As I am always around afflicts and the northern quarter, I had seen this business a lot .. but I…read morewas always scared to go inside .. BUT NOT THIS DAY. I waited for it to open but also didn't want to be the first in, so I waited a bit longer, but other people quickly went inside as its a very popular place. I got seated and the inside vibes were amazing, dimly lit, music playing, most seats looking outside and the kitchen busy at the back of the restaurant. I went for the Shoyu Ramen, and vegetable gyoza with a raspberry lemonade drink and water too. It was a December afternoon so quite chilly outside so this went down a treat. It didn't take long for it to arrive and it smelled divine. First trying the broth, it was full of flavour and not too hot. It was all so good I'm drooling thinking about it. The gyoza were fried so full of vegetable flavour and a crunch of crispy skins. I am planning my next trip soon because it was that good.

I'm no ramen expert although I've had it quite a few times in Japan and in the heyday of Bone…read moreDaddies in London and for me the ramen here is lacking something, a certain depth of flavour. I could tell my friend wasn't that keen either. I went again for lunch on my birthday and was disappointed again. It has also gotten pretty expensive.

Top-notch authentic ramen paralleling Tokyo quality, with 3 vegan options…read more This place gets busy, so either make a reservation, show up when it opens, or be prepared to wait. I ordered their Spicy Natural (£14.40), a spicy version of their White Natural (soymilk, miso, konbu & shiitake broth combo), with the addition of spicy miso sauce. My ramen came out in about 10-12 minutes, with a couple pieces of broccolini, 2 big pieces of spiced atsuage tofu, kikurage (wood ear mushrooms), menma, green onion, and nori, with perfectly cooked thin noodles. The broth was absolutely divine, with a deep richness and complexity that was deeply addictive. All the toppings were carefully thought-out and the noodles were plentiful. Top-notch, friendly service, and a comfortable environment. Fantastic ramen. Highly recommended.

Good ramen place overall. I also had the Takoyaki which was cooked good and the squid was good as…read morewell, not too hard or chewy. I was by myself, and seating didn't take too long of a wait. I think the one downside is that the drinks were a bit pricey for what it was, I got the Yuzu Mojito and it was £12. Overall good food, and a chill place to relax for a night out.

Having been at an event all day we had certainly worked up an appetite…read more The agenda was to seek out some sushi, however walking along Oldham Street I spotted this place. I am a massive fan of ramen and cook this dish at home regularly. Having not heard of this place before I suggested we scarp the sushi and head here ( believe me it takes a lot for me to abandon my sushi mission) On entering, the ambiance washed over me immediately, nicely spaced out tables with soothing music. The gent behind the bar took heed of us promptly and welcomed us to sit anywhere. Menus were handed out and although the cocktails sounded delish I was watching my pennies after having spent a fair amount at the event. Unlike me I stuck with the tap water and went straight for the ramen. These started off at £10.50 I did not pay too much attention to the appetisers. Himself chose the basic Tonkatsu which included pork belly and crackling. I was tempted by this but chose to go with the curried soft shell crab tonkatsu which was the most expensive £14.50. They arrived promptly and I have to say the broth was a magnitude of flavour. The soft shell crab I prioritised to prevent it from getting soggy and snaffled the perfectly soft boiled eggs. Apart from some spring onion and noodles, these were the only ingredients. What I would say overrall, I think the Shoryu Ramen place offers more in diversity and ingredients when it comes to the ramen however I felt a lot more comfortable sat in this venue. Also I believe paying this price for ramen is a little bit expensive especially as I know how much it costs to scrape one together. Will I be back? Yes I would not mind trying more of their food along with their alcoholic beverages..

TL;DR - My new favourite for ramen…read more We came here on a particularly wet and miserable day, feeling a little under the weather and in need of reviving. What better solution? Than a steaming bowl of ramen? We were greeted by a very cheerful server who took us through the menu options - basically there are several ramen choices and several bao bun options. We both went with ramen though - Sparky had tonkotsu, I went for the spicy nagoya. Both bowls were absolutely delicious - probably the best ramen I've had in Manchester. Drink wise they had a wide choice of beer and cocktails - we were surprised and happy to see they had draught Asahi so we went with a couple of those. Overall there's nothing to fault here. Great food, great drink, friendly service and reasonable prices.

This is brilliant, run by a Japanese couple this restaurant has been open for years, through the…read moreever-changing spaces around it Fuji Hiro has continued to offer simple and cheap food, that is also good quality and hefty portions. They also cater for vegetarians to a good level. The restaurant is no-frills and clean if you are here for any length of time definitely go and relish smacking you lips with noodle soup.

Japanese food as a post shopping food choice has never been my first port of thinking. Fuji Hiro…read morehasn't been on my radar at all over the past few years, and suggestions to eat here elicited all my skeptical and let's go somewhere else reactions. I wasn't even sure where it was, and when I realised we were heading towards the Merrion Centre I was less inclined to jump aboard the Japanese food train. If looks were everything this place wouldn't be too busy. It looks kinda dingy from the outside, and whilst the inside has a certain charm about it, it's not the Ritz but doesn't profess itself to be so. Think of it as a Japanese eatery version of the local cafe. I was looking over the menu, contemplating what to order, and being particularly hungry, did my unusual thing of looking at starters. My friend just shook her all knowing head at me and pointed straight to the mains. Huh? Well what was cloudy became clear within about ten minutes, as my hearty noodle dish came, steaming and smelling divine, and flippin huge. Seriously, I was pleasantly surprised at this. Considering how quick our orders came, I was more than pleased to take in the taste and how fresh everything was. It didnt have that 'been stewing all day in a pot waiting to be warmed up and served' taste, nor did it have quick food microwaved crunchy in some places and soggy in parts texture either. Being a dork with coordination, but feeling self conscious at the people opting for the chop sticks, I was relieved when a fork was provided for me. There's a good hustle bustle vibe about Fuji Hiro's and whilst the staff are not rude, far from it, there's an efficient business like approach to providing awesome food to their hungry clients, even the ones who are yet to walk through the door. Easy on the budget, good in the belly.

Best underground bar in town ! It is really easy to miss if you aren't looking for it however once…read moreyou are inside you feel like you're in another world. Lots of fun stuff to look at and great drinks. Good ambiance too !

This was such a fun spot for pre-dinner cocktails!…read more The 2 for 12 deal is awesome and I honestly enjoyed every cocktail I tasted. Their take on a coffee martini was yummy and the exact type of caffeine boost I needed after a long day of travel from the United States. My favorite, however, is a spicy drink whose name I sadly don't remember. Can't really go wrong here, though!

I went to Lost in Tokyo on my last trip to Manchester, and I enjoyed my visit immensely. The décor…read moreis interesting and simple; the staff are friendly and efficient, but most importantly the cocktails are complete awesome! The flavors and presentations for the drinks here are top-notch; my favorite cocktail thus far is the one that has a tiny Godzilla-like dinosaur ;-) Tip: The have some really good HH offerings - two cocktails for £10 (either two of the same or two different ones) If you want to pair some food with your drinks, the menu here has some excellent and interesting choices; it's quite a bit different from your usual, run-of-the-mill bar food. Highly recommended!

2 words guys : DOING THYME…read more If its cocktail time, those are only words you'll need to remember. Now if you're looking to be economical about the whole affair do indulge in their "Deckhand" cocktails which are just 2 for £9 during happy hour. Free popcorn, vintage gaming, a cinema, a smoking deck, smiling bartenders and lots of elbow room? Well, I'm doing time with DOING THYME whenever I'm in Manchester.

Hello new favourite NQ bar!…read more Popped here for a few drinks on Weds night and have to say I was really impressed - what a hidden gem and great new addition to the Northern Quarter. Housed in the Hatters Hostel basement, you're talking about a cavernous speakeasy style bar that's been nautically/fashionably revamped without trying too hard, which is refreshing. It's similar to the Gas Lamp in decor but with a grittier edge that makes it seem pretty relaxed and a place for any time of the day. A great selection of craft beer on tap and in bottles, classic video games on free play in the back and a very cool special cinema (the Kino room) showing classic movies each night (Fear and Loathing was on when I came in) for patrons. Friendly staff, beer slightly cheaper than neighbouring bars and because it's tucked away maybe a haven from some of the 'nobbier' elements making the NQ a shadow of it's former self on a weekend evening. Can't wait to go back! (Fast free wifi too - with no need for a password - sweet!)

Rocking right up my favourite bars in Manchester list, am v grateful to the awesome Yelpers who…read moregave such great reviews of Guilty By Association. It's kind of a cross between 2022 and Dusk till Pawn in that it's in a basement but serves delicious and reasonably priced cocktails. Like Dusk till Pawn there is also a green tea-based cocktail which is outstanding, my girls liked their drinks too. Where Guilty By Association was different from its above-mentioned NQ brethren is that the music was much more chart/cheese which led to some extra fun dancing. Also, it has booths. Highly recommended

I've been here a couple of times now and really enjoy the laid back feel that is definitely NQ cool…read morebut without being over the top. Cocktails are really good and the menu is full of interesting choices with a few classics thrown in for good measure and the bonus is they're on a 2 for £10 deal every day until 9pm! Like any decent bar they'll happily make you something off menu if you ask. It's definitely not a cosy bar to while away the hours due to the stripped back warehouse feel but somewhere cool to hang with friends, listen to some decent tunes and play a bit of table football if you feel like it.

One of my favourite bars in Manchester. It used to be an old Pawn shop back in the day selling…read moregoods and jewellery I think. Dark, funky urban atmosphere. The service is the best and the cocktail makers are experts. Ladies order the pornstars at £7 not to bad. Fruity & delicious with a shot of champagne sorbet Guys try the 'million dollars' drink I say no more! The hawallian beer is good here 'big wave'. Plus a free duke box with retro Jackson, Lionel, Tina & James Brown tunes on. Perfect date place

Even though I'm just about to set off back across the pond to California, I feel compelled to take…read morethe time and write a review for this amazing cocktail bar with its uber-cool pawnshop motif. Tip: If you didn't know this place was a bar you'd walk right by it without noticing a thing; that's what I did for two months before I read about it and decided to go in and check it out. Boy, am I glad I did! The venue is pretty small; it looks and feels like it was whisked directly here from NYC and dropped smack-dab into the middle of Manchester. I've seen several other places that tried to pull off this whole pawnshop vibe, but they all didn't quite cut it. I'm very pleased to note that Dusk til Pawn has got the look and feel totally nailed :-) There's a juke box that plays for free; its chock full of awesome 1980s music; hearing it playing just augments the retro-charm of this place - it's hard not to feel like you're in the Bowery or the Lower East Side of New York. The first time I came here it was to check-out the motif of this very cool little place, but after I ordered my first drink, I knew I had to come back frequently - the cocktails taste amazing, and they're strong enough to kick like a mule! There's no question in my mind that on my next trip to Manchester, I'll come back here for sure :-)

The Fitzgerald is not even slightly a speakeasy as it has a giant obvious door with a street sign,…read morebut it does have a nice decor and atmosphere. Cocktails were universally excellent - I adored the Lemon Meringue Pie which came with a toasted topping, the Vesper was as lethal as it was smooth, the Aviatrix came with a violet "fog" which was one of the best drink gimmicks I've ever come across and the remaining drinks we had featuring mint and campari (from the first page...I can't remember their names) were also brilliant. Prices range from about £6 - 8 which is basically as good as it gets for cocktails of this quality. Music was good with the DJ playing a range from jazz to 90s R&B. Service was a bit slow at times and they totally messed up the bill but the servers were all extremely nice and friendly, it's not a snooty place at all. Highly recommended.

My absolute favourite bar in Manchester but during the week rather than the weekend!…read more I've always loved a speakeasy and am a big fan of electro swing at the moment so when I first found the Fitzgerald I was so excited. The cocktails are great and the bar staff are always willing to help out with flavours. I fell in love with the Sazerac because of this place! They have a black and white movie on a wall from a projector and great music all the time with the comfiest of sofas to relax in with a drink. Fitzgerald on a Thursday has 2 cocktails for £10 and live music which ranges from a Ceilidh to R 'n' B Jazz. Just a fantastic mix and such an easy going atmosphere that I have literally spent hours in. I hired the place out for a cocktail making class for a birthday gift for a friend and it was just amazing fun. We had three cocktails (that we got to choose based on the birthday girl's favourites) and we all got to go behind the bar to make them (8 of us taking turns) but best of all it was only around £30 a head...for the whole place to ourselves! I've been more times than I can count but now I'm in Edinburgh I do miss the place!