The 20 best bars in Manchester

Nineteenth-century architect Alfred Waterhouse designed this grand hotel, bar and restaurant, and what a job he did. The iconic joint on Oxford Street has long been a landmark and made even more so by new owners and a million-pound facelift. The bar was put into the capable hands of DJs-turned-restaurateurs Justin Crawford and Luke Cowdrey. Expect similar fare to their award-winning restaurant Volta in Didsbury – think small plates, cocktails and an inspired wine list. And although the pair have since moved on, their influence is stamped throughout. A fairy-light-lit courtyard and fabulous DJs in the basement mean there’s no need to go on anywhere else.

Yes, it's primarily a music venue but Yes is also home to a wonderful attic bar in what used to be an old auction house. The blue-beamed space invites the outside in with a huge array of plants, while the space itself opens into an outdoor terrace area, so you can be inside or out. The idea of the building, with its four floors of music, dining and drinking, is that you can stay there all night and feel like you’re in different places – but once you hit the attic, why go anywhere else, anyway?

Flok comes from the same team behind Balearic party shack Folk in East Didsbury and the (slightly) more grown-up wine bar Wine and Wallop on Lapwing Lane. This bar, smack bang in the Northern Quarter, hones to perfection the mix of laid-back atmosphere and serious drinks offering. The bar features a cosy retro interior, well-chosen wine, an incredible sherry list and, downstairs, you’ll find a hidden, gold leaf-lined vault complete with record player and minibar, which groups can rent out for private fiestas.

How did Manchester ever cope before the perfectly mixed negronis of Henry C came along? This tiny cocktail bar has made a big impression on the boozers of the city thanks to an impeccable and inventive drinks list that changes regularly. Choose from the menu or ask for your favourite classic – if they’ve got the ingredients, there’s no doubt they’ll nail it. Get down early to nab a table.

Yes, HOME is very much a cultural space, but if your preference is for a few drinks with contemporary art in the background, the ground-floor bar is one of the city centre’s finest. It’s stylish, lively and there’s often something happening to grab your attention as you lean on the bar to put your order in. And if, as the clock strikes 8pm, you fancy some arthouse cinema, well, you couldn’t be in a better place.

Fans of a bit of the old Mother’s Ruin could do no better than head to speciality bar Atlas where more than 570 varieties of the drink await you. But that’s not all. Of course, there’s more than gin that’s served, with fantastic corner views of Deansgate from the huge corner windows, and an outdoor terrace at the back.

Tucked away down a side road between the throbbing bars of Canal Street and Bloom Street, The Molly House offers two floors of respite from the hubbub of the Gay Village. Quieter and with a classier selection of drinks than many other Village haunts, it’s a great venue in which to start your evening’s revelries. However, with the standard of cocktails, wine and beers on offer, don’t be surprised if you decide to rest easy there all night. The food’s good too.

Having made a name for itself with some of the tastiest food in the region, OSMA has shown that the quality of flavours created there carries through to the bar selection too. Like the food menu, the choices are limited – but delights will await you in that cocktail glass. Highlights include the cilantro daiquiri but there’s also a lovely selection of wines and beers, making OSMA a great bar in its own right.

Once a Victorian school, The Deaf Institute is now a multi-storey bar, restaurant and live music venue, which is particularly popular among students. Another venue in the Trof empire (see also Gorilla and Albert Schloss), The Deaf Institute’s Grade II-listed ground floor is given over to drinking and dining, while upstairs there’s a music venue with vintage lecture hall seating (plus room for a few hundred standing). Along with live acts, regular club nights keep the crowds coming.

This place started out as a much-needed Northern Quarter-style bar on the other side of town, but has now evolved into a full-on club, playing host to legends like Derrick Carter in the bar and massive names (MistaJam, Mike Skinner, Hot Wuk) in the main room. Tuck into a gourmet kebab and some craft beers downstairs or head up to the Gin Parlour on the mezzanine – it’s stocked with some of the finest bottles from around the world.

When it first flung open its doors in 2011, Port Street was welcomed by a handful of beer nerds and a few raised eyebrows. Now, it’s always packed and has proven itself well ahead of the craft beer trend. If you have an interest in real ale and have been to Manchester before, odds are you’ve already been here. If not, get going. It’s the ultimate haven for beer lovers. Port Street’s owners are also behind the region’s favourite beer festival, Victoria Baths’ Indy Man Beer Con, which takes place each October.

The 20-minute bus journey from central Manchester to Levenshulme is worth it for Isca alone. This wine bar is certainly small, but it has a mighty selection of bottles, all hand-picked by co-founder and Where The Light Gets In sommelier Caroline Dubois. Expect rare, funky and fascinating vino served with insight into its backstory.

Found on thriving Cutting Room Square, The Jane Eyre is a real corker. The wine and beer list is well curated, but it’s the cocktails you’ll want to try first. The selection is short but extremely sweet, with a focus on offbeat spirits and punchy flavours. Order a Sweet Jane – bourbon, Amaro Averna, amarena cherry and bitters – and settle into a stylish, mid-century armchair for the night.

If you haven’t danced on the tables at Schloss, have you even been to Manchester? This bohemian pleasure palace doubles as a bar, bierkeller and entertainment centre – and it gets hella rowdy. Throw in alpine cocktails, homemade schnapps and hearty bar meals (plus regular musical showcases from the Haus band) and you’ve got one of the best (and busiest) bars in town. As well as being a destination in its own right, Albert’s Schloss is the obvious start or end to your night at the Albert Hall music venue upstairs.

Run by local DJs-turned-restaurateurs Justin Crawford and Luke Cowdrey, Electrik smashes the laid-back knees-up vibe that Manchester does so well. Inside, it’s a 1970s-tinged bar that serves stonking real ale and a great Sunday roast. The vibe changes dramatically depending on when you go: what is a family-friendly joint by day transforms into a full-on shindig, complete with questionable dancing, come Friday and Saturday nights.

Indecisive wine lovers will adore Salut. This independent bar serves glasses and tasters with its Enomatic dispensers – like vending machines but for vino. The fancy equipment means they can open expensive bottles and serve by the glass at a more affordable price tag, and you can taste your way through the lot. They’ve got a stonking selection of classics, and friendly staff are on hand to help where needed. It’s simple – just top up your Salut card, push the wine button and enjoy.

Not content with being the best steak restaurant in town, Hawksmoor has to go and smash it on the cocktail front, too. Not that we’re complaining. Inside the handsome, low-lit bar, the pin-sharp staff serve a selection of very beautiful, very boozy cocktails. We recommend the full-fat Old Fashioned, a beast of a drink made with butter-infused extra-strong whisky.

A bit rough ‘n’ ready – but in the best possible way – SOUP (formerly Soup Kitchen) is a renowned favourite among the world’s finest up-and-coming bands and it has a jam-packed gig and DJ schedule. We’re particularly fond of anything hosted by Banana Hill, an award-winning promoter known for getting top artists from the furthest corners of the earth to come and play in this tiny basement bar.

Canal Street wouldn’t be complete without a showtunes bar –and, with Oscars, it has a great one. It may be a small basement but its decked out with the glamour of a Broadway haunt, with posters from musical theatre and film filling the wall space. Gone is the piano that once greeted you on arrival but, as nobody ever played it that’s no bad thing, allowing more space to sip something camp and sing your heart out to a soundtrack exclusively made up of musical numbers.

Ask any Mancunian about Big Hands and their eyes will glaze with nostalgia, trying to recall the many nights lost at this dinky dive bar. Tucked between a florist and a kebab house, it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of place. With a classic drinks menu (featuring ten types of bourbon and Euro and American lagers by the bottle) and staff with a will to get you drunk, it’s a proper den of iniquity. Bands play, and possibly shouldn’t; the main room isn’t really the right size or shape to house a proper gig. But Big Hands is the kind of place not to let that get in the way of a damn good night.