Nights Out in Manchester

Kate Feld

They say a lot of things about Manchester, but one thing they don’t say is that it’s dead after dark. This is a city that has “up for it” written in its DNA, as the mind-boggling variety of the city’s nightspots attests. We don’t like to brag, but we’ve got it all: peaceful tiled pubs serving cool cask ales, check. Beard-stroking hipster hangouts, check. Giant clubs full of pissed-up students pogoing to Common People, check. Specialist wine bars, bouncer-patrolled footballer haunts, funky dives, indie music halls, real ale bars, jazz joints, karaoke nightbars… we could go on. For chrissakes, we even have a pub in a toilet. Here’s our guide to the city after the sun goes down. Get out there and have fun (and tell ‘em we sent ya).

Our top picks

Albert Hall

Albert Hall, 27 Peter Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M2 5QR - Visit now

Manchester’s Albert Hall is a one-off kind of a place: a former Wesleyan chapel that spent years slumming it as a low-rent pub before closing. It’s now one of Manchester’s most atmospheric music venues, with cook haus and bohemian bier palace Albert’s Schloss on the ground floor, and a stunning upstairs space that hosts gigs, club nights and even bonkers bingo.

– Polly Checkland Harding

Albert Hall on Peter street Manchester
Image courtesy the Albert Hall.

Dog Bowl

Dog Bowl, Arch 57, Whitworth St West, Manchester, M1 5WW - Visit now

Situated beneath the railway tracks on Whitworth St West, Dog Bowl is a far cry from your average bowling alley. Open till late, this neon-lit venue marries suave cocktails with tenpin pleasure across five full length lanes. Food-wise, think Tex-Mex, with burgers, fajitas, wings and slow cooked meat. Alternatively, head to basement bar Twenty Twenty Two for a spot of ping pong.

– Lizzie Wood

Dog Bowl bowling alley and restaurant Manchester.
Dog Bowl.

Breakout Town Hall

Breakout Town Hall, 14a Brazennose Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M2 6LW - Visit now

Beads of sweat trickle down your forehead, you snap at fellow prisoners and your head is swimming with clues as the pressure mounts. Experience the thrill of the escape room challenge at the brilliant Break Out: you’ll have an hour to escape using only the combined brainpower of you and your companions. Your abilities will be tested by any one of their range of themed rooms, including Monroe’s Detective Office, Virus and Most Wanted.

– Polly Checkland Harding

Matt and Phred’s

Matt and Phred’s, 64 Tib Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 1LW - Visit now

Dedicated to jazz, Matt & Phreds is always a good bet for interesting and innovative independent music. Effortlessly cool – on a good night, the audience will push back the round, Parisian tables and dance to the band. The venue also has a great wine list and knows how to make a good pizza.

– Matthew Britton

matt and phreds sign manchester music

Castle Hotel

Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 1LE - Visit now

Merciful lighting, snug seating and a cozy atmosphere to get tiddly in – this is a pub that boasts a parlour-like back room, complete with upright piano. Short though the bar may be, it packs in an impressive array of taps. Wine comes by the glass as well as the bottle, and there’s a healthy selection of whisky arranged school-trophy-style along the top shelf. The Castle Hotel also puts on a roster of excellent live events. Well known for its pack-em-in music gigs, the pub is also making a name for itself via literary events such as Manchester’s spoken word heavyweight, Bad Language.

– Polly Checkland Harding

Castle Hotel pub in Manchester

Where to go in Manchester

GET BAKED Opening Day
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
GET BAKED

Newly opened cakery in Stevensons Square, Northern Quarter Manchester. Get Baked brings all the Yorkshire charm and sweetness one of the city’s most popular squares.

Winsome
Manchester
Restaurant
Winsome

Winsome delivers modern British food, cooked beautifully by chef-owner Shaun Moffat and his team.

Image of the outside of Altogether Otherwise at night with people inside
Manchester
Event venue
Altogether Otherwise

Altogether Otherwise is a haven of activity where all are encouraged to make, do, dance, read and enjoy pursuing creativity with no pressure.

Renae
Manchester
Restaurant
Renae

Introducing Renae: A new music-led bar and creative hub in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Chakalaka
Manchester
Restaurant
Chakalaka

The very best of South African cuisine in an intimate, friendly space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

The Daisy
Manchester
Restaurant
The Daisy

The Daisy is one of Manchester’s more in-demand basement bars, offering an underground Paris-inspired night out.

Manchester
Restaurant
Sampa

Colourful Brazilian fine dining at Caroline Martin’s intimate restaurant, Sampa.

Hinterland bar and cafe
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Hinterland

Alcohol-free bar and cafe in the heart of Northern Quarter. Serving mocktails, 0% beer and all your alcohol free favourites.

Manchester Visitor Guides

Cocktails in Manchester
Cocktails in Manchester

Looking for the best cocktails in Manchester? We have the lot, to cover all tastes and budgets, to guarantee a good time.

The Spa at Carden Garden
Spas in the North West

If you find yourself in the North West of England looking for a spa day, look no further, check out our guide featuring our favourite spots.

UNITOM bookshop
Bookshops in Manchester

Manchester is a UNESCO City of Literature, so of course there are a few go-tos for books. Read our guide to discover the best places to pick them up.

Gin Bars in Manchester

Where in Manchester can you find the best gins, the best gin cocktails, or just those unusual little bottles that you might not find anywhere else? Here's our guide.

Afternoon Tea in Manchester

The finest places in Manchester to sip Darjeeling, eat dainty finger sandwiches and slap extra clotted cream on a freshly baked scone.

The Principle Hotel Oxford Road Manchester
Boutique Hotels Manchester

Some of the most unique places to stay in Manchester. We pick out the top upscale accommodations with a twist.

Ego Death
Spotlight on

Hidden Bars in Manchester

Manchester's best secret, hidden and hard to find bars - here's our guide.

Take me there

Culture Guides

the artist
Music in the North

The outsiders, the oddities and the outrageous – we’re keeping it weird with a hot new batch of underground gigs about to hit Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

A large sphere floats in a dark room with an ornate wall pattern, flanked by two arched windows and a checkered floor.
Exhibitions in the North

From precarious ceramics to photography festivals, spring is here and brings with it a breath of fresh air in visual art and exhibitions.

Poet Imtiaz Dharker. Photo by Ayesha Dharker
Literature Events in the North

It's like the Woolies pick'n'mix counter this month in live literature land – so much choice, we're not sure where to start digging in.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.