Bar Fringe

My first visit in a while, on the hottest day of the year — so thank the man above that their great beer garden was in the shade at 5pm.
There’s a good selection of Belgium beers, fruit beers, standard lagers and local cask brews on offer — prices aren’t too bad but it’s certainly not cheap, recall two pints of the vedett IPA coming close to a tenner.
It’s got character and a great beer garden, and there’s enough good beer to satisfy a snob like me.

One of the most varied selection of ales in a Manchester cc boozer. Been coming here for years and I always order (at least once) the Timmermans peach beer.
Nice cosy pub with mainly male ale drinkers. Quirky decorations and equally quirky jukebox (I put Nelly the Elephant on and then did a runner!)
If you’re a serious ale drinker, this is an essential drinking hole. Crown and Kettle across the road is also a decent boozer nearby, if you’re on a crawl.
Free chilli for all drinkers, on a Sunday too, which I really need to sample ASAP.

Another day another discovery of a fine Manchester institution that I really should have checked out before! You see Bar Fringe has always been on my hit list of places to go, it’s just that it’s a tiny bit too far from my usual walking NQ pattern (2 mins from Stevenson square) and I forget to pop up there!
It’s a great little bar with something that really speaks of an old era of pubs — it’s nice as well that in this part of the town it hasn’t been turned into a crappy bar like the Northern was or it’s not a sawdust joint where all the local rummys like to hang out in… I’m sure you know the places!
A diverse clientele of patrons of all ages and a pretty relaxed and unthreatening place to hang out. I can’t really give it more than 3 stars unfortunately as I though the beer on pump selection was a bit ‘old mannish’ with just general bitters and some Belgian beers/​lagers on — there wasn’t really much for an IPA head like myself.
Overall a nice little pub to stop by for one, if I’m on Ancoats or heading to Band on the Wall again then I’ll probably pop in but it’s not up there in my top 5 of beery places to hang out in the city!

Small little pub tucked on north side of city. Great atmosphere inside, wide range of real ales and foriegn beers on tap. Great music too. Its everything a pub should be. Customers range from youngest to oldest. You just have to try the place and don’t be put off by the exterior or the street its on :)

Was my first visit to this bar which is a little out of the way on the edge of the Northern Quarter. The guy behind the bar (think he was called John) was very friendly and the beer was great, although they had mostly dark ales on this occasion but with cask its always pot luck as to what will be available.
Also they have a very large selection of continental beers and a decent range of ciders. Next time I’m in the area I’ll be sure to pop back in.

I wasn’t too sure about this place when I was dragged into it on Saturday afternoon. From the outside it looks like just another dodgy back street boozer on the Ancoats/​NQ border. When I entered I was plesently surprised. The décor comes accross as continental in style and the beer selection is staggering. I’m not a real ale fan, but I suspect if I spent enough time here I would probably become one!
They even have a live culture cider for those daring enough. For the rest of us, there is a standard selection of beers and spirits.
I am deffo going back here again soon. I might wait until the weather gets a bit warmer though, so that I can enjoy the interestingly themed outside drinking area… surely a bonus in a city centre pub!

Fringe is a bit of a real ale gem in the Northern Quarter. It looks tiny from the outside, but once you get in, it’s bigger than you’d think.
However, that doesn’t stop the place from being rammed which can feel a bit heavy when you just want a quiet one.
Also, for some inexplicable reason, there is a vintage motor-​cycle hanging from the roof and, for someone who is absolutely certain that they’ll die in some preposterous accident prematurely and thereby leaving a legacy that is summed up in an amusing snippet in a newspaper, this motor bike is a constant source of worry.
However, the beer served in Fringe is great and strong, which enables me to drink heavily and stop worrying about unlikely outcomes.
If City are playing at home, it’s probably best to avoid Fringe as it can get a bit rowdy, but mostly, it’s a great little place if you can be bothered walking all the way up Tib Street. It’s not that far, but you’ll pass a fair amount of pubs en route which may lure you in if the weather is wet.

Uh oh. THE DREADED HOEGAARDEN. Never have I known a boy (or girl for that matter) to both adore that beer and be able to handle it. It’s strong, it’s full of coriander and citrus flavours and it’s thoroughly deadly. This tiny little bar located on the very fringe (geddit?) of the Northern Quarter offers a large variety of similarly deadly German and continental beers, fruit selections on draught (yay!) and it really is far out. Like, end of Ancoats far out.
It definitely has a ‘locals’ feel to it, as so many apartment blocks exist in this area of the Northern Quarter, and it offers up the slightly boho vibe most bars here do. The walls are full of collectibles and articles that might seem tacky to some, but they’re fascinating to stare at while you’re sipping a nice beer. There are even more local varieties to try like Phoenix and Bazen’s, so if you’re a real ale fan I’d recommend heading further North of the Quarter to sample a few specialities here.

I’m not sure you could quite categorise this bar as a Northern Quarter bar, due to its location on the other side of Great Ancoats Street along from Toys R Us. However, it certainly has the quirky factor.
The bar serves a vast range of Belgian and German beers, all served in the correct glasses, including Leffe and Krombacher on tap. Above the bar is a motorcycle alongside much other memorabilia and a huge row of foreign beer bottles.
I told my sister about this bar and she was excited. However, I took her along in the middle of the day for a coffee and we were both disappointed, both by the smelly bikers and strange customers and the dreadful coffee. I’d advise you to stick to evening visits and beer.

I love Bar Fringe. So much so in fact, that I’m almost loath to review it on here as I don’t want anyone else to discover the place!
Don’t be put off by its rather incongruous looking frontage — it’s a real tardis of a place inside, and has arguably the best range of Belgian beers and real ales in the whole of Manchester. Plus, the staff are immensely knowledgeable and wonderfully friendly. Don’t know what you fancy? Then I guarantee that after a five minute chat with the person behind the bar or one of the regulars, you’ll be wrapping your lips around a foaming pint of deliciousness. Indeed, this is the kind of place where «Carling» is a dirty word.
When you add all that to the quirky wall decorations, the reasonable booze prices, the clean toilets, and a rather cracking little outside smoking area, then the only way in which this bar could be any better is if they served moules frites with your pint.

The walls of Fringe are so interesting: years and years worth of random stuff just waiting to be read and soaked up by newbies to town. Up in Ancoats’ relative wilderness, this bar manages to be pretty popular nonetheless.
There are a fair few regulars in here. You can tell which ones they are. But the crowd is friendly in general, as are the staff here. Real import beers but in case this puts you off they also sell really cheap cider, always a plus.
The long, narrow bar feels warm and cosy in the winter and then BAM, here comes summer and they open the back door. The whole space becomes light and airy due to their fabulous outdoor drinking area. I absolutely love it.

Fringe is one of those bars that has bags and bags of potential. It is a little independent bar with great staff, great ale and a great location. I had heard great great things about this bar so I hope my one experience of the place was an exception.
When I turned up if I’m really honest the place was full of elderly gentlemen… which in itself is not a bad thing, unless your wanting a run up to a long night out on a Friday or Saturday.
I would say that this place could be great for a mid-​week drink with close friends but I am yet to be convinced the place is the right choice for my weekend blow-​outs.

Oh little Bar Fringe, so coy, so modest. You give nothing away do you, but why so shy? You’re a lovely little bar, your customers are chilled, your staff are friendly and your beers imported from wonderful and interesting places that I’ll probably never go. Straighten yourself up, stand tall, you may not live in as nice a road as your sister bar Cask but your northern tip location in town keeps the wallies away.
Keep it up.

Yet another favorite of mine. Superb range of Belgian/​foreign beers, both bottled and draught, plus real ales too. Often has decent rock music pumping out of the juke box. Admittedly can become a bit cramped, but if you time it right, or are prepared to budge up, you’ll have a fantastic time. I keep on going back!

Great atmosphere, always busy but not horribly rammed. best bits are the real ale and the pipes on the walls. Quirky yet traditional :)

Situated on the edge of the Northern Quarter this is a great bar in that has (so far) survived the pretentiousness that has crept into this part of town over the last couple of years.
Without doubt the best range of foreign and obscure ales in Manchester and bar staff with a fantastic knowledge of what they are selling to you. Not sure what to try? Then they’ll suggest something you might like, and if it’s not too busy they’ll always have a chat with you about the new ales they’ve got in stock.
Only slight downside is that the toilets have never been the nicest in the world, but you go to a bar like this for a drink, rather than to use the loo!

Well you can’t go wrong with this placem and it’s far enough up and beyond Tib Street, to miss the crowds. As Skintight Chorltonite says, it’s got everything you need. You will enjoy it.

CAMRA GEM IN THE NORTHEN QUARTER!
Always full on a weekend, attracts diverse group of people workers, camra buffs, students, locals– ecelectic decoration, outside seating area, real ale, fruit beers, spirits. Usually a destination pub but also on the list of Camra pubs on the Manchester pub circuit. Clean toilets, helpful staff, lots of seating, average prices