Dry January: 10 best Manchester bars for alcohol-free drinks

Atlas Bar is known as one of the originals of Manchester’s modern cafe-bar scene. And for its extensive collection of gins – over 570 varieties and counting.

So called because the performers used to play on a stage situated halfway up the wall, Band on the Wall has been a stalwart of the Manchester music scene for about 200 years.

Dear Sailor is a reclusive bar but once inside, it’s no shrinking violet. It’s the sort of place where you could come in for a pre-dinner cocktail and end up dancing on the tables.

Ducie Street Warehouse is all sorts of things, but one of those things is a restaurant. It’s an all-day affair with everything from classic brunches to late-night cocktails. On the menu you’ll find a good selection of small sharing dishes and large plates – it’s a sociable kind of place. And of course, you’ll also find Ducie Street Warehouse’s signature focaccia flatbreads.

Finders Keepers, a quayside bar at Islington Marina is the perfect sunny day spot. Its thoughtful seasonal cocktails are the main draw with interesting ingredients, such as pear and vanilla ice cream and kumquat, that set them apart from the million Porn Star Martinis doing the rounds.

The first Hawksmoor steakhouse outside of London opened on Deansgate in 2015 and is a confident affair. Well sourced steak and attention to detail have created a place like no other.

Karl Considine, host and founder of ‘What Next’ podcast, opened alcohol-free bar Love From as a two-week pop-up in October 2023. It’s returning in 2024 for Dry January and beyond with a three-month run in the elevated Bungalow building at Kampus, where it’ll offer a zero-booze mix of sober curious events, drinks and socialising.

Mr Fitzpatrick’s is a venerable institution: Britain’s last temperance bar. If that makes you think of puritanical Victorians, fear not. Mr Fitzpatrick’s is hospitable and homely with feel-good comforts like hot chocolates, huge sundaes and Lancashire cheese pies with beans.

With its terrace overlooking Albert Square and Manchester Town Hall, and a beautiful interior featuring a 40-seater private dining room, an open kitchen, and an oyster bar, Piccolino Caffé Grande Manchester is a real destination restaurant. (And, notably, it’s one that doesn’t price people out of the experience.)

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.

Sexy Fish is no mere minnow in the UK dining scene. It’s brought to you by Caprice Holdings, the group behind some of London’s most glam dining spots. Think of it as more of a humongous mermaid – beautiful and ever so slightly improbable.