11 Top Nightspots in Manchester – Updated

Deansgate Manchester

 

Way back in 2015 when the Meetup scene was thriving and so was Manchester’s nightlife, I wrote out a list of 11 places in Manchester that I rated the highest. I couldn’t bring myself to knock one off to make it 10. Post Meetup die-off and post-pandemic, many of these places have closed, and the people who I’d visited these places with have largely drifted. Where did I rate 8 years ago? 

Bijou 

This ‘upmarket’ club near the cathedral has now closed. Too many dickheads and plastic gangsters. Female friends I went with didn’t feel safe there. Developed a bit of a rep when TV show Take Me Out sent their dates there, before the Isle of Fernandos was a staple. Was a good place for spotting zed-list celebs and fit birds. 

Australasia 

Spinningfields bar Australasia and its sister venue Sunset – connected by a subterranean walkway - is still trading, still has the class and elegance that the area is known for and I still recommend. 

The Alchemist 

Also still trading, national chain The Alchemist creates great unique cocktails and has since been made over with darker, more intimate tones. Worth visiting. 

The Lawn Club 

This space was only ever meant to be a temporary installation in the middle of Spinningfields, and eventually it did close down, to be replaced with an (also temporary) Alpine Hutte in winter. There is another Lawn Club installation there now, so be fast if you want to try it. Who knows how long it’ll be there. The outdoor area is vital, as the décor is pleasant… and it’s roasting inside. 

Artisan 

Long gone. Shame. Always liked it. The unit remained empty for some years, but has since been occupied by a similarly upmarket outfit. Read on for more. 

Tattu 

Tattu is still going strong, with other venues open now across the UK. Incredible décor and food. 

Sakana 

This Japanese restaurant and bar fell out of favour (particularly after a huge brawl at New year in 16-17). If I recall this happened after they changed the music policy from House to Hip Hop. It’s now a Peaky Blinders bar with waistcoated bar staff and live singers. 

Club LIV 

International celebrity club brand LIV has a venue in Miami, and also in Manchester UK. Obviously, location choices are not based on weather. 

The Manchester UK branch moved from Peter St to a larger Deansgate unit in early 2020. I went once to the new venue. It’s an interesting experience, but only good for celeb spotting. Highly pretentious, and that’s coming from a guy who does admin and hangs around in Spinningfields. 

Albert Hall 

Peter Street’s Albert Hall is still a superb, unique concert venue. Well worth keeping your eye on the varied line-up. 

Milton Club 

Long gone, with the unit now occupied by a branch of London celeb brand Chinawhite. (Their Instagram isn’t easily searchable as the platform believes anyone typing it in is involved with the illicit drug trade.) I’m not a fan of the updated club. Too crowded, too similar to other places. 

Suede 

Now History, and more pretentious, with a higher density of plastic gangsters. MC guy will publicly humiliate the female patrons over the PA system. Avoid. 

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So. Lots of changes, in terms of venues and perhaps my tastes too. Where are my favourites now? Let’s do 11 again, keeping the format! It’s a lot harder to get out these days due to a) the economic climate and b) people being Tories and anti-vaxxers, stances that I just can’t accept. That’s for another blog post. So my knowledge of Manchester bars and clubs is a little dated, but I have still got a list. 1 venue has made it onto both. But here are my choices at present. If you’re looking for a good night out, try these gems. 

1) Flok 

We start in the Northern Quarter, in Stevenson’s Square. Flok opened in 2017 and specialises in Sherry, wines and beers, but has a fair cocktail menu too. Look out for the bank vault room downstairs – seemingly a relic from the original building - for extra seating. 

2) Eastern Bloc 

If you like your music a little harder, next door to Flok we find Eastern Bloc, with German / Slavic vibes, a lot of acid house, bohemian European customers, normally packed to the rafters giving it an old-style club feel. Keep your eyes out not just for the cocktails but the sweet treats behind the counter too. I recommend the rocky road. Sometimes there’s a door fee, sometimes not. 

3) The Fitzgerald 

Around the corner from these two, a little alleyway hides The Fitzgerald, a 1920s-stlye speakeasy playing electro-swing and serving classic cocktails from America’s Prohibition era. Post-pandemic, occasional live jazz and burlesque now punctuate their calendar of events, although I haven’t been in since before COVID. The décor will leave you feeling like you’ve gone back 100 years and landed in Chicago. 

4) Washhouse 

Just outside The Northern Quarter, close to The Printworks, lies what looks like a laundrette. The Washhouse’s front is that of a few washing machines lined up under a phone. Pick up the phone, and a staff member will ask how many ‘items’ – read, people – you have. You’ll be led into the narrow, dark venue – basically just the bar and stools – and your bartender will offer you the menu. After you’ve picked the cocktail, he’ll tell you a little story about each one – its origins, its connections to Manchester, and a little on the ingredients. A unique treat. 

5) Speak in Code 

Down on Jackson’s Row, just off Deansgate near Topkapi Palace takeaway, there’s a sign attached to a wall marked (SiC). It’s not a grammar pendants’ gathering. Speak in Code is a small cocktail bar where each cocktail is identified by only a number. No quirky, smutty names, no hints as to who the cocktail is aimed at. Just a number and a list of ingredients. All this is housed in a rustic location: think bare brick, tiles, polished woodwork and tattooed staff serving delectables over deep house. 

6) Cloud 23 

Half way up Manchester’s iconic Beetham Tower lies Cloud 23, an observatory-cum-cocktail bar. After a queue in the lobby, you’ll be taken by concierge up the lift to the bar and restaurant area. Quiet house music sets the scene, the scene being the entirety of Greater Manchester, viewable from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Great cocktails. Soak up the atmos while you wait to be served. It’s part of the experience. Honorary mention: for a slightly different viewpoint, try 20 Stories in Spinningfields. 

7) Sakku Samba 

In the former Artisan unit in Spinningfields’ Avenue lies Sakku Samba, a Japanese-Brazilian fusion restaurant. I’ve not eaten there but the exquisite cocktails and rainforest-theme décor make for a treat if you’re in the area. Try and get near the windows. You’re only one floor up but it makes a difference. Don’t miss the ground-floor bar too as it may be a shorter waiting time. 

8) Alchemist 

The Alchemist was one of Spinningfields’ first bars, opening in 2010 and undergoing a few refits in that time. Alchemy – the medieval chemical science supposedly used to create gold – inspires the theme of the bar chain, with another outlet on New York St and 20 others nationwide. Cocktail shakers are so last week. Think Bunsen burner, gauze, dry ice... entire chemical experiments for you to (safely) consume from an extensive menu, designed, now I think about it, in the style of the periodic table. Don’t turn up in big groups of men and be prepared to wait at the bar, and whatever the weather you’ll be exposed to some different elements. 

9) Tattu 

Japanese restaurant Tattu can be found right at the back of Spinningfields, almost in Salford. Great for food or cocktails, the large venue is adorned with photos and artefacts of a sailing theme: a huge rope wraps precariously around a beam suspended from the ceiling, blown-up pictures of tattooed seafarers line the walls and a giant, dried cherry blossom sits at one end (this table is particularly popular with influencers). It’s pricey even for Spinningfields, but the Moon Stand Lunch is a fairer deal – 3 plates for £28. The cocktails are incredible creations, both visually and in terms of taste. The quiet house music suited me, and wasn’t an issue for my dad’s hearing aids. Excellent service. Many restaurants have come and go over the years in Spinningfields. Tattu is here to stay. 

10) Menagerie 

As the name suggests, this is a zoo-themed bar and restaurant, although which zoo has a fashion catwalk in the middle I don’t know. Not complaining, though. One table is encased in a giant birdcage. A flock of birds adorn the ceiling. Neon on the walls references animals. As well as a staple range of cocktails, in Menagerie you can expect aerial performances, a range of music and occasionally the odd celeb. Additionally, the bar has been known to host event nights – I was at Charlotte Dawson’s Freda Funk clothing launch a while back with a host of reality TV people. Great fun. People are talkative, and I found them well-natured too. Accusations of snobbery should be taken with a pinch of salt. Which other bar lets you take a selfie in their bathtub?! 

11) Depot Mayfield 

Formerly a train station, then a parcel depot, Depot Mayfield is now a cavernous, multi-room venue perfect for its host The Warehouse Project, a series of house music events. I’ve seen Eric Pridz, Fisher, Happy Mondays, Inner City, K-Klass, 808 State and A Guy Called Gerald in Depot in recent months. Incredible venue with lights, LCDs, lasers and speakers all on point. 

What are your favourites? Which would you knock off from this list?