The Bank Holiday weekend’s here at last, and we’d like to think we’ve earned the right to a few in a nice beer garden.
Handy for us, then, a new list of the UK’s favourite beer gardens has just been released.
Revealed via an interactive map created by UK company Roché Awnings, Google maps footfall data has been used to show off the most popular pubs across the country.
Even better, six of them are in Greater Manchester. Read on to find the one closest to you.
The Briton’s Protection
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Great Bridgewater St, Manchester
It’s no surprise to see this iconic Manchester pub on the list. Famous for holding the biggest collection of Jack Daniels in the city, The Briton’s Protection has over 350 whiskies and bourbons on its back bar. One of Manchester’s most beloved watering holes, the pub dates back to 1811. Popular with ale fans alike, it has one regular staple – Beartown’s The Britons Protection Bitter – and seven changing guest beers. It’s deceptively small inside but boasts a large beer garden to the rear.
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Terrace NQ
Thomas Street, Manchester
Thomas Street has changed a lot in recent years, but one thing that’s stayed (pretty much) constant is Terrace NQ. Like every other bar down there, it’s got a good number of tables out front – but venture inside and up the stairs and you’ll find not one, not two but three beer terrace gardens on its roof. Amazingly, it’s still considered by some in the city to be a bit of a hidden gem – perhaps due to the fact that, despite being right there in the name, the terraces weren’t actually open for the first three years of trading.
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The Courtyard
Chester Street, Manchester
Popular undergrad haunt The Courtyard has one of the biggest beer gardens in central Manchester. Set in the quadrangle underneath a big block of student halls, it’s partially covered and heated – making it an ideal choice for early spring drinks. It also prides itself on being cheaper than Wetherspoons, with some of the cheapest pints, ciders and spirit mixers in Manchester.
The King’s Arms
Bloom Street, Salford
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Originally housed across the road in the old gasworks office, today this Grade-II listed pub is housed in an impressive Victorian building. Dating back to 1879, it’s worth a visit for many reasons: including its famous house cat, Charlie, top beer selection and cracking little beer garden.
The Old Pint Pot
Adelphi Street, Salford
Also known as Adelphi, The Old Pint Pot in Salford is a popular stomping ground with Salford’s students and locals alike. Tucked a little off the beaten path, its outside terrace has some decent views over the River Irwell sitting as it does on the river’s horseshoe bend. You’ll find a good range of real ales here, plus lagers, ciders and spirit mixers – all reasonably priced.
The Palantine Public House
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Lower Broughton, Salford
A popular pub in Lower Broughton, Salford, The Palantine is a bit out of the way but well worth the trip if you want to make a day of it. Boasting a great beer garden out the back, it serves up a good mix of beers, spirit mixers and fun cocktails. The pub also shows live sport fixtures on big screens, worth a taking note of if you’re looking for somewhere to watch the Euro’s this summer.
Feature image – Terrace NQ
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Pat Regan at the Fairfield Social Club – a brilliantly unhinged evening of standup comedy
Clementine Hall
There’s a particular kind of chaos that only Pat Regan can deliver, and the recently re-recognised Fairfield Social Club got the full force of it last night.
Making his Manchester debut as part of the ‘A Lovely Time’ series at the equally as lovely Fairfield Social Club, the New York comic, writer, and podcast host arrived with the energy of someone who had already lived through three emotional breakdowns before breakfast and somehow still had the worst to come.
Known for his work on HBO’s Hacks and the cult-favourite podcast Seek Treatment with fellow comic Catherine Cohen, Regan’s stand-up feels less like your traditional comedy set and more like being trapped in the world’s funniest group chat.
The perfectly intimate room beneath Fairfield’s railway arches was packed with adoring fans who were immediately on side as Regan launched into stories about traumatic trips to Paris, Grindr dates, massage tables and having crushes at the gym.
The audience was in the palm of his slightly sweaty hands (don’t worry, he’ll be fine with me saying so), laughing at every awkward punchline and self-deprecating anecdote.
The material is nothing groundbreaking, but this is what makes it so deeply hilarious; never before has shopping for the perfect pair of jeans been so serious and unserious at the same time.
There was laughter rolling through the venue for virtually the entire set, and after an hour of never-ending quips and jokes, we were left wanting more.
And the best part is, it won’t be long until we get more from this place, and it’s no wonder they’re starting to get the hosting plaudits they deserve.
It’s safe to say Fairfield Social Club has become one of Manchester’s most exciting homes for alternative comedy, and this felt like exactly the sort of booking that justifies its growing reputation.
By the time Regan left the stage, the audience looked equal parts exhausted and delighted. An absolutely classy evening indeed.
Find out about what else is on at the Fairfield Social Club HERE.
First-ever JD Wetherspoon pub to open at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
In news that we feel many Mancs and travellers all-round have been waiting on for a long time, the well-known British chain, JD Wetherspoon, will be opening its first-ever pub at Manchester Airport.
That’s right: soon that first airport pint of the holiday could actually be a relatively cheap one.
While Wetherspoons are no strangers to popping up in terminals across the UK and Ireland, they’ve never done so here in Manchester despite having three, yes THREE, in Gatwick alone.
Not for much longer, though, as soon T2 will be lending more than 3,000 square feet of its prime leisure and retail real estate to a new Greater Manchester ‘Spoons’.
Posting on social media, the airport wrote: “Wetherspoon comes to Manchester Airport this September! The pub will be located in the Terminal 2 Departures lounge and will have more than 300 seats.
“This will become the final major food and drink venue to open its doors as part of our decade-long £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2. It will be named ‘The Belle Vue’, in a nod to Manchester’s historic showground [now a sports complex and leisure hub].
“It was a focal point for social life in the city from the Victorian period up until 2020, when the final event was held at Belle Vue stadium. The design of the pub is inspired by the history of Belle Vue and the sporting culture of the North West of England. We look forward to welcoming you all in September!”
While a lot of money has been pumped into T2’s refurb as a whole over the past few years, it remains unclear just how much this particular new addition will cost; we do know that great sums were set aside for the launch of the Great Northern Market last year.
The inaugural Manchester Airport Spoons is just the latest in a series of major renovations.
As mentioned, the company already operate several up and down the country – 10 airport pubs, to be specific – but this will be the first in the North West.
Speaking on the news, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said in a statement: “We are looking forward to opening at Manchester Airport. We believe our new pub will prove popular with travellers of all ages and be an asset to the new terminal.”
With Manchester Airport adding a dozen new routes to its roster this summer, you can expect to see even more people flying in and out than ever – no doubt having already polished off a cut-price pint or two beforehand.
Georgina Pellant -
30th April 2021 
