Dry Bar

Dry Bar is a bit of a Manchester/​NQ institution. I’ve been coming for nearly 12 years now. When I first moved ‘up north’, the NQ wasn’t the place it is now. There were a lot less bars but Dry Bar has been here for nearly 30 years and is still going strong. Considering how many places have come and gone over the last decade, it’s indicative of the place’s appeal that it’s still going strong.
As more and more places have opened up, I come less but it’s a bit of a fail safe that I come back to when I’m in the mood for a late night of dancing in the NQ. I know I will always have a great time.
I’ve eaten here many times over the years and whilst the food isn’t the best in Manchester, it is consistently tasty and I’ve never come away unsatisfied.
My latest visit was on Friday, when after a few bottles of wine at 42 Madera and Evuna, I convinced my friends that we wanted to go for a dance. I didn’t exactly have to twist their arms.
We were there for about an hour and a half and the music was great, being mainly 80s/​90s. Some power ballads, some dance music, some pop. Just a really great mix.
It was pretty busy and the crowd was pleasingly low on chavs. There were a few but one thing I really like about this place is that despite it’s Oldham Street location and popularity that you generally get a good crowd.
I highly recommend this. It’s a really chilled out place in the week and at weekends is great for partying. If you haven’t been then you should definitely go to this stalwart of the NQ.

Food very well cremated chips like McDonald’s. Yum Yum. Andrew need your guidance where are you mate

Dry bar I personally think is aptly named, as ‘dry’ is exactly what the atmosphere is. The inside looks a lot better than it used to after a rethink of the furniture, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is just a bit boring in there.
It may be because it’s surrounded by brilliant bars in the Northern Quarter and just doesn’t quite live up to their reputation. I have given it a good few chances now, and every time I just feel a bit ‘meh’.
We sat outside for about five rounds yesterday, a good three hours in the new-​ish outdoor seating area at the front of the bar. We were asked for change by about 6 different homeless people, which of course you do expect on Oldham Street — but it never makes the experience any more enjoyable.
They do have a great selection of drinks, if you re-​mortgage your house that it. You’re pretty much paying £5 a pint for most of the casks. They do have a beer of the week — but only the bottles and it’s still £3 which I don’t consider a bargain by any means.
All in all — over priced and just a bit boring.

I give this 5 stars because of nostalgic reasons really. I used to frequent this bar a LOT back in the very early 90’s.Yes I’m old now!
But I still go in every now and then and still really like it. The only thing that’s changed really is the toilets, they used to be downstairs which I thought was better. The seating is still very relaxed.
Good choice of beer and top shelf, don’t know about the wine tho or the food!
If you like a good dance like I do the music is pretty good later on at weekends.
So overall still a top bar, and it it wasn’t for nostalgia reasons it’d get a 4 out 5.

One of my best friends recently recommended Dry as a great place to hang out. He lived in Manchester in the mid 90s, when Britpop dominated the charts and every other bloke looked like Liam Gallagher/​Jarvis Cocker/​Damon Albarn *swoon*. So, I can imagine Dry bar was awash with cool indie kids and played some brilliant tunes.
Now though, not so epic.
I found it dark, boring and loud, both in terms of the crap music and the badly illustrated walls. Yes, I’m aware this probably makes me sound like I’m about 100 years old but maybe that’s just it: I’m getting too old for places like Dry. I just don’t get what all the fuss is about. And for that reason, I’m out.

My friend and I spontaneously chose this bar since we were kind of hungry.
They had an outdoor seating which was nice but the ambiance wasn’t great at all. The crowd who were there were quite loud and the staff didn’t really care about cleaning the tables outside.
However, I’ve ordered the Chicken Fillet Burger which comes with fries and coleslaw (£5.50) and unfortunately it wasn’t really tasty at all. Unpleasant dry, bland and the ketchup and mayonnaise were in small plastic packets!
Unimpressed. Won’t come back again

Had an OK time at dry bar last night but I wouldn’t say the bar helped very much.
We managed to get some room in which to set up our ‘camp’ and all was going swimmingly.
When another of our friends rocked up he grabbed one of the 20 or so stacked chairs next to us from outside and sat down.
Quick as a flash a bouncer came over and told him to put it back because it was ‘outdoor furniture’ as though in some way it was less capable of being a chair indoors or the police were going to start issuing fines for such a criminal act.
If anything though, this just helped me to remember that I actually went there because other than that it’s pretty average and non-​memorable.

Think I’m one of the few people on here who actually likes the Dry bar but like it I do. The location is great as it’s right in the middle of the Northern Quarter and there is a lot of space so if you arrive with a large group on a Saturday night it won’t be a problem. There is also a good mix of people from students to a more mature crowd. The music reflects the fact that this was one of Manchester’s first bars (yes there was a time when there were only a couple of bars in the Northern Quarter) and the play list is mostly 90’s indie/​house. There is also a happy hour with 2 cocktails for £8. The food and drink is definitely cheaper than a lot of the other bars nearby. The fact that this place is still going decades after it first opened means that either if you love it or hate it, it is a Manchester institution. No mean feet in a city where new bars open and close in a blink of an eye. Madchester might be dead but Dry bar still lives on.

If I could give it 2.5 stars I really would.
The first time I ever went to Dry Bar (after the first interview for my current job, if you’re interested) I felt like I didn’t like it all that much. Yet I find myself going back time and time again. I feel like its proximity to my work, Piccadilly Station, and Piccadilly Gardens makes it the easiest option a lot of the time.
Good things
— They have a good range of drinks and the beer is a decent price.
— They have a cocktail happy hour which I think starts at 2 for £8, and one of the cocktails is called a Drumstick and it 100% tastes like its sweetie namesake.
— The food is very reasonably priced and pretty tasty.
— There’s loads of room inside.
— The early doors atmosphere is fairly chilled out and un-​intimidating. A friend was late to meet me there once, which led to me drinking beer and reading a book on my own, and I didn’t get bothered and nobody even seemed to bat an eyelid.
Bad things
— For the number of staff always wandering around, it takes forever to get served. Even during quiet times.
— They stop serving food quite ridiculously early. Even if they want to focus on drinkers after a certain time, surely it would make sense to keep the kitchen open for chips/​snacks?
— The beer and a burger deal is confusing and possibly a bit of a con. The menu doesn’t specify which burger (s), so we assumed any, only to be told there was only a choice of 3. Fair enough, but that should be specified on the menu. Food turns up, is tasty and fine, my friend queries where the coleslaw is. Is told that it doesn’t come with the beer and burger deal. Why? And again, should be on the menu.
Overall: I’m not itching to go back, but I know I will be back at some point.

You know when some pubs do absolute justice to their names, well Dry bar is definitely one of them. The whole atmosphere inside is just so dry and drab that you loose passion for life if you happen to be there for more than a few hours!
But is is such a shame, because they have a massive space inside which they could do so much with and the location, is possibly the best in Northern Quarter/​City Center. The staff are so not friendly and seem like have no lust for life — I was there during happy hours and was supposed to get a free pizza with 2 drinks but they said they ran out of pizza’s and didn’t even compensate for that with anything else! Now that to me is very disappointing as a customer. The music has no personality just like the interiors, it is all very haphazard inside. But I will have to say that the place has a lot of potential because they do have a very good selection of beers and ciders.
This place just needs a bit of brushing up and energy for life and I can see lot more people flocking here! There is a fairly decent outdoor seating here as well which is great during summers and for smokers! I have also heard they have live music here once in a while but never got motivated ’nuff to go there, may be a bit more pestering (marketing) could get me down as I love live music! The price of the drinks are very reasonable which is always a plus so I can definitely see myself going here when other places are extremely crowded and I just want a quick drink somewhere.
Verdict: Has potential to do much better than my 2 stars! Are you listening guys?

Came in here and ordered a few drinks with my friends and nephew at ten to 6, gave the money and then they decided they were gonna kick us out at 6(and they did aswell)
Then we got to our tables and there was gum under the table and on the floor. Quite dirty. Seats were seriously uncomfortable.
The art and the interior looked good and our drinks were nice though.
I’d come here if there was nowhere else to go

So the refurb Dry Bar was sorely in need of happened, but there was still something I hadn’t done until earlier this year, and that was to order some food. It was right before a high profile pardy I was throwing in the Northern Quarter just down t’road at Lomography, and when my dear friends Aislinn, Kevin and Brian all rocked up on Oldham St in need of sustenance and beers, this was where we ducked into.
I had a lovely bottle of ice-​cold Budvar, and soups and a couple of pizzas were ordered. The pizzas were on some sort of early evening deal which amounted to them being pretty decent value. They weren’t anything to shout home about but man they did the job, and were plenty flavoursome. TBH, they were on a par with Black Dog’s latest pizza offerings so nothing to complain about there.
Not much has changed and I still haven’t bumped the star rating up further as it’s still not quintessential Manchester entertainment, but the staff are lovely and it’s a great place for a quick tasty bite if you’re at a loose end. I’ve decided, it’s the Coffee Republic of Northern Quarter bars — has its snags, but overall is just right. (And Coffee Republic’s only pretty much directly opposite it. Coincidence?)

I had the pleasure today of stopping for a cheeky afternoon cocktail in Dry Bar. Walking in you can not help but be struck by the random, alternative, mis-​mash aesthetic. Huge garish mirrors, chequered walls and TV’s in every corner all add up to exude a slightly alternative vibe that is inclusive enough to accommodate us nine to fivers!
They had jaeger.. . on top?! A good range of largers and a tasty though somewhat limited cocktail selection. These were all enjoyed from the comfort of one of their spectacular booths.
I just really enjoyed the feel of the place. It was like going to your quirky best mates house; comfortable and chilled with enough points of interest to keep you amused whilst not being intimidating or overwhelming in the slightest. A very comfortable and chilled place that is definitely a great venue for a social get together with old friends, good drinks and a relaxed atmosphere.

In my early days of Manchester, not knowing where anything was, not to mention where anything good was, I was taken to Dry Bar, mistakenly thinking it was the Night and Day.
Today I know how it must be overshadowed by its neighbour. I remember it being large, empty, dark and overpriced. It had great potential but that night it wasn’t meant to be.
The Dry bar seems a little bit better during the day. A pint and a pizza deal for £6. Breakfast, fresh coffee, sports and free wifi, perhaps it should let Night and Day be crowned for the night spot on this one.

I heard a rumour about Dry Bar, the lairier Gallagher brother is barred for life from here. I don’t know if it’s true, and I don’t care. It’s the most interesting thing about this very very boring bar.
It’s just bereft of any atmosphere, and I need atmosphere. Otherwise, I’d just drink cans of lager in a bus stop, or the hallway cupboarrd in my flat. When I go out, especially in the NQ, I expect atmosphere.
The drinks here are to be expected. The wine, however, is rank. Steer clear.
If you’re at the door to Dry Bar, turn around and go to Night and Day. Trust me.

Dry Bar is, to many, considered to be one of the many things that holds Manchester back from looking forward. That’s because this is a bar with a FAC catalogue number.
This, of course, means that it can be frequented by those still clinging on to the Madchester days of the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, New Order etc etc etc.
Take all that away and you’re left with… well… a very ordinary venue.
While the rest of the Northern Quarter is quirky and homely in its own funny little way, Dry Bar is cavernous and cold.
They do have bands on and a well stocked bar (although, don’t expect anything exciting in the taps) but it definitely feels like taking a step backward into the ‘90s.
Many of Manchester’s drinkers are looking for something that Dry Bar doesn’t offer. The beards want ales and exposed brick, the rest want something more upmarket.
What you’re left with is a place with an identity crisis — an identity it could do with ditching and starting all over again. Dry Bar needs to look at the city with fresh eyes or it could well find itself losing more money than Factory Records.

I’m confused as to the point of Dry Bar. When so many other Northern Quarter bars are striving hard to create a unique and individual atmosphere, Dry Bar is just, and I’m SO sorry about this pun, dry.
We went on a Friday night and the place was distinctly less than busy. The lager we ordered was expensive and served in horrible plastic glasses. There was next to no atmosphere or party vibe, and we left pretty quickly.
The whole place looks fairly drab to be honest. I’m sure when its busy that this papers over the cracks but I think I’ll probably stay away for now.

Immortalised in the film 24 Hour Party People as the bar where Shaun Ryder pulled a gun on Factory Records boss Tony Wilson, Dry Bar will go down in history as a true Mancunian institution.
Sadly, the chances of finding Ian Brown, Mani or one of New Order propping up the bar now is probably zero as it looks and feels like a bar in desperate need of refurbishment. The décor and furniture looks tatty and out-​dated and it’s usually empty in the day despite signs advertising cheap brunch and food specials. As a result, it’s usually empty or bustling with groups of noisy, intoxicated lads drinking beer. In two words: Stay away.

Opened in 1989 (which would explain the cringingly lame attempt at an ironic name, these were simpler times, bar culture was just glimmer in a chavs eye) this bar has it all if you want to drink whilst surrounded by Mancunian folklore.
Originally owned by Factory records (and originally titled fac201), this bar was designed by Hacienda architect Ben Kelly, shot at by the Happy Mondays (yes, with an actual gun!) and has had the pleasure of barring, amongst countless others, Liam Gallagher and Shaun Ryder respectively.
Besides all of this it’s actually a pretty decent bar in its own right, with plenty of seating, great music, an outdoor area where you can watch the city get on with its day and is located in close proximity to lots of other fantastic bars.

I remember this bar used to be a magnet for students & musicians when i was at university, it was cleaned up ;everything went quiet and prices shot up.(i guess goods things don’t last).
Dry bar is a trendy bar but is not ideal for meeting up with mates because the music is always very loud.