The Manchester taprooms serving up the freshest pints in the city
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.
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, here you can experience a whole new way of drinking – separate from the city centre bars. In the promised land of brewery taprooms, beer pretty much flows straight out of the brewery tanks into your awaiting pint glass.
The trade-off? Typically, taprooms offer a slightly more industrial setting – being attached to the breweries and all. Still, if you want to drink straight from the source and try the newest brews, there really is nothing better.
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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.
This newer kid on the block has added to 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 new home at Piccadilly Trading Estate, the taproom seats 80 people and also has room for a DJ.
Cloudwater Brew Co.
Unit 9, Piccadilly Trading Estate
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Cloudwater is one of Manchester’s most esteemed breweries, having won multiple awards – including the title of the second-best brewery in the world. Its cosy taproom has over 20 draught taps of their own beer to showcase and there is also a shop selling cans and bottles to take away direct from a walk-in cold store.
North Taproom
Circle Square
North Taproom in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
While not attached to an actual brewery, there’s enough beer flowing at North Brewing Co’s first Manchester bar to keep you occupied. 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 original home of GRUB before it moved over to the Green Quarter, ABC’s taproom is one of Manchester’s foremost spots for any lovers of good beer. Serving up to 10 lines of Alphabet beers to drink in or takeaway, there is seating in a sheltered beer yard and they even let you bring your own food.
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Runaway Brewery
Dantzic Street
Microbrewery Runaway has always been based just off Angel Gardens in the Green Quarter – but it’ll be all change this year as it relocates to Stockport. They gave us a little glimpse of things to come with a three-week pop up ahead of an official reopening in Spring 2023, in a spot behind the Pineapple pub. Expect core range beers and regularly changing seasonal beers, plus one-off brews in collaboration with other breweries which are well worth looking out for.
The team behind this new Green Quarter brewery previously worked at Beatnikz Republic, under the very same arches. They’ve created a welcoming space with real New York vibes, with ivy climbing the walls. There’s a great range of flagship ales to nurse your way through.
Wander Beyond Brewing
98, North Western Street
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Wander Beyond beers is inspired by the outdoors and the brewery’s love for adventure. Its flavours of beers reflect all things natural, exemplified by beer names like River Monster and Secret Garden. Whilst most of the brewery’s Instagram is showing their beers out in the wild, you’re more than welcome to enjoy them sat down in the taproom too.
Seven Brothers Brewing Co.
Ancoats
Image: Seven Brothers Brewing Co. Manchester taproom
Set up by seven actual brothers their beerhouse in Ancoats offers amazing craft beer and some seriously filling scran. 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. They have another taproom attached to their main brewery in Salford, too.
Featured image: ABC Brewery
Manchester
First look inside Gordon Ramsay’s new Manchester restaurant Lucky Cat
Georgina Pellant
This week, Gordon Ramsay opens his Asian-inspired restaurant on Manchester’s King Street – moving into the stunning old Art Deco bank that once housed Jamie’s Italian.
Spanning three floors with opulent private dining vaults in its basement, the new Manchester location promises to be a dining experience like no other with jaw-dropping decor to match.
Capturing the essence of the original Mayfair eatery in the very heart of the city in a truly iconic building, the restaurant is only the second Lucky Cat to open worldwide – cementing Manchester’s reputation as a leading destination for food, drink, and entertainment.
Taking over the former bank, Lucky Cat Manchester pays homage to the building’s heritage by embracing its gorgeous period features while offering locals a ‘brand new’ dining experience.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
With wood panneled private bars and dining spaces tucked away for special events, Lucky Cat’s menu fuses the vibrant atmosphere of 1930s Tokyo jazz kissas and drinking dens with a world-class dining experience.
Promising fine wines and cocktails, live DJs and a real party atmosphere, it is already a destination on the London scene – and now it looks set to achieve the same reputation here in Manchester.
The new Manchester location hopes to immerse guests in the extraordinary culinary narrative from Gordon Ramsay and Lucky Cat Executive Head Chef Andre Camilo, who have crafted each dish with sharing and excellence in mind.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Diners are invited to ’embark on a gastronomic journey of culinary icons’, digging into the likes of sublime black cod, sumptuous sirloin weeping tiger and the legendary Lucky Cat Duck Bao.
The team has taken the very best of its Mayfair menu heroes and added some new dishes to offer ‘a dining experience like no other’, encouraging guests to ‘journey onward to the ocean’s depths’ with sublime sushi and raw dishes, from sumptuous tuna tartar to mouth-watering dragon rolls.
An innovative cocktail list, meanwhile, includes the one-of-a-kind Lucky Negroni, where the gin in your drink is determined by a captivating game of chance.
With three dice hidden inside a mysterious box, the numbers rolled will unlock the perfect combination of gins, vermouths, and bitters destined for your drink. With a staggering 216 possible combinations, your Lucky Negroni is a personalised, exhilarating experience, crafted by fate itself.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Speaking on the new opening, the celebrity chef said: “Lucky Cat is more than just a restaurant; it’s an extraordinary encounter. We’re ready to dazzle Manchester’s vibrant culinary scene with a gastronomic spectacle that will leave you craving more!”
The full menu can be viewed on the website here, promising an array of delights to stir your culinary curiosity.
Featured image – Supplied
Manchester
Manchester United named Premier League’s ‘most valuable’ club in Forbes’ 2023 ranking
Emily Sergeant
Manchester United has been named the most valuable club in the Premier League for 2023, according to an annual ranking by Forbes.
Every year, the business magazine is known for publishing a list of clubs within each sport that are considered to be of the most value, and ranks them from highest to lowest based off how much they’re worth – and, as you can imagine, the top 10 is usually made up of some of the most famous and well-known global franchises.
When it comes to football in 2023 though, according to Forbes, the “soccer pitch is filled with more green than ever”.
The world’s top 20 most valuable football teams have an average value of $2.89 billion in 2023, which is 14% higher than the year previous.
The soccer pitch is filled with more green than ever. Check out the methodology behind this year's list of the World's Most Valuable Soccer Teams: https://t.co/flo7x6Drx3pic.twitter.com/LXyc6UNBA5
With a current value of $6 billion, Manchester United has taken the number two spot on the global 2023 rankings, just behind Spanish superclub Real Madrid at $6.07 billion – making the Red Devils the most valuable club in the Premier League.
The rest of the top five is made up of Catalan giants Barcelona in third place with a value of $5.51 billion, fellow North West club Liverpool at number four with a value $5.29 billion, and rounded out by cross-town rivals Manchester City.
The Sky Blues have a current value of $4.99 billion, according to Forbes.
Top 10 Most Valuable Football Clubs 2023
Real Madrid – $6.07bn
Manchester United – $6bn
Barcelona – $5.51bn
Liverpool – $5.29bn
Manchester City – $4.99bn
Bayern Munich – $4.86bn
Paris St-Germain – $4.21bn
Chelsea – $3.1bn
Tottenham Hotspur – $2.8bn
Arsenal – $2.26bn
Manchester United named Premier League’s ‘most valuable’ club in Forbes’ 2023 ranking / Credit: Manchester United (via Facebook)
Other Premier League teams featuring in Forbes’ top 30 list of the most valuable for 2023 include London clubs West Ham and Crystal Palace, the North East’s Newcastle United, Midlands-based Aston Villa, rival Liverpool club Everton, and the recently-relegated Leicester City.
Manchester United has been named as the second most valuable football team in the world, despite what Forbes has called the ongoing “sale saga with seemingly no end in sight”.
United fans will know that the club’s controversial current owners, The Glazer family – who have owned the club since 2005 – are apparently asking for a world-record price to buy the team, which would mean a higher figure than the $6.05 billion that the US-based NFL team, Washington Commanders, sold for this past April.
The club has a current value of $6 billion / Credit: Manchester United (via Facebook)
At the moment, it’s thought that only two bidders – Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, and Sir Jim Radcliffe’s Ineos Group – submitted final bids to buy Manchester United before the club’s dealine on 28 April.
However, Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus notably tweeted that his bid for the club was still on the table.
The Manc -
6th January 2023 
