Great pub that pours a proper Guinness and has wonderful food. The staff is attentive and friendly.read more

Walked in @ 5:00pm. The bartender was wearing a shirt…read moreadvertising the beer I ordered. Hé paused 5 seconds and then told me it was unavailable. He then suggested a "similar" beer that I'd already had on several occasions that was not even remotely close to the AmberAle that I was looking to drink. Seriously? He flatly was a jerk. Must be new protocol in Manchester pubs. Experienced it repeatedly. Was more interested in the chat with his mates then providing any service whatsoever. Don't waste your time unless you enjoy a surly uninterested bartender and crap service.

Place is always great for a few drinks with anyone your with, food is good and prices are decent!…read moreDeals like burger and pint for £8-£11, always got a performer on the Friday and Saturday and great for watching football, boxing, American football. If your lucky to get a booth at the back of the bar you'll have your own screen on the table with charging slots which is helpful! Staff is all friendly and helpful

In all of my time living in the Northern Quarter, I would often see the old-and-slightly-decrepid…read morepub sign for Mother Macs, whenever I happened to glance down Back Piccadilly. For years I kept making a mental note to check this place out on my next pub crawl. I never did until about a month ago. Shame on me. I love drinking with older people as I love to hear their stories of Manchester days gone by - and this is that type of place. If you can hold a convo with people from all walks of life, you will enjoy the vibe in here. There are people who have been drinking in here for thirty years! Yeah you probably won't meet the man/woman of your dreams in here but there are no chavs either. I'm also currently on a mission to find other places outside of the main NQ drag, far from the maddening crowd. I can't imagine the NQ hipsters and trendies wouldn't be seen dead in a place like this (good). A hidden drinking den two minutes from Piccadilly Gardens, with cheap Jagerbombs (I dragged a large group of us here and we drank them dry of Jager) and more interestingly - quite a chilling history. Newspaper cuttings (and unfortunately MCFC memorabilia) adorn the smoke-stained walls, the former describing how a previous landlord murdered his whole family and the cleaner, before setting fire to the place. Not sure if anyone wants the gory details but I'll tell you anyway. The pub had a dumb waiter for moving food from one floor to the next. When the dumb waiter was inspected by the fire brigade (1976 this was) the cut up bodies of the landlord's wife and children, plus the cleaner were found inside. Grisly eh? One of my favourite films is The Shining and I can say that The Overlook has nothing on Mother Macs!

What a weird little pub. Small, dingy without being dirty, but a really good atmosphere. Been here…read morea couple of times over the last month and you're always made to feel welcome. It is what I would imagine a city centre 'locals' pub to be. People seemed to know one another and yet despite its location, tucked away on a back street off Piccadilly Gardens it is also often found by 'out of towners' and none regulars. All seem to have a good time. Becks Vier on draft, good range of spirits and, from what I could gather, the bitter is well kept too. If you're after somewhere to have a drink off the beaten track in Manchester city centre, away from the buzz and noise of more obvious bars and pubs, then this is it. Interesting, if not genuine (we couldn't find out, even with Google's help), newspaper articles about the history of the pub (mainly a murder/arson event!) adorn the walls along with other memorabilia, making for an interesting visit every time and a talking point should you need one!

This is a very popular pub and there are many reasons why this is the case. They cater for their…read morecustomers brilliantly and provide a warm, friendly environment with great service. It can get very busy but it is still a friendly place and the atmosphere laid-back. The live music is great and they show horseracing and football on the TVs around the place. Best of all though is the Guinness which must be the best in Manchester!

Be fecking Jesus this a good pub. Proper Irish, not themed…read more Really cosy, friendly and inviting. Made all the better for being just off the beaten track, the best place to enjoy a Guiness in Manchester. Just a shame it shuts so early- I'm still getting used to this about Manchester.

Good vibes, good service, good pricing. Location is perfect in Northern Quarter. Live music on the…read moreweekends.

After a lovely dinner at Superstore, we went for a few drinks at The Whisky Jar…read more Situated next to El Capo on Tariff St in the NQ, this bar, and the ones that around it, have been established in an old mill, which gives the bar some great wooden and brick features. The main bar and seating area is small, but luckily it wasn't too busy when I went here on Saturday and we managed to find a comfy sofa to relax on. There is a basement area which seemed to be much busier and louder than where we were sat upstairs, so this bar seems to cater for everyone's needs overall. The drinks menu in here obviously concentrates on Whisky - which isn't really my thing, but there were some yummy cocktails on the menu too. I ordered a Cookie Jar - a light yet creamy cocktail served with a cookie! And right up my street. They have live music on here sometimes and an open mic night every Tuesday from 7.30pm - so i may have to pop down for that!!

We found this place at the Prinworks and what an amazing place that is behind the door, it looked…read morelike it was carved out of some adventure, it was so Irish that I expected a Leprechaun to jump out of somewhere. We walked down the wonderful winding staircase​ down to the lower level. Found a table somewhere dug inside this wonderful place, fireplace by the table and wonderful atmosphere. Ordered food at the bar, the menu was exciting and I ordered the steak and steak and ale pie, my wife got the chicken baguette. The steak was to die for, the pie was pure magic I felt like I had died and gone to Ireland my wife loved the baguette. I would recommend​ playing more traditional​l irish music, because most Irish themed bars lack that type of music. Also have more then one person at the bar. But overall we loved every inch of this place, and just to walk around and look at the amazing setting they build in there. It´s quite the lucky charm to visit.

Been in here a few times when visiting Manchester it based in the printworks it a pretty big pub…read morewith 2 levels. The staff very nice and friendly the drinks are pretty expensive but what can you except in a city centre. They do some proper good Irish food with what Iv seen which 1 day I'll have to try. The decor good with the tree trunk In middle.

Great classic pub. Delicious beers and good looking food. Back patio had lovely seating for when…read morethe small pub area fills up. Staff handled the crowd very well. I would highly recommend.

Proper English pub. Loved it. Beer was cold and ambiance was on point. Will be back. Loved it and…read morecan't say enough great things about this place. The bartender was so sweet too.

Up a backstreet near Piccadilly Station this place is neither here nor there. It feels small and…read moredingy and I am not a massive fan of the man united pics on the walls....each to there own though hey. This place does have a a reputation for being a really friendly boozer but I did not witness this as there was hardly anyone in when I went . To be honest as a whole this place felt a little drab and dreary and I was glad to get out of there. Sorry Jolly Angler , feel bad now.

Located in a dodgy, hard to find backstreet like every good pub should be, the Jolly Angler is the…read moreperfect place to enjoy a few laughs over a few beers. Though its Man U allegiances are made pretty crystal through the many George Best photographs looking down upon the bar, this is certainly not a place I've ever seen any trouble in. The selection of beers is decent if a little xenophobic and the music- when its on- stays firmly put in the background ambiance. Spot on.

Cam, Ry, and Olly were great & friendly bartenders. Very respectful and made great drinks!!!…read more Sully, Cal, and Greg, on the other hand, were rude and were incapable of manning the bar. Will not be coming back. (due to the fact that I live in America, not Manchester)

Hallelujah! After…read morefour years of redevelopment, not-for-proft charity Inner City Music finally re-opened the doors of Band on The Wall last September. Aside from redecoration and a spacious chill out area, the main difference to the legendary music venue is the stage. There's a spanking new state of the art PA system installed, new lights, new audio-visual equipment and for the jazz fans amongst you, a concert grand piano. What's more, the venue looks set to make local funk, soul, blues, jazz, hip hop and world music fans extremely happy with a packed programme of live shows and deejays most nights of the week. They've already had gigs from Breakestra, Nitin Sawhney and The Mad Professor and Southern soul legend Candi Staton is set to grace the stage in April. The show you have to reserve a ticket for however, is 27 March when 10 piece band Introducing will be attempting to recreate DJ Shadow's seminal Entroducing album live. Yup, that's note for note, loop for loop, for the very first time, live AND in front of an audience! Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmzHRGoKca0&feature=related

Traditional city pub, knowledgeable staff, very well-kept ale, comfortable seating and beautiful…read moreheritage interior. There's a fussball table I hadn't noticed before! Titanic plum porter and Tiger Rut were both on tap (cask) when we last visited - great to have such a range of light to dark even in the summer months.

'Pint or a half?' A…read morehop and skip from the architectural wonder of the Bridgewater Hall is Peveril of The Peak. Like the nearby Briton's Protection, it's one of Manchester's original drinking dens and one of the few places to escape modernisation. Outside is a mix of shocking pea and pastel green tiles whilst inside there's three different rooms with a distinctive 1970s feel. The walls are decorated with pub memorabilia and faded photos of celebrity musicians and actors whilst the jukebox is stacked with lots of Mancunian hits. There's also a pool table, dart board and bar stools encouraging conversation and friendly banter rather than getting legless or watching a widescreen TV. Prices are reasonable for the city centre and the staff are friendly. I'm more of a spirits girl than a beer swiller but for those that like a pint at the end of a long day, they have Deuchars, Tiger, Jennings Cumberland and Copper Dragon Golden Pippin ales on tap.