Tiki bars are the toast of the town currently in Manchester. Hula, Keko Moku and the Liar's club have all been pleasuring cocktail lovers for a while now and they can all rejoice as another Polynesian-themed bar has adorned the Mancunian night scene.
Zombie shack opened its doors last Wednesday and I went along to see how the venue (formerly known as the Attic) had been transformed into its new incarnation. Located above the Thirsty scholar on Oxford road, this particular Tiki bar provides a great alternative spot for a few cocktails. The Northern Quarter has become THE main hub for thirsty cocktailovers and this venue placed on the other side of town, perhaps provides a perfect place to start the night.
The entrance to Zombie shack is quite hard to miss, the wall directly under the Oxford Road train station bridge adorns a colorful splash of graffiti bearing the Zombie Shack coat of arms. The adjacent rather steep spirally staircases then funnel you into an intimate little dimly lit bar. Walking in, you'd find the bar to the right, a hive of activity. The dance floor in front of you takes center stage and as you perform your first 360, you'll find the walls are worn by more brilliant graffiti creating a mini cocktail eco-system. The seating is rather limited as is space in general, but that actually works in the bar's favor creating a vibrant atmosphere.
The cocktail menu will be familiar to most cocktail connoisseurs, with naturally "The Zombie" being the centre piece. A few of these bad boys (each including five different rums) and you're guaranteed to forget all your worries and everything else, reducing you to a stumbling, mumbling, haitian corpse.
I love this place, but a word of warning for the fairer sex, wearing high heels is not advised. Walking down the steep spirally stairs on a wet Manchester evening after a few could prove more dangerous than a stroll down the streets of Baghdad red zone. read more