Latest favourites and wishlist by niggle

Socio Rehab - review by dson

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:14:56 +0000

Socio Rehab - review by dson

Rating: 3.2

Location: 100-102 High Street, M4 1HQ, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 832 4529

Website: http://sociorehab.com/

One of my favourite northern quarter bars. Laid back atmosphere with amazing cocktails.

Cornerhouse - review by DanT

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:50:24 +0000

Cornerhouse - review by DanT

Rating: 4.2

Location: 70 Oxford Street, M1 5NH, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 200 1500

The Cornerhouse - quite pricey, ever-so-slightly pretentious but absolutely mint. The cinema always has the best films on, the bar has some great cocktails and beers and the shop has the coolest books, greeting cards and magazines. The Monday night quiz is great too â¬ pretty tricky but not too difficult.

The staff are superb. They must get paid well as they're always super friendly, efficient and look like they're having a good time. Go in happy hour in youâ¬"re on a budget as you can get some spectacular cocktails at cut down prices.

The food is quite pricey but on a Monday you can get a pizza a film and a glass of wine or a pint for a tenner! Bargain!

El Rincon - review by vbt

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:32:53 +0000

El Rincon - review by vbt

Rating: 4.2

Location: 244 Deansgate, M3 4BQ, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 839 8819

Tags: lively, good value, spanish, crowded

This is the best place ever. We go here every week. I love every single thing about it. I think this is what heaven must be like. The best tapas around - just as good as anything I've had when we've been to Spain. The staff are brilliant and so is the food and the ambience. Rafa is lovely too - I love his personalised numberplate!
It's got such a nice atmosphere, we pop in when we've been shopping to have a cheeky glass of wine and some bread and ailioli (my favourite thing on the menu!).
Itâ¬"s a great place to watch the football too, and you can tell my the dÃ©cor that theyâ¬"re big City fans! Itâ¬"s always busy but its worth waiting for a table, and you can always eat at the bar if you just canâ¬"t wait.
I was reluctant to write a review in case it encourages more people to go and I canâ¬"t get a table any more!

Matt & Phreds Jazz Club - review by vbt

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:23:31 +0000

Matt & Phreds Jazz Club - review by vbt

Rating: 4.4

Location: 85 Oldham St, M4 1LW, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 831 7002

Tags: jazz, mature

The best place for live jazz in Manchester by far. The staff are friendly enough and the music is great, and they do different memberships so you get discounted or free entry when they have a band on.
It's got a really nice vibe â¬ quite dark (but not in a dingy way), with red ambient lighting and little wooden tables. It doesnâ¬"t get hideously crowded either, I think the fact it has â¬Üjazz clubâ¬" in the title puts a lot of people off, but you can just pop in for a drink. Itâ¬"s not open on Sundays though which is a shame.
The food offering has changed over the years - they used to do tapas but now its mainly pizzas, which are great. The Dave Walsh pizza is the best.
The only bad thing is that the drinks are quite overpriced, so best to go straight after payday!

Cornerhouse - review by treemite

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:13:26 +0000

Cornerhouse - review by treemite

Rating: 4.2

Location: 70 Oxford Street, M1 5NH, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 200 1500

This is an excellent bar located on the upper floor of the cinema on the corner of Oxford Road.
There is a healthy range of European premium lagers available on draught and in bottles. There is also a great selection of reasonably priced cocktails (look out for the happy hours to make the most of these) and is also great for fresh soft drinks and coffees/hot chocolates.
The atmosphere is always good and itâ¬"s a great place to stop off and chat before visiting the cinema or the theatre. There are loads of tables and a few sofas which make it a good place for a group conversations.
The food is also quite impressive â¬ mostly serving simple platters and salads. The tour-de-force though are the stone-baked pizzas, which are very much like Feliciniâ¬"s (across the road) but at about half the price

Philpotts - review by pink_lizard

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:02:48 +0000

Philpotts - review by pink_lizard

Rating: 4.0

Location: 19 Brazennose Street, M2 5BS, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 832 1419

Website: http://www.philpotts.co.uk

Definately have a Phillpotts sandwich to treat yourself! They basically do any concoction you fancy - my favourite is a prawn and avocado.

They are really quick and friendly staff. Surfaces are clean and I haven't ever heard anyone complain.

BUT...there's always a but....this is an expensive sandwich! For a one off treat, it's well worth it though!

Livebait - review by ladyofshallots

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:06:24 +0000

Livebait - review by ladyofshallots

Rating: 4.0

Location: Lloyds House, M2 5WA, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 817 4110

Website: http://www.santeonline.co.uk

Tags: romantic, seafood, expensive

A nice location near the town hall and a nice setting - the interior is lots of dark wood with modern shiny touches. The staff are friendly and helpful and the food is good. For me it's more of a special occasion place as it's more expensive, but it does FEEL like a special occasion place. The food is good though not outstanding. There are some options for people who don't want to eat fish or seafood. I haven't tried them and I get the impression they are there for people who have gone in groups with people who don't like or can't eat fish, because they don't look as much fun as the fish dishes.

I'll be back to try their early evening offers which are very good value.

Cornerhouse - review by denmoose

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:34:47 +0000

Cornerhouse - review by denmoose

Rating: 4.2

Location: 70 Oxford Street, M1 5NH, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 200 1500

Great for the independent and foreign films.

Ideally situated on the corner of Manchesterâ¬"s Oxford Road train station, the corner house serves up one of the most unique cinemas experiences as its stylish and boutique feel attracts the more intellectually minded cinema goer.

It does have a couple of downsides however, food and drink is expensive and the screens are quite small, meaning you can expect full houses and sold out screenings quite often, other minus in my book is the fact that films donâ¬"t seem to show for very long, often only a week or two at the most for some smaller films, which is probably necessary as the films arenâ¬"t the blockbusters of the film works.. but it is a shame that you cant really see a film more than once before its changed to something else.

Bar Fringe - review by nursey71

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:34:54 +0000

Bar Fringe - review by nursey71

Rating: 3.7

Location: 8 Swan Street, M4 5JN, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 835 3815

Website: http://www.marblebeers.co.uk

Tags: relaxed

The first time I went to the Fringe, there was a biker convention there and I wondered where my friends had taken me to ...

... but, there was a friendly atmosphere, and the range of beers (all served with their own glass) was a little overwhelming but great to look through. Some of the fruit beers I had never heard of before, but were just like drinking pop (had to keep reminding self that they were 6%!!!) and were very moorish indeed

Since my first time there, I've been back to try out more of their range of beer and realised that it is quite handy when walking back to piccadilly train station after a day of shopping (just for the one though ...)

Matt & Phreds Jazz Club - review by Marmalady

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:40:10 +0000

Matt & Phreds Jazz Club - review by Marmalady

Rating: 4.4

Location: 85 Oldham St, M4 1LW, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 831 7002

Tags: jazz, reasonably priced, friendly, cool

Matt and Phreds is Manchester's premier jazz club. On each visit to this place I have heard some truly top-notch musicians playing some really amazing music. The stage is at the back of the venue with an area of tables and chairs to allow you to sit back and let the jazz envelope you like warm velvet. On weekends these tables usually seem very busy with many reserved, so you may need to call ahead to ensure that you're not left standing. The bar area seems to sit respectfully back from the music area, and the staff always seem friendly and helpful.

The Knott Bar - review by 1sttimebuyer

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:27:07 +0000

The Knott Bar - review by 1sttimebuyer

Rating: 3.7

Location: 374 Deansgate, M3 4LY, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 839 9229

Website: http://www.marblebeers.co.uk

Tags: relaxed, excellent pub food, independent pub, friendly

Handy location at the bottom of Deansgate to start your night out in Manchester - get off the train at Deansgate or G-MEX if you're on the Metrolink.

The bar is under the railway bridge, and has a charm about it that most 'modern' bars can't capture at all.

The bar is stocked with plenty of beers, many from around the world, particularly Belgium, but they also have real cask ales, normally including one or two from local Manchester or North-West smaller brewers.

The jukebox is packed with quality, and the food is fantastic, and definitely good value. In winter it really is one of the few places to get hot, wholesome grub on a cold wet evening.

The Music Box - review by chrissatchell

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:33:47 +0000

The Music Box - review by chrissatchell

Rating: 4.5

Location: 65 Oxford Road, M1 6FQ, Manchester, United Kingdom

The music box is a great stepping stone venue for local bands. It's a good size in a good location and it's got a good reputation for being the place to play if you're and upcoming band. You'll see alot of rock related events going on here pretty much every week so if thats your scene definately grab a ticket or pay on the door and see some local talent. Weekends can vary alot where some weeks you'll have Mr. Scruff the next you might have a death metal band playing so check the schedules before randomly turning up.

Socio Rehab - review by jennygold

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:53:59 +0000

Socio Rehab - review by jennygold

Rating: 3.2

Location: 100-102 High Street, M4 1HQ, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 832 4529

Website: http://sociorehab.com/

i didn't like this place and haven't been back. it trys to hard, the name is awful for a start and its limited to cocktails, so no beer if you are the only one in the group in the mood for it. its far too trendy and it doesn't pull it off, its just trying too hard and full of people that are just posing. the music was ok but in the end it started to get on my nerves, all a bit too tuneless bop bop for me. then a group of guys that had more cocktails than they could take had to be thrown out by the bouncers. its not a classy cocktail joint.

Pevrill of the Peek - review by jennygold

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:34:42 +0000

Pevrill of the Peek - review by jennygold

Rating: 3.7

Location: 127 Great Bridgewater Street, M1 5JQ, Manchester, United Kingdom

this is one mad building! its an old style pub, small low building covered in green tiles! its very near the rainbar and the bridgewater hall and we often pop in for one drink on the way elsewhere. its small inside so gets full quickly. its not a posh place and really is an old pub in the more working man sense. there is a pool table and a couple of tables and thats it. the beer isn't the best but we like it because its totally different. it isn't your posh trendy bar so if that is your thing give it a miss.

Matt & Phreds Jazz Club - review by liuzzif

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:09:09 +0000

Matt & Phreds Jazz Club - review by liuzzif

Rating: 4.4

Location: 85 Oldham St, M4 1LW, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 831 7002

Tags: jazz, hole in pocket, mature, live, young professionals, trendy, friendly, posh

The vibe here is just something else - relaxed yet sophisticated, and the crowd are all easy-going - a welcome quality in the hustle and bustle of Manchester. My main complaint is that the drinks are HIDEOUSLY expensive (I am a student though so maybe my views are distorted), so you have to watch your wallet. The cocktails are particularly scrummy though. The food is simple but tasty and means you can settle in for the night. Some nights it is pay for entry, others not, so its up to you if you want to save cash or hear a quality band. The staff are all casually dressed (often the crowd are quite smart - jeans, even with heels were my first mistake!!) and really friendly. Its a little difficult to find your way back to Piccadilly gardens if you've had a few as its not on the main drag but still a fabulous night.