I have a sore head. It's not good but it's the price you pay for a great night out. Ruby Lounge…read moretotally exceeded expectations. Me, planning, making a decision is a rare thing. My suggestion was actually a hit. I did my indecisive alterego very proud. There are many quality club nights organised by the Lost and Found name and this was no exception. Dance off, being £1 entry, sold it for me. Doubles for £3, a range of sambucas £1.50? Messy. Dance off saw a battle between three major DJs, strangerways, good vibrations and juicy DJs playing a mix of Joy Division, The Temptations and Dr Dre. Amazing combination. Ruby Lounge is renown for it's quality club nights and live music. The venue is perfect, with an adequate dance floor, a stage to match and plenty of seating on a slightly raised level for a chill out. Another great Northern Quarter location that needs to become a regular thing for me.

I think this might be a strip club. In fact I'm pretty sure. Well, it wasn't when I was in the Ruby…read moreLounge last night for a Lost and Found gig which is why I felt comfortable to take my boyf in with me. The gig was billed as The Cribs Aftershow but it was basically just a gig- most of the spectators were either in one of the four bands, looked like they should be or were girl groupies who were way too impressed with themselves that they were getting backstage. The sofas and high backed armchairs in the main bar area were nice touches, there were a few mirror balls around too. Plus velvet curtains - hello, strip club? Then you turn to the grimy stage area with the big grill up between the bands and the crowd. That said, no one went past the pillar anyway. Too cool to stand right at the front. Alright drinks prices - get some of their cheap vodka mixers or flavoured sambucas otherwise you'll run out of money quickly. After the bands they had Gareth Brooks from Xfm DJIng but we didn't end up staying.

Back in the 40s and 50s, The Ritz must have been Manchester's most glamerous music venue. As well…read moreas platforming visiting acts like Frank Sinatra, it was unique in having curved walls, a fantastic balcony, and a sprung dancefloor. Whilst it still makes a wonderful music venue - hosting occasional gigs by bands like Babyshambles, Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons - The Ritz's main occupation these days seems to be hosting cheesy club nights. Every Monday, there's weekly student night Dirty Stop Out with rock, pop and metal deejays, every Wednesday there's 70s night Love Train and every Saturday there's Party in The Town playing bad music from the 70s to Take That. All three nights seem to be a hit with students and singles but I've personally no desire to go somewhere there's (A) a surplus amount of Alcopops and (B) big groups of horny, intoxicated stag and hen parties. I prefer to remember The Ritz as the place Sinatra once glided across the stage crooning 'In The Wee Small Hours'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XdN4SDYwyc&feature=related

First off I like a nice sticky floor,it gives a gig a much better atmosphere,and as i'm only ever…read moregoing to go to a Metal gig, a sticky floor is a must. The Ritz has sticky floors,and it is also a decent place to watch a band or 3,why the hell anyone would want to go to a club night here is beyond me. Although saying that why anyone would go to a club night anywhere is beyond me,I have an irrational hatred of disc jockeys and lines for the toilet.. Where was I? Oh yes the Ritz,if the gig I went to was crap then it might've got a worse review,but as it was the gig was one of the best I have been to in 21 years of gigging. German Thrash,the king of music. I was prepared to give the place 4 stars but then I remembered the bar prices, if you want to rip off club goers fine,but don't rip off those that have already spent £20 to watch a band. There really is no need to charge £17 for two pints and a JD and coke!! In summary,good for gigs,bad for club nights,and stupid pricing policy.

The former Factory Records headquarters is a must-see for any Manchester, Britpop fan. IYKYK!…read moreCo-owned by Hooky (Peter Hook) of Joy Division/Peter Hook & The Light. It's now a multi-level (3 floors) live music and dance club venue. It's essentially three clubs in one. Absolutely worth the visit!

IT'S A SCAM they single out one person of a group to kick…read moreout in hopes that the whole group leaves all together we paid £8 each in a group of 8 so they got around £60 for free after they kicked us out observed this happening to pretty much every group

I never really went out in Fallowfield when I was at uni - it was studenty but not in a good way…read more The city centre was nice, but expensive and full of 'real people'. So more often than not I'd end up drinking at establishments on, or just off, the Oxford Road. Sometimes this was structured into an Oxford Road pub crawl. On numerous occasions the conversation went like this: Friend: Are you coming down Oxford Road? Kirsten: Where abouts are you going? Friend: We'll start in the Grovel, head to the Oxford, down to the Phoenix, the Footage then down to the Pub, Sand... Kirsten: Which pub? Friend: *THE* Pub. Kirsten: *sigh* It's annoying, in the same way that The Bar in Chorlton is quite an annoying name for a bar. I think a more fitting name for it would be 'Just Another Pub'. It sells beer, it's quite cheap, the jazz saxophonist I once heard play in here was quite good, there are always free tables for when Sandbar's full. Yeah, it's definitely not *the* pub to drink in but it is okay for a quick pint.

How is this place still in exsistance?! Some one please buy it and turn it into the nice bar it…read moreshould be. I hate horrible little pubs that aren't ashamed of being horrible little pubs. This place has cheap drinks but not good drinks. Alcopops and the like. Bleugh. It's right near Zoo, a very popular student night so I reckon that's the only reason it's doing ok. But the with Deaf Institute opposite and the Footage on the corner, why would anyone go here?! The name says it all really, this place can not be bothered being anything other than basic.

By day, Mint Lounge is a small unassuming doorway, and judging by its tacky signage, you might…read morethink twice about spending your night there. Not all books should be judged by their covers though, and this is especially true for Mint Lounge. You'll often find a queue outside Mint Lounge on the weekends, revellers eagerly anticipating a night of soul, funk, jazz and electric disco. There's a couple of bar rooms and a main dance floor which gives off an underground vibe. They also have live bands playing here and the entry prices are reasonable - from £4-7 depending on the night and how early you arrive. Although I have to agree with James that 'Nish Nash Nosh' was a tragic loss, I do love Funkademia equally.

Mint Lounge has been home to many of my recent nights out. It just doesn't attract those annoying…read morestudent types I'm just not in the mood for anymore. Expect a mix of the glamorous, fun loving, music loving cool kids in this place. Those who I seem to be able to always knock back a bit of random conversation with. The two club nights are Clique on a Friday and Funkademia on a Saturday both come recommended. Clique has been described as "Manchester's 21st Century disotheque playing alternative dance, electropop and digital disco" and has been voted Manchester's best club night many a times by the MEN. Funkademia, as you can probably guess, is more about the soul, funk and grooves. Mint Lounge has been accredited by Mix Mag as one of the COUNTRY's top ten clubs (2007). Not even just in Manchester. I'm not sure about that, for purely the bathroom situation. I'm just not a fan of checking out my shine in front of the bloke I had my eye on, or coming out of a loo along with a trail of toilet paper to find a mass of men and women trying not to smirk at me. It's bad enough in the girl's only toilets. I quickly get over this slight glitch and frequent the place more often than any other of Manchester's offerings I must admit. Watch out for special nights and guest djs, Hot Chip recently made an appearance, was tres bon to say the least.

FAB has to be my favourite bar in Manchester. It may seem a little grungy on first inspection the…read morebar is actually very good. The prices are exceptional for Manchester and I have rarely seen it over crowded so there is no 30 minute wait at the bar for a drink. They have a number of specialist and national beers on tap as well as in bottles and bottles of alcopops and shots of spirits. The DJ area is pure genius ... The bridge of the original starship enterprise with Gerard the Dalek protecting it from the side. In the left corner there is a tardis that lights up and the ceiling is full of models from sci if shows like battle star galactica and Star Trek. Near the toilets there is a number of arcade machines and there are arcade tables near the tardis where you can play classic games such as pacman and donkey kong for a small fee. To top it all off there is also a pinball machine present. The bar snacks range from sweets to nuts and crisps and they also provide a simple, classic, student type menu. Through out the week there are various theme night such as games nights but there are a number of board games available at any time and these games can easily be played. The decor is brilliant for fans of science fiction shows and there are a number of posters and signed pictures around the place and there is a glass cabinet of merchandise ranging from classic Star Wars and superman collectables. Next to this here is a table which is a scene from an alien landing and a comfortable booth. Located near china town I always have to visit this bar when I stay over in Manchester. Thereupon are also tv screens located all around that will play classic cartoons, movies and tv shows.

I used to go to the Fab Cafe in Leeds when it first opened and was crazy about the place. 80's film…read moreand TV memorabilia lined the walls and dangled from the ceiling, they stocked an array of 80's confectionery behind the bar (think Dib Dabs, Sherbert Fountains, Space Raiders and even Pot Noodles), tables with the BUILT-IN PACMAN arcade game, decent music and cheap drinks. What was NOT to love? Well, fast-forward 10 years and you suddenly realise that walking into a sticky-floored bar and being greeted by the smell of piss doesn't quite have the same allure anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still think the Fab chain is, well, fab, I just think that the next time I go to the one in Manchester, it'll have to be at the end of the night when I'm pie-eyed and youngsters, smells, dirty toilets and crap dancing don't bother me. Going back to the toilets though - have you read the graffiti on the doors/walls in there? Some of it is hilarious, poetic even! You could be in there for hours just reading. Anyway, I think Fab Manchester deserves a second chance as we went in there quite early on in the evening and I guess it doesn't really come to life until a bit later. I will say that I was a tad disappointed in the state of it though and reckon they could do with putting some money into giving it a revamp, or even just a good scrub. Crikey, I think I'm turning into a snob.

I have to be honest I am not the biggest fan of Deansgate Locks, but I do make an exception…read moresometimes when I get dragged out by my friends. I had been to Sakura back in my uni days and remembered having a great night with my best girl friends (may be it was all about the company). I was again invited for a Greek Carnival night there last month, so decided to go because it was a Friday night, I had no plans and a carnival sounded like fun! Every time I get off the cab on Deansgate I have a bad experience (some drunk girl shouts at me or I see someone throwing up right in front of me at 11 pm) so that night could not be an exception obviously! I got off the cab and witnessed two guys (wearing super tight tee-shirts with a fake tan and looked like they walked out of an episode of Jersey Shore) fist fighting each other. Moving on, I enter Sakura and the whole atmosphere was very much like a trance Greek carnival -- Every one was dressed up in fancy dress with neon sticks in their hand and the club. The drinks were reasonably priced so I could afford quite a few and the music was good enough to dance to after a few cocktails. The crowd was very international and mostly filled with students. Verdict: I definitely had a good time, and come on what else can we expect from a night club in Deansgate Locks? P.S Need to edit the review after my recent experience -- because I don't think I would recommend anyone here!

Popped in for a drink early evening with a friend. It was only about 6pm (Saturday) so we pretty…read morequiet. Girl came up to us and asked if we were just having drinks or eating. She then told us to get a seat and she would come over. Even though there were just a handful of people in the bar, we had to wait several minutes (so it seemed) for her to come over. The drinks menu on the tables were just with the cocktails and things like sake (and maybe shots??). It didn't have any of the bottles of beers and different draught beers. I asked the girl if they had Asahi beer - a well known Japanese beer. Since its a "Japanese bar/club", I expected them to have it. She didn't even know what Asahi was. We ordered a couple bottles of beer and opened a tab. We were surprised how much each beer was. For a simple bottle of beer, they cost £4.25 each. Didn't stay for food so can't comment on it. May be very good??

One top night club all the staff are nice and friendly it like your in one big familyread more

A decent bar with the necessary amount of tv channels. Found some drinks not available elsewhere.read more

Seeking an outdoor-beer-consumption-venue, my friend and I bypassed the slightly sleazy Canal…read moreStreet and headed to Joshua Brooks. Our slightly early start to 'evening drinks' on a Tuesday meant we were able to score a table on their small terrace area overlooking the river. It is a great place to sit - protected from the breeze and in direct line for the afternoon sunshine. It is small though so I'm sure in peak summer drinking season it will be hard to get a seat. There was a really good selection of beer on tap with plenty of local options. It looks like they do some good food too - I might need to come back for their pie and a pint deal. It was reasonably priced as well which is always a good thing. The only downside was the toilets - despite a low number of customers, the toilets were dirty, there was no soap and the hand dryer didn't work. Plus most of the cubicles didn't have functioning locks. In the scheme of things, this probably doesn't really matter (although soap is definitely a must) but a good toilet does make or break a place. If they work on their ablutions I might give them five stars next time.

It's hard to believe that a little over a year ago I had never been to The Liars Club! What a fab…read moreplace. I've been many many times since and now I live so close by, it's one of my local bars on a night out. This underground tiki-themed dive bar is small, but always has the best atmosphere. The drinks are all yummy, mainly rum based and the cocktails are a delight to watch being made and to drink! The bartenders in Liars are very friendly and are always up for a laugh. I do find that Liars Club is better during the week than at a weekend - the weekend gives off a different vibe, and gets a little too busy for my liking - but rest assured you'll have a good night in here no matter when you visit.

Me and my homies needed some libations while we gossiped and caught up so I decided this was a…read moregreat place to go after dinner. Plus, I read this place was known for its many types of cocktails so I wanted to check it out! The bar is well decorated and looks like it was taken from a set of the cheap version of Gillian's island or something. The decorations can be considered tacky, but come on... It's a tiki bar! I give props to them for their effort. They have a big cocktail menu so don't come here for just a glass of wine or beer... Nope, you're in the wrong bar for that! When we ordered our drinks, we found out that there was a 2 4 1 deal, so we ended up with one extra drink...score! We ended up ordering the zombie (it had fire so I thought it was cool) and three others I can't remember... Haha. All I remember is the drinks were strings, some were well mixed while others were eh it was ok... Just tasted like alcohol. Though the bar is cool, it does have a smelly funk to it so prepare to close your nose especially if the place is crowded...the drinks are cool, pretty creative but the art of making yummy cocktails is kinda lost because the proportion of the juices and alcohol isn't quite well done. Fun place to go to though if you don't care about that stuff!