The best terraces and beer gardens in Manchester

Situated in the heart of Castlefield, Barça occupies an enviable position on the canal-side. So one of the first things you’ll notice is the stunning decked terrace – one of the largest outdoor eating and drinking spots in town – which comes alive during warmer months. The addition of a separate bar specifically for those al fresco afternoons and evenings has only added to allure. A lush oasis of natural greens and brown woods that feels far removed from the urban sprawl beyond, nevertheless you’re still in easy walking distance of Deansgate’s transport links as well as Cornbrook Metrolink.

Headquarters of anyone heading to – or partying after – a gig at Manchester Academy, Big Hands is the original indie punk hangout. Big Hands has retro, Lynchian red decor, a cracking jukebox and regular DJs and bands on. But even if you’ve been there a million times swaying drunkenly to the Pixies, you might not know about its rooftop beer garden. Head up past the loos and out onto the roof of the dive bar where picnic benches warm gently in the sun surrounded by potted plants and other shrubbery. There’s a top selection of European beers here. Perfect for drinking in the sunshine but be careful, they’re strong and combined with all that Vitamin D, you’ll be half cut before you can ask ‘Where Is My Mind?’.

The Black Friar is a story of rags to riches, having lain empty for decades before someone spent a wad of cash restoring and renovating it into one of the loveliest pubs around. Yes you can get a great pie or a fancy three course dinner here, but you can also sit outside in the absolutely glorious beer garden and soak up some rays with a bottle of Riesling on the table in an ice bucket, or several rounds of pints from the bar. See also: great Salford beer gardens at nearby pubs The Eagle and The Kings Arms.

As Manchester develops upwards – see the nearby Deansgate Towers – it’s always heartening to head to one of the city’s proper old school boozers that are hanging on in the face of relentless change. The Britons Protection does have some superlatives to shout about though. It’s the pub with the biggest collection of whiskies in the whole city – over 330 at last count. This over 200-year old pub also has a nice big beer garden out the back which gets the sun almost all day long. Be prepared to be cunning to secure a spot.

If you like a Monster Munch topped pizza with your beer, there really is only one beer garden for you in Manchester and that’s the one outside Crazy Pedro’s on Bridge Street. Known for its ever more eccentric toppings on its (actually very good) pizzas, bottomless pizza brunches, and sweary house rules, Crazy Pedro’s is not for quiet types. There is plenty of beer here but Ped’s also does a strong line in hard seltzers and obnoxiously coloured cocktails. The beer garden is sizeable, with large tables fit for groups and heaters for the nippier evenings.

One of Manchester’s newest restaurants but already one of its most lauded, people head in their droves to Climat for its Burgundy-heavy wine menu and modern small plates featuring things like cute prawn cocktail vol au vents and curried beef tartare. But it also happens to have one of the best terraces in the city with an enviable view across the top end of Deansgate and beyond.

One of Ancoats’ original pubs, The Crown and Kettle has a stunning interior (those windows, that ceiling) worth checking out before you head back outside to its sizeable on-street beer garden. There are always tons of events on at this huge corner pub from local or national beer and spirits brands, as well as food by Roti, the Indian/Scottish street food kitchen.

Cutting Room Square (whose name recalls Manchester’s textile-centric past) is the epicentre of Ancoats. This area formerly dotted with disused mills and boarded up pubs has undergone a staggering transformation over the past decade or so. All of the places around Cutting Room Square have terraces where you can sit and enjoy their food and drink when the weather’s fine. Be warned though, it can get very busy on high days and holidays. The choice is vast and includes Jimmy’s, Elnecot, Rudy’s, The Jane Eyre, The Edinburgh Castle and Lucky Ramen.

With its matt black colour palette, Dakota Hotel’s bar is a place you can go to for all kinds of furtive activities. It’s always got a few flash cars parked out front and you are very likely to spot a celeb or two in here – if you can see them in the low lit murkiness. But what many don’t realise is that Dakota also has a fancy terrace that runs around the outside of its jet black obelisk. The heated terraces has a retractable roof to protect from any of the inevitable showers, and glossy white tables with comfy Moroccan-style cushioned seating meaning you can settle down there for a long relaxing afternoon and a few nibbles form the terrace menu.

Diecast might be known for its sprawling indoor madness, but it’s the outdoor space that really comes into its own when the sun’s out. Out front, you’ll find a massive beer garden built for long, hazy sessions, with plenty of room for big groups. There’s a laid-back, festival feel to it, helped along by the option to hire the venue’s rum caravans – converted trailers that turn your hang into something a bit more exclusive. With food flowing from the various kitchens and frozen daiquiris on tap, it’s an easy summer go-to.

In the battle of the trendy city centre neighbourhoods, the once hugely popular Castlefield is perhaps perceived to have had its heyday, but it’s still a great shout for daytime bevvies in the sun. The biggie around these parts is canalside bar and restaurant Dukes 92. The people pleasing menu incorporates sarnies, burgers, pizzas and – the ultimate outdoor dining dish – hanging kebabs. But if it’s booze you’re after, the drinks offering is as massive as the outdoor seating area, and that’s one of the biggest beer gardens in the city. If it ain’t broke…

Not only does El Gato have a reputation as one of the best tapas restaurants in Manchester, it also has one of the best rooftop terraces. With its retractable roof safely in place most of the year to protect the rioja guzzlers from the constant deluge, in summer, it rolls it back like a soft top on a BMW and is immediately booked up solidly for six weeks. If you’re lucky enough to bag yourself a spot, you can enjoy a chilled sherry, an ice cold pint of Estrella, or a jug of Cava sangria and pretend you’re Amancio Ortega for a few hours.

Fairfield Social Club – the huge, multi-purpose entertainment space by Angel Meadow is a much-loved hub for film screenings, comedy nights and all-round good times. It’s also brilliant for outdoor activities, with huge sharing tables, covered seating, a garden kitchen and twinkly fairy lights. There’s an outdoor screen for sporting events, and of course, it’s dog friendly too.

This huge outdoor space includes table seating and massive steps with oversized beanbags to lounge on. There’s also live music and DJs at weekends, and a changing selection of the best indie food traders in the city. There are several bars including cocktails and local craft beers in the tap room. Freight is massively popular on sunny days with people looking for a party atmosphere.

Just across the water from Canal Street, spots here include NYC pizza from Nell’s, baked goods from Pollen and Great British Pie Co, and Mezcal and Mexican food from Madre. Central to the Kampus space is a lush, jungle-like garden with wrought iron chairs and tables nestled amid the shrubbery. Head up the steps next to Nell’s to get to an upstairs terrace that is the ideal spot for catching late afternoon and early evening rays. Up here, you can choose from drinks and modern Chinese from Yum Cha or wine and tapas from The Beeswing.

If designer shops, high end restaurants, and a jug of Pimms are more your cup of tea than sitting next to blokes sinking pints with their tops off at a picnic table, head for Spinningfields. The Lawn Club is this area’s summer go to spot with a massive terrace that features little private wooden cabins as well as open seating areas decked with planters filled with colourful flowers. There’s a food menu with something for everyone here, but it does get super busy so make sure you book to avoid disappointment.

The original home of the Marble Brewery and home to some incredibly good food is The Marble Arch. The inside of this cosy boozer is notoriously stunning – plastered in Victorian tiles and featuring a show-stopping floor. They’ve also introduced a set of fully covered and heated sheds outside in the beer garden – perfect for hotter or colder al fresco dining.

Deansgate Mews is an elevated pedestrianised street that runs parallel to Deansgate alongside the Great Northern Warehouse. Not only is it a great sun trap with loads of places to pull up a stool and get a beer, it boasts some spectacular places to eat while you’re there. Another Hand is one of Manchester’s best restaurants and has its own designated outdoor terrace. Siam Smiles is a down to earth, family style cafe with some of the best and spiciest Thai food in the city. Dormouse is a great indie chocolatier (though be sure to keep your bar out of the sun). The Mews does good wine with cheese and charcuterie boards, and the Lion’s Den is a lively boozer which often has live music on.

One of the most stylish bars in the city with its 60s retro stylings, the music venue upstairs has an illuminated colour-changing ceiling. Food is served out of multiple kitchens from local indies that have made their names as pop ups. The statement bar has an impressive wine list and in summer, the outdoor terrace is a great place to pull up a chair and sip a summer cocktail or a cool glass of orange wine. It’s not as manically busy as some of the pavement terraces in the city, due to it being hidden away back from the road, so it’s one for a more relaxed affair.

New Islington Marina is just over the bridge from Ancoats and its waterside location is so cosmopolitan and elegant that it’s sometimes hard to believe you’re in Manchester. Here you’ll find Pollen’s sourdough sarnies and pastries, a massive choice of beers at Cask, and nibbles and natural wine at Flawd. Plus, it’s almost a prerequisite to bring your dog.

Another from the ‘proper boozers’ category, The Old Nag’s Head on Jackson’s Row is perhaps most famous for its George Best mural – so you can guess what colour the shirts on the walls are. This friendly, old school pub also has one of the best beer gardens in the city and yet not a lot of people know about it. The rooftop garden was recently spruced up a bit and features a collage wall depicting Manchester born heroes from Emmeline Pankhurst to Frank Sidebottom.

One of Manchester’s oldest and most striking pubs, The Peveril of the Peak is famous for its lime green tiled exterior. Inside, it’s genuinely like stepping back in time, with a curved bar all polished wood and stained glass, classic maroon pub carpets and vintage features. But we’re all about the outside right now and the Pev (as its mates call it) also boasts a small but lively beer garden. Even though it’s off Oxford Road, one of the city’s major highways, the Pev offers a calm spot to catch up with pals over a pint and put the world to rights away from the blaring music and hordes of party people.

The city centre cocktail bar now has a terrace which sprawls out onto the street, European-style. There, you can enjoy super clean classic cocktails, as well as signature cocktails such as the Cacao Nib Negroni (cacao nib Campari, Plymouth gin and Dolin rouge vermouth) and the La Isla (Aperol, almond, Takamaka koko, mango & melon soda and acid). Food echoes the expertise seen at its sister venue 10 Tib Lane, so you’re truly in safe hands.

Hiding away just off Oxford Road and overlooking the canal, Rain Bar is another of the Manchester beer gardens that people flock to in the summer months because of its massive sunny space. From the front it looks like the classic JW Lees boozer you’ll find inside, but things can get really rowdy (in a good way) outside on a hot day. This multi level beer garden is also somewhere Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham’s been known to sink a few.

One of the greatest post-lockdown hits for Manchester beer gardens, Ramona bakes some of the best pizza in town and its neighbour The Firehouse is renowned for its incredible barbecued chicken and pillowy pita game. But this is also a very special spot for some boozing in the sunshine. There’s a huge outdoor space out the front of the Firehouse, and Ramona is basically all outdoor with wooden cages fitted with comfy seating, DJs at weekends, and a massive bar knocking out beer, wine and cocktails. If you’re not tequila or chilli averse, you can’t really come here and not get a spicy marg or two.

Now totally pedestrianised, Thomas Street is a fantastic spot when the sun comes out. There are loads of options for eating and drinking in the sun, including Evuna, Wolf at the Door, The Bay Horse Tavern, Cane & Grain, The Smithfield Social and a handful of great rice and three caffs. It’s a perfect street for people watching and there’s always plenty of quality people-watching to be had.

Rotisserie chicken and top flight beer inside, sunshine and bierkeller benches outside. Trading Route already has plenty in the plus column – not to mention its whole deli and whine section at the front – but throw in a roomy terrace at the front, looking onto Aviva Studios and the Bonded Warehouse, and you’ve got a triple, nay quadruple threat.

Cloudwater’s city centre bar Sadler’s Cat sits in the NOMA area just opposite New Century (mentioned above). This wooden pub was built from scratch by a community of Mancunian volunteers back when it was called The Pilcrow. It was taken over by the Cloudwater brewery in 2022. Sadler’s Cat serves a really good range of beer. It’s one of the main players on Sadler’s Yard, where there is a large outdoor space with tables and chairs to sit and sip a Schofferhoffer in a bucket hat.

With their first spot in Stevenson Square proving to be a roaring success, The Salmon of Knowledge opted to open their second spot in Didsbury Village, because it’s nice there, isn’t it? A sports bar, Irish pub and craft beer joint, it has one of the biggest beer gardens on the Wilmslow Road strip, which is filled with pretty festoons, covered tables and all sorts of Guinness-themed memorabilia. Well worth adding to your usual rotation.

Situated in the charmingly named Shambles Square, this is the city’s classic beer garden and the one which many people getting off the train at Victoria will head straight for. Not just Sinclair’s but also the neighbouring Wellington, this beer garden is gigantic and whenever the sun comes out it gets absolutely packed with people. As per all Sam Smiths brewery pubs, Sinclair’s has a ‘no phones’ policy, and they take a dim view of swearing too.

Another Manchester beer garden that’s slightly off the beaten track, Society sits just opposite the Bridgewater Hall, accessed via some amphitheatre-like steps. There is a large lily pond right next to it which brings a real sense of calm and a touch of nature that is rare to find in other beer gardens in Manchester city centre. Inside, Society is a large canteen-style food hall with six different kitchens selling fast food faves like pizza and burgers alongside sushi, Indian food, and Korean fried chicken. Its Vocation Brewery managed bar boasts a very impressive 44 beer taps that change all the time.

The lockdown years made many city dwellers see the graffiti-daubed Stevenson Square in a new light, as a utopia of outdoor drinking bliss. There are many bars on the square with outdoor seating so you can take your pick. Flok is our pick for a decent pint and also does a good cocktail. Also head to Quarter House for cracking BBQ food and Eastern Bloc for coffee and vinyl (though keep those out of the sun whatever you do). This is definitely one of the livelier spots for outdoor drinking in Manchester.

The area around Manchester Piccadilly, heading east, has become a hotbed for microbreweries and tap rooms. What was once a forgotten corner of the city’s old industrial centre, and more latterly something of a no man’s land, has evolved into a go-to for any fan of exceptional pints made with love, care and fine ingredients. Track Brewing Co. is one of the most respected in terms of its product, and can’t help but leave a lasting impression with its premises, too, boasting an excellent sun-trap beer garden alongside the indoor space.

There’s a clue in the name of this NQ institution and yet still so many people have never been up to its rooftop terrace. A popular bar in its own right, Terrace is classic NQ with reasonably priced drinks and a pizza menu coming from fellow indie Noi Quattro. With plenty of trees and plants, strings of fairy lights and er, kegs nailed to the walls, the surprisingly large rooftop garden is a glorious spot for a bit of daytime drinking in the sun. There’s also outdoor seating in the adjacent courtyard as well as on both sides of the bar which has entrances on both Edge Street and Thomas Street.

If you’re after a Manchester beer garden so big it even has a fountain in the middle of it, The Wharf in Castlefield is exactly that. This huge pub aims to be like a country pub but in the city centre and has a homely, all encompassing menu. Even though the outdoor seating area is huge with plenty of good sized tables with parasols, it can get very busy so it’s a good idea to book. This one is ideal for a family lunch in the sun.

YES is known for being a one stop shop for everything eating, drinking and live music. Set over four floors in an iconic red brick Victorian building on Charles Street, it’s their roof terrace that’s the showstopper. A favourite with students and an alternative music crowd, the vibe is cool-but-approachable. The views are good, and despite being able to kid yourself you’re in NYC with all that exposed brickwork, the pints and cocktails are officially reasonably priced. When it comes to summer hang outs, it’s a bit of a no-brainer.