The Peer Hat in Manchester

Hidden Gem, great atmosphere, friendly staff, well-kept beer, unique aesthetic

The pear hat is a wonderful place to go, especially before or after going to the gigs that are underneath the bar. I've been here several times and I've always found it a warm and welcoming place, the first time I came it was a little bit intimidating, but I would recommend it to anyone who likes good music and a nice friendly place to sit.

Ellie was incredibly rude to me, horrible interaction. I work in a bar so i was as polite as can be and she completely dismissed me as a human being and was a horrendous presence in the room. Nasty sort.

As a regular customer of the peer hat, and as someone who also works within the hospitality industry I was incredibly disappointed to be met with such poor service at this establishment. Ellie (bartender with dark brown hair) provided not only sub standard service, she was rude, judgmental and disrespectful. She had refused to serve my friend when he had politely requested industry discount, withholding his drink order until he had paid full price. Having been a customer of the peer hat for multiple years, I was disgusted to receive such abrasive treatment, as I have only ever spoken of this bar with such warm words.

Manchester's most magical place

What a dive... and I bloody loved it! Great character. Friendly service with unique largers. Some nice booth type seating, with gig posters plastered on walls (most intrguing being the abattoir blues gig). Got a bit lost in the toilets reading peoples memoirs.

Overcharged us because we weren’t locals, rude security and it smells like mold. :)

They hate Scottish people and it smells horrid Tried to overcharge us for drinks

We dropped in for the Heart of Glass night. It was bloody amazing! Definitely will be coming back to the bar and the club downstairs.

Dingy but old school Manchester vibes

New fave drinking spot in Manchester

Always great music, great fun and kind amazing people.

My favourite bar in Manchester, and perhaps my favourite dive bar of all time. Really great prices, friendly staff, great shows and bands on in the basement. The upstairs feels like your granddad's living room, the basement is even better. There's also a cracking smoking area out in the backstreets. Look out for a stairway in the back of a neighbouring old Victorian warehouse... Go up a few flights and you'll see a couple of other hidden floors with more dance floors and bars... 👀 Are these venues a secret? Are they actually part of the The Peer Hat? 🎩 Who knows? Not me.

Great little pub in the heart of Manchester.

It's non conformity is its uniqueness

Nice dive bar, love the electro open mic night in the basement!

I recommend a cool post-punk atmosphere 💪

Great bar in the heart of Manchester, also surprised to see New Bristol Brewery on tap; I used to work for them and a pleasure to see this being served so far away from my home town.

Creative space for the alternative art and music scene in the heart of the northern quarter. Live music, life drawing and of course a few characters if you just wanna hang out. There's even a mezcal menu 😄

Really cool indie bar with place to listen to live music and enjoy a good beer

Always had great service from the lovely bar staff. Everyone is very welcoming and friendly. Great selection of beers and great prices. Ambience is comforting and I can go alone and still meet new people. Music is ace...can't ask for anything more really. Love this place.

I danced so hard to the great music that my bag turned upside-down and I guess I lost my bank cards. Lovely people turned them in and I got them both back! Great service, especially from the lady with the dark short hair. I especially love the "Peer Hat shots". Bar staff is attentive to my various ingredient intolerances and make good drink recommendations. Nice decor, good vibes, and a great space for Manchester's creatives to grow. Love this place.

Imagine a living room where you can sit with your family and get served drinks while seeing the best entertainment in the world. Wait, I don't have to imagine it, I live it here! Staff is on top of it and looks out for people. Ace service, the best music, and the alley social is the cherry on top.

Service was a tad slow, but the atmosphere was fantastic

Great pub in NQ - bar staff are super friendly. Only downside is they often have guest DJs in the bar and the mixer is peaking in the red constantly, can make it impossible to talk let alone enjoy the music. Not enough to detract from the overall rating as the staff do try correct it but it’s more down to the dj’s.

Good little pub with a basement concert room. One of the better pubs of Northern quarter

Went to a gig there. Arrived early, so I had a couple of pints while waiting for it to start. A down to earth pub with great bar staff, excellent guinness, good selection of whiskies too. The gig was great. Recommended.

One of my fav pubs in Manchester, great atmosphere and great gigs if you get the opportunity. Perfect for all occasions, the smoking area is top notch. Would highly recommend to local Mancunians or tourists just visiting for the day A***

Vine a Escocia para ver a The Mind Sweepers, oh qué noche, el lugar olía a buenos momentos y un placer a la vista también, el personal era genial y charlatán y la clientela es una mezcla de música estudiantil amante de los hipsters y los incondicionales locales una buena mezcla de hecho. La zona de fumadores es para hacer nuevos amigos. Amoan The Sweepers.

Really good music upstairs. Slightly older crowd. Unfortunately wasn’t able to watch the band downstairs as they only take cash and refuse any cards or digital payments for entry… (Apparently independent promoters who call the shots on entry terms for downstairs) Other than that definitely worth a visit.

Very nice and friendly staff especially the bloke with the beard worth the pint

Este es mi lugar número uno en Manchester para un pozo vertido Guinness o una cerveza de invitado sólido a un precio justo para la ciudad. El personal es encantador y la clientela cubre una gama agradablemente variada de personalidades de todos los ámbitos de la vida. Dios sabe cuánto dinero he puesto en este lugar en los últimos años, pero no me importa. ¡Viva el Sombrero de Pares!

Far too expensive and service is horrible took me 10 minutes to get served at an empty bar

One of the few geniune diy venues, great staff, there's always a great show on with local or bigger artists both upstairs and downstairs. If you want a proper grassroots venue in Manchester, look no further. Love the place. Great beer selection too! The vegan pizza they have at some shows is really good as well

Great place for music and beer 😎

Brilliant pub and venue! Have never been upstairs to AATMA as of yet but all the gigs I've been to and promoted at The Peer Hat have been top notch. Nick's a gent and the sound guy Matty is such a kind and brilliant dude! Bar staff are always so bloody kind too.

For sure one of the best nights in Manchester.

Wicken style punk dive bar Pretty cool

Visited after a nearby gig. Good ale, friendly folk and cracking music. Look forward to visiting the downstairs dungeon next time!

My love tassels are cranked right up to 11 for this place!!! My word this place just gets better and better. I thought Babylon was mythical!

Got barred whilst stood outside waiting for friends, to leave. 10/10. Would get barred again.

I been going this place for a while now, I enjoy it inside but one problem is the ego trip doorman ,always rude and makes me feel uncomfortable every time

Quiet in the evening, perfect to hold a conversation. Good selection of beers.

Love heart of glass events here!

I Went to peer Hat 3 weeks ago for drinks, I lost my Apple Watch, when I realised this I contacted the bar staff to keep my details in the unlikely event it was found and handed in. a guy who regularly hangs around there found my watch and after the bar staff advised him they had the owners details he passed it to them for safe return. Then Nick who works at the peers hat pair the guy £10 to reward him for his honesty.. I offered to pay the peer Hat and they were so kind and said it was there choice to do this and they were just happy it was returned to its owner!!! Fantastic service peers hat ! I am over the moon to have my watch back! Thank you so much !

Seems cool. Bouncer wouldn't let us in :(

Went to a gig. Really good service. Loads of drinks options including home made ginger beer!

Hidden away in the backstreet near Piccadilly, this place is a real find. They have plenty of live music on, either downstairs or in the connected venue upstairs, which is the main draw, but it's a pub in it's own right and a cracking old school one it is too! They even have four cask beers, which in Manchester isnt a surprise but elsewhere would be. DJ was spinning tunes, a good natured crowd were boisterous, the beer was decent... plus it's open until late at night (0300 weekends) so well worth knowing about if you're in the area!

So I went to the peerhat recently to see one of my friends perform downstairs & this woman with short black hair with a mullet was very rude to me and my group behind the bar. Despite her unconventional appearance, she is suppose to treat customers with respect and professionalism. Unfortunately, she shown nothing but rudeness towards me and my friends. Additionally her constant gloomy demeanour did not wasn’t a positive atmosphere. In the retail industry, it is crucial to understand the importance of providing a pleasant customer experience. I only pray that karma will catch up with her and get the same treatment she’s given me and possibly other people too. It would be beneficial for her to reflect on her behaviour and make necessary improvements to avoid facing the consequences.

Nice bar staff and cool place for live music. Wish they had sodas on tap instead of just cans though.

Decent boozer with an alright venue downstairs, looks like they have some vinyl nights upstairs too.

Waitress took an immediate dislike to one of our group. Rude and aggressive woman. Unfriendly and made us feel extremely unwelcome

Dive bar with lots of live music downstairs. Friendly crowd and nice atmosphere. Pizza by the slice for about £3.50 each is great value as are the drinks. Open until late. Service can be pretty odd which left me a bit uncomfortable.

Recently visited for a gig. Quick service at the bar on a Saturday evening. Dortmunder Lager £5 pint, which was spot-on.

Decent industry discount, nice staff 💜

Friend was spiked here and staff were absolutely no help (not entirely sure it wasn’t a staff member who did it) Bouncer Insinuated friend who was spiked here was just too drunk (along with other staff members) also referred to our other friend as “half-caste”

Lively and lovely independent venue to get nice drinks and have fun. Absolutely recommend it!!

Great selection of cask ales and friendly staff, love this place.

Really nice dive-bar vibes , lovely staff. Drinks about 4-8£ depending on what you get.

Arrived at the peer hat on saturday night 24th February at around 11.30 - 12. Not to sure what the baldy security gaurds name was but he was in his5 55 - 60s atleast. He was extremely rude, offensive, UNPC. Made very offfensive, disgusting comments which he thought were still acceptable to say in the year 2024. Think he thinks that these type of comments that were acceptable in his day are still OK now. Got told to not bring outside drinks in, leave them inside but not outside. In the way he said this my girlfriend didn't quite understand him as he worded it quite oddly. But we all laughed as we were being polite and in good spirits he then went on to use the word *Retarded* *Spastick* and is there something wrong with you. He was shouting this quite loudly too. Absolutely unacceptable and disgusting, need to have a word with your burly, vile uneducated bouncer before he says it to the wrong person.

Super grumpy bouncer… hard to understand as a foreigner… unable to get in… too bad was looking forward to this bar

Such a great place for a night out, live dj set and a nice bunch of people!

Nice place to meet people just by taking a beer.

Atmosphere, service and decor are excellent. Staff are friendly, attentive and fast. Decor, graffiti, posters, all excellent. The atmosphere/vibe is always great and as a solo female would feel safe here. Good selection on tap and overall, an excellent place. Only downside is the toilets, on all levels, are horrendous. Desperately need a revamp and to be kept clean.

loved the great beer...vinyl records..n of course live music...a must visit..

Nice little venue with live performances and events.

It's a pub what more do you want

Pub is quirky and had quite a bit of room. The toilets were disgusting, smelt really bad and could have done with a good clean! Apparently the drinks were responsibly priced, but not somewhere I will be returning.

I came with my fiance 2 watch Swamp Chicken last it was a great night 🌙 its a real fun place 2 visit we will be back again !

Good boozer, I enjoyed a pint of porter

Really cool bar. First time I'd been in but definitely not the last!

Nick from The Peer Hat's team kindly refunded me the money I spent on a ticket for an event which got postponed. He did it for me on the rescheduled day.

A cool little bar that you could miss if you weren't looking for it. We stumbled into it when we heard the live music. Place has old furniture, curtains up to hide the light, a alternative feel with loads of posters and drawing. They had some decent beers and prices were pretty reasonable. Seems they do have some dance nights too which look like they would be fun.

probably the best place in the world

This.. is.. my place!! Everyone is welcome.. Everyone fits in! The Staff are amazing! They're lovely, funny and put up with us lol ♡♡♡♡ thank you ♡

Lady behind bar with short black hair and mullet, poured my wine down the sink when I refused to tip when asked, for the addition of ice to my drink. Same lady added a tip to my friends card transaction, for a single drink at the bar. Couldn't make it up.

Great bar good staff nice relaxed atmosphere

Super pub in the northern quarter fun funny people , interesting live music several times a week...🧡🧡🧡 always a good time

Nice pub. Good selection of drinks at a reasonable price. Cheerful staff. Toilets on the ground floor. Interesting graffiti on the toilet walls 😃 Will definitely visit again.

Great beer and all rounder gig venue tucked away in town. Love it 😀

Going in here was nice surprise. Good beer and vinyl on sale

I love this bar but the cask/handpull/real ale wasn't on the best form. I asked for the newest beer on but it still didn't taste good. Hopefully this was a one off

Good music, good booze. Slightly icky loos but there you go.

Super venue for new and old sounds.

Mucho calor al interior pero buenas cervezas

The bouncer had a go at use for using the disabled toilet when we where disabled and had a card to prove it. Said he would batter my mates for using it. Ridiculous

Best bar in Northern Quarter if you want to get away from the bore of the norm. Also do great live music nights in the venue downstairs!

Updated review. 4 cask on with a good range, each that I had were in great condition. Very pleasant staff too.

I love coming in here but had rough experiences with the bouncers

Nice alternative pub. Good afmosphere.

Brilliant beer, nice little place. Good crowd.

I was there on a Thursday evening for the Bleep #5 electronic music open mic night, which was great. The bar service, however, was anything but. I arrived early and immediately joined a queue for the bar. There was only one person on at that point, and he was so slow at serving, the queue was already 4 deep in front of me. The next time I went to the bar, a second person was also serving, but so slowly that she may as well not have bothered. The queue was now 5 deep in front of me. A woman in the queue behind me eventually became openly angry at how slow the service was. It took nearly FIFTEEN minutes to get served, during which time a first a man then a woman simply went up to the bar next to the queue and got served before everyone else! A woman I met at the gig downstairs was so long at the bar when she went, that I actually thought she'd decided to leave early until she eventually reappeared. Seriously, Peer Hat, sort it out! You make your money from beer. Get some bar staff who actually know what they're doing.

Really quirky fun bar, good music, could almost be described as a "dive bar" but for NQ standards. Prices are good, atmosphere is great.

Rubbish bar with bad live act called 4 candles. Had my beer knocked over by an ageing yob. Won't return.

Delicious veg food. Awesome test and very humble staff.

What can I say about The Peer Hat? Hats off to it! A great establishment, jukebox, cheap pints and wine, and an all round cool vibe! But I have to be real with you… I may apPEER happy, but when you reach heights such as these, it makes you remember the lows, such as when I went to Oliver Twist bar, Zagreb, Croatia! The kilt wearing waiter was horrid, he not only was EXTREMELY rude, but to add insult to injury his BMI was off the charts and his hair was like a movie stars - Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson! (Bald)

Spent an amazing evening in the peer hat. Great atmosphere and good selection of beers. Will visit again. Good shows downstairs and interesting interior art.

Great place. Brings back memories of my student days. Even better that my 18 yr old took me in! Girl after my own heart

I visited The Peer Hat this weekend to see The Look Back Bores playing in the underground venue. I had the Squark pale ale beer at under a fiver a pint. There was a good selection of beers available.Payment was by cash or card. Plenty of staff serving at the small bar and so little waiting time. The venue was ideal for the number of attendees. The pub is off the main roads in the Manchester Northern Quarter and so was not packed unlike some bars we passed.

Pub Review - The Peer Hat - I had heard a lot of great reports on this bar even from Preston. As a music and arts performance space it often plays host to poetry events in Manchester, and the bar has a generous selection of real ales too, with discounts available to CAMRA members. Service was very welcoming and the eclectic decor, including illuminati eyes, St George & The Dragon in love rather than fighting to the death, and various pagan imagery is well worth a look. A partition by the stairs leading to the cellar gives no warning of the steep flight of steps at the end so the risk of someone turning the corner and falling down the stairs is a distinct possibility, but otherwise this is a marvellous bar.