Joshua Brooks

Myself & a few of the lads lads lads decided to go down to Joshua Brooks on a Thursday evening to check out the ‘Proper Football Quiz’. I’ve been to a few Football quizzes over the past few years & they have all been a major disappointment… not this time. This was a quiz for the real football fans to test their brains against the rest of Manchester’s footballing elite. Questions covering all decades, countries & competition, i would highly recommend giving it a whirl if you fancy your chances. Great Job Lads !!

Went to this place to watch live comedy downstairs. Reminds me of one of the many dives I frequented as a student in Leeds. But they sell wasabi peas (bonus) and the show was good so a middle of the road score from me.

This bar has a fairly impressive selection of draft beers at reasonable prices. I visited on a Tuesday evening and it was the perfect spot for a quiet, relaxing pint.

I take it back, this is not a student bar! Not when a half of beer costs £2.75. That’s what I got charged for a half of Pils on Saturday and when I was considering telling him to forget it he said they’ve got a special of the month that costs over £6 for a pint! We left for a cheaper bar not long after.
Again not my idea to come, it was the same friends as before that wanted to come back to where they’d met their boyfriends!

Seeking an outdoor-​beer-​consumption-​venue, my friend and I bypassed the slightly sleazy Canal Street and headed to Joshua Brooks. Our slightly early start to ‘evening drinks’ on a Tuesday meant we were able to score a table on their small terrace area overlooking the river. It is a great place to sit — protected from the breeze and in direct line for the afternoon sunshine. It is small though so I’m sure in peak summer drinking season it will be hard to get a seat.
There was a really good selection of beer on tap with plenty of local options. It looks like they do some good food too — I might need to come back for their pie and a pint deal. It was reasonably priced as well which is always a good thing.
The only downside was the toilets — despite a low number of customers, the toilets were dirty, there was no soap and the hand dryer didn’t work. Plus most of the cubicles didn’t have functioning locks. In the scheme of things, this probably doesn’t really matter (although soap is definitely a must) but a good toilet does make or break a place. If they work on their ablutions I might give them five stars next time.

A really
pleasant surprise. A very modern bar (with a bit of a naff name in my opinion)
turned out to have one of the most varied, and probably the best, selection of
beers in Manchester!
5 real ales, amongst them something from Thornbridge, a Rhurbarb Saison
co-​brewed by a beer writer (
) and an IPA from my part of London (Brodies Old
Street IPA). There were lots of other interesting things, be they keg or
bottle. I am very
much rating the bar. I have no idea about the club!

I’ve been to Joshua Brookes various times on some nights out. And overall it’s a rather chilled/​relaxed vibe. Great if there’s a small number of you 3 – 5. With great leather sofas/​chairs and various tables dotted around.
From what I’ve experienced there’s usually some background music or a DJ when I’ve been there, but at the right volume that you can still maintain a conversation with your mates.
The bar staff are tremendously nice, nothing can beat a great customer service from a bar. Sadly, they’re always out of Jameson’s, but luckily enough Jack Daniels is always in stock (the price is also good enough) Overall, a nice relaxing bar to occupy some time before you go to another bar/​club seeing as it’s close to 5^th Avenue and The Factory. Sadly, I wouldn’t be able to stay at just that single bar for a whole night. But it’s a great place none the less. I’ve also heard there’s a club/​venue downstairs… Though I’ve never experienced it.
Oh…the toilets are pretty shabby.

Recently refurbished bar on the corner right opposite the Factory nightclub. An underground dark dance-​floor becomes very popular on most nights as an alternative to the usual hubbub of the superclubs in the centre or the close-​by 5^th Ave and Fac251 clubs. The upstairs bar is open throughout the day serving an alright choice of meals. At night, the underground floor is usually packed full of students enjoying the brilliant yet sweaty atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit.

JB’s is good enough to get the job done, but it has the mood shifts of a toddler. Half my experiences here are great with quick pours, good chat from the barkeeps, and an awesome atmosphere. Other times the music is loud enough to drown out conversation and service is slow. Had to wait over 20 minutes for a beer once… the place wasn’t even particularly busy, but with only two people working the taps, and one of those two chatting up another patron (flirty time comes after drinky time, c’mon!), I can understand the drag on the other bartender.
On the plus, they always have a good selection of relatively cheap beer with a few out of casks, and they now have some delicious pies to serve all night long, even when their kitchen is closed. It’s not a favourite stop, but it’ll do for a standard bar run.

I once loved Up the Racket, Pogo, Juicy et al. But then they moved to Joshua Brooks.
I said in a previous review about the Ram that I was being a ballbreaker, but now I actually want to be. This is potentially the only one star I will give, because I have had a fair few very very very poor experience at JB and have been questioning why it just keeps insisting on winning awards for best club in Manchester.
Yes, it’s cheap (enough). Yes, it’s nice upstairs. Yes, it has a playstation — or at least, it did when I last went in. Which was about two years ago. Yes, it has good music. BUT HELLO. Has noone else noticed the really strange layout of this place? Noone else has ever walked into the massive pillars? No?
I am ready to have my mind changed, and I understand that JB has recently had an overhaul, but I was seriously dissapointed about how much nights like Juicy changed when they headed over to JB. I am sure the runners of Juicy love it, as there is always a massive queue and people constantly getting turned away. But, I ask you, fellow Unilocaler’s, what was wrong with Subspace? It was a massive sweatbox, yes, but the atmosphere was just amazing. Noone pushed, noone shoved, noone drank anything but VK because they always ran out of spirits. Okay, that last bit is a negative.
Upstairs at JB, I have no problems with. Good drinks, nice seating, good atmosphere. But the club area does nothing but annoy me. And give me bruises.
Let’s all go and explore The Ruby Lounge, Deaf Institute, Mint Lounge, Sound Control. THEN we’ll vote.

Joshy Brooks then. While it still maintains the student vibe that its sibling bars has (those being the Thirsty Scholar and Jabez Clegg), as well as the rustic, cosy feel I like, it is located slightly less centrally and as a result attracts a more discerning brand of clientele. These people are up for a quiet drink with a nice bit of live music. With a generous variety of shots and delightfully large and soft sofas, it’s certainly a place I’ve enjoyed on the occasions that I’ve been here, and I’ve always been pleased with the prices.
Additionally it has the live venue element of its family too. The room downstairs provides an intimate space for bands to do their thing, and the club nights are hugely varied. You’ve got drum n’ bass (is it ‘and’ or ‘n’? I’m just not down with the kids, am I), a night aptly labelled ‘Brutal’ for those who appreciate the brand of heavy metal that genuinely challenges your ear canal, you’ve got indie, punk, ska, rock, electro… the list goes on. It seems that good ol’ Josh has catered for all tastes. Good on him! Whoever he is. I know there’s a daredevil Australian motorcyclist named Josh Brookes, same age as me actually, just a few months older. Weirdly only about a week younger than the BF. But I really don’t think that’s him. And for that matter, who’s Jabez Clegg? I plan to investigate this, I do… Mystery.

Joshua Brooks has been here for a while serving all the students year in year out with a great dose of pub atmosphere, cheap drinks and club nights a plenty. It’s a great student haunt and you can tell there are plenty of regulars revelling in it’s great location off Oxford Road. Now Peter Hook’s new project is open across the road you can either be the one thinking what the hell for having a wail of a time at Joshua Brooks or have a few drinks to lift the spirits before heading on over to the new Hacienda.
I don’t often come here mainly because I think there’s quite a few «freshers» and I much prefer Odder on Oxford Road. The odd occasion I do find myself in here, I’m liking what I see. Keep up the good work Joshua.

Joshua Brooks is a Manchester landmark. The Dickensian, Worzel Gummidge-​like face of Joshua Brooks hangs from the sign, and greets all those who come in. With a face like that on the sign, it is amazing that Joshua Brookes does such good business! Overlooking the canal on the corner of Charles Street and Princess Street, Joshua Brooks has long been the favourite haunt of students, sports fans, music lovers and the occasional drag queen on karaōke night. I love the atmosphere in the bar, from the big, comfy furniture and antique tables to the open, exposed brickwork and soft, calming lighting.
It is not the cheapest of bars to drink at, but once in a while it makes for a fantastic evening. Whether you are sat inside, outside under the patio heaters by the canal, or downstairs in the club, you are guaranteed to find something to do with your time at Joshua Brooks.
I first experienced JB on Karaōke night, which was somewhat a baptism by fire. The entire group of people present had no qualms in joining in, cheering, squealing and singing at the very top of their voices. Joshua Brooks has found the balance between bar, club and pub, and exploits it very well. It is well worth a visit and is a very enjoyable bar to spend an hour or two in!

Joshua Brooks is a mythological beast of a drinking establishment — part bar, part club, all awesome. It has been the location for many an enjoyable if unexpected night out, I’ve lost count of the number of times my friends and I have started a night in the upstairs bar and ended up dancing until the early hours in the basement club. The exposed brickwork, metal pillars and leather booths give the place an cool Upper West Side loftspace feel (though you’re more likely to be throwing back cans of Red Stripe than sipping on cosmopolitans here). The layout of the basement club — midsized dance floor, long mirrored bar, small inset sofa area — is perfect for making smaller, specialist clubnights feel buzzy. Popular nights Micron (electro), Pogo (indie) and Up the Racket (indie and electro) all cater for a slightly more mature crowd (think second and third year students rather than bus pass holders) whose taste is a little more discerning than the patrons of nearby Indee! behemoth Fifth Ave.

I once had a great idea: I decided that I would research deeply into the Occult, consulting the unholy tome of the Necronomicon for guidance. I would then use this newfound power to summon unto this world a portal of raving, maddening chaos. Entering would transport the unfortunate souls to a plane of eternal damnation, filled with the shrieking torment of a thousand burning daemons, where their greatest fears would be ripped from their minds and prostrated before them until their pitiful minds simply collapsed from the sheer terror. Then I would build an average bar over the top of it, charge for the pleasure of entering said portal, and make a tidy fortune.
Then I found Joshua Brooks.

I had my 18^th birthday party here. It wasn’t Joshua Brooks then but Sofa bar. Memories…
Anyway, Joshua Brooks has had a slow uprising as a good bar… it’s been around for a while now and everyone knows where it is but it’s never been somewhere someone would suggest to end up in for a night. It’s getting better now so you never know, one day!
It’s opposite 5^th Ave so that’s always going to be tough competition for it but it also means that when 5^th Ave gets full (every night) it’s one of the closest places to turn to!
It’s quite cheap and it’s not just a student dive, the décor makes it a little more upmarket so you can wear clothes that you don’t want to ruin! It’s also a little more upmarket in terms of the wine list, much better than normal student clubs.
It’s big enough to have a good night in with the basement downstairs and the smoking patio so you can feel like you’re moving around a bit.
All in all, not bad. Carry on Joshua Brooks!

Joshua Brooks may see itself as ‘Manchester’s fastest growing student venue’ but sometimes that’s really not what you want. And don’t worry, it wasn’t even jam packed at midnight last Friday when gazillions of Freshers were roaming about in search of Freshers of the opposite sex. I seem to have got to that point where my friends and I actively avoid those ‘one in one out’ places. Am I middle aged at 21?
Fear not because Joshua Brooks was a fine alternative. The set up is a bar up top and basement club that you pay separately to get into — SUCH a good idea if you want to check out the sorts going down before deciding what to do. There was a good mix of groups and couples chatting away over not-​cheap not-​expensive drinks. Plus they gave us some kind of shot as soon as we entered. Its a bit Greek Island tactic but didn’t hurt, I think it was some kind of rum.
Nights on at the club include the famous indie night Up the Racket (you MUST have seen the flyers around) plus live bands at the Friends of Mine night and Drum ‘n’ Bass at Audiosalad. I’d say unless you’re just going for some drinks, with this variety choose your night wisely. And take ID, it was probably just my adorable face that got singled out but you know. Just in case.

One Sunday morning during the mid 1990’s a few thousand clubbers put the kettle on, kicked off their shoes, fell into a heap on the sofa and thought «What have we done?».
What started out as something subversive, something exciting and counter cultural in barns and warehouses in the middle of nowhere had no become the very system it had rebelled against. Clubbing had become a multi million pound industry and despite all its corporate shininess– extremely dull.
Clubs like Joshua Brooks came into existence as a remedy for a pill that clubbers no longer wanted to swallow (pun intended entirely).
Josh Brooks reintroduces the grimy and secretive nature of clubbing. It makes you feel like you’re involved in a real scene again rather than just… out.
Even though you know it is an entirely legal establishment, you still feel like the doors could burst open and the lights be thrown on at any moment! Ooh I remember that feeling!
A whole host of different nights cater for everything from drum n’ bass, to electro, to house, to live bands– whatever your pleasure really.
The atmosphere is friendly and the regulars are regular… in that they turn up often so you get to recognise faces, I no nothing about their bowl movements and if that’s why you’re still reading then I’m off…

This place is a legend in it’s own lifetime, situated right next ot paradise factory and 5^th ave it’s a fantastic universal bar, it has regualr music on in the basement and it’s generally a good place to go for afterwork/​pre night out drinks.

Joshua Brooks has been around for years and has never been the kind of bar that provokes any sort of major reaction from anyone — it’s no-one’s favourite bar but no-​one really hates it with a passion either.
It’s something of a jack of all trades (and master of none) — they run several club nights, but nothing you’d make a special visit to. They’ve also started showing some Man United games, but the design of the bar doesn’t really allow for a great atmosphere when they do.
As a bar, it’s pretty pleasant, a recent refurbishment has made it a lot brighter and cleaner than it was — bar prices are around average, standard beers on tap though they do have an impressive vodka collection.
It’s ok to go for one or two but not to spend a whole night there