13 editor picks in Manchester.
Manchester's cocktail scene splits neatly between the polish of Deansgate and the dive-leaning energy of the Northern Quarter. Schofield's Bar and Speak in Code lead the considered, classics-minded end around Deansgate, while The Washhouse and Cane and Grain bring speakeasy theatre to the Northern Quarter. Twenty Twenty Two and Cottonopolis round out the area's run of late rooms.
13 cocktail bar places in Manchester we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Manchester · Cocktail Bar across every city.
Drink Old fashioned
Joe and Daniel Schofield's Art Deco cocktail bar on the corner of Sunlight House, Manchester.
Drink Vegan signature cocktails
Brick-lined Manchester speakeasy on Jackson's Row off Albert Square.
Drink Rotating taps
Northern Quarter craft beer pub in Manchester since 2011.
Drink Pint of Boddingtons
Tiny converted public toilet on Great Bridgewater Street in Manchester, now one of the city's most loved dive bars.
Drink Bespoke cocktail flight
Speakeasy hidden behind a laundrette front on Shudehill in Manchester.
Drink Rum Old Fashioned
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.
Drink Fishbowl tiki cocktail
1950s-inspired tiki bar in a basement under Stevenson Square, Northern Quarter, with a tropical fish tank and fishbowl cocktails; open Friday and Saturday.
Drink Cask ale
1867 Victorian Manchester chop house and pub on Cross Street.
Drink House cocktail flight
Manchester basement games bar on Dale Street with ping-pong and beer pong tables and cocktails, over-18s only; a late Northern Quarter standby.
Drink Pomona Island guest tap
Edge Street stalwart in Manchester's Northern Quarter since 2009.
Drink Tomato Vine Margarita
Cocktail bar in a corner of the Mackie Mayor food hall, opened November 2023 and named in the UK Top 50 Cocktail Bars, with house-infused spirits.
Drink Black Jack stout
Brewery taproom on Gould Street in Manchester's Green Quarter.
Northern Quarter speakeasy hidden behind a Shudehill laundrette in Manchester.
