Super cool staff, authentic and kind. The showy cocktails were served in a cute and self-aware manner that got us into a nice conversation with the bartender. Clean and comfortable environment read more

Behind Zyankali in Berlin, this bar offers some of the strangest cocktails I've seen. The Alchemist seems like it would be perpetually crowded (it was shoulder to shoulder when I came in just before 8pm). Where Zyankali fashioned itself as a mad scientists laboratory/jazz club, the Alchemist has a much more traditional lounge vibe for its thoroughly bizarre offerings. There's no shortage of offerings, with literally dozens of cocktails featured, ranging from fancy touches on the traditional (a cucumber and kale gin & tonic) to the adventurous (a caramelized rum punch with Appleton, Grand Marnier, lime, and watermelon set on fire) to. the thoroughly weird (aged rum, aged sugar, apple, and cinnamon...injected with smoke). The latter (the "Smokey No.2") is an intense drink, and not just because it's served in a round bottomed glass not unlike a light bulb. The Alchemist is gimmicky, but it justifiably draws a crowd read more

The Alchemist - Smokey No.2 (aged rum, aged sugar, apple, cinnamon stick, smoke) - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

The Alchemist on New York Street is one of three branches in Manchester city centre, located just off Mosley Street in Piccadilly Gardens. I decided to call here to take advantage of their January 50% offer. Even at 50% off, I rather wish I didn't. The service here is pretty slow which was the first thing I noticed, they do allow 1 1/2 hours for a table, so food does take a while. Now, I wouldn't mind waiting for good food but the sad and harsh reality is that it just isn't. Firstly, I was surprised by the physical size of the menu, it was tiny, I'm not sure if this was just the allergy menu however I was given a menu without prices and it was A5. Having looked online, the regular menu does have prices so I don't understand why the gluten-free one doesn't. Are they trying to mislead customers with an allergy by not giving them a price-list or perhaps charge them more? This place has a huge posh and pretentious vibe, although it is known for being a bar, they are trying to do food and I think they're trying too hard to be posh and they're alienating their clientele and this surely shown with my so-called crispy pork-belly. The sweetcorn puree was far too sweet and didn't go well with the dish at all, I also would have preferred mashed potatoes or chips/fries with it rather than the roast potatoes which were not only bland, but the skin of the potatoes was inedible, not crispy. The meat its-self also left a lot to be desired, while the end parts were crispy and pretty well, the huge bulk of the meat which was probably 3/4 of it, seemed stringy and chewy and it wasn't the crispy pork belly I expected as it was literally called that on the menu. They do add £1 onto all bills for charity, again while I am all for supporting charitable causes, adding it onto the bill without consent is poor form, people should be able to choose if and when they donate and how much, it brings that awkwardness of asking for it to be removed. I asked for mine to be removed as I had no information on the charity and it seemed easier to pay than not pay, I had to wait for them to produce a whole new bill and charge me as it just wasn't as simple as putting in one pound less to the card machine. Pretty dire food with pretentious vibes. Another example of a bar trying to do food and doing so poorly at it, trying to overcompliment dishes without the capability of the chef to perform those dishes, still with a hefty price-tag. 1* read more

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well i am here after being up for nearly 30 hrs and 22 hours of travelling and I can say Ewan took care of me. My first drink was a little sweeter than my taste and he took it away added some lemon juice to take the edge off, perfect. Had a few snacks before a second drink. this time the bubble bath, fun and dramatic plus tastes great. Ended with a duck salad, very flavourful and fresh. Thank you Ewan for accommodating my bleary eyed inattentivness and ensuring I had a great first evening of vacay read more

We came to the Alchemist drawn in by the creatively displayed drinks that we saw online. We sat at a high top table near the bar and I'd have to say it was a nice vibe. It felt lively, but not too loud as it was still easy to focus on the conversation at out table. We ordered some drinks with 3 appetizers that all tasted very nice. I highly recommend the Red Zombie drink. The price is what we expected and the service was good. Overall I would recommend this place to others for a good night out. read more

The Alchemist - spring rolls, falafel & gyoza - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Fantastic breakfast and venue, love the whole theme of the place. Staff were great. The spooky smoking beaker of tea was a nice touch too! Highly recommended. read more

The Alchemist - Spooky Tea! - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Really cool bar! part of the Blackhouse group who own loads of other cool places in Manchester including Grill on New York St etc, Its a huge place with really friendly fun bar staff, by the looks of it, its mainly a place for cool cocktails mainly made by blow torches, really cool, theres loads of couches and bar stools around the bar, one half is the cool bar and the other half is the restaurant which was packed! i loved the design of the place. very trendy but not pretentious at all! Theres also seating outside with the heat lamps. I love the Alchemist! read more

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Love this bar but they are seriously short of seating for people just wanting to drink. The bar is not that big really so it can take a while to get served but the drinks are worth the wait. Their lychee meringue Martinis (see photo) are my favourite cocktail of all time. We also ate here one night after deciding late on we fancied a meal. They had a table and the food was excellent, it's owned by the same people as Gusto another of our favourites. The service was great and we were really looked after well. A casual restaurant with great food, what more could you want? read more

The Alchemist - Lychee meringue martini - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

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I last came here on a busy, sunny Saturday so competition was fierce to secure an outside table. I struck it lucky as a group were leaving just as I arrived so I swooped in. The waitress was pleasant enough, my friend and I ordered some drinks and they arrived fairly quickly so all was good. I hadn't seen my friend in over a year so we had lots to catch up on so the drinks remained fairly full, the waitress kept hovering asking if we were wanting more drinks and we obviously weren't! When we said we were OK for drinks she brought over our bill. We weren't thrilled at this since we still had drinks and were planning on ordering more once we had finished. I felt rushed and unwelcome which is never great so we drank up and moved on. The drinks were delicious in their defence, I had the Strawberry Colada which was icy and refreshing, perfect on a hot day. Not great overall, service left something to be desired. read more

The Alchemist - Strawberry Colada Mocktail - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

I've been to The Alchemist on New York St a good few times, usually with work colleagues or with some girlfriends as they offer a fantastic cocktail menu. It's a larger bar than the Alchemist in Spinningfields which is a plus, lots of seating and a bigger bar - the outdoor, heated, seating area is lovely in the summer too. The staff are knowledgable and friendly and can make you something that isn't on the menu if you ask them. For me, it isn't the type of place that would be your local bar - the cocktails are delicious though and it's always busy, even on a Wednesday night when I visited last. I have some favourites here - if you have a sweet tooth and love cola bottles (the sweets) then try the Cola Bottle Libre! The Colour Changing one is also fab if you like to get involved mixing up your own. read more

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Alchemist looks really nice and chic from the outside unlike quite a few grungy looking bars (which I love too) in Manchester. It is very well decorated inside with lovely lamps surrounding the bar. The couches look majestic with the whole velvet feel and the grandeur. The smoking zone is also done up quite well with heaters and nice chairs (Thank god for that). I love the cocktails here, I have tried the caramelized rum punch and strawberry daiquiri (I hope I have spelled it right) and they were absolutely delicious! The bartenders are really nice and friendly always willing to experiment with alcohol and make you a custom made cocktail! The only downside I feel is there isn't enough sitting area or dance floor so it's definitely good for one drink or two but after that your feet might just be unhappy especially if you are wearing heels! Dress code: Dressy and Formals read more

The Alchemist - Loved this one!!! - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

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We went to The Alchemist for our team Xmas do at work and honestly I couldn't fault it for the purpose. Four of us ordered from the set Christmas menu and the fifth ordered from the main menu due to dietary needs, which the staff were more than happy with. For my meal I chose prawn salad; salmon; and a chocolate torte. I won't pretend this was the finest food I've ever eaten but it was all really tasty, with nice touches that elevated the whole meal. The prawn salad was light and zingy with lots of ginger, garlic and soy flavours. The crispy noodles on top seemed odd to begin with but went well in the dish. The salmon was cooked so perfectly I could have eaten a whole other portion of it. We asked for lemon to go with the fish and they fetched over slices of lemon as well as some sort of lemon butter sauce which was ace. Vegetables and potatoes came for the table and were lovely. The chocolate torte was incredibly delicious and cake with a spoonful of what I thought was ice cream but was actually thick, decadent, luxurious cream. Obviously one of the main selling points of The Alchemist is the cocktails. And we certainly had some cocktails. The caramelised rum punch was so good, I'd go back just for that. Sugary and fruity without being sickly, with a nice strong but not overpowering rum flavour. I also had a Bubble Bath which arrives at your table foaming away as though you left the taps running. I remember that it was nice but honestly can't remember what it tasted of at all - not very memorable after the delicious rum punch. Service was great - attentive, professional, chatty. It did take a little while to get the bill but we were having a good time so it was no problem. One waitress even stood by happily while we played a round of rock paper scissors over the last glass of prosecco and the waiter who brought the bill didn't even flinch when we broke out in an impromptu round of All I Want For Christmas. I'd be really happy to come back here for another event like a works do - it wouldn't be my first choice personally but everything was great. read more

The Alchemist - Bubble Bath - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

I really like The Alchemist but very rarely go to New York Street since I work near the original. Both have the same sort of vibe: corporates during the week and a smarter/dressier crowd at the weekend. My latest visit was a couple of Wednesdays ago when I had a week off work and I met a nurse friend for a long lunch. I had the sticky beef salad accompanied with Malbec. My friend had the special fried chicken wrap accompanied by gin. We didn't go for dessert, instead opting for a more liquid option. Had three glasses of wine in the end. Well, it's not every Wednesday I'm able to have three glasses of wine at lunch! Overall, we paid £20 each which is pretty good value. We get 20% off food with the dining club. I will be back again, I'm sure. read more

The Alchemist - Sticky beef salad - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Very good service, reasonable pricing and - importantly - great design. Oh, and the food was good (but so good I ate it before being able to take any photos!). The room was decorated well, dark wood with glad and pale walls, mostly up-and-down lighting, with a few features (including Christmassy ones). I had a steak sandwich with Persian salad. The former came with a fair amount of gravy in (but not too much!) and a few onions. It worked well, and came with more gravy on the side, as well as fries. The salad was...interesting. Good, but not what I would call particularly Persian. Essentially it was a crunchy salad with a very light dressing with tortilla chips on top. The Aussie red (Shiraz/voigner) topped things off nicely. My second Alchemist visit in Manc, and not disappointing. read more

The Alchemist - Amazing design work. - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

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Don't you just love going out on a school night knowing you don't have to get up tomorrow because it's a bank holiday! Ok, so it wasn't a late night, as I'm writing this now and it's only 10pm, but there was food and cocktails so to me that's a good night! I love Alchemist as their cocktail menu is eclectic; lots of choice, crazy concoctions in odd shaped glasses and some old favourites. I had a 'summer of love' first, which contains vodka, wine, black grapes, grapefruit liqueur and lemonade. It basically tastes like a high quality fizzy vimto and therefore I drank it far too fast so there's no photo, sorry. I was with a friend, obviously as I don't drink alone in public.... So we ordered food too. Being a traditional foodie I went for bangers and mash. Please don't tell my personal trainer!! It's a simple dish, but a firm favourite, and they didn't disappoint. Decent quality sausages, smooth mash, proper red onion gravy. Not bad for under £9. Dessert came in the form of a 'caramelized rum punch' cocktail. It contains demerera sugar which is caramelized with an orange rum then blended with cinnamon and nutmeg, added to lime juice, Appleton VX, watermelon syrup and pineapple juice. I'm thinking the variety of fruit and spices redeems me with the PT....but I'm not hopeful. read more

The Alchemist - Good old fashioned bangers & mash - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

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Ventured back to The Alchemist last night for some drinks with work. The atmosphere was completely different to my last visit; sparkly Christmas decorations all gone, the few fairy lights that remain add some glamour to proceedings, but when the after work crowd are in noone seems to care anyway. The bar area gets crowded quickly due to the separation between eating and drinking areas, with eating taking up the majority of the space. Perhaps the Spinningfields branch is more focused on the drinking crowd and this the eating, who knows, I just hope so. When we arrived it was very much standing room only but, eventually, we grabbed some sofas. The group stuck to wine and beer - not sure the service could handle a few rounds of cocktails as there were only 2/3 people behind the bar. This always feels a bit strange when you're somewhere post-5o'clock; surely they know that they'll get busy? We eventually got some nibbles later on due to a few members of the group flagging slightly. These consisted of hummus & pitta bread, potato skins, and nachos. The nachos were a shock to a few members of the group due to being of a very middle class proportion to the plate (i.e. there weren't that many of them) but they were warm and cheesey, just what we needed. The potatoes were delicious, as fried potato always is, but I didn't get my hands on any hummus. Another nice enough experience at The Alchemist but I still feel something's missing slightly. More seating? Less focus on eating? A recognition of the after work crowd? I'm not sure. Big brother remains supreme. read more

Met a friend for lunch and ordered the fish finger sandwich with an upgrade to the Salt and Pepper fries. I never wanted them to end, so delicious :) The service, atmosphere and food were all amazing. A little pricey for a lunch time but we all deserve a treat now and again :) Need those Salt and Pepper Fries in my life again soon :) read more

Such a clever idea and some of the better food in Manchester. We went into The Alchemist at the recommendation from our hotel mainly because the name sounded cool - the decor is even cooler than the name and the drinks - don't even get me started on the drinks. Just the drinks alone make me a huge fan. First thing's first: FOOD. Their Eggs Benedict is some of the best in Manchester, they make a mean hollandaise sauce. Which is what brought us back for dinner and drinks. I ordered the ramen which on its own was tasty and worth it, but boy did they put on a show with dry ice for me! And then the drinks, we overspent just to keep trying the different drinks with the twirls, swirls and dry ice. I highly recommend The Alchemist, its pricey but worth it for the experience. read more

I prefer this Alchemist to the original one in Spinningfields, despite it's proximity to Portland Street it's still a quiet enough reserved place to eat or drink in the week. I went with a friend for a quick dinner on a Monday night; it was relatively quiet and seated easily enough. I had the chicken in a basket which I had read was fantastic; I strongly disagree. The chicken was very dry, the fries okay and the coleslaw looked like it had been sat under a heat-lamp for a while, congealed a little. I find the 'chicken basket' really intrusive; it doesn't have a large enough opening to be able to eat properly and cut the chicken up if you need to. My friend had the beetroot & halloumi open sandwich, which although isn't my thing did look nice and she loved it. Service was brilliant, I cannot fault that, but I'll have to try some other dishes before casting a proper opinion on the food, so far I'm not impressed. read more

OK there are 2 sides to that review. On one side, it's just not my sort of place. I can't associate with its offering, its ambience or its crowd. So in that respect it was always gonna be a tough call on me. But there are times when a group of people do go to this kind of place because it makes sense at the time. Last Tuesday was one of them. Late Tuesday night, around 11pm, a few punters but really quite quiet. No joking, we spent 10 mins at the bar before being noticed. I know they're making cocktails but come on, at least acknowledge customers. And if you're cocktails are taking that long to make and serve there's room for improvement somewhere. read more

Have tried the original Alchemist in Spinningfields so was at the Portico library and decided to pop in of a spot of lunch. Place gets busy on a Saturday afternoon mixture of Saturday shoppers and people coming into the city for various functions. The place is great if you want to eat but if you were just swinging by for a drink then its standing room only. We grabbed a table and ordered our food i went for a starter sized smoked salmon salad, a rose bud cocktail ( which came in a cute glass bottle) and a smashing flowering Japanese tea which was served in a glass tea pot so you can watch the tea bloom once hot water is added. All was very nice - salmon came within a tasty dill dressing and finely sliced cucumber and fresh salad including rocket which really went well with the salmon. Service was attentive and waitress even gave us a free cocktail when she had noted down my friends drinks order incorrectly. read more

I 'm sure people will be absolutely amazed I've rated this place 1 star. And to be honest I am total shocked I have to rate it this. The barmen should visit Gorilla and take some tips from the barstaff there. The guy who served us was VERY rude. He was more intrested in getting back to the Hen Party that was mid cocktail glass with another few staff there. The cocktail was lovely, I had a strawberry cup, however because of the horrendous barman, it really did put me off...As I typed this, maybe I am being harsh with 1 star..I will up to 2 star. I do feel that you would definately get a better service from one of the smaller cocktail bars who actually care about the customers not just the bit of skirt sat within a few meters of them :) read more

The Alchemist - Strawberry Cup. £7.50 - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Lovely restaurant and bar. Great food and great cocktails, it can be a little noisy at times but the service is very good. The surroundings are lovely, with a great atmosphere, definitely recommend it for an evening spent with friends or family. read more

The Alchemist - Cocktails at the Alchemist - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

I've visited here for cocktails a couple of times now and have yet to be disappointed. I love the decor -- the various styles of seating help the space feel open yet intimate. I've stopped in during off-peak times, so I've been lucky to be seated and served right away. Cocktails on average run around 7.50-10.00/each. My personal favorite is the smoky old fashioned, an oak smoke-infused maple whiskey treat. The Bubble Bath is also tasty as well as visually appealing. The menu includes a variety of spirits to suit diverse tastes. Food menus also available. read more

The Alchemist - The Bubble Bath - American Near Me - Manchester, XGM

V.slow service we visited on a Sunday evening not very busy at all, as we had a meal booked at another place so we only had about 20-30 mins for a drink, because of this we thought we would give a cocktail a miss as i understand when they are decent cocktails they take a while to make so we ordered a pint of larger and a glass of wine, from ordering to paying it took over 10 minutes. There was 1 guy on his own and he started serving about 4 other people at the same time which delayed everyone. The guy also spent half the time talking to his friend at the bar rather than concentrating on serving the customers. Shame because i love the look and atmosphere in the bar. read more

My husband and I were spending some time in Manchester and wandering the streets when we passed by a promotion for some new gin that had recently come out. We were handed a coupon for a free drink at The Alchemist which showcased this particular gin. We walked to the bar, sat down, got our free gin cocktail, and enjoyed our experience immensely! It was a fun environment and we talked to some really friendly people at and behind the bar. It was a great experience that we stumbled upon! read more

Really like the Alchemist and definitely prefer this one to the one in Spinningfields because it's a lot bigger and not as crammed at the weekend. The cocktail selection is superb with lots of interesting concoctions to try. The cocktails also keep to the theme of the place with ones that smoke using dry ice in conical flasks. I have also found that the staff are very helpful here and will accommodate a large group without any problems. I visited on Thursday with a group of friends. We ordered a good selection of cocktails with the French martini definitely being my favourite. It was made to perfection and I loved the cream foam on top. A great place to go to with the girls. read more

When me and my friend came here for the first time, I thought there would be a snobbish vibe, but there wasn't, the place was nice and the staff were polite. I admired the interior design and I thought it was nifty. The environment was pleasant and the music wasn't too loud, so I could here what my friend was saying. We came here twice and I would say that sitting in a booth was more comfortable than when we sat near the window with the high chairs. From the foods we had, they were all amazing and pleasing. The foods and drinks had that little kick to them. This place is nice to have drinks or for something to eat in the day time. The price range was reasonable and for what you get you can't complain. This is one of my favourite places to pop by and have something to eat or drink. read more

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Great range of interesting cocktails & drinks. Very busy on a thur evening & glad we had booked a table beforehand. The bar too was really busy & the wait for drinks was long all night. They could do with a few more bar staff. The fajitas & steak was good according to colleagues. My ramen soup was pretty bland and the chicken was hard & dry- not impressed. We didn't stay terribly late, but I'd like to see some sort of dancing area. I'm sure once the meals are over, people will want to boogie, but there isn't anywhere to do that. I'd def go back for the quirky drinks & buzzing atmosphere, but skip the ramen this time. read more

I got the Honeycomb and the Happiness in a flask. The Honeycomb was mad heavy, my friend told me it was super strong. If you order one of the drinks that come in a flask, it's all £12.50 and you can keep the flask. So I kept the flask because it was really nifty with their emblem engraved on it. read more

Very wide range of tasty and unique cocktails that can easily be altered to your specific taste! All the staff are very friendly and the vibe to the place is very sophisticated and classy read more

I have eaten here many a time and it's always been lovely good with good service. My only reason for not 5 stars is the price for quantity. It's well worth a trip and the cocktails are amazing and very inventive. read more

This is a great place to grab a drink in downtown Manchester. The central location is great and easily accessible and it also features a very upbeat vibe. The specialty cocktails are amazing and offer a different twist on the conventional mixed drinks. Despite it being the middle of winter, the outdoor area was nice to catch the sites of the city and had very effective outdoor heaters. The only downside is that you can't sit anywhere but outside or at the bar if you are not planning to eat there. read more

Wish I could give minus marks! Pretentious , over rated, so unless you enjoy following the crowd and wearing specific clothes, best to be avoided. read more

Popped in here for lunch before flying home, and what a treat this place was. The interior is great (though we sat outside, which was also quite good), the service was really fantastic (despite their being hit with a rush) and the food was excellent. A varied menu of top-rate dishes, great drinks, and the prices were actually not that bad. I'd come back next time I'm in town. read more

Lovely cocktails, lovely staff (who will knock up something "bespoke" for you, if you tell them what you drink) - but why oh why are the bar stools a few inches too short, such that you end up slouched over the bar like a Wetherspoons customer after too many pints of 99p bitter, rather than the cool and sophisticated cocktail sipper as befits the venue? Agree with the previous reviewer - could be really good with a few tweaks here and there. read more

If you got the money then this place is awesome. One of the only bars that can have good reasoning for pricy cocktails. Holy ice balls...

classy place! great decor, friendly service and decently priced drinks...the place has got a kind of corporate formal feel to it..but if you searching for a new place to go..you should definitely try it out! read more

Great place for cocktails with friendly staff! Got the Iced Tea and it was great. The only thing they are short on is some more seating at the bar which would be good. It is expensive but well worth a visit for a couple read more

First off I love the decor and look of the alchemist skulls gold and needles very Allen Poe and rock n roll my kinda style. ! The service is always excellent waiters are friendly conversational and will recommend stuff to you. The food is very tasty and presented unusually and uniquely check out chicken in the basket! There's also some unique drink choices I won't go into the cocktails as I haven't tried em properly yet but butterscotch milkshake need I say more ? The only gripe I have with this place and it's a minor one is that lack of choice for gluten free my girlfriend Claire I. has a gluten intolerance and recently I decided to go gluten free myself and we were left with salads and fish and although nice feeling forced to choose them when lots of other places are going gluten free nowadays they could really up my rating just by offering that. Still well worth the visit and both of the locations are great although I prefer this one. read more