31 Best Bars in Manchester, Liverpool, and the Peak District, England

A former Wesleyan chapel that was abandoned for more than four decades now houses one of the city's most exciting venues—a superb indie music hall and clubbing venue that retains such original features as an organ and stained glass windows.

Tea shop meets bar and live music venue (with club nights) at this bohemian spot in a former Art Deco cinema.

Off Deansgate, this venue plays retro, indie, sing-along anthems, and classic rock, with Manchester's proud musical heritage at the fore.

In a multipurpose, fairly intimate and stripped-back space this venue hosts club nights—from electro and live music to poetry. There's also a pizza menu available Wednesday to Sunday.

A church transformed into a luxurious bar, Alma de Cuba has a huge mirrored altar and hundreds of dripping candles. It also serves a popular Sunday brunch with a live gospel choir and samba afternoon teas.

Music, art, and science events are all in the mix at this long-standing venue reinvented as a creative space and bar.

This famous venue has a reputation for hosting both established and pioneering acts.

This huge venue in a former Edwardian foundry and blade-making factory retains a suitably industrial vibe for its club nights, live music, food festivals, exhibitions, and art installations.

While not the original venue—that was demolished years ago—this is still a popular music spot, drawing in rock-and-roll fans with its live acts including Beatles tribute bands.

This dressy champagne and cocktail bar in the city's second-tallest building has stunning 360-degree views. Some of its inventive concoctions make a playful nod to local culture. You can also get afternoon tea or snacks such as tacos and antipasti.

Once a stable block for horses working the canals, this is a great spot for a pub lunch or drink, especially in the summer, thanks to its waterside terrace, balcony, and outdoor kitchen.

Bars and restaurants come and go on trendy, ever-evolving Burton Road, but this bar and café has stood the test of time thanks to its heated terrace (complete with palm trees), chic interiors, and good food.

Nestled under old railway arches, Gorilla is a live-music venue, restaurant, and gin parlor with an intimate vibe.

House, disco, and techno nights are on the roster at this club in a former mill building near the infamous Strangeways prison.

This quirky entertainment complex in a former warehouse near the river just north of the city center bills itself as a cultural theme park of the future. Expect live music and makers' workshops, as well as on-site artists' studios and a garden. There's now a Rollerdome with skating sessions and classes.

Owned by the Invisible Wind Factory, this eccentric outdoor venue (with heaters) hosts live music accompanied by food from its barbecue. It also has a vintage boutique and an art gallery.

Europe's largest indoor arena by capacity hosts shows by major rock and pop stars, as well as large-scale sporting events.

This handsome, unspoiled Victorian pub specializes in craft beers brewed by local firm Manchester Marble and offers a famous cheese board.

This lively Gay Village bar has an outstanding selection of beers from around the world, in addition to good wine and cocktail lists. The tapas nibbles are delicious and surprisingly inexpensive.

Once host to the likes of Tina Turner, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones, this iconic 1960s venue has reopened but retains many of its original features, including vintage wooden paneling and a sprung dance floor, which contrast with newer additions such as a disco ceiling lighting installation. In addition to live music and a full bar, it hosts a street food hall and a creative college in music, games, and computing.

This Northern Quarter craft beer bar is operated by Yorkshire-based brewery Northern Monk, ensuring there will always be a stellar range of beers from the cask and keg. What the industrial-style, bare brick space lacks in coziness it more than makes up for with its constantly rotating beers, pop-up kitchens, and regular events.

Housed in an Art Deco venue, the 3,500-seat venue (known by locals as just "the Apollo") showcases live rock and comedy acts before a mixed-age crowd.

Surrounded by a large terrace with cabanas, this unique pub occupies a 16th-century oasthouse (where brewers roasted hops) that was brought here, brick by brick, from Kent. The emphasis is on craft beers and ales, accompanied by playful food such as Northern poutine with Lancashire cheese.

Locals pack the tiny rooms of this photogenic Victorian throwback with a green-tile exterior.

One of Manchester's, if not the country's, top cocktail spots, Schofield's is a must. Ideal for pre-theater drinks or a late nightcap, the bar serves up masterfully mixed drinks in the glorious Art Deco confines of the Grade II–listed Sunlight House.