Via in Manchester

Called in for a quick pint before my train. Rainbow Pilsner is only £2.90. Seems a nice enough bar and rather quiet which is what I was looking for. There is a food menu on as well. Need to make it clearer to passers-by that they're open.

Only place in all of the night where the bar staff was nice to us. Thanks for that Mate

Didn't buy food, but service from staff is spot on hardly no wait, easy access , and feels comfortable in there ,

Security wouldn't let me in. Said I was wearing 'tracksuit bottoms'. I said are you blind? They're craghoppers trousers. They're £40 a pair and it's the middle of winter. I was wearing them with formal boots and a shirt. He says 'looks like trackies to me mate.' He only seemed to let in people with jeans like its some American cowboy meetup. 🤠 Not a single club that entire night out had an issue with my attire. Before me he even let in someone wearing a literal Nike hoodie. But with jeans. Get better security. The one you have now is blind and dumb. Can't tell the difference between a tracksuit and an outdoor trouser.

The atmosphere is amazing. The food was absolutely delicious and catered to both a cheeky treat for my partner and a healthy option for myself. The staff are so sweet and lovely. We will be back soon!

Fantastic Saturday Night Out at Via Manchester – A Must-Visit in the Gay Village! Via Manchester is hands down one of the best venues in the Gay Village! The atmosphere is electric, with great music that keeps the energy high all night. The venue itself is impressively spacious, spread across multiple floors, giving plenty of room to dance and explore different vibes. The dance floors are fantastic—whether you want to let loose with friends or just soak in the lively crowd, there’s always a great spot for you. The security staff is incredibly friendly and professional, making sure everyone feels safe and welcome. The service at the bar is quick and efficient, with a great selection of drinks at reasonable prices. Whether you're a regular or visiting for the first time, Via offers an unforgettable night out with its amazing music, great crowd, and vibrant atmosphere. Highly recommended!

Had a lovely afternoon with friends for drinks and a spot of food

Didn't eat, but the bar service was super friendly, and the free drag acts such high quality. Such a lovely place to have the best conversations that can occasionally lead to great fun ... such a friendly crowd.

Sometimes they put the music on way too loud early in the evening when your trying to have a quiet drink in an attempt to bring in people off the street.

My all time favourite. During the day outside when it's sunny or occasionally at night. Great staff.

Been here twice this month some staff are rude and the place isn’t comfortable no where for people with disabilities and no access to be in a comfortable seating place we had no choice but to sit on another table with other people used to be amazing place to be food is way to spicy just be normal

Bar staff can be quite rude and I'm a regular

Decent night in the gay village - good music & friendly crowd. Floors not too sticky ✨

A great place to have some fun in Manchester.

Nice place for a lunch time drink and snack. Lots of tables and nice staff.

Great venue. An icon of Canal Street with quick service. One not to miss.

WARNING: Gays detected 😐 That aside, an excellent bar for gays - and by gays, I obviously mean… uh… straights… mmm… ah… yeah. First impressions? Immediate visual buffet: a 19-year-old twink deep in conversation with his 45-year-old daddy, a straight couple sulking quietly in the corner (like they wandered in by accident but decided to stay), and an older gentleman at the bar eyeing the young boys with a look that says “community spirit.” Yes, folks, I can confirm: the community is thriving here 😎😋 The bartenders? Cute. The drinks? Also cute - by which I mean borderline lethal. If you find yourself on a one-day Manchester pilgrimage as a self-proclaimed “man of the world,” this spot gets my recommendation. Enjoy responsibly (or don’t—this place doesn’t seem to judge)

Haven't been here for a couple of years, came last weelend and still seems to be a great place to visit. Friendly staff, clean and tidy and a great vibe inside. Music was good too. Will definitely be back.

Great food and the staff are very friendly. The atmosphere is excellent.

Whilst sober as part of a Christmas night out and sober, bouncers didn’t let me in as part of a group cos it was too large. Openly admitted they’d let in groups too large for policy and admitted that if we’d lied and said we weren’t meeting others, they would have let us in. Be careful what you say to bouncers

Just moved to Manchester a few weeks ago and thought to check out this bar - and was really amazed. What a beautiful place! Staff was great and the entertainment on Sunday night was outstanding! Definitely coming back again and again.

if you want a group night out. NOT THE PKACE. the bouncers are a bit rude and don't let you in a group. more than 2 people you aren't let in

I had an incredibly disappointing experience here on Saturday night, November 23rd. My group of friends (8 people) and I were denied entry under the pretext that we were “too many”, yet minutes later, another group of 8 or more people was allowed in without issue. The only visible difference I saw? We were not British. As a gay person, I’ve always valued LGBT+ spaces as places of inclusivity and community, but this experience made me feel excluded in a way I never have before. When I asked for clarification, the staff refused to provide any reasonable explanation (they kept saying that we were too many when they just let enter other group of 8 or more people). A place that claims to represent inclusivity should do better than to make paying guests feel unwelcome based on where they come from. This experience was deeply upsetting, specially when coming from a staff member that claimed to be from the LGBT+ community. Edit after the owner answer: Your claim that members of our group were intoxicated is simply false. None of us were intoxicated, and I believe your security staff have body cameras that can confirm this. We politely asked why our group was denied entry while another group of the same size was let in, and when no clear explanation was provided, we questioned what appeared to be discriminatory treatment because we were not British. I will not stay silent when I feel I’m being treated unfairly, and I hope you can take a closer look at this incident.

Had a really bad experience on Saturday 23rd of November night. My friends and I went out (group of 8) and tried to get inside, but the security guy at the door told us no because we were too many. That would have been a reasonable reason if it wasn’t because, right after declining us, they let another group of 8 or more people come in. When confronted the security man he was not giving any explanation. We were not badly dressed or wearing anything not appropriate. We were not a hen do. We were not drunk or intoxicated. The only difference with the group that was let in, is that we were not British, we were Spanish. We did not talk rude. This was a really bad experience and as someone from the lgbtq community as well as my friends, we felt very discriminated. We will never come here again. *reply to the answer received by the owner* We were NOT intoxicated at all. We were just normal people trying to enter a bar. We asked politely, but when right in front of our face you let other people pass for no reason we obviously were not happy about it when I repeat the only difference with the other group is we were not British. Even in the comment you didn’t even know how many people were, making it seem like you just made it up. What did we do that could give you a say we were “intoxicated”? We were not asked if we were fine either. So why do you keep lying? And abuse? Abuse is not letting someone pass just because of where they are from. We did not insult the security, we just asked for a reasonable explanation that they were not giving. We were given a totally different reason for not letting us go in, which was not applied to another group of people just in front of our eyes. And when we ask for explanation in a comment, you tell us we were intoxicated or that we abuse the security which is just not true, giving a totally different reason that was given at the door which makes it look really suspicious.

The bar is wonderful! It was all set up for Halloween and it was spectacular! Talented performers (drag queens, singers, etc). I had a lot of fun and had a great time!

What had been a pleasant evening was abruptly ruined by door staff who made us suddenly finish our drinks with zero notice, fifteen mins after buying them as they decided to close two hours early on a Monday night, just because it was quiet. Next time, maybe talk to your bar staff who had happily served us the drinks just before deciding to close. Happy to be moved on with a wee bit of notice, but being harassed into skulling a £10 glass of Malbec isn’t the one. Do better team Via!

Had a great Sunday lunch nice food and drinks and lovely service .met some friends there and after lunch tried a few other places in canal street but we returned to via it stood out above some of the other establishments has having a friendly vibe and great service

First time night out out in Manchester. What an amazing place! Beautiful vibe and show. Yeap. Seen Madonna! Definitely coming back!

Come into via most Saturdays. Food great aswell as the atmosphere and the staff are lovely friendly and professional especially Aaron when always looks after us. Not forgetting Gill and Nathan who always have time for a quick hello and a friendly smile.

got kicked out for going in the same cubicle, the door lock was broken?? vile facilities … toilets looked like they haven’t been cleaned in years. bouncer on a power trip. neek. good job we only went in for the toilet. shut the place down xxx

I visited VIA Manchester for Halloween with a friend, expecting the inclusive atmosphere we’ve always enjoyed (we live 5 minutes' walk away and visit regularly). Unfortunately, our experience was ruined by a bartender who used aggressive, rude gaslighting tactics. After we explained that our drinks hadn’t been served, he/they repeatedly insisted that they had placed them in front of us. After we explained that we had been standing there the whole time and had not received any drinks, he/they patronised us and instructed other staff not to serve us as we were "lying". This interaction felt like an unprovoked attack. It was our first time presenting in a more traditionally feminine manner at VIA, with wigs and makeup for Halloween, and it is concerning that there may be a bias that means that femme lesbians are treated this way by certain bartenders We were deeply disappointed by this experience. We hope management addresses this as soon as possible and allows us to access CCTV footage (if the bartender continues to insist that he/they have done nothing wrong, he/they won't mind us seeing the CCTV footage. When we asked for it he/they laughed in our faces and said, "Yeah, good luck with that").

The centre of village, one of the busiest bars on the strip. Always somthing on, plenty of entertainment.

Poor management. Poor customer service and lack of empathy. I spoke to three different staff members about our drinks vanishing when me and my friends nipped out for a cigarette. We were gone five minutes and on our return we noticed our £40 round of drinks was gone. The manager Matty used a lazy spiking policy excuse. I’m a bartender myself and in my years of working at a bar can count on my fingers the spiking cases I’ve dealt with. Ruined what was a lovely Sunday night I was having with visiting friends. No surprise it’s a dying bar.

Great atmosphere we loved the evening with Pink haha

Lovely friendly venue with fabulous drinks and nice outdoor seating.

Bloody good night out, friendly staff and patrons. Great entertainment

We were in Manchester for 13 nights & ventured to VIA 3 times. It is a fun place for dancing, drinking & music. And the queens here actually know how to sing. No lip synching. The space is split over many levels. Lots of rooms and staircases tucked all over. Plus a few different places to buy a drink. Best of all: no cover charge. The place is attitude free: all are welcome. Bouncers & bartenders friendly & polite (although it is pretty hectic). On weekends the place tends to be packed. For a night out in The Village in Masnchester VIA gets our vote.

Beautiful building with an amazingly unique layout. My friends and I agreed it gave Harry Potter vibes and made you feel very important. There were several balcony/walkway areas where you could stop and overlook the venue. Very cool, would recommend. The portion sizes for the drinks were very fair also, and reasonably priced.

Got rejected because I’m trans 👎 don’t go here if you’re a t-girl, you won’t be welcomed. They didn’t specifically say why, gave me a couple of fake reasons that kept changing, but my straight cis girlys were allowed in and I got told no at the door, that’s the only difference between us. Gay clubs should be for all LGBT+ people, they’re supposed to be our spaces. Wild to cater to cishets but reject a trans girl. EDIT: to reply to their reply, I was not intoxicated. This was the first place we tried to get in and I’d only had one small glass of wine and lemonade whilst getting ready, I was clearly not even tipsy. We then went on to be accepted into 5 clubs in the gay village and had a great time, we were not rejected anywhere else, we were welcomed with open arms. It is absolutely categorically untrue that I was “intoxicated”. The bouncer initially said it was my dress that wasn’t good enough to get in, but then changed it to “we’re full”, but then continued to let other people in. We all know the real reason why 🏳️‍⚧️🙄 Instead of taking responsibility and reeducating their door staff, they’d rather turn the responsibility on to me. They clearly refuse to take any accountability or make any positive changes and instead prefer to victim blame and lie. Vile behaviour 👎🏼

It's one of my all-time favourite pubs. The best fish and chips in town!

Even for a Tuesday, great ambience and music. Only a short visit in Manchester, but would come again if/when next visiting from Australia

Rudest bouncers you could ever meet.

Lovely rose and burgers to start the weekend. Great staff and atmosphere.

A great bar on Canal Street Great drag show last night. Shame I walked in nearer the end but saw enough. Has plenty of room and nice staff

Omg! Via is amazing! The venues looks amazing. Very well decorated for pride! ❤️❤️❤️

Lines not clean; Moretti didn't taste as it should. Please fix it.

The best 👌🏻 DJ Billy Andrew and the other talent make for a solid night!

Currently has the same bouncer that has previously worked at other clubs on Canal Street, who always refuses entry to would-be entrees for ridiculous reasons (“it’s regulars only tonight”, “no large groups tonight, I recommend going down the road” etc). This individual makes gay village a stressful place to visit. Hope to visit again and revise this review in the near future when the door staff have changed.

Fantastic place. Friendly staff & great nights out. Highly recommend

Great place for a night out lots of clubs and pubs around

We spent the remainder of our night in Manchester's Gay Village in the Via Club yesterday. Everything looked fabulous inside, the music was fantastic and the atmosphere was amazing. The crowd sang along to each and every song and the vibe was contagious. Hours flew by and we enjoyed ourselves so much. The bartenders were also super nice and did a great job. We will cherish the memories we've made here forever and will definitely come back again!

A must if you are visiting canal street/gay village. Always a great atmosphere, and good drag entertainment, when busy there’s multiple bars (downstairs and far back right). Miss “under Via” though - was always good to have a bit of a dance down there.

Excellent as always. Love to sit out watching the World go by.....in it's diverse forms.

The staff, especially the one with braces just cannot give a damn about customers. Such a shame!

a fantastic meal on our wedding anniversary in the place where I proposed 20 years ago to my fantastic wife❤

Fabulous place to have a beer loved it

Partner's valid ID was refused by bouncers, who were extremely rude and arrogant

Not too busy for a hot day. But great food great atmosphere and an amazing chill way to start a sat. Lovely and attentive staff. Was easy getting a drink. Pizza I amazing

Great atmosphere. Staff were all friendly. DJ played good music. We didnt get food but will definately return and likely order food if available

Food was really good, burger was one of the best I've had in a while and topped Mac n cheese also pretty dreamy.

Always a great atmosphere and one of our favourite places to visit in Canal Street. Stayed for food yesterday (Friday 31/05/2024) and had the spicy nachos. A lovely waitress could see me struggling with the heat of the amazing food so brought me a glass of milk on the house. Thank you!

Came in for the Eurovision final, and the drag queens decided to talk all the way through Loreen's performance

Spent a couple of hours here last Friday for the first time in a few years and had a blast. The barman who served us was very friendly and the DJ’s tune selections were immaculate. We will definitely be back soon!

This was the first ever bar I visited on Canal Street. The staff are absolutely lovely and the food and drink is excellent. Can get a bit busy later on but that's to be expected. Also I love the decor.

Spectacular location, the music is spot on, staff always happy and smiley😊 perfect place from the second you get in, welcomed from the bouncers and from everyone.. Seriously good job guys😀😀😀 Lee is the best❤️🙃🙃

Amazing without hesitation I would go again!!!!

So gutted we were turned away even though we had booked because we were a hen party. We had been recommended here but made to feel unwelcome. When booking this should be made clear on the form. Really disappointed :(

Refused entry for no reason other than we was too big a group

We have a regular Saturday get together always friendly helpful staff and good food recommended all our m8s from London live the place

5 of us willing to spend money to celebrate a great weekend turned away at the door by a doorman who said they don't accept groups.....we were 5 friends!!

Amazing place, huge variety of seating areas. Multiple bars which is great during peak times. Often has drag shows and DJs which are always great. Staff are also amazing! Drinks are quite pricey, and does get very busy during peak days. Lots of toilets. Very lovely atmosphere, definitely recommend.

Best nightclub come across so far, surrounding over night clubs that are near by. Bouncers aren’t rude, service is good. In love with the layout and the architecture of the building😍 Some of the people in there aren’t pleasant- overall enjoyed it

So fun, this is a staple for a night out in gay village. Drag and tribute acts are so entertaining. It is always busy on the weekends which makes for a great atmosphere. Although I have noticed there are more weird people in here compared to other gay clubs and bars but that’s not the establishment’s fault. Drinks are expensive which is especially noticeable when they are some very cheap places in the village. The interior is pleasant and it is large so lots of different areas of the bar to explore. Always have a good time in there

One of the gay village’s best venues by far. The only downside is that it gets too busy sometimes and it’s hard to move - but it’s a great night out. I’d definitely recommend to anyone visiting Manchester.

Horrific experience. This is not a safe space for queer people. £25 for three drinks, what the hell.

Didn't have food large vodka and coke around £9 mark which is pretty good these day's. Quite busy on a Sunday afternoon would recommend, loads of interesting seating

Even though I didn't do anything, the security guard waiting at the door pushed me away. When I said you can't touch me or act like that, he arrogantly said yes I can!! He might be the most disgusting person I've ever seen in my life. Definitely do not go to such a place!

The biggest and best LGBTQ+ venue in the country, if not the world. Via is the number 1 place to be!

I had the big burger it was a life changing experience. I feel spiritually more full then ever . Would do again .

I have been here a few times over the last six months as I have started to revisit the Village after twenty years. I find the atmosphere here quite relaxing and unassuming. People are who they want to be and everyone seems to get on and enjoy the evening. Even I had managed to strike up a conversation in here and I am generally very shy. There's downstairs, where people dance a lot and there's upstairs where people talk and dance a lot. There are little cosy recesses, where people sit and chat a lot. I quite like it and generally come in here every time I visit.

absolutely love this place, such amazing entertainment :-)

First time in Manchester and came to this lovely place and I had such a wonderful time. Staff were so lovely and friendly. I’m definitely coming back on my next visit to Manchester.

I have news for Via, beer prices like London in which Manchester is not!

Went out with some friends and I was not allow enter the club cause of the type of shoes I was wearing. Security told me that cause my heels were slide ins I was not allow. Had to go home sadly. I don't think I would go there ever again or recommend it

Probably the busiest pub on Canal Street but lacks the atmosphere of its heyday

Absolutely amazing bar always great service you can’t beat in the whole gay willage well done guys !

went for food Sunday evening at 6.30pm. Very poor quality food. The order came far too quickly, so obviously, it wasn't freshly prepared... very disappointing.

They discriminate us for being just women. Lesbiophobic.

Absolutely cracking roast dinner! Liam and the rest of the team were exceptional!

Food was really good. Needed a meal before travelling and it was good pub food. Nice atmosphere too. Young Lady behind the bar seemed a bit sour but maybe she was having a bad day. Can’t wait to come back!

The lady discriminated because I’m Mexican everyone so drunk. Bu she said not you not fair and I’m didn’t anything and she so rudo show me bad sigh to my face like she enjoy. I’m feel horrible not come this place. With you not want discrimination

Had a really good night in a generally mixed age and demographic (predominantly white but not all) and great to see gender neutral / fluid / trans / non-binary folk present and seemingly comfortable. Door staff friendly and chatty, not intimidating as I’ve read from a few reviews. Multiple bars over multiple floors, it’s a great place on multi-levels like an old theatre or manor. Space to sit and chill and chat or places to stand and dance. Drinks priced as you’d expect. Didn’t try the food. Five of us together, mixed heritage, aging from early twenties to late forties and it suited us all. Mix of music that catered to all our terrible tastes. Great to have gender neutral loos. All single occupancy cubicles so everyone can pee without a falsely created drama! Really pleased we picked this venue for the evening. Can’t compare to others as we didn’t move on having found this suited our group!

Bizarre entry rules… unable to attend in a group

Such a lovely bar, great staff, great doorstaff especially Lee, always looked after, always feel safe and very clean a credit to visit and highly recommend Thankyou

Think you need to find better door staff or teach them some manners… vile rude and horrible.

This place is not great. Uses to visit regularly back in late 90s early 2000s. Via has gone down hill. Rude and ignorant bar staff who'd rather chat to their mates than serve you and happily leave you stood there for 5 min while they finish their chat. The door staff are far worse. Rude and aggressive in their tone and on more than one occasion refused entry for no reason and once refused entry as "I don't look gay". If you are anything other than white Caucasian then don't even bother trying to get in!! I refuse to put my money in the till nowadays as the village has many better places. Places where the customer isn't held in contempt like they are here. The sooner the place closes and gets new owners and new staff, the better. Such ashame as it used to be such a good place. You only have to look at negative reviews. The same themes reoccurring. Same response from Via....let us know more so we can improve....this is clearly nonsense as same complaints stretch back years yet still no improvement. Goes to show they clearly don't care and their responses are a bad attempt at damage limitation.

Bouncers are awful. Small group of 4 went here early evening. First place we went to, hadn’t even had a drink, and told by the bouncer we can’t come in. No reason given, no eye contact, really hostile. Think they were just bored and wanted to start trouble. I ain’t giving it them. No worries I’ll just go next door. Won’t bother with here again.

One of my personal favourites in the gay village! The bouncers are friendly and helpful. There are often live drag acts that are actually pretty fierce and the service at the bar is always good, even when the place is heaving.

Pretty big pub with a couple of dance floors. Great weekend shows with drag queens and friendly crowd for a night out

Such a fun spot! Enjoyed the show and banter from the Queen.