Discover the city’s social scene in four of its coolest venues
The best bar crawls show you a variety of places. They are easy enough to navigate in heels but wide-ranging enough to let you explore exciting new drinking dens and leave you feeling like you’ve discovered a favourite new haunt to hang out in. They have enough different drinks you can enjoy a new tipple in each one. They include some food but not so much it interferes with the business of bar-hopping. One more thing, the best bar crawls keep on going into the early hours. All sport needs stamina, right?
Behold our Confidentials bar crawl, starting off on South King Street and wending its merry way to Stevenson Square, the place where many good nights out end up.
Manchester Confidential’s recommended supping spots for the ideal bar crawl
Start off at Wood & Company. Now getting in can be a bit tricky because first you need to find the damn place. Searching out a white tiled wall and a red ‘goods entrance’ sign set back in the doorway is easier to do when your vision is unimpaired, shall we say.
Wood & Company is a great place to start because of its cocktails. They’re well-made, fantastically fancy and good value too. Exactly what you need to kickstart your evening. There’s also a good selection of beers and wines too if that’s what you prefer.
Best foot forward and on to Cooper Hall (a 12 minute walk) where the beer is flowing, the cocktails are shaking and there are plenty of pretzels and hot dogs to be had. Perfect drinking food – casual but fills you up. It tastes great – and ever so slightly naughty – and if you’re good, you can devour it without even putting your drink down.
Cooper Hall is a big busy space with live music and DJs. Expect an atmosphere that manages to be both up-for-it and relaxed. There’s always a chance you’ll bump in to someone you know – get them to tag along on your Confidentials tipple trail. And if you don’t see someone you know, get to know someone. It’s that sort of easy-going place.
Next up is Dusk Til Pawn. As the list of drinks you’ve consumed gets longer, it’s a good idea to make the walks between bars shorter and Dusk til Pawn is just round the corner on Stevenson Square.
On the outside it looks like an old-fashioned pawnbroker’s but inside you’ll find cocktail paradise. The cocktails at Dusk til Pawn are imaginative with specials every week. You’ll often find surprise ingredients giving cocktail classics an unexpected twist. But they work. That’s down to the superstar staff who know their craft inside out and always go out of their way to make sure you night’s a good ‘un.
Finally, a really short walk this time – next door to be precise – to NoHo. Any self-respecting bar crawl should end on a high and as NoHo is the Northern Quarter’s party centre with its mix of music, cocktails and infectious enthusiasm, it’s the place to go.
You’ll be boogieing with the best of them after a Pop Tart – rum, caramel and popcorn. Think of it as the dessert to your drinking session. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, the South Paw is just as good a way to pick up the party vibe – it packs quite a punch with its mix of tequila, chilli and citrus.
Try our weekend bar crawl and let us know where else you’d include on the route.
