The Castle Hotel

The Castle Hotel is one of the big names on Manchester’s gig circuit. This 18th century pub, covered in brown glazed tiles, has a buzzy atmosphere. It’s small with a busy bar whose beautiful tiling pairs well with the exterior. There’s also an 80-capacity (80 newborn babies perhaps, 80 full-size humans? Never) music hall putting on gigs by well-regarded local promoters, and a bijou beer garden out the back.

It’s a sister venue to Gullivers, another Northern Quarter drinking hole led by live music. The place has a rock and roll atmosphere and is a popular hangout for creatives and members of Manchester’s music scene.

It’s a supportive venue which is good at nurturing up-and-coming talent and, from a fan’s point of view, it’s an excellent intimate venue to catch some of your favourite acts or take a punt and be blown away by someone you didn’t even know existed. You can always rely on The Castle Hotel to curate pure quality.

Drink-wise, there’s a good selection of craft beers. The interior isn’t posh and it hasn’t followed the identikit decor of many supposedly characterful NQ hangouts. It’s been updated from a traditional boozer into a traditional boozer with the edges smoothed off. But it’s still the place everyone wants to be and you’ll be lucky to get a table any day of the week.