Manchester's historic Northern Quarter is one of the most popular destinations in the city for bars, restaurants and cafes.
With its eclectic architecture made up of Georgian houses, Edwardian warehouses, Victorian pubs and 20th century department store buildings, it packs a lot in an area that takes up approximately 0.3sq km of Manchester city centre. Efforts to conserve and regenerate the Northern Quarter started back in 1987, resulting in a period of investment and rapid change during the 1990s.
Back in 2018, the Manchester Evening News unearthed a vintage copy of City Life, a guide to the region's cafes, bars and restaurants. City Life was a Manchester based news, culture and listings magazine which existed between 1983 and 2005 which was first started by a small group of Manchester University students.
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In 1989, it was bought by the Guardian Media Group who also owned the Manchester Evening News at that time. The City Life guide highlighted the incredible transformation the city had undergone, no more so than the now bustling Northern Quarter.
Also evident were many more great places that are now sadly resigned to memory. So taking the vintage City Life guide as our starting place, we thought we'd take a waltz back down memory lane and take a look at who the survivors are among the places we've loved and lost.
Of course, this won't be a comprehensive list of all the 1990s venues in the Northern Quarter we loved back in the day. So if there are any you think should make the list, let us know in the comments below.
Ten Bar
The Tariff Street bar has long since closed its doors but was popular for its hip hop and drum 'n' bass nights. The venue later reopened as Kosmonaut and is now home to Northern Monk Refectory.
What the City Life guide said about Ten Bar: "One of Manchester's worst kept secrets. Dark and cool in the summer, warm and cosy in the winter. A great little bar, with a decent selection of bottled beers, backed up by a homely kitchen.
The Blob Shop
A former Yates's Wine Lodge and still owned by the bar chain when it became the Blob Shop. The bar on High Street was named after its unique blob drink made of Yates's Original Liqueur wine, sugar and a glug of hot water.
After the Blob Shop it became several other well known Northern Quarter drinking establishments, including Brooks Bar, Melodies and Breakout Manchester.
The Royal George
Manchester City's George Heslop once ran this adorable little pub on Lever Street. The former pub building was later home to the Manchester Pregnancy Advisory Service before becoming a beauty spa.
Afrodizia
Sit down Caribbean restaurants were pretty unusual in Manchester, and Afrodizia on Oldham Street - depending on the reports you read - was probably the most famous. It later became home to takeaway delhi2go.
What the guide said about Afrodizia: "Afrodizia has had mixed reports and rave reviews. Reports of the food itself ranges from great to unpleasant."
Wobbly Pat's
This old school cafe on Oldham Street displayed its menu on a variety of luminous pieces of card stuck in the windows. Unfortunately the building that housed this classic greasy spoon is no longer standing either.
We have only two questions: who is Pat, and was she wobbly? Answers in the comments below, please.
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Pop Boutique and Cafe
Still surviving to this day, Pop opened on Oldham Street in 1994. In the basement below the racks of vintage clothing was a kitsch cafe specialising in vegetarian food and top soft drinks.
What the guide said about the cafe: "Jarvis Cocker would love this place, and it could easily be the photo shoot location for the next Pulp single."
Straight 8/Centro
Tib Street cafe bar Straight 8's was set on two floors with a smaller more intimate downstairs bar. It later became Centro, a traditional Belgian-style bar, before being renamed Tib Street Tavern.
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The Market Restaurant
The original Northern Quarter eatery, the Market Restaurant finally closed its doors in 2015 after 34 years on the corner of High Street.
Open before the area became know as the 'trendy' Northern Quarter, the Market Restaurant prided itself on its use of fresh ingredients, taking inspiration from the days of Smithfield Market. The building is now home to gourmet French restaurant, 63 Degrees.
Land 'O' Cakes
This unusually named pub on the corner of Lever Street closed in 2005 after briefly changing its name to the New Land 'O' Cakes. Originally a staple of the '90s Oldham Street pub crawls, it later became top food spot Bem Brasil - a still thriving celebration of massive cuts of meat.
Copacabana
The legendary Northern Quarter Latino bar Copacabana on Dale Street was famous for its salsa classes and live music. A go to spot for Latin American music, the subterranean basement venue was well known for its packed dance floor before closing around 2015.
What the guide said about Copacabana: "A fabulous basement restaurant with authentic dishes from across the continent. Set lunch is £4.95."
Idol's Bar
The promise of cheap drinks and scantily-clad (occasionally topless) barmaids were what pulled in the punters to cheesy basement space Idol's. The Oldham Street venue later became Moho Live, then NQ Live, and now Dive Bar & Grill.
Sancho's
Long before this spot was Luck Lust Liquor & Burn, Sancho's on High Street was the go-to place for Spanish tapas (confusingly, it had a Dutch looking windmill on the door), serving delights that included ham with figs and duck with plum. Putting a thing with a thing was as good as grub got back then.
What the guide said: "Sancho is attractively rustic and serves good tapas. Good vegetarian grub too. Set lunch £5."
Night & Day
First opened in 1991 in a former chip shop on Oldham Street, Night & Day developed into a pioneering music venue supporting up-and-coming bands, many who have gone on to stellar careers such as Kasabian, Arctic Monkey's and the Manic Street Preachers.
What the guide said about Night & Day: "A real cosmopolitan venue, where you can order either a milkshake or a bourbon at half one in the morning."
Castle Hotel
Still an absolute institution in Manchester's NQ to this day, The Castle's owners have always felt the strong love for this cool old pub at the bottom end of Oldham Street.
What the guide said: "The Castle is a little bit of old Manchester thriving amidst the new. Great beer, smart pool table, live music, an interior designer hasn't been seen here since the Jurassic age." (We reckon that still stands, happily)
The Unicorn
This Church street boozer remains is still one of the best-preserved pubs in the city and little has changed since the guide was published.
What the guide said: "A cracking pint of Bass in oak-panelled splendour. The Honourable Order of Bass Drinkers (28 years old) are based here."
The Millstone
A Thomas Street institution where the karaoke party never stops, the Millstone is as it was and will forever be in 1997. The only difference was, it stood alone with no other bars listed in the guide along the Northern Quarter's most famous crawl.
Gullivers
It was a very different pub back in 1997, a proper local with karaoke often blaring out. But still going after all these years, its green tiled exterior has always made it a real NQ landmark.
This And That
This hidden gem tucked away down Soap Street next to the side of Trof NQ has been dishing up its distinctive multi-curry lunches for decades.
Yadgar Cafe
It might have moved address from the corner of Thomas Street and High Street, but Yadgar remains a local eating favourite.
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