Listen, quite of a few us here at The Manc are giving Dry January a go again this year and if there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s that it isn’t always the alcohol that we miss but more the feeling of sitting around a bar with your mates, drink in hand and talking rubbish, not a care in the world.
These days, alcohol-free stuff is getting pretty good and if you’re having a good enough time chatting away with you and yours, be it your partner, a loved one, your bestie or otherwise, you’ll be surprised how quickly you forget there’s you’re gulping down a zero or low-alcohol alternative.
Whether it’s a wheaty bottle of Erdinger, a cold pint of Lucky Saint, a fruity mocktail or even a crisp 0% gin and tonic, they all quench your thirst just as good as the real thing, only without any damage to your health and without the hangover the next morning.
We’re not going to pretend we don’t love a few beers at the weekend or a vino after a long day, but Dry Jan is a positive challenge we can all get behind and it doesn’t have to mean staying in or saying bye to the pub — so here’s five Manchester bars that do alcohol-free or low percentage booze really well.
Five zero-percent and alcohol-free friendly bars in Manchester
1. Hinterland – Northern Quarter
Opening up back in June 2024, Hinterland is currently Manchester’s only permanent and purpose-built alcohol-free bar and cafe, and while the place might be booze they’ve certainly added a real cosiness and creativity to the space. Oh yeah, it also happens tp be tucked away under the Buddhist Centre.
Roomy and with no reservations needed, dog-friendly, not to mention serving fresh cakes, bakes and a fully-fledged food menu from vegan heroes, Wholesome Junkies – who are now the main vendors of the basement bar – this place has grown pretty quickly.
It’s also become a vital community corner for those trying to come off drink, already in recovery or even just the sober-curious, as they host numerous events throughout the year to help people learn more about zero-alcohol living as well as socialise and meet new people on similar journeys. A wonderful spot.
Hinterland is currently one of the only true alcohol-free bars in Manchester (Credit: The Manc Group)
2. Feel Good Club – Northern Quarter
Next up is a place that’s been at the forefront of wellbeing culture in the region since it first opened in 2020, came back fighting after an unfortunate break-in and has been serving up Mancs, healthy food, non-alcoholic bevs that will knock your socks off and nothing but good vibes ever since.
Located just on the corner of Hilton Street in the NQ, where it’s fair to say you’ll find some of Manchester’s very best pubs and bars, the regular crowds and easily enticed newcomers Feel Good Club pulls in will never make you feel like you’re missing out or should have wandered in elsewhere.
You can come in here for a tipple if you want but, honestly, there’s nothing like enjoying something off their all-day lunch and brunch menu followed by a ‘sober dolly’, ‘sober elton’ or one of their regularly rotating zero-alcohol cans of IPA. They even published their debut book, A guide to feeling good and being okay with it when you’re not in 2022 and do their own merch. Look good feel good and all that.
Feel Good Club has all the best bits of a bar, cafe and hangout spot only you can do it all alcohol-free. (Credit: Feel Good Club/Instagram)
3. New Century – Victoria
In at number three is one of the city centre‘s best new food vendor halls, bars and entertainment venues, which just so happens to be doing a very good deal to kick off the year too, which they’ve appropriately dubbed ‘Dry Scranuary’.
We’re talking about New Century over in the heart of the regenerated NOMA district and not only is the ground floor of this big open-plan venue the perfect place for you and a bunch of mates to pile into and have a bite, but they’re also giving you an extra incentive to do so whilst staying off the sauce.
Throughout all of January, you can get a free non-alcoholic beverage with any main all-day from Wednesday to Sunday and, hey, you can always head upstairs for a gig afterwards as well. Sold.
Now, if you fancy sipping and savouring something fancy whilst still feeling like you’re treating yourself to something a bit posh and special as somewhat of a reward for another day of Dry Jan down, why not do it at a bar that’s been named best in the UK two years running and one of the best in the world?
Schofield’s is the kind of place where you’re not going in to get drunk in the first place: you’re there to take in the atmosphere and aesthetic, appreciate the immaculate service and admire the expertly made drinks. Lucky for you, they have an entire menu packed with non-alcoholic concoctions.
Stylised as their ‘Temperance’ selection, you can enjoy everything from a colourful Club Tropicana to a classic Virgin Mary or even a ‘Frosty Toddy’: honey, ginger, lemon and soda. Sweet, simple and sublime. If there’s anyone who can make a drink that doesn’t need any alcohol in it, it’s these wizards.
The fifth and final entry on our whistle-stop tour of Manchester bars that are great at low percentage and alcohol-free libations is the one and only Zouk Tea Bar and Grill over on Chester Street.
Serving up some of the best Indian and Pakistani food you’ll find in any of the 10 boroughs, not to mention a firm favourite amongst almost everyone in the office, this popular restaurant situated just off the Oxford Road Corridor doesn’t just serve up banging food but some of the best mocktails you’ll find.
With five different types of mojito – including their much-loved ‘special’ – cosmos, daiquiris, pina coladas and our personal preference, the ‘Summer of 69’ (mango and pineapple juice with passion fruit, lime and a shot of grenadine), there’s something for everyone. The perfect kind of refreshment to pair with mounds of bottomless Zouk curry or brunch. Might as well whilst you’re there.
Not strictly a bar but Zouk are just as skilled at alcohol-free as they are their cuisine. (Credit: The Manc Group)
As always with these lists, this is just a taste of the low and alcohol-free options Manchester has to offer these days as Britain continues to reassess its bar and binge culture.
For starters, places like the Printworks have such a healthy selection of mocktails, low and no-alcohol drinks at the likes of O’Neills, Bierkeller, Hard Rock Cafe, Boom Battle Bar and more that you’d never had to walk for more than a few yards between tipples. They’re even offering £20 off through their app.
Other honourable mentions have to go to the likes of the award-winning brains behind Blinker Bar, the stylish but unpretentious cocktails specialists at Stray, the charming Parisian-inspired drinks at The Daisy, the marvellous mocktail menu at Etçi Mehmet and so many others.
But a month goes by in a flash and we didn’t want to ram a load of bars down your throat, so this handful should do you just fine. Instead of making Dry January feel like a slog or a chore, let’s keep that lovely feeling of having a social drink going and remember it’s about who’s cheersing the glass, not what’s in it.
Lastly, we couldn’t talk about alcohol-free bars without touching on the pop-up that arguably started it all: LoveFrom, which sadly announced its closure back in July 2024.
But fear not, founder Karl Considine says the one-time Kampus resident has insisted they will be back in the near future and we can only thank people like Karl for getting the ball rolling when it comes to the alcohol-free bar scene here in Manchester city centre.
If you’re looking to make the most of your visits to bars and restaurants around Greater Manchester in January, you can find all the best deals down below.
Best of luck for the rest of Dry Jan and whether you’re counting down the days to that first drop or turning over a new leaf, we know you can do it.
Some of best Oasis-themed offers, deals and specials happening in Manchester right now
Danny Jones
Now, just in case you weren’t getting enough Oasis stuffed down your throat this month, their homecoming reunion gigs have seen a flurry of Britpop-themed deals, offers, event day specials and promotions spring up all over Greater Manchester.
You can move for ‘Champagne Supernova’ puns, lookalikes, lasagne and all the rest of it.
However, while there are simply too many for us to keep track of, let alone list in full, there are some pretty good ones here in the city centre that have caught our attention.
Let’s get cracking then, shall we? Here are just 10 of the best Oasis-related deals and offers we’ve seen in central Manchester so far.
10 top Oasis-related deals in Manchester city centre
Once again, this is by no means a comprehensive list, but let’s get stuck in:
1. The Liquor Store is hosting Oasis parties, plus travel to Heaton Park
First off, we can’t start anywhere else than the music-loving bar that’s hosting some of the biggest pre- and post-Oasis parties in Manchester, not to mention offering coach travel to the concerts themselves: The Liqour Store.
Having popped our heads in on opening day to see what it was like, we can confirm the tunes were turned up to 11, the rays were beaming down on the Manc gig-goers, and let’s just say that their atmosphere is a woman, ‘She’s Electric.’
2. Diecast are also hosting big Britpop pre-drinks
They are, of course, not even close to being the only ones hosting special pre-drinks and after parties for the Heaton Park homecoming, and another one that caught our eye was the even bigger suntrap and beer hall over at Diecast.
Not only are they doing a ‘Champagne Supernova’ bottomless brunch for just £35 per person, which includes bottomless pizza with endless Prosecco, frozen daiquiris and lager for up to 90 mins, but the Britpop tunes will be pumping non-stop.
A simple but satisfying one next; how does a pretty mint Mexican meal deal sound? Liam Gallagher might not speak Spanish, but we know a little and all we have to say is this: ‘Si, por favor’.
It might sound daft compared to just a few short years ago, but barring a basic meal deal, it can sometimes be genuinely hard to find a really good, filling, properly tasty and affordable lunch offering in the city these days, but with a jam-packed burritos and pack of tortillas, Zambrero’s isn’t bad.
Don’t mind if we do.Hat not included. Gutting, we know.Credit: The Manc Group/Zambrero (press shot)
4. An Oasis x Deliveroo fork helps ‘keep things fresh’
Now, this is undoubtedly the most random and ridiculous, not to mention the funniest on the list. Deliveroo are celebrating quite possibly one of the most hilarious things that both Noel and, more importantly, Liam have ever said. Yes, EVER.
In order to get your hands on a limited-edition and strictly decorative fork, all you have to do is order a pint of milk using Deliveroo HOP, and you could be in with a chance of getting your hands on a very humorous collectors’ item. If you know, you know – but if you don’t, well…
Still cracks us up every time…
5. 15% off Hello Oriental for Oasis fans
We’re at the halfway point now and getting peckish once again, so it’s a good job that Hello Oriental don’t just lend the first part of their name to the Live ’25 reunion tour setlist opener but are also offering a pretty decent discount on food for Oasis fans.
For those gig-goers heading to Heaton Park for one of the three remaining Manc dates this month, you can get 15% off your bill when presenting your concert ticket. That’s your pre-show scran sorted then.
There are multiple kitchens inside the subterranean food hallSpice bagCredit: The Manc Eats
6. Complimentary bucket hats with your meal at Tampopo
From one Asian food favourite to another, if you head to Albert Square instead of Circle, you’ll be happy to know that Manchester-founded Tampopo know how big a deal it is to the Burnage boys home.
With that in mind, anyone who spends more than £20 at any of their Greater MCR locations will receive a free Tampopo x Oasis bucket hat. Say no more.
🎸🍜 What do Tampopo & Oasis have in common? We both kicked off in 90s Manchester! To celebrate Oasis coming home, spend £20+ at Tampopo & get a FREE bucket hat!
As we come to the business now, we do realise that plenty of us are still without tickets, and while we completely understand your pain, we can’t help you with spares or anything like that.
However, what we can do is point you in the direction of Printworks, who are hosting a free Oasis karaoke event for all those of you still hoping to cry your hearts to, well, ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ and all the other bangers. Find out more down below.
Since it’s absolutely sizzling at the moment, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the pre-Oasis BBQ Britpop brunch (say that three times fast) that’s taking place at cult favourite Fairfield Social Club.
Not only will there big set of classic indie tracks from local legends Clint Boon and Dave Haslam, but if you pre-book, you can even get your hands on their ‘Champagne Super Saver’ deal – see, told you there was loads of them – which will score you BBQ meats and beer for a tenner.
Our penultimate pick is a bit of a different one and not one we expected, we’ll admit, but it may just get you zipping over to Heaton Park faster than you can name the most overplayed Oasis song of all time.
Yes, for anyone with a ticket for one of the Heaton Park shows, you can secure 20% off a trip to Zip World Manchester, which you’ll find in the very same place as the sea of Manc gig-goers this summer.
10. A special buy one get one free at Malmaison Deansgate
Last but not least, if the sun and the festival season vibes have you thinking ‘give me gin and tonic’, you’ll be glad to hear that a city centre hotel and bar is currently offering buy one, get one free on the classic summery drink to celebrate the Oasis fans flooding into Manchester.
We’ve seen them handing out the vouchers on the front doorstep all day, and with plenty of people staying over for the shows – not to mention making use of the main restaurant and stylish rooftop spot, Sora – enough footfall almost guarantees them keeping it up for every single date.
Malmaison has one of the most simple but effective Oasis deals in Manchester, for our money.BOGOFCredit:The Manc
Have you seen others? Let us and the good people of Greater Manchester know down in the comments.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press shots (supplied)
Food & Drink
Hundreds of FREE iced drinks are being given out in Manchester city centre next week
Emily Sergeant
A popular coffee shop in Manchester will be giving away hundreds of free iced drinks to people in the city centre tomorrow.
Sure, it looks like that classic rainy Manchester weather may be making itself known this week, after what has been a month of glorious sunshine so far, but that isn’t stopping independent cafe brand, 200 Degrees, from ‘turning up the heat’ and seeing in summer in style with a refreshing giveaway this week.
To celebrate the launch of its new summer menu, the first 200 people through the doors of its central Manchester cafe will be able to get their hands a freebie.
Happening next Tuesday 22 July from 7am, the lucky city centre visitors will be given the choice of sipping on one of five new speciality iced drinks, all without having to spend a single penny.
The coffee chain says each new menu item has been curated especially for the summer, and there’s a flavour combination ‘for every palate’ – with unique creations like the Iced Pink Guava Matcha, and the Cold Brew with Vanilla Cold Foam being just a few of the freebie options set to be on offer next week.
Customers are being advised to ‘get down early’ to 200 Degrees’ site in Manchester city centre on Mosley Street if they want to stand a chance of claiming the ice-cold offer.
As well as the five new iced drinks, there’s also a bunch of new food items that’ve just been added to 200 Degrees’ menu for the summer too, so if you’re feeling a bit peckish, you can grab a seasonal bite to eat while you’re at it too.
200 Degrees is giving out hundreds of free iced drinks in Manchester next week / Credit: 200 Degrees
New food additions include a summer falafel salad packed with fresh greens, crunchy veg, and sweet potato falafel, alongside a selection of new breakfast and lunchtime offerings including the whipped feta and roasted pepper sandwich, and a bacon and brie croissant.
Sweet treats include a lemon and pistachio blondie, passionfruit ripple cake, and a vegan raspberry Bakewell.
Danny Jones -
3rd January 2025 
