Every city has its hidden gems, including when you're looking for a watering hole to head to. From password-only bijou drinking dens to tiny underground rock 'n' roll bars, they're all on our recommended list of secret bars in Manchester. But shhhh, we don't want everyone to know. So let's keep them between ourselves, yeah?
Last edited by DEBBIE RICHARDSON
Last updated on 4th June 2025
The best secret speakeasy in Manchester? The gorgeous Project Halcyon Distillery is found underneath the cobbles of what once was Coronation Street at Old Granada Studios. This space is ideal for dates of modern jazz-hop music coupled with unusual serves.
Referred to by locals as 'The Temple of Convenience' due to its former life as a public toilet, this Oxford Road underground bar is a popular hangout with local indie types and musicians (it's one of Guy Garvey's favourites). It's fronting a jukebox, delish beer selection and rock 'n' roll vibes.
Hidden cocktail bars in Manchester don't come much better than Evelyn's, a Parisian-inspired haven for coffees and private co-working across the day, but with drinks and music coming out to play at night. Here, you can sip your way through peach tea-infused pisco whipped up from wild strawberry vermouth, lemon, agave and bitters.
@ Alcotraz Penitentiary: Manchester on Various dates from Sunday 22nd June 2025
One of the most quirky hidden bars in Manchester, Alcotraz is bringing together slick sips, secret entrances and smuggling in one fun package. Join the team on Watson street for a night of contraband cocktails and orange jumpsuits in a subterranean prison.
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Discreet? This cool bar has got it covered. From the front, Dusk til Pawn looks like a quirky little pawnshop, but once you step past the façade, prepare to be welcomed into one of the finest and most clandestine bars around.
Just because you think you can wash your underwear here, doesn't mean you can. And if you didn't think this place was whipping up Japanese-inspired cocktails? You'd be wrong. The Washhouse is a sexy, secret laundrette bar in Manchester that's hidden behind a machine-laden exterior.
A chilled hangout by day and a cool jazz destination by night, Speak in Code is pretty darn hard to find. Tucked away on Jackson's Row, this choice of secret bars in Manchester's Deansgate brings you vegan eats, unique cocktails and live music five nights of the week.
With an outpost in Leeds too, Blind Tyger also prides itself on being one of the best secret bars in Manchester. Get your fix of illicit sips at this subterranean drinking den, where potent concoctions and American-style whiskeys are firmly the focus.
