If you’re like me, you’ll have wandered past Manchester Hall hundreds of times and not really seen it.
You’ll have been heading to or from work, meandering through to Spinningfields, or even (as I’ve done) sat in Crazy Pedros, across the road from it and still not seen it.
But in truth, the former Masonic Hall, now Manchester Hall shouldn’t be dismissed – I’ve been watching the refurbishment over on Twitter, and if the pictures of the detailing inside the venue aren’t your cup of tea (I must admit I’m loving them), then maybe their pop up, Garage Bar, might be.
Housed in the garage used by the Freemasons when they were attending the Masonic Hall, Manchester Hall have taken that theme and turned it into a three storey bar with theme throughout.
The space is dotted with motoring related ephemera. Pump nozzles and car parts, tools and tyres all feature heavily, even the sinks in the loos have tyres wrapped around them. On the mezzanine you can see the full archway that forms the entrance to the garage and, for when it’s a little less chilly perhaps, there’s a roof terrace – possibly with limited use as the pop-up bar is with us til April and the Manchester weather is er, a little fickle.
On the night itself, we were treated to a live band, glasses of fizz and nibbles did the rounds, but the drinks menu itself features cocktails (aptly named of course), craft beer, and though the back bar when I visited was small, I of course noted that the gin list was small, but actually rather well formed.
My visit to the launch was brief, but if cars are your thing, then this might just be right up your street. As a non-petrol head, and non-driver, I may just keep ogling the Hall’s renovation for now.
