The best cocktail bars in Manchester

Three Little Words is housed under the arches at the lesser-visited end of Watson Street, near Beetham Tower. Inside you’ll find the Spirit of Manchester gin distillery, a cocktail bar, and a kitchen serving small plates with thoroughly decent cooking. It’s certainly a place worth knowing about.

Dakota Grill Manchester is the work of former Malmaison owner, Ken McCollough and it is as dark-hued and handsome as the successful boutique hotel chain. It’s an inviting place with flickering candlelight, very retro-sexy – sure to be the setting for many a first date.

The focus at Dakota is on steaks which are very good – all grass-fed, 28 day-aged, hand-cut Aberdeenshire beef cooked over hot coals.

Grand Pacific is the work of Living Ventures and it easily outshines its sibling venues in terms of pure glamour. Not in a big chandeliers, glass and chrome Spinningfields way, but with a decadent blend of colonial Raffles-style grandeur and some of the best of the city’s Victorian architecture.

When Peter Street lost its Caffe Nero it gained Haunt, an independent coffee shop and wine bar. Stepping inside, you feel like this corner spot in the beautiful St George’s House, with its views of the Midland Hotel and Central Library, has finally got the classy occupier it deserves.

The MUSU Collection is a group of innovative modern Japanese dining experiences, all under one roof. With three AA rosettes, this is the cutting edge of Manchester’s restaurant scene.

Sora Manchester is a rooftop bar and restaurant serving up sushi, Pan Asian small plates and views across the city’s impressive Victorian neo-Gothic architecture.

Suki Suki Street Food & Bar is a Pan-Asian street food bar located on Deansgate under the arches of the Great Northern Warehouse.

Atomeca at Deansgate Square is an all-day European drinkery. It’s a small, comfortable space with tables breaking out into the airy foyer.

Banyan in Manchester’s Corn Exchange has something for everyone and one of the best outdoor drinking and dining spots in the city.

The name for Blinker Bar comes from a forgotten classic three-ingredient cocktail made from rye, grapefruit and raspberry. It’s this curious collection of ingredients that inspired ex-Gordon Ramsay bars boss Dan Berger to create a menu that changes seasonally but still honours the classics.

Like the interloping bird that gives it its name, Cuckoo was an odd-one-out when it first opened in Prestwich back in 2013. Since then a whole flock of likeminded, indie cafe-bars have landed in this suburb, but Cuckoo is still the favourite for many.

The first Hawksmoor steakhouse outside of London is a confident affair. Well sourced steak and attention to detail have created a place like no other.

The Hyatt Regency hotel is one of the most highly rated hotels in Manchester, with incredible views of the city and University Green from the rooms on the higher floors. 212 rooms are decked out in a modern style, all with floor-to-ceiling windows and king beds.

The Ivy Manchester is an exuberant over-the-top place that’s perfect for glamming up and going out. The décor is wild yet smart and service is smooth and professional. The roof garden is a must.

There’s an abundance about The Ivy with the costumed doorman, and the levels and levels of fun: The Ivy Asia; The Brasserie; The Ivy Roof Garden; the lurid floors; the lacquered screens; the mirrored central bar. It all adds up to a sense of occasion, a place where dining out is something special, something to dress up for.

Part of the King Street Townhouse hotel, with its luxe bedrooms and rooftop terrace boasting infinity pool and views of the Town Hall, the Tavern is an all-day dining destination that serves British classics and encourages sitting, sipping and socialising at a slow pace.

Based conveniently near Manchester’s gay village in an early 20th-century warehouse, Leven opened in October 2021 as one of its newest, and coolest design hotels.

It’s got neon, it’s got pastels, it’s got faux foliage, it’s got innovative cocktails and it’s got Pan Asian cuisine with a definite lean Vietnam-wards. It calls itself “authentically modern”, but faithful to the Vietnamese way of life, it recommends ordering food for the table, tapas style.

The Jane Eyre is a self-styled ‘neighbourhood bar’ offering seasonal food, classic cocktails and local beers. Presided over by Eyre siblings Jonny and Joe, it is, mildly disappointingly, not a Gothic homage to the Yorkshire based tragic-heroine but actually named after their late mum. 

Named after the rowdy 1980 album by The Clash, bar with food Sandinista is one part wild Latin spirit and one part punk rock.   

Various prestigious best bar gongs have been awarded to Schofield’s Bar since it opened in Quay Street’s iconic Art Deco Sunlight House in 2021. The most recent being the number one spot in the 2024 Top 50 Cocktail Bar list.

Finding itself resting in the top 20 of the top 50 cocktail bars in the whole of the UK, Speak In Code makes everything in house and is passionate about flavour exploration, hospitality, oh, and hip hop, which inspires the drinks menu.

Sterling is probably one of the most luxurious bars to hit Manchester in recent years, located on the subterranean level of the historic Stock Exchange Hotel.

Tucked away on Shudehill is the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bar, The Washhouse. And, as it’s name suggests, it’s not what you’d typically expect from a place to drink cocktails.

With its disguised entrance and back street location, Wood & Co has the feel of a secret speakeasy only frequented by those in the know. The unmarked door is on South King Street, in between Cross Street and Deansgate. Descend the steps and you’ll find yourself in a tiled, sleek space centred on a marble bar that stretches the length of the room.

Motley is a bar and restaurant attached to Yotel on Deansgate. With its suntrap terrace, it’s definitely not just for hotel guests. Outdoor tables are screened by planters that always seem to be bursting with life. It’s a bit of a green oasis on Deansgate’s muddle of concrete, glass and imposing Victorian brickwork.