Sterling Bar in Manchester

We came to Sterling for cocktails with our friends. We came after reading all the positive reviews online, and the cocktails did not disappoint! It is a large cocktail bar tucked away in the basement of one of the buildings in the city centre - the service was great with us being seated within 5 minutes. The old fashion cocktail it was perfectly balanced- with great tasting whiskey. I would recommend this to anyone wanting quality cocktails in Manchester city northern quarter.

The friendliest and most attentive staff I’ve seen anywhere. Also the most extensive list of cocktails, spirits and whiskeys.

Great bar, the bartender was extremely friendly. I will go there again if I'm in Manchester.

Cool cocktail bar with reasonably priced drinks. Staff were nice and the live music was good.

Absolutely loved this underground bar, which was recommended to us by friends. We didn’t book, just turned up. Cosy, intimate and attentive service. There was also a pianist/singer on the night we were there who was excellent. It was a weekend in August ‘24. We went for: Singapore Sling - £14 Eastside Swizzle - £13 Vieux Carre - £14 Brandy Cobbler - £14 125ml Chenin Blanc - £11 Service 12.5% - £8.26 Total - £74.26

Great food, drinks and music! Amazing cocktails

Very cosy, dark bar which serves great drinks. Excellent service also.

If Carlsberg made cocktail bars.. Dark basement cocktail bar with live music, good wine, great (although not your usual) cocktails and faultless service. Honestly can’t fault the place. A ‘secret’ find in an unexpected location, just off Market Street. Special mention is due to Erin, who took care of us flawlessly. She even spotted when my wife got upset and gave her a hug! Above and beyond! Top tip - try the montepulciano red, it’s the cheapest red by the glass, but it’s a great wine! Great venue for a couples date night, classy, intimate and good / live music. Hard to find that combo in Manchester. Try it!!

Dark and intimate bar great for dates. Stunning cocktails with a varied menu. Service excellent.

Absolutely brilliant bar, very classy and elegant- nice music, great for a date or chilled vibes. The drinks are honestly amazing, much better than a lot of the over popular bars in manchester

Sam was very attentive and helpful with cocktail recommendations Excellent deco very upmarket with reasonable prices 10out of10

Lovely drinks and excellent level of service

The food was average and barely warm. No problem with the staff although for a fairly quiet Wednesday evening there weren’t enough personnel. ill judged use of a lounge singer made things worse.

Great ambiance and very attentive service. Was a bit quiet for a Friday night.

Great atmosphere, friendly staff and fabulous cocktails beautifully presented.

Amazing bar, love music, great vibes - perfect for a date night!

This bar is highly recommended. The drinks are very smooth and delicious.

Fantastic cocktails and fabulous staff

Really nice exclusive feel, superb cocktails and great service. It’s DARK, so beware of that.

Unrivalled service and quality. Amazing bar. One of Manchester's best, only beaten by their other bar Schofield's.

I must admit I was slightly disappointed with the bar. We visited as we were staying in the Stock Exchange Hotel next door. The bar opens at 2, and I understand that it is in a vault, but it was so dark, you could barely see the menus. They also charge a 12.5% service charge which I thought was steep for bringing one drink. Maybe in the evening it would have a different vibe, but on a spring afternoon it didn’t seem great.

Great cocktails, especially the Manhattan, music too loud, especially on the mid bass.

Wow what an evening, amazing place, cocktail's were lovely the atmosphere really nice , the guy on the piano was really good and the staff very good service was excellent Paula was our server and and she was excellent will definitely be returning very soon

Great cocktails. Good snacks. Live music was a nice touch.

OMG. A must visit. If someone asked me to draw a cocktail bar, I would draw this place. Great seating areas, great service from entry to exit. Friendly staff, always close by to help. Very clean including the lovely bathrooms. We went on a Saturday afternoon around 2pm. We noticed a piano in the corner and would love to come back for the live music. Highly recommend 👌

Definitely a place to visit in Manchester. Excellent service, food and atmosphere. Great selection of spirits. Amazing skills from all the bartenders.

Amazing atmosphere and live music! I enjoyed a few cocktails and all of them were exceptionally good :) Very nice location as well only takes about 5 mins to get to the station. I will definitely be back here for my special occasion and highly recommended!

Outstanding service in a great venue. Premium spirits selection and overall great value, with beautiful glasses, icy drinks and good atmosphere. We had 2 cocktails from the menu, and 2 classics, which were very well executed. Definitely a must!

I really wanted to get the name of the bar server who looked after us last night, she was one of the nicest people and best bartenders and servers ever. If Sterling can commend her for her welcoming personality, knowledge of drinks and overall friendliess that'd be great, we think she was Greek or Spanish, we didn't catch her name but 5 stars to her. And also 5 stars to the luxury bar and cosy vibes, great mood lighting and a vast menu of endless cocktails and nibbles. Loved the jazz/lo-fi music playing in the background, will definitely be coming back here again.

My new favourite place in Manchester absolutely fabulous bar it truly is a hidden gem with amazing cocktails and the best service.

Worst white Russian cocktail in Manchester, served all wrong, bartender rude and abusive when left, shocking, nice decor and the greeter at the front door is good, but overall this place sucks

Absolutely incredible bar The service is great, the drinks are exceptional, the atmosphere is spot on Visit here every time I'm in Manchester, suggest everyone who is into cocktail bars to try this out and it will become your new favourite!

Best cocktail speak easy bar in town. Good atmosphere good service and good cocktails.

Cocktail was nothing special. Wasn’t balanced. Confused flavour. No where near as good as speak in code. However incredibly well refined looking bar. Really nice inside. Good service.

Definitely one of the best bars in Manchester. Service is always 10/10 and very obvious difference when coming from The Ivy or 20 Stories where it's 50/50 on whether you receive good service

Stopped for an end of night cocktail. Lovely place with a very upmarket feel. Cocktails were great.

Beautifully decorated amd furnished bar. Friendly staff, superb mixologists. You need to try this place if you like old style drinking clubs with a relaxed atmosphere.

Impeccable service, better than some Michelin restaurants, and delectable cocktails.

Smart bar with cosy atmosphere. Cocktails are so fine and lots of options.

The Irish coffee was incredible, and the service was first class. Thank you for a fantastic experience!

Speakeasy feel, with a lounge singer. Amazing service by the staff.

We booked for pre-dinner cocktails for a 50th birthday celebration. Fantastic venue and atmosphere, excellent welcome, and cocktails were top class. Unfortunately, the service wasn't great - took a very long time to take our orders and only served half our group at a time which was very annoying. The waitress seemed irritated every time I asked her to take an order, not what you expect when a 'service' charge of £100+ is being applied. Would have been 5 stars otherwise.

Made a stop at Sterling, a sister bar of Schofield’s bar located in the basement of the Stock Exchange Hotel. The entrance, still resembling a bank vault, adds to the historical charm of the old stock exchange building turned hotel. While the cocktail menu leans towards classics, the live music definitely earned them some extra points.

This bar underneath the hotel I am staying is just outstanding! Great cocktails with topnotch service. I also love the live music and romantic atmosphere.

All good, just a tad too expensive for what you get

Amazing cocktails in a very exclusive setting, highly recommended for the discerning clientele

Outstanding! Service, drinks, live music, all fantastic! 100% recommended!

Came here after my wedding. As a frequent patron of Schofield I'd always wanted to try Sterling's. I wasn't dissapointed. I love the vibe, the decor, the selection of drinks. Everything is competitively priced. The staff are very attentive and friendly and make the occasion feel very personable.

Top notch bar underground with it kept dark with an amazing playlist with a balanced cocktail list which has some new and some old stuff all of which are very well balanced and have you wanting more. Staff are super friendly and we're always there when we were thinking about having another drink.

This place is a real great location, love it fantastic staff , great ambiance and amazing cocktails, real top shelf , live piano music later on , definitely a late night venue for cozy drinks or dates

Lovely bar for pre or post dinner bites and drinks. A wide selection of craft cocktails with the "Artists special" and "Butterscotch" being top favorites during our date night.

Excellent choice of alcohol, ranging from cocktails and spirits and other liquor. Service was superb with extremely friendly staffs. Would recommend and stop by next time in Manchester

Best bar I’ve been to in a while

Great cocktails and services! Lovely atmosphere with live band! In particular, we love the Artist Special and Fuji-san! Unbelievable! Will definitely visit again!

Amazing venue. Great staff. Superb cocktails. Highly recommended.

Been here several times and really enjoyed it. Lovely cocktails (albeit expensive) and impeccable service. More recently though there has been very loud live music which doesn’t seem to fit with the atmosphere, it’s so loud you can’t hear or speak to the person next to you.

Delicious and unique cocktails in the most incredible speakeasy-style bar. The food looks great, we haven't tried it yet but we have eaten in their restaurant upstairs which was amazing.

Interesting range of cocktails. Service good. However, very dark, and music too high for early evening

Great place for a date night, it's got a James bond feel about it.

My favourite bar in town. It's a very classy environment with brilliantly dim lighting. The drinks are excellent and service is second to none. Excellent for date night.

Super friendly and attentive staff, nice atmosphere, and surprisingly reasonable prices.

Great wine and cocktails. Clearly it’s a little expensive however the quality is top notch and the staff are brilliant. Well worth a visit for a treat.

Fab venue, setting and atmosphere! Love the vibe and great service.

Nice bar and good atmosphere but they need to turn the music down, it's deafeningly loud in there

What a wonderful, hidden gem in the centre of Manchester. Great service, great live music, worth a visit.

Went in Sunday loved it cocktails so nice staff also very nice and the singer was brilliant

I was here recently for one of the greatest Old Fashioned cocktails I've ever had. I had the vintage old fashioned which isn't cheap at £95 but was amazing. The service is just unbelievable. Everything is all about attention to detail. There clearly is a passion to ensure that this bar will be considered one of the best in the UK and having tried some of the best in the Uk this is up there!. Special mention to bartender Joe. The guy is a legend. When my guest used the bathroom he took her drink and placed in freezer to ensure it maintained its taste. He made me several more normal price old fashioned and his own twist and it was just delight. This was a michelin dining experience equivalent for a bar. Great live music as well as a wonderful ambience