Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Manchester for grown-ups.

Where to drink

Speak in Code ★ 4.5

Cocktail barSpeakeasy£££deansgateSun-Thu 17:00-24:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-02:00

Brick-lined Manchester speakeasy on Jackson's Row off Albert Square. Hip-hop soundtrack, vegan-friendly cocktails, sustainable in-house ingredients.

Signature drink: Vegan signature cocktails

Food: Small plates

Port Street Beer House ★ 4.6

Cocktail barCraft beer pub£££northern-quarterMon-Thu 16:00-24:00, Fri 14:00-24:00, Sat 12:00-01:00, Sun 12:00-24:00

Northern Quarter craft beer pub in Manchester since 2011. Eighteen keg, seven cask lines, hundreds of bottles, RateBeer's top Manchester bar most years.

Signature drink: Rotating taps

Food: Bar snacks

The Temple ★ 4.4

Cocktail barDive bar£££deansgateMon-Thu 11:30-01:00, Fri-Sat 11:30-02:00, Sun closed

Tiny converted public toilet on Great Bridgewater Street in Manchester, now one of the city's most loved dive bars. Steps lead down to a one-room basement.

Signature drink: Pint of Boddingtons

Food: None

The Washhouse ★ 4.4

Cocktail barSpeakeasy£££northern-quarterMon-Thu 17:00-01:00, Fri 17:00-03:00, Sat 12:00-03:00, Sun 15:00-23:00

Speakeasy hidden behind a laundrette front on Shudehill in Manchester. You pick up a phone, ask the operator for a slot, and a door opens to a bar inside.

Signature drink: Bespoke cocktail flight

Food: Burgers and bar plates

Cane and Grain ★ 4.3

Cocktail barTiki and rum bar£££northern-quarterMon-Thu 12:00-02:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-03:00, Sun 12:00-02:00

Thomas Street, Manchester, three-floor bar: rum and tiki at the top, cocktails on the middle, ribs and craft beer on the ground floor below.

Signature drink: Rum Old Fashioned

Food: Smoked ribs

Hula ★ 4.3

Cocktail barPolynesian tiki bar£££northern-quarterMon-Thu 17:00-02:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-03:00, Sun 17:00-02:00

1950s-inspired tiki hideout under Stevenson Square in the Northern Quarter. Basement booze paradise with tropical fish tank, fishbowl cocktails and DJ.

Signature drink: Fishbowl tiki cocktail

Food: Sharing snacks

Mr Thomas's Chop House ★ 4.4

Cocktail barVictorian pub£££deansgateMon-Tue 12:00-22:00, Wed-Thu 12:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-24:00, Sun 12:00-20:30

1867 Victorian Manchester chop house and pub on Cross Street. Cask ales, steak and kidney pudding, original tilework and the city's oldest dining room.

Signature drink: Cask ale

Food: British pub classics

Twenty Twenty Two ★ 4.2

Cocktail barPing-pong cocktail bar£££northern-quarterMon-Wed 16:00-24:00, Thu 16:00-01:00, Fri 16:00-04:00, Sat 13:00-04:00, Sun 13:00-22:00

Manchester basement bar on Dale Street with ping-pong tables, cocktails and pizza by the slice. Late-night Northern Quarter standby for the post-dinner shift.

Signature drink: House cocktail flight

Food: Pizza by the slice

Common ★ 4.2

Cocktail barCraft beer pub£££northern-quarterMon-Thu 09:00-24:00, Fri-Sat 09:00-01:00, Sun 10:00-24:00

Edge Street stalwart in Manchester's Northern Quarter since 2009. Pub plates, craft beer, a chalkboard of guest taps that changes weekly. Locals' bar.

Signature drink: Pomona Island guest tap

Food: Sandwiches and snacks

Cottonopolis ★ 4.3

Cocktail barCocktail bar£££northern-quarterMon-Wed 12:00-24:00, Thu 12:00-01:00, Fri 12:00-02:00, Sat 11:00-02:00

Northern Quarter cocktail bar in Manchester on Newton Street. Japanese-leaning drinks list, pan-Asian small plates, late-night kitchen until midnight.

Signature drink: Japanese highball

Food: Pan-Asian small plates

Black Jack Taproom ★ 4.2

Cocktail barBrewery tap£££nomaFri 17:00-22:30, Sat 13:00-22:30

Brewery taproom on Gould Street in Manchester's Green Quarter. Black Jack's own range plus rotating guests, dog-friendly, opens at 16:00 weekdays.

Signature drink: Black Jack stout

Food: None

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