The Manchester taprooms serving up the freshest pints in the city centre
Manchester's definitely earned its title as the second best place in the country for craft beer - and we're absolutely spoilt when it comes to choosing a taproom. Words by Alice Gerrard.
Manchester knows its way around beer, with some of the world’s best breweries right here in the North West, and we’ve got some serious top taprooms to prove it.
From the tiny spots serving colourful cans of ale to the giants spotted in pubs across the nation, there’s a lot going on.
And if you’re looking to sample some of Manchester’s freshest beer, look no further than the city‘s almost intimidatingly high volume of taprooms.
Each attached to a local independent brewery, you can experience a whole new way of drinking – separate from the city centre bars. In the promised land of taprooms, beer pretty much flows straight out of the tanks into your awaiting pint glass.
The trade-off? Typically, taprooms offer a slightly more industrial setting but still, if you want to drink straight from the source and try the newest brews, there really is nothing better.
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The top 10 taprooms in Manchester city centre
Whether you’re a fan of craft ale on tap, lager or a traditional cask hand pump, there’s plenty to discover in Manchester to suit all beer drinkers’ tastes.
Keep reading to discover our top Manchester taproom picks.
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1. Track Brewery Taproom. – Unit 14, Piccadilly Trading Estate
Once the new kid on the block and now a local favourite, Track Brewing Co. is a mainstay on the drink-in indie brewery scene springing up near Piccadilly.
There are more than 20 beers to choose from here, including three lager taps, 17 draught taps, and 3 cask pumps on offer. An integral part of Track’s 10,000 sq ft home on the Piccadilly Trading Estate, the taproom seats 80 people and also has room for a DJ.
2. Cloudwater Brewery Taproom – Unit 9, Piccadilly Trading Estate
Cloudwater Brewing Co. is one of the most esteemed in Manchester and the UK, having won multiple awards including the second-best brewery in the world. Its cosy taproom in the same complex as Track has over 20 draught taps of their own beer to showcase and you’ll struggle to find a bad one.
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There is also a shop selling cans and bottles to take away directly from a walk-in cold store and it’s worth noting that the Sadler’s Cat (formerly known as The Pilcrow) at NOMA has been spreading the good word of the lord through their Cloudwater stock.
While not attached to an actual brewery, there’s enough beer flowing at North Brewing Co’s first Manchester bar to keep you occupied.
Saved from closure by Kirkstall founder Steve Holt, the stylish, Scandi-inspired space at North Taproom is kitted out with plywood and plants, with seating for up to 100 punters at a time plus outside space. Then there are 24 draught lines, flanked by glowing fridges filled with cans to take away.
The team behind this Green Quarter brewery previously worked at Beatnikz Republic – now reborn as Pelican (see below) – under the very same arches and it’s one of our favourite additions to Manchester’s taproom scene.
They’ve created a welcoming space with real New York vibes, with ivy climbing the walls and there’s a great range of flagship ales to nurse your way through.
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5. Pelican – Northern Quarter
Speaking of the big bird that’s taken Beatnikz’s place, Pelican is the first and only taproom from Squawk Brewing Co. and while the company itself might have sadly shut down after a decade, their gorgeous little bar will thankfully remain.
Located on the corner of Dale and Tariff Street, this colourful, floral and ornithological little spot serves up incredible independent craft beers, stouts, rubies and more, not to mention deals such as a pint and a pizza slice for £9 as well as a great monthly pub quiz. Give it a try if you haven’t already.
6. The Sureshot Tap – Unit 5, Piccadilly Trading Estate
Next up is The Sureshot Tap from the brewing company of the same name which is always sure to deliver an absolutely lip-smacking tipple. Part of the ‘Beermuda Triangle™’ (very good) alongside Track and Cloudwater, their reputation precedes them and we’re big fans of the Piccadilly space.
With dreamy and juicy pales, perfectly punchy porters and an ever-renewing lineup of other clever creations, they’re genuinely up there with some of the best brewers in the game at the minute.
Set up by seven real brothers, the now legendary brewing company’s beerhouse in Ancoats offers amazing craft beer and some seriously good scran. In truth, their main taproom is over in Salford but with an empire now stretching into Kampus, MediaCity, Middlewood Locks and more, you can take your pick.
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The menu is updated regularly, with a beer for every season and mood. If you’re not sure what to go for, just ask for a sample and the team will happily oblige. Seven Brothers Brewing Co. is and always will be one of the GOATs.
8. Balance Taproom – Unit 10, Piccadilly Trading Estate
Back over to Sheffield Street and what is effectively the central hive of activity for city centre taproom culture, the Balance Brewing and Blending‘s Taproom is a little less rough and ready than some of its neighbours, not to mention an irresistibly cosy and welcoming little space.
They’ve not been open long but it’s already starting to feel like a community over here – they’ve even started a cycling club recently. Oh yeah, and their carefully curated selection of wide fermentations of beers, sours and ales is stunning.
Our penultimate pull comes from Northern Monk, the popular Leeds brewing company whose Manchester taproom over on Tariff St is another one of our favourites. Thanks for keeping us in the know, The Hoot.
With a brilliant main room with an even better lineup of northern crafts, plenty of outdoor benches for when the sun comes out, a cool cellar bar that’s perfect for private events and a great rotating lineup of food residencies, this place is the complete package in our books.
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10. North Westward Ho – City Centre (kind of…)
Consider this 10th and final suggestion a bit of an honourable mention as although it isn’t technically a taproom, it is comfortably one of the best pubs to have opened up in Manchester over recent years and it is from the team behind beloved Manc brewery, Pomona Island.
Delivering a classic and almost old London boozer-like feel, North Westward Ho has quickly become one of the most packed-out post-work pubs and watering holes most weekends. We can’t speak highly enough of it.
We’ve sadly had to say goodbye to legends like the Alphabet Brewing Company (ABC Taproom was always a great go-to) Wander Beyond, Carbon Smith and others, but we’re glad that the Manc brewing climate at large is still going strong.
It, of course, goes without saying that there are plenty more around Greater Manchester to get stuck into; we’re a region of beer lovers and craft ale connoisseurs, and we look forward to many more breweries establishing their reputation across the ten boroughs and beyond.
Drink prices at Parklife 2025 as festival-goers face £9.50 gin tins
Daisy Jackson
Parklife festival is a bucket list item for a huge swathe of young Manc music-lovers, with a massive line-up of dance, electronic and house music up in the fields at Heaton Park.
As the biggest party in the calendar, tens of thousands save up for tickets and to let their hair down for two days of the summer.
But as with all music and entertainment venues, prices for everything are creeping ever-higher.
And Parklife is not immune to the rising price of drinks, with spirits, beer, wine, and even pre-mixed cans more expensive than ever.
In our opinion… still worth it.
Here are the drink prices across Parklife 2025.
Spirit and mixers
Smirnoff No.21 Vodka- £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Captain Morgan Spiced Gold – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Captain Morgan Black Spiced – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Johnnie Walker Black Label – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Gordon’s London Dry Gin – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Gordon’s Pink Gin – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Casamigos Blanco Tequila – £14.80 for double, £10.90 for single
Included mixers: Pepsi Max, Pepsi Max Cherry, 7Up Free, Ginger Beer, Tonic, Soda, Grapefruit Soda
Rockstar Energy drink mixers: Tropical Guava, Peach Zero Sugar, Original – +£1
20 of the best Father’s Day deals in and around Greater Manchester | 2025
Danny Jones
This weekend is festivals galore with Parklife and Outbreak, as well as National Beer Day here in the Uk, but most importantly for lots of us, it’s Father’s Day, i.e. that one specific time of year when you can spoil the bloke who ‘never asks for anything’, is ‘always looking after the rest of us’and so on.
You know the drill.
Every year, when it comes round to Mother’s Day, we always get the usual suspects commenting, ‘What about Father’s Day?’ – well, for what we hope is the final time, the date is the third Sunday in June and in 2025, it happens to be this coming Sunday, 15 June.
Now we’ve got all the tedious housekeeping out of the way, we’re going to channel our inner non-nonsense dad energy and tell you a few deals and offers that you can score for your pops this Father’s Day in a handy little round-up. We think they’d be proud of that already.
Great Father’s Day deals and offers for Greater Manchester dads
The Black Friar – Salford: ‘Bottomless Boddingtons’ deal; book a table this Sunday and when you buy your pops a pint, he gets free refills.
The Black Friar’s Father Day offer has to be one of the best deals around, if you ask us.Boddies is the ultimate Mancunian dad beer.Credit: The Manc Group
1.Lane7 – Great Northern Warehouse: Free pint when booking and using the codeCHEERSDAD at checkout online.
2.J. W. Lees – Various: Sunday roast with all the trimmings, bottomless gravy and unlimited Yorkshire puddings at all J. W. Lees locations.
3.Greene King – Various: Free pint of any Greene King-brewed beer for dads when booking a table for food at any Greene King pub.
Credit: The MancA Greene King great.Greene King is keeping their Father’s Day deals special for 2025: free pints, init.
4.Spirit of Manchester Distillery – City centre: Complimentary rum negroni for all dads. Feasting boards + a bottle of wine for £50 are also available.
5.Stock Exchange Hotel – City centre: Limited-edition Afternoon Tea and Sunday Lunch all Father’s Day weekend. Afternoon teas are available all weekend from 12:30pm until 5pm (4:30pm on Saturday). Book now to secure your spot.
6.Sexy Fish – Spinningfields: ‘Roll the dice’ offer, where fathers can win prizes, including an extra game, free beer, raffle entry, and dad eats free. There is a catch, though, as you can also land yourself a trick, which means dad pays for everything… You can book HERE.
7.Pip – Deansgate: Add a welcome drink and complimentary massage from specialists Ruuby before or after food when reserving a table for Sunday lunch. Bookings HERE.
8.Albert’s Schloss – City centre: Every dad dining ‘in-haus’ will receive a branded stein and a bottle of Krombacher to take home; they can even have it engraved from 1-4pm when booking in advance. There will also be a ‘Rise + Shine Brunch’, where dads can take control of the playlist.
9.Zouk – Oxford Road Corridor: Brunch and Sunday roast sharing platters, close-up magic with Daniel Maze, as well as Zouk BBQ Banquet Kits and Masterclasses.
As far as deals and offers go, Zouk has some of the best in Manchester as it is, let alone on Father’s Day. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
10.The Ivy – Spinningfields: Cowboy-themed Father’s Day set menus on Saturday, 14 and Sunday, 15 June. Top-quality meat and fish are the stars of the show, and dads will also take home a limited edition set of The Ivy playing cards as a souvenir. More info on the menu and bookings HERE.
11.TGI Fridays – Central and Trafford Centre: Free pint of Hofmeister (or alcohol-free version) with any portion of wings purchased.
12.TheRefuge/Kimpton Clocktower Hotel – Oxford Road: Free pint on Manchester Union Lager when booking a meal this Sunday.
13.Cockfield’s Farm Park – Oldham/Ashton: Free entry for dads with every child ticket. In addition to the usual resident animals, kids’ playground, cafe and gift shop, there will also be a ‘Machine Madness’ event this weekend. Find out more HERE.
14.Seven Brothers – Ancoats, Media City, Salford Brewery and Taproom: Father’s Day Bundle (12 cans from £34.95) and Gift Pack (£9.95) as well as other discounted items available to order online.
15.Forbici – City centre: Free haircut for all fathers at Urban Gent when settling the bill.
One of the most random Father’s Day deals in Manchester, we’ll admit, but we rate it.
16.The Lead Station – Chorlton: Free pint of beer and branded Shindigger pint glass. Set Sunday menus are also available for booking.
17.The Martlet Kitchen – Rochdale: Special Father’s Day menu; as well as the usual stunning Sunday roast, dads can also share a ‘Tomahawk Rib Eye for Two’ or ‘The Lancashire Mixed Grill’ – both built for big boys. You can find out more details and reserve your table HERE.
It really is a Greater Manchester gem, and its Father’s Day menu offers plenty of variety, plus quality too.
18.Manchester Airport – GM Ringway: Hangar and aircraft showcase tours at the Runway Visitor Park as well as a free sausage or bacon barm. Now, if this Father’s Day offer isn’t the most dad deal on this list, we don’t know what is. You can book online or over the phone on 0161 489 3932.
19. Maya – Gay Village: Bottomless brunch promising 90 minutes of free-flowing drinks as well as a ‘Quiz & Cocktails’ event from 6:30pm onwards. The prize? £50 bar tab.
20.meetspaceVR – Trafford Park: 25% off all gift cards when using code BONUSTIME at checkout, and those who spend £50 or more can claim a bonus Black Card, which gets you 25% off all future bookings. As in forever.
Now, obviously, this is by no means an exhaustive list of all the Father’s Day deals and offers that there in and around Greater Manchester this year, but it’s a bloody good start.
And on a very serious note, if this particular annual observance is one that you’re also guilty of perhaps overlooking, then let’s make 2025 the last year that is the case.
Happy Father’s Day to all the proper good pops out there – we love you. Cheers.
The Manc -
6th April 2024 
