Manchester’s cocktail scene has come a long way from sticky-floored bars pouring Woo Woos. The city now has genuine speakeasies, award-winning bartenders, and places where the ice alone costs more than your Uber home. Here are 15 bars worth putting a proper shirt on for.
1. The Washhouse
Still the best hidden bar in Manchester and it’s been going years now. You walk into what looks like a functioning launderette on Shudehill, pick up the phone, and get buzzed through to a tiny cocktail bar behind the washing machines. Seats about 20 people max. Cocktails are £11–13 and the menu changes regularly. Book ahead or you’re not getting in — they don’t do walk-ins when it’s full, which is always. The novelty hasn’t worn off.
2. Science & Industry
On Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter, this place takes the lab theme seriously without being gimmicky about it. Cocktails served in beakers and test tubes, but the liquid inside is properly made. The bartenders know their stuff and will happily go off-menu if you tell them what flavours you like. Expect £11–14 per drink. The basement space is dark, moody, and loud enough on weekends that you’ll need to lean in.
3. Speak in Code
Underneath the Gotham Hotel on King Street. Another speakeasy-style entrance — you need a code to get in, which changes and gets posted on their socials. The interior is gorgeous: dark wood, leather, low lighting. Cocktails are £13–15 and worth it. The Old Fashioned variations are exceptional. Dress smart or the doorman will have a quiet word.
4. Behind Closed Doors
A proper little on Brazennose Street. Small, intimate, no sign outside. The cocktail list is concise and every drink on it is dialled in. They do a smoked Negroni that’ll ruin regular Negronis for you forever. Around £12 per cocktail. It fills up fast after work on Thursdays and Fridays so get there early or accept you’re standing.
5. Schofield’s Bar
Run by the Schofield brothers who’ve won basically every bartending award going. On Sunlight House near Deansgate. This is a proper cocktail bar — no gimmicks, no themes, just extremely well-made drinks by people who’ve dedicated their lives to the craft. Cocktails £12–14. The Martini is textbook. If you only go to one cocktail bar in Manchester, honestly, make it this one.
6. Cottonopolis
Newton Street in the Northern Quarter. Part restaurant, part bar, all style. The interior is — high ceilings, exposed brick, Japanese-influenced design. The cocktail list leans into Asian flavours: yuzu, shiso, sake-based things. Food’s excellent too if you want to make a night of it. Cocktails £11–13. Go on a weeknight when it’s quieter and you can actually appreciate the space.
7. Atlas Bar
Been on Deansgate longer than most people reading this have been drinking. Atlas has one of the biggest gin collections in the UK and the bartenders have genuinely encyclopaedic knowledge. It’s not trendy — it’s better than trendy, it’s consistent. Cocktails £10–13. The G&T menu alone will take you twenty minutes to read. A proper grown-up bar.
8. The Alchemist
Yes, it’s a chain now. Yes, the colour-changing drinks are a bit Instagram-bait. But the original Alchemist on New York Street still has something about it, and the cocktails are genuinely well-made underneath the theatre. The Bubblebath is their signature and it’s fun the first time. £11–14 per drink. Good for groups and birthdays when you want spectacle with substance.
9. Arcane
Below the old Corn Exchange on Exchange Street. Dark, moody basement bar with serious cocktails. The menu is split into flavour profiles rather than spirit bases, which actually makes choosing easier. They do a tasting flight if you can’t commit. Cocktails £12–14. The bar staff are passionate without being pretentious, which is the sweet spot you want.
10. Cloud 23
23rd floor of the Beetham Tower (Hilton). You’re paying for the view as much as the drinks, and the view is genuinely spectacular — floor-to-ceiling windows looking out across Manchester. Cocktails £14–18, so not cheap, but it’s an experience. Book a window table at sunset. Dress code is smart and they enforce it. Not somewhere you go every weekend, but perfect for impressing someone.
11. 20 Stories
Spinningfields rooftop bar on the 19th floor of No.1 Spinningfields. Rivals Cloud 23 for views and arguably beats it for atmosphere. The terrace in summer is unbeatable. Cocktails £13–16. The food is D&D London so it’s reliable. Gets absolutely rammed on sunny days so book the terrace well ahead. Smart casual dress code.
12. Refuge
Inside the old Principal Hotel (now Kimpton) on Oxford Road. The bar area is enormous — former tile-floored hotel lobby turned into a sprawling drinking and dining space. Cocktails are £11–14 and the list rotates seasonally. The Refuge Sundays with Volta music programming are legendary. Beautiful room, great drinks, slightly less pretentious than Spinningfields options.
13. Hawksmoor Bar
Everyone knows Hawksmoor for steak, but the bar at the Manchester restaurant on Deansgate is worth visiting on its own. Proper American-style bar with expertly made classics. The Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew is their signature and it’s dangerously drinkable. Cocktails £12–14. You don’t need a dinner reservation to drink here. Sit at the bar and watch the bartenders work.
14. Cane & Grain
Three floors on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter. Ground floor is a dive bar (deliberately), first floor is a proper restaurant, and the top floor is a speakeasy called The Liar’s Club. Each floor has its own drinks menu and vibe. Cocktails £10–13 depending on which level you’re on. It’s the most versatile night out on one staircase in Manchester.
15. Dusk
Relatively new addition on Deansgate Mews. Sophisticated without being stuffy. The interior is all warm tones and soft lighting — genuinely one of the most attractive bar spaces in the city. Cocktails £12–15 with a menu that changes quarterly. The team came from various award-winning Manchester bars so the pedigree is there. Worth watching.
What to Know Before You Go
Budget £40–50 per person for a proper cocktail night in Manchester. Most of these places charge £11–15 per drink and you’ll have three or four. Dress code matters at the hotel bars and speakeasies — trainers and sportswear will get you turned away at Cloud 23, 20 Stories, and Speak in Code. The Northern Quarter spots are more relaxed. Book ahead for The Washhouse and any rooftop bar on a Friday or Saturday. And tip your bartender — the good ones in this city are genuinely .
