Nightlife in Salford

Considering Salford and Manchester’s musical heritage, it is no surprise that the pubs around here are famed for their live music events. Pubs such as The Kings Arms, Eagle Inn and The Old Pint Pot have been featured in the music section of our Salford Entertainment page.

If, however, you would prefer a quiet pint in a traditional watering hole, Salford still has you covered. On Bexley Square, just opposite the town hall, is The New Oxford. This award-winning pub has one of the best offerings you will find. With 16 regularly rotated cask ales, 12 beers on tap from all over Europe and over 100 – yes, 100 – bottled beer variations from around the world, this really is a beer lover’s paradise.

In the lovely suburb of Worsley, you will find The Woodside on Ellenbrook Road. This rural country pub provides a sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city centre and is the perfect place for walkers to stop off for refreshment. It serves a wide range of well-kept drinks and the cosy atmosphere adds to the picturesque scenery that surrounds it.

Heading over to Monton, another popular Salford suburb, we recommend The Blue Bell on Monton Road. Whether you are looking for quality beers, fine wines or superb spirits and cocktails, this place has it all. Not only that, but the comfy leather seats and rustic decor make this a great place to stop off whilst exploring ‘Monton Carlo’ – okay, comparisons to the South of France may be a stretch, but we are sure you will love the vibrancy of the village.

With the influx of new business and leisure facilities at MediaCityUK and Salford Quays, there has been no shortage of bars popping up around Salford. At the Quays we recommend Alchemist. This is a cocktail bar, but not as you know it. This chain of bars started just around the corner at Spinningfields in Manchester, but has since appeared in towns and cities across the UK. The spectacular drinks are made to impress and bemuse, with colour-changing ones, flavour-changing ones and even ones that bubble away as you drink.

Just around the corner, and still in Salford Quays, is Lime. This bar is renowned for serving great food and even better drinks. You can have your pick, too, with real ales, draught beer, spirits and cocktails  – and we definitely recommend perusing the cocktail menu. Drinks such as a Zombie, Jaw Box or Miss Scarlett add a sense of theatre to the offering, which is handy because Lime is located inside The Lowry, making this the perfect place to come for pre-theatre drinks in Salford.

Both Alchemist and Lime are just a short stroll away from our Salford Quays hotel, making this the ideal destination for a bar crawl in Salford.

If instead you are staying at our Media City hotel, or fancy taking the short walk over from Salford Quays, we have two more bars to recommend – the first of which is Botanist. This stylish bar overlooking The BBC building serves up a range of over 80 bottled beers and ciders, as well as cask ales, a variety of spirits and a wide choice of botanically infused cocktails. Factor in the frequent live music, fabulous food and laid-back atmosphere and you have yourself one of the best bars around.

We complete our list of the best Salford bars with The Dockyard, a rustic ale house serving an enviable selection of world beers and ciders. The shabby-chic charm of this place creates a welcoming atmosphere, which is added to by frequent live music and some friendly and extremely knowledgeable staff. If you get hungry, they also serve a menu consisting of some delicious bar food classics.

We recommend that party animals staying at any of our Salford hotels take the short trip into Manchester city centre. Mancunians enjoy hitting the dancefloor as much as anyone, and there’s no shortage of great clubs to choose from there. To explore some iconic club venues such as The Factory and Gorilla, take a look at our Manchester nightlife guide.