Editorial

The 10 Best Bars in Manchester 2026

Manchester's bar scene is some of the UK's best — the 10 below run from CBD speakeasies to Northern Quarter craft beer.

The 10 best bars in Manchester

  1. 01

    Speak in Code

  2. 02

    The Marble Arch

  3. 03

    The Briton's Protection

  4. 04

    Port Street Beer House

  5. 05

    Common

  6. 06

    Cottonopolis

  7. 07

    The Science & Industry Bar

  8. 08

    Sterling

  9. 09

    Twenty Twenty Two

  10. 10

    The Castle Hotel

  11. 11

    Bunny Jackson's

    First Street

  12. 12

    Mamucium

    City Centre

  13. 13

    The Washhouse

    City Centre

How Manchester drinks

The 10 above are where Manchester actually drinks — cocktail rooms, hidden speakeasies, and pubs that earn the word. The full Manchester bar index covers all of them.

West Coast Editor — Los Angeles to Mexico City. Casual luxury, never aspirational.

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