowl there every year for the past half a decade, but also the footy – in fact, we watched the last Euros final in there and while the result was gutting, the night overall was excellent.
It’s first-come, first-served, and their latest Southern-inspired food menu feels like the perfect fit for the North American tournament.
Another food and beer hall, Society, is another ideal spot to watch the World Cup in Manchester this summer. In fact, we’ve enjoyed it more than once already this tournament.
Not only do you have rows and rows of tables and benches to seat fans, multiple kitchens to choose from, and a great selection of locally-brewed bevs, but you’ve also got the outside area to hopefully soak up sun, suds, and energy from the crowd during the breaks.
Beloved Manchester bar and nightclub ‘JBs’ is bringing their dedicated England fan zone back for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and if you spent any time during the last edition, you’ll know the atmosphere in here is great.
Complete with shiny new booths, multiple screens, a DJ booth and more, the ‘Clubhouse’ upstairs is well worth a go for a game or two. Find ticket prices and all their other events listed HERE.
Credit: The Manc
19. The Lawn Club – Spinningfields
Heading back over towards Spinningfields direction, Lawn Club on Hardman Square is another great alternative for World Cup screenings, especially as you’ve got the indoor hut, complete with cocktail deals, AND the roomy beer garden outside.
For those who haven’t stumbled across it before, here’s a better idea of how it’s going to look based on previous years:
Holding viewing parties for the 2026 World Cup at their two flagship homes – the taproom and their first-ever beerhouse, Seven Brothers are also offering bookings, from just you and your partner, to big private hire for groups of mates and work colleagues.
Spaces for England’s first game against Croatia on Wednesday, 17 June, are already filling up, so email either venue to reserve your spot ASAP.
Credit: Supplied/The Manc
21. 11 Central – Salford Quays
Speaking of the Seven Bros Brewing Co., another one of their brands over at Quayside in MediaCity is another place that will be showing all England games, at the very least, throughout the 2026 World Cup.
This still relatively new Salford Quays spot may go overlooked in foodie terms at times because of Central Bay next door, but one thing they do better than their neighbours is live sport on the box.
No. 22 is the brilliant Black Cat Club, brought to you by the same team behind the Michelin-recommended El Gato Negro and Canto tapas restaurants on King Street and Cutting Room Square, respectively.
To toast this year’s tournament and the last time England won the World Cup, they’re serving up a ‘Geoff Hirst’ deal, where you can grab three small plates for £19.66, or four-pint pitchers of Black Cat Lager, Red Stripe or Moretti for the same price. Here are all of their packages.
Credit: Press shot (supplied via Black Cat Club)
23. Dirty O’Sullivans – Albert Square
From Mediterranean influences to more Gaelic goodness, another recently opened Manc Irish bar is also offering great deals for this year’s World Cup, including giving away 1,000 FREE pints to those who pre-book their table at this increasingly popular pub just off the corner of Albert Square.
As we approach the final minutes of this round-up, if you will, we thought we’d throw in another favourite gaming and activity bar of ours in the form of Electric Shuffle.
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You can pay either £25 or £50 as a deposit, redeemable off your bill at the end when putting your name down, and you don’t have to book a shuffleboard table to be in the room – though why wouldn’t you? Bookings are live now.
25. Diecast – Piccadilly East
Our penultimate pick of the bunch, we couldn’t complete this squad selection without giving a nod to Diecast over towards Back Piccadilly and the edge of Ancoats.
A previous RtV host, this massive Manchester drinking hall, beer garden, gig and club venue is still well-equipped to hold a big World Cup watch party all of its own. General admission is still on sale for just a tenner, so don’t wait around.
Getting in on the fan park phenomenon, the Co-op Live arena has also turned its bar area into a massive public viewing area, with unobscured views on the big screen.
Tickets for the semis may have already sold out, but if you’re a fellow believer and are confident we’re making it into the final, you can secure your spot down below.
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A World Cup Quarter Finals to remember 🔥
General sale tickets for World Cup Semi-Final screening of England vs Argentina are SOLD OUT! FINAL tickets available to Co-op members via @coopuk app.
If we’re in extra time, we can’t think of many better places to spend that stressful eleventh hour than Manchester’s iconic Albert Hall; in fact, we have done almost exactly that for the 2022 World Cup and the Euros, and we promise, we made some unforgettable memories in here no matter how it all ended.
They’re keeping things simple here: £5 entry, and get this – the first 100 get a free pint; tickets can be found right HERE.
From one Manc institution to another, many people still don’t know that Manchester Academy One are also showing England‘s 2026 World Cup games, and offer as affordable a package as you would expect given their obvious student-led demographic.
That being said, like at MMU, you don’t have to be at uni to make the most of this offer, which includes some of the cheapest pints you’ll find in the entire city centre, pitchers from £8 and a room that can fit the best part of 2.6k. If it sounds like a bit of you, look no further:
⚽️Join us for ENGLAND Vs ARGENTINA on the big screen in Manchester Academy 2 on Wednesday 15th July! Its coming home!
Our penultimate pick is arguably one of the best value for money spots on this list, and that’s The White Lion, which sits just on the corner of Liverpool Road and Castlefield’s historic Roman fort, ‘Mamucium’.
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Since a refurb a couple of years back, the Craft Union pub may feel fairly familiar, but this little gem boasts plenty of big ticks in the plus column, from a decent-sized terrace with canopies, multiple screens inside, pints of Boddingtons from just £3.35 – yes, really – and now even a little outdoor food hut.
The only tiny gripe is that there’s only one outdoor screen and it doesn’t have any sound, but cheap pints, a great atmosphere and a no-nonsense boozer vibe are filling the whole left by the dint taken to the likes of the Sir Ralph Abercromby.
Credit: The Manc
30. Concept Haus – Salford
Last but not least, we’re throwing a somewhat left-field suggestion from a relatively new venue whose resident Disco Puss event has made the ‘ballsy’ decision to swap dancing for football chants.
The 6,000 square foot warehouse and cove studio on Cobden Street near Pendleton may not be everyone’s radar, but with such a big space, cheap tickets with a welcome drink included, free games to fill the minutes during half-time, and plenty more, they’ve quietly put together a brilliant little package.
It may be a little bit out of the way if you live in Manchester city centre, but it’s only a short distance via public transport, and if you’re a resident Salfordian, you simply have to give it a try.
Georgina Pellant -
4th June 2021 
