Mongrel

You're walking down Great Ancoats Street, past the converted mills and independent spots that've made this strip actually worth knowing, when you clock Mongrel. It's the kind of place that takes its cocktails seriously without being a complete knob about it — proper technique, interesting spirits, but staff who actually want to chat. The space has that industrial-Manchester edge you'd expect from the area: exposed brick, moody lighting, feels like a proper neighbourhood bar rather than some themed tourist trap. Come for interesting drinks, stay because the crowd's proper and there's always someone doing something interesting behind the bar.