The 14 best pubs in Manchester

On a back street just off Trinity Way and down the road from Elbow sanctuary Blueprint Studios, The Eagle Inn is a relic, dating back to 1848, lovingly brought back to life and infused with a youthful exuberance from those who restored it. The live-music programme is totally at odds with the Victorian setting, and we love it that way.

Once run by former Beautiful South and Housemartins lead singer Paul Heaton, The King's Arms is a Salford institution that has tapped into the regeneration of Chapel Street with a loveable mix of old and new styles. Some features, like the lovely woodwork and tiled flooring, date back to Victorian times, and we really love the carved wood, cathedral-esque performance space on the top floor.

If you were putting together a dream pub in your booze-fuelled mind, you’d be hard-pressed to come up with a more perfect place than The Marble Arch. Admire beautiful tiled walls and floors dating back to the heyday of pub architecture while you explore one of the city’s best selections of ales, lagers and liquors, plus food that goes far beyond regular pub grub.

If there’s a pub with a better ceiling anywhere in the world, we haven’t been to it. The rest of the building isn’t bad, either; it’s Grade II-listed and dates back to the early nineteenth century. Just on the cusp of the Northern Quarter, the Crown and Kettle is a neat hybrid of hipster scene pub and good-and-proper local. The beer is decidedly craft: local brewers Big Trip and ShinDigger are regulars on cask, and from further afield, there are guest lagers from all around the country.

Just across from the neon and fake tan of Deansgate Locks, The Briton’s Protection could not be further removed in both vibe and decor. A proper old-fashioned boozer with a well-stocked bar that even has a serving hatch at the back, this is the kind of place that wears its nicotine-stained curtains with pride.

Dating back to 1811, this delightful Edinburgh Castle finds itself slap bang in the heart of the trendiest neighbourhood in all of Manchester, Ancoats. It has a great menu and selection of drinks, a cosy, relaxed atmosphere and lovely staff. Sunday roasts are a highlight, but it’s a fantastic place to sit in a candlelit corner nursing a drink any day of the week.

Housed in a beautiful Tudor building in the centre of town, Sinclair’s is home to one of the city’s biggest beer gardens. Unfortunately, the secret is well and truly out, so as soon as the sun starts shining, you’ll find it awash with drinkers enjoying a lager that’s almost half the price of what you might find just a few streets away in the Northern Quarter. Don’t expect oysters on the menu, however.

The eighteenth-century equivalent of a gay bar, a Molly House was a place where men could meet others like themselves without fear of prosecution and public hanging. These days, the only worry at The Molly House is finding a space at the bar.

Manchester’s Portland Street is often seen as a bit of a no-man’s-land, a forgotten road between the Village and Chinatown characterised by a chocka bus route and dangerous crossings. It’s not a destination, more a path to the next place on the map. But that’s what makes the pubs here so much more special, including the awesome Grey Horse.

Taking a brave step outside the Northern Quarter, The Beagle has found its feet after shaky beginnings. Dressed head-to-toe in wood and 1970s-inspired fabrics, the bar doesn’t lack class. Nor does it lack drinks, which focus on real ales and craft beer.