Fab Cafe in Manchester

Trip down memory lane for those of you who grew up in the 80's and 90"s. 2 drinks for less than £10 and free entertainment, what more can you ask for?

fabuloso Café es mi lugar favorito en Manchester para una noche de fiesta. No hay nada igual y o lo entiendes o no. Recuerdos de Cult TV & Movie, melodías retro, personal amable y una clientela relajada. Hay una razón por la que este bar ha durado tanto, es una noche fantástica y una visita obligada si estás en Manchester. Incluso tiene una estación de radio conectada a ella, que reproduce algunas cosas geniales.

Love this place, .music for everyone, friendly staff friendly bar prices!

My favorite place because I remember when the music was in the charts in the first place.

Alternative, quirky welcoming to all, reasonable drinks but above all amazing music with a playlist requests

The double gin and tonic was clearly a single. After asking how ridiculously single it looked, I've told it was a double. I use to come to Fab Cafe because it use to be a cool place with good music. Not gonna argue if you want to scrap a few pounds and make me not come back again in years. Look at the pic, tell me that's a double. It tasted sweet as... 🤷🏽‍♂️

Went into this bar for my first time, I could not believe what I heard from the bar staff. As me and my friend received our drinks and sat down 10 minutes later my friend was cold and put his hood up, at this point the bar staff told him he wasn't allowed to put his hood up and to pull it down. Why I asked the staff they told me it's the rules and still couldn't explain why, at this point a young man came and repeatedly told us it's the rules and we needed to see his ears and face? I then pointed out to the gentleman behind the bar that he had a hoodie on and a bobbel hat on which was covering is ears and face,I told him what he was asking was absolutely stupid and doesn't make any sense at all.

I went tonight for the quiz night and it was great fun. Wide range of question and even a free packet of crisps!!! It is true that I've never seen such flagrant use of mobile phones and the number in teams varied from 2 to 8. Little surprise the team of 8 won. You could handicap those larger teams so smaller ones aren't disadvantaged as well as taking in mb phones at the start. Still, it was a fantastic,fun night.

Absolutamente me encanta el café fabuloso y me ha encantado cada vez que he estado en. Estuvimos allí alrededor de las 9 pm y era un poco tranquilo, pero creo que la mayoría de los lugares solo recogen alrededor de las 10 u 11 pm, así que entrar cuando estábamos al final de nuestra noche y llegar fácilmente al bar, y el encantador personal del bar incluso trajo mi cóctel a mi asiento fue increíble. Con los carteles de películas, las fotos firmadas, los juguetes vintage por todas partes, las consolas retro, las máquinas de pinball y la vibra general, fabulosa es la Meca para los frikis. Solo logré hacer su concurso de pub una vez, pero no quiero hacerlo de nuevo en el futuro. Siempre lo he hecho y siempre me encantará ir a un café fabuloso

Good music just very smelly and humid when rammed but good place for a good sing along

Fab cafe is one of my favourite places to visit, after a memorable Saturday night during pride two years ago. Sometimes it’s a little quieter than it needs to be, and the songs could flow a little better, but the vibes are great.

Fab cafe is one of my favourite places to visit, after a memorable Saturday night during pride two years ago. Sometimes it’s a little quieter than it needs to be, and the songs could flow a little better, but the vibes are great.

Good music and good vibes. Retro Games you can play and good variety of drink options.

A little bit ventilation would be great, otherwise brilliant place.

A little bit ventilation would be great, otherwise brilliant place.

Been going here for many years, used to love popping in for a fish finger sandwich and relax watching some anime, its still somewhere I'll casually pop into before a night out at Otaku Drive/

Fab by name, fab by nature! A lovely, fun crowd, with ace old school tunes to dance to.

sweet retro bar. it was quiet until fairly late, then livened up. very reasonable prices

Haven't been here in years. The beef Space Raiders were first class

Good music, friendly staff and a great atmosphere, what more could you ask for?

I enjoy this place. The drinks are good value and the atmosphere is laid back and relaxed which is really positive when you want to wind down. The nerdy elements in the place are also a nice touch.

If you like 80's and Sci Fi this place is for you.

Great atmosphere, with fun retro items from doctor who, star wars and other cult retro programs. Good selection of beers and lagers. Really good music and nice dance floor. Nice place to'meet' new people.

We came across this place yesterday by accident and were glad we did as the place is different in a nice way. We will be going back next time we are in town. The photos explain what I mean by different. Please do visit if you are in the area, you won't be disappointed.

Love this bar the decor is really fun decorated with darliks star wars alien, think I even saw a darma table from the series 'lost'. A really varied crowd all ages and totally different types of people everyone is welcomed and smiling. I went on the 13th Jan it was really busy and a great atmosphere the dj was absolutely Smashing it with the tunes and kept everyone up dancing, I'm sure I will be back soon, well worth a visit if your in the area 😁 :)

I wish I could give this bar 0 stars, but it wouldn’t let me. If you don’t like an unsupportive staff who don’t care about your safety and prioritise the commission they make, then run for the hills as fast as you possibly could. If sticky floors/tables excite you, then this is the place for you. Google asked me about the food? 🤣 - Good luck finding it, it’s most likely contaminated with an incurable disease anyway. If I could describe this bar with an emoji, then this is the one - 🥸 - it represents the true nature of the bar because they present themselves as fun and playful, but the actual place is a cesspit.

There's no food but I'll give it 5 stars anyway. My favourite place in the city. Lovely atmosphere, staff and good prices.

Easy going dive bar with a great atmosphere. Has been part of the city centre night life for as long as I can remember.

This was a fantastic bar for visiting, with a special offer from accommodation at Holiday Inn that me and my friends took advantage of! The bar is well-presented, staff were welcoming and the dancefloor has a booming atmosphere! I had a shot of Jagerbomb followed by a top pint of Strongbow Dark Fruits, although be warned this is quite a strong combination.

On the Christmas works night out. Small woman behind the bar very rude and aggressive. Ruined my night out with her very unfriendly attitude.

Really nice bar, the staff are always super nice and they have a good range of cocktails. Some of them are super strong ! My favourite is the baby Yoda cocktail, it's so refreshing and tastes great. Would definitely recommend fab cafe.

Grat venue, grat night out and location

A great mixture of crowd and ages that anyone can enjoy. Plenty of things to take in or games to play, and drinks are good value. No food options so couldn't rate it, but they offer some nostalgic snacks. There's a nice, themed bunch of cocktails to pick though!

Used to love this place but after decades of neglect its now just a dump that smells like piss

Phil, the DJ was amazing. It was a great night!

A place the over 40s can go without feeling old

Great atmosphere. Still as quirky as it was 15 years ago. The staff were friendly and efficient. We will be back

looks nice inside and good playlist. cool idea. decent prices. but really really slow service, understaffed massively and with staff that didn’t know what they were doing - took 10 minutes for one staff member to make 2 cocktails, was clearly new and stressed, while there was a massive queue and only 2 people on the bar. took 35 minutes to sit down with a simple drink. put more staff on your bar please! some fans or aircon would’ve been nice too, was very warm

The oddity of the place and great staff made it a fun place to be

Good fun, friendly dancing people

Great place to hand out in after a comic con.

Went on the Friday night, great bar and great experience and would have rated highly but same group tried to attend again on the Saturday night and were met with disgusting discrimination from the doorman.

Super belle établissements l intérieur et juste magique patron super sympa....

Love their Pub quizzes and drinks. 🥂

This has always beeen a Great club but current staff are too entrenched with toxic mates. These toxic friends abuse and insult punters with immunity. Not worth the money and the tine unless for special events and the novelty. Too cliche for regular outings sadly as it used to be a great club for all . The decline of this club is disheartening. As a regular whose beeen going over 20 years its sad to say i wont be going to this den of toxicity for a few years at least. Guess its time to frequent the thirsty scholar or salisbury because fab cafe is quite toxic these days.

Brought all three of my grown up daughters to fab cafe , always been since it opened

I would have had a good time if I had got served. Literally stood at the bar for half an hour whilst the bar staff ignored me. Service was very bad.

I used to love it in here when I was a student. Cool retro toys and games movies, food, snacks and a great buzz. Too many years later, nothings changed, it’s all just gotten older. No longer does food and my own collection of retro toys is bigger. A faded jewel in Manchester and I was sad to hear the branch in Leeds has closed too. I almost came back later when bouncers guarded the door and the smoke machine was billowing, but nah, not enough pull anymore.

Amazing place that has been here in Manchester for 25 years

Loved my evening here. Wild visuals, nice people, super friendly bouncer.

Quirky night club, cheap drinks, wide range of music, good fun place

Awesome place, great drink prices for town standards, theme and decor that you won’t find anywhere else, and fantastic staff. Could do with a couple more arcade machines but there’s still enough to do.

Loved the vibe of this l, if you love all things retro and old school movies then this place is ideal

About 60 of us went to Fab Cafe on Saturday 20th May 2023 to celebrate 5 years of our social group. I gave them a heads up over the phone a few days prior and they were absolutely fantastic putting extra bar staff on, door staff earlier than usual and reserving us an area free of charge. All staff were fantastic and helped us to have a fantastic night. Will definitely be back.

A seedy place that seems to serve drinks in plastics, that may speak for itself but these photos help lol

ended up here with friends late on a Friday night and it was brilliant. DJ played a few songs from different eras and genres so something for everyone. most of the clientele I would say were over 30. was a great atmosphere, friendly staff, especially the bouncers. all in all a great experience would recommend it and definitely go back if I found myself in Manchester again.

A very friendly welcoming bar. Recommended to everyone. Willbe back if there are any events organised.

Simply amazing in every aspect. Great music, friendly staff, geeky place with mainly vintage music. You can find some arcades there, pinball machine etc.

Sci-fi is my favourite genre so it's always nice when visiting the city to have a drink here and look at all the memorabilia. Friendly staff.

Great fun, good beer, fun place!

Not as good as it used to be. Get the feeling its a little ashamed of its retro feel. But it should embrace it's geekyness and go all out sci-fi/nerd culture. More iconic toys, collectables etc on the walls..... Everything they have is cool but it all feels shoved in a corner instead of the main attraction. Shame really.

What a great place, friendly staff and a nice atmosphere. All very 80s themed, brilliant 👍

It's a FAB cafe that's more on the side of a pub/Club good dancing good vibes

Cool, quirky bar. Music wasn't to my taste, but there was a good atmosphere

Like being back in the Leeds Fab. Great vibe, place and music

It's fab, obviously. One of the last few places in Manchester that isn't pretentious.

Brilliantly bonkers sci-fi disco.

Awesome! Just awesome! Arcade machines in the corners, the cocktails are cute, I recommend the baby Yoda. The men toilets remind me of the fallout games, they're just themed that way, they were nice and clean. The people are friendly but I don't dance and people kept trying to coax me on to the dance floor 🤣. 10/10 would go again.

Cool geeky bar with lots of film and TV memorabilia from shows such as Doctor Who, Star Wars, Thunderbirds and Alien. Good drinks there as well and the DJ was playing some good old songs when we were there. My only mild criticism is that the music was so loud neither me or our friends could hear each other. But that's probably because I'm more used to old man pubs these days.

Still got one of the best play lists, and who doesn't like skittle shots, it's sci-fi geekness could be a little but stronger, also seems to be a step up in creepy predatory guys.

Half bar, half museum, Fab Cafe is a Manchester stalwart and a great place to chill. The decor alone is bound to start conversations, no matter the age or pop culture knowledge of your drinking buddies/date/stranger who suspiciously can't bend his little finger and the staff are a friendly lot.

Fantastic bar we had so much fun in here dancing to 80s music 80s vibe made a good night out for us all lots of movie memorabilia inside

I love going to fab bar great night out the memorabilia all are the bar is good to look at to

My favourite bar to visit - love the atmosphere and they have really nice pop culture themed cocktails. Also the games tattoo dispenser are a fun touch!

Pretty good venue, kinda like a half way between a pub and a club, but with cool monsters lurking in the background which make for great photo opportunities!

Top place. Atmosphere and music are superb

Had a great time at the quiz, won a round of shots! The staff are really friendly, fun atmosphere, and the music is great as well

Great music and atmosphere. Enjoyed it a lot

Great little bar with a niche geeky vibe

One of my fave cheesy music dancing spots. #guiltypleasure

Great atmosphere, cool bar, love it here

A jump back in time with the music and the environment. Cleaner than in the past but the dry ice created that retro feeling. kitschy , dark, retro games and lovely staff. I had a fabulous evening partly due to the atmosphere, music and my amazing friends. My one thing was the volume… my watch kept warning me about the damage the noise level could cause over time.

Love this place always the best vibes!

Sticky, sticky, sticky controllers, floors, foosball tables. Some neat memorabilia to gawk at. Bring wet wipes.

Watered down drinks, unfriendly staff and music isn’t as advertised. Much better bars to go to if you want a retro vibe.

First Visit, some cool decorations, Staff V-Friendly

Cheap drinks, good service, interesting decor and nice variety of music. It's location makes it easily missed but it was a unique place for a drink when passing!

FAB Cafe My regular haunt from the late 90’s to 2017 when I moved out of Manchester so this was my first visit in over five years and I’m glad to see they have lost none of their magic, with great beer, music and friendly staff, as well as being Geek Heaven for its decor of daleks, Cybermen, Evil Monkeys from Cybermen, and lots of cult TV & Movie memorabilia. One of the best bars in Manchester and beyond. Hoping I don’t end up leaving it five years to my next visit. Arthur Chappell

A place with real personality. Been around for ages and not like the other themed bars that seem like a fad. If you are alternative in some form you will like this place. Just see for yourself.

A quirky bar with lots of interesting stuff to look at, even on the ceiling! Really good, friendly atmosphere. Excellent music too.

The place is cool AF and we were there with a joint Hen/Stag and the total legend behind the bar did us a free platter of shots with all sorts of sweets on it. Absolute legend, everyone had a great time for this stop on the day's mammoth journey. Great prices too considering central Manchester. 5/5 would recommened.

Excellent bar. Great music. Great atmosphere. Friendly staff

Always such a fun evening here. This is the OG geek bar and has stood the test of time.

Great night with good friends did get a bit hot inside late on .

Einfach Klasse hier. Jedesmal etwas Neues entdeckt und super freundliche Bedienung

Seems like a lot of overweight and sweaty and needs come here and most of them don't have great personal hygiene...and because of this, the booths have a permanent smell of body odour

Good service, cheap drinks, sticky floors, pinball machine

I like fab cafe, it's a great geeky place. Bit on the quiet side these days and they did a great job on my birthday a few years ago. I loved it and it is somewhere I tend to at least have a pint whilst in Manchester. Do enjoy the place a lot 😁

A very nerdy venue but that's perfect I'd say. Decor is awesome, music choices in there is mostly 80s/90s bangers along with rock and some other similar genres. Drinks are decently priced and the staff are decent.

Favorite bar in Manchester. Awesome staff, friendly atmosphere, great drinks selection, Tracy Barlow DJ'ing, good music and a Point Blank 2 arcade cabinet! What more could any nerd want!