Manchester’s Northern Quarter is renowned for its independent bars and restaurants, cafes, music and clothes shops.
Shops
The Northern Quarter is the best place in Manchester to find independent shops and boutiques.
Afflecks provides affordable outlets for more than 50 independent designers, vintage stalls, and more. The best time to shop at the multi-level space is midweek, when it’s not crawling with teenagers.
The area is home to an impressive number of independent record shops and stalls. Options include Eastern Bloc Records, Piccadilly Records, Vinyl Revival, and Vinyl Exchange.
Fans of vintage clothes shops will find plenty of options in the Northern Quarter. One of the oldest is Pop Boutique on Oldham Street. It opened in 1994 and offers two floors of retro clothing from the 60s, 70s and 80s. There’s also a homeware section packed with vintage furniture, kitchenware, and kitsch.
Magma on Oldham Street sells a fascinating range of books, periodicals and magazines not found in high street bookstores. There’s a strong emphasis on titles covering architecture, design, publishing, film, photography and fashion. The store also carries a good selection of T-shirts, stationery, postcards, posters, and quirky gifts.
Travelling Man is a distinctive shop on Dale Street. It sells comics, games, graphic novels, figurines, and collectibles. The store also hosts book signings, cosplay meetings, and other events.
The Manchester Craft and Design Centre is home to some of the city’s best creative talent. Set in a Victorian market building it offers two floors of shops and studios selling unique jewellery, textiles, ceramics, and more.
Bars & Clubs
The Northern Quarter is home to an eclectic mix of independent bars, clubs and live music venues.
Matt & Phreds on Tib Street offers live music, predominantly jazz, from Monday to Saturday, plus poetry readings, literature events, and more. Entrance is free for most performances on week nights.
The Band on the Wall is one of Manchester’s most famous live music venues. Occupying an old Victorian pub on Swan Street it has hosted gigs from legendary bands such as Joy Division, The Fall, Simply Red and The Buzzcocks. It reopened in 2009 following a multi-million pound redevelopment.
The Frog & Bucket is Manchester’s longest running comedy venue. Established acts play Thursday to Sunday. Beat The Frog on Mondays is an amateur night with free entry that has helped launch the careers of performers such as Peter Kay, Johnny Vegas, and Dave Gorman.
Restaurants
Visitors wishing to avoid the chain restaurants that dominate other areas of Manchester city centre will find plenty of options in the Northern Quarter.
The list was last updated on Tuesday 17th of December 2019.
| Name | Address | Cuisine | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 Degrees | 104 High Street Manchester | French | £££ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Bella Italia | 11 - 13 Piccadilly Manchester | Italian | ££ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Dough Pizza Kitchen | 75 - 77 High Street Manchester | Italian | ££ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Evelyn's | 44 Tib Street Manchester | International | ££ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Evuna NQ | 79 Thomas Street Manchester | Spanish | ££ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Home Sweet Home | 49 - 51 Edge Street Manchester | American | ££ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Luck, Lust, Liquor and Burn | 100-102 High Street Manchester | Mexican | ££ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Northern Soul Grilled Cheese | 10 Church Street Manchester | American | £ | Cafe in the Northern Quarter of Manchester. Claims to be the UK’s first grilled cheese restaurant. Great atmosphere. Close to Afflecks and the Manchester Arndale. [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Penang | 92 - 94 Oldham Street Manchester | Malaysian | ££ | Malaysian restaurant in the Northern Quarter. Close to Band on the Wall. [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Pieminister | 53 Church Street Manchester | British | £ | Restaurant in the Northern Quarter specialising in pies. Casual atmosphere. Just across the road from Afflecks. [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| TNQ Restaurant and Bar | 108 High Street Manchester | British, Bar | ££ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Turtle Bay | 46 - 50 Oldham Street Manchester | Caribbean | ££ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| V-Rev Vegan Diner | 20 - 26 Edge Street Manchester | Vegan | £ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
| Yard & Coop | 23-37 Edge Street Manchester | American, Chicken | ££ | [Facebook] [Trip Advisor] |
Hotels
Hotels and places to stay in and around the Northern Quater include:
- Holiday Inn Express Manchester City Centre - Arena
- The Cow Hollow Hotel
- Selina NQ1 Manchester
- Abel Heywood Boutique Hotel
- The Gardens Hotel
Location
The Northern Quarter is an area of central Manchester. It is bounded to the west by Shudehill, to the north by Ancoats, and to the south and east by Piccadilly and the Rochdale Canal.
Transport
The Northern Quarter lies midway between Piccadilly Train Station and Manchester Victoria Train Station. Both are within easy walking distance. Free bus services depart from outside the entrances of both stations and travel through the Northern Quarter.
Shudehill Interchange (Metrolink and bus station) lies just north of the Northern Quarter. Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens Metrolink stations are immediately west.