 | |  | | | | | Bacchanalia has a superb cocktail list, all invitingly priced at around £4.55 or £6.90 for Champagne Cocktails. The price shouldn't give you the wrong impression though; these are professionally mixed cocktails and very generous in portion size too (although they state that no cocktail served exceeds more than 3 units of alcohol). The huge menu is split into His and Hers or Vodka, Rum, Whisky, Gin, Brandy, Tequila Champagne or Wine Based Cocktails, and there's many non-alcoholic choices too at just £1.85, which is cheaper than you'd pay for a fruit juice at most places in town! There's also 2-for-1 offers and £2 deals on the bottled beers (Brahama, Peroni, Staropramen and Becks are normally £3.30), with a limited choice of draught ales (Guinness £3.35 a pint, Becks IV £3.50 and Stella £3.60). | | We benefited from the outside table service as it was a sunny day, the waitress being extremely polite and friendly. On other occasions, likewise can be said inside the bar where the bar staff tend to know who is next in the queue without having to ask. | |
At
5pm on a sunny Saturday, with United set to play the following
day, it was very lively outside - a mixture of older people
in town for the game and a younger crowd starting their night
off or relaxing after hitting the nearby shops. In the evening,
when chilled out dance music is played at a decent level,
it can also be very lively and the 3am license often sees
it fill up with staff from other bars after their shift. |
| Bacchanalia is intimate, the bar area downstairs offers comfy brown leather booths, although these soon fill up so many people congregate around the bar or outside on the al fresco seating. Upstairs is a fantastic function room and of course the restaurant, which we also recommend. | | The toilets have been spruced up - they were a mess for a long time - whilst not being anything special, they are at least clean and well attended. | | Overall Bacchanalia is amazing value for money. With expertly crafted cocktails as cheap as £4.40 and soft drinks at £1.50, it's hard to think of many equally priced bars. The late license is also fantastic as the crowd who visit this part of town in the early hours tend to be more distinguished than those you find at many of the other late night haunts. With so many staff from other bars in here too, you can understand why it's often referred to as "the bar man's bar". | | |
~
ManchesterBars.com (15th August 2009) |
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