Northern Quarter bars and pubs, ranked

The Northern Quarter is the densest drinking area in Manchester and the most variable on price. Within four streets you can find a £3.60 cask pint in a Joseph Holt house and a £7.20 keg IPA in a converted mill. Nothing about the frontage tells you which is which, which is exactly the problem this page exists to solve.

Broadly: Shudehill and the northern end of Oldham Street are the cheap end, with traditional tied houses and long-standing boozers. Thomas Street, Edge Street and Tib Street are the mid-range independents. Anything with exposed brick, filament bulbs and a single-word name will be at the top of the range.

For a first visit, walk the loop from Shudehill up Thomas Street, across Edge Street and back down Oldham Street. That covers most of the list below and takes about fifteen minutes without stopping, which is not the intention.