Iconic Manchester pub The Deansgate has officially reopened its doors after two years of sitting boarded up on the busy Manchester stretch from which it takes its name.
After closing during the pandemic in 2020, the pub, which started life in the city in the 19th Century, has undergone a three-month refurbishment – retained its historical features whilst adding a fresh modern touch.
With bars and cosy snugs spreading across three floors, the top floor – previously used as a flat by the pub’s previous landlord – has been brought into public use, and now boasts a stunning adjoining rooftop terrace.
This means there’s now not one, but two roof terraces, all with built-in seating, lighting, outdoor heaters and great views of the ever-growing city skyline.
In a nod to the history of the pub, the refurbishment has been careful to retain some of its original features including the stained-glass windows, external frontage, ceilings, and woodwork whilst also giving the venue a modern, on-trend feel.
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Green decor and solid wood flooring and bar areas create a proper pub feel, as does snug booth-style seating.
The ground floor also includes a feature bar area in a half-moon shape, bespoke brass fonts and a glass back bar, as well as the return of the pub’s gorgeous festoon lighting throughout.
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As for food, diners will find traditional favourites aplenty on the menu here with a new food menu boasting the likes of Steak and Ale Pie, Beer Battered Fish and Chips, Bangers and Mash and Sticky Toffee Pudding.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
The pub is also serving up a traditional Sunday Roast, with a range of different meat options and a Nut Roast Wellington served with gravy and all the trimmings.
On the drinks front, you’ll find a host of different beers and ciders on draught including favourites like Peroni, Guinness, Old Mout and Amstell, alongside house craft beers Flint Eye and Level Head.
In total, the drinks menu offers a range of 12 premium beers on tap including regional favourite the Fuzzy Hazy Pale Ale from Manchester’s number one rated beer company, Cloudwater.
The back bar also boasts a selection of wines and spirits, including the popular Fitz English Sparkling wine.
The pub also boasts an extensive cocktail menu featuring everything from Palomas to signature spritzes – including the classic Aperol Spritz and the alcohol-free Warner’s Pink Berry 0% Spritz.
To accommodate the city’s sports fans, the venue boasts seven TV screens showing live sports on BT and Sky on every floor, including a bookable private screening space on both the ground and third floor, perfect for private viewings.
Speaking on the new opening, Jonathon Evans, General Manager at The Deansgate, said: “The Deansgate has always been a Manchester staple, from when it was first opened back in the 19th Century and we’re so excited to be able to open its doors once more.
‘The transformation from an empty to space into a proper yet modern pub, with extensive food, drink and live sports offering has been months in the making and we’re looking forward to welcoming guests back to The Deansgate.”
Feature image – The Manc Eats
News
A Withington boozer has been named ‘Pub of the Year’ in South Manchester for 2026
Danny Jones
A pub in Withington has just been named the best pub in the South Manchester area for 2026, as the area continues to back CAMRA and proper boozers.
It’s not the first time they’ve picked up this kind of gong either.
Technically, it’s picked up the award for ‘Pub of the Year for Stockport and South Manchester’, but the venue itself sits on the edge of Withy and the outskirts of Fallowfield.
Operated by legendary local business, Hydes Brewery, they claim the trophy after having just missed out on the top spot in 2025, coming second behind The Crown in Heaton Mersey.
Not this time, though, as the Hydes pub located along Wilmslow Road won this year’s prize by some distance, in fact.
The Salford-born beer makers obviously have lots of sites all over Greater Manchester, many of whom regularly pick up monthly Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) awards – not to mention collecting a fair few annual ones – The Vic in Withington is one thought to have been long overdue for the grand prize.
Beloved by regulars and other nearby residents in and around the borough alike, the local community believe this place to be much more than just another watering hole.
For example, it’s been celebrated for its diversity and grassroots work throughout the area, with the team receiving praise for their extensive charitable efforts, such as with the Mero’s World Foundation.
The organisation was established by native Manc mum, Kelly Brown, in memory of her son Rhamero West, who was tragically stabbed to death in Manchester in 2021 at the age of 16; the charity aims to combat knife crime and support youth in the community through various initiatives.
As for The Vic, they’ve helped support the cause for many years, raising vital funds through their New Year’s Eve ticket sales, raffles, and with the management team taking on multiple athletic and endurance challenges on behalf of the cause.
Put simply, husband and wife landlords, Alyson and Paul Mitchell, are absolute legends.
Commenting on the win, Alyson said in a statement: “We’re so proud to win this award, and it is a real honour to be named the best pub in the region by CAMRA. We love what we do, but we couldn’t do it without our amazing team and the incredible support and top-quality ales we receive from Hydes.
“The Victoria is a truly special place for us, and we genuinely have the best customers you could ask for, from students to our local regulars. Winning this year after coming so close previously proves that our collective hard work has really paid off.”
Aside from serving a regular lineup of five or five Hydes cask beers, showing all the games on the box, and generally becoming a bit of a cornerstone of the community, Vic customers also helped raise £1,000 for the Withington Civic Society to install a much-needed community defibrillator outside the premises.
These are the kinds of things we want to hear happening in public houses across the ten boroughs, and it’s yet another instance of South Manchester, specifically, enjoying its moment in the sud-soaked sun.
Manchester City win first Women’s Super League title in a decade
Danny Jones
After a decade of hope and hard work, Manchester City have finally won the Women’s Super League once again in a huge moment for the local club.
Lifting not just their first division title in 10 years, but only their second WSL trophy since the modern female football era began in 2010, it felt like only a matter of time to many supporters.
Ending a six-year Chelsea supremacy, this is also manager Andrée Jeglertz’s first at the helm of Man City’s women’s team, who arrived at the club with a strong silverware record at the start of this season.
These were the scenes at home base as one key result sealed their status as champions:
— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) May 6, 2026
City Women secured the WSL title following third-placed Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brighton on Wednesday evening.
They even managed to do so with a game to spare and a six-point gap over the west London club, which has won so much over the past few years.
Speaking in an interview with club media after confirmation of the win, captain and Euro 2025-winning Lionesses defender, Alex Greenwood, said: “[It feels] absolutely incredible. “A moment – we as a team, me personally – us as a club has waited so long for”.
“An incredible moment, it’s an incredible feeling. I’m so glad we got to spend this moment together as a group. Just an absolutely incredible feeling.”
With fans watching both at home, along with the first team themselves, the celebrations have already begun as the team shared a look back at how they got here.
You can see the recap posted on social media in full below.
Commenting on his latest accolade, the Swedish head coach added in a full club statement: “There’s never been doubt about the talent in the group, but there is something else about talking about being winners and champions. We started that early, and we believed in that. That’s led us through this year.
“It hasn’t been easy; it’s been hard work every day, but we had a strong belief that we could be sitting here in May and be champions. That is the first thing, and we definitely deserve it.”
Congratulations to the Cityzens on a well-deserved and long-awaited WSL title; could this be the start of another sporting dynasty of dominance over in East Manchester? Only time will tell…
In other news around the Etihad Campus, the women’s, EDS and academy team stadium is also set to host the final of the FA Youth Cup later this month.
Georgina Pellant -
8th November 2022 
