On Bar Manchester
A versatile venue offering everything from up to the minute sounds to bespoke cocktail menu & fantastic foodAverage Reviews
About
ONBAR is our first venue venture outside of London, this site launched in May 2015 on Manchester's World Famous Canal Street.
We believe in constant re-invention which is why we have been world leaders in Gay Venues & Clubbing for decades and this ethos is continuing in Manchester's ONBAR, our all day venue from lunch food and drinks to early hours of the morning we are the perfect setting.
A versatile venue offering everything from up to the minute sounds to bespoke cocktail menu & fantastic food.
ONBAR is a family owned business with a dedicated Manchester team - we look forward to seeing you!
We believe in constant re-invention which is why we have been world leaders in Gay Venues & Clubbing for decades and this ethos is continuing in Manchester's ONBAR, our all day venue from lunch food and drinks to early hours of the morning we are the perfect setting.
A versatile venue offering everything from up to the minute sounds to bespoke cocktail menu & fantastic food.
ONBAR is a family owned business with a dedicated Manchester team - we look forward to seeing you!
Reviews
Based on 529 reviews
J FLANAGAN
11:39 10 Apr 24
We always visit Onbar when we venture to village i even take my mum. There's a Great atmosphere, music and the staff are lovely. the Door staff are great. we were there a few weeks ago and had an issue with a group of lads outside door staff got on the radio and told other bars about a group of trouble causers in the area, got rid of them and made sure we were safe. everytime we went out for a smoke they would chat to us about our night and gave us a few bar recommendations when we said we were moving on.Chloe Patterson
11:20 10 Apr 24
I love this place. The bar staff are all welcoming and have excellent customer service , the door staff are great making sure you feel welcome and safe full of smiles and laughs never had a bad experience here and I’ve been going for over 6 years🫶🏽tom
01:29 10 Apr 24
I dont ever post on these things but I really thought I MUST in this case. I add to another reviewer called 'MS' point about discrimination against single men. Tonight I was refused entry as a single man. The bouncers told me this was 'policy' which fits with 'MS' review. I subsequently managed to speak to the bar manager who apologised and told me it was not policy, but he refused to ask the bouncers for an apology, or to get them to acknowledge any wrongdoing, or to allow me entry. Another visitor, and her boyfriend, were denied entry even for speaking to me. I went home, lay on my bed, and cried. As a 38 year old man I have never been so humiliated in my life, and in a place that I thought was my safe space. End of. Please do not visit this place, I cannot understand how bar management do not understand the pain they are causing people. Take care real people XTrixie
07:23 24 Mar 24
Drinks are reasonable price, people are friendly including bar staff. what’s off putting is the bouncers attitude on the door.( needs to be re-trained customer service) Very blunt and rude. No customer service skills at all. Seem to be on some power trip. Selectively letting individuals in but telling other people they have to be in a couple but letting over people in individual 🤔okayJustine M
17:42 06 Mar 24
Excellent place for a night out, Modern Dolly show was amazing. Drinks are good value for money tooM S
11:44 28 Jan 24
For a bar that had about 10 customers can you really afford to be so discriminatory to actual gay men. Last night I saw a customer refused entry for being on his own, do u know how people stop being on their own? By coming to gay bars and socialising. It’s a disgracesamuel Barton
01:54 07 Jan 24
As someone that is recently single, recently lost a parent and a sibling, I decided to head out and spend some time alone in a village I am meant to feel safe (as a gay man) I was refused entry as Tey don't allow 'single entry'Rachael wybraniec
12:15 11 Dec 23
Used to be my fave place to go in the village however I will NOT be going here again unless the security change. They are homophobic and rude! I have been going to the village for over 10 years and NEVER been spoken to the way the new security did to me on Wednesday night. AVOID AVOID AVOID. If I could give 0 stars I would!Mo Tom
14:03 06 Dec 23
The bouncer was so rude no manners at all decides to kick you out with no reason at all, Me and my girlfriend ordered a beer and went out for a smoke he asked us to leave the drinks inside my girlfriend asked him could we put it on a side near to his station he told her do as told and shut up .! It was quite a shocking way I asked him to speak with ladies in a better way he decided that both aren’t allowed to enter back inside and I asked him politely to meet the manager since that he didn’t have manners he said I’m the boss here no manager is available at this time , So it ended up I paid for my drinks and didn't even manage to have it. The place has nice vibes, good music but This bouncer needs to understand how to respect people and to be more professional and that would be my last visit to your bar Thank you !Wendy breakell
15:12 28 Oct 23
Dreadful mine show part of bottomless brunch. Awful good insipid Prosecco and a most awful selection of people girating not dancing and miming to loud music. Shocking. Also smells. Loads of people left.Ryan Coleman
14:11 16 Oct 23
Attended the venue with friends and colleagues recently. Upon leaving I realised that I had left my bag inside with valuable belongings, such as a branded card holder, a passport, my insulin and my house keys. It took me over two days to speak with a human being. Upon calling them, I was originally informed that only the passport had been found. As I went on to question them further, they miraculously found some of my other belongings. I expressed that if they had all of these things, they must also have my bank cards. I was immediately asked if I was possibly referring to a card holder that I hadn't yet even described to them. Once all of these things had been located, the only thing missing was the bag itself. Today when visiting to collect my items, I was advised that the bag hadn't yet been found. Whilst someone went to get my things, the cleaner approached me and asked if I was there to collect a black bag that I had lost. Agreeing to them, the cleaner went through a different door to get the bag she was referring to. Whilst the cleaner was out of view, the other member of staff arrived in which I informed them of what the cleaner had just asked. I was told not to listen to the cleaner as she doesn't speak much English and that she was likely asking me for a black 'bin' bag for her cleaning duties. Once the cleaner had returned, they were incredibly confused that the bag they had clearly found, was not where they had left it. It also seems strange to me that all of the possessions that had been inside of the bag I lost, were now all grouped together in what looked like an evidence/clear bag, yet my actual bag was not located. It's like I played hide and seek with my belongings whilst attending your venue and then allowed you two days to piece it all together. I have read previous reviews surrounding lost/stolen property at this venue and I have also had conversations with others who have had similar happenings. I understand that it was my own fault leaving my things behind ,which in turn started this ordeal, however, I will not be returning to ON Bar given their lack of empathy, transparency and what felt incredibly suspicious in the way it was handled.Channy30
18:50 14 Oct 23
What a fantastic night. Food 10/10 hot , fresh and tasty just the way the I like. Atmosphere was soo good. Very interactive. Can't wait to come back againJames Woodward
13:11 09 Oct 23
Bar staff and on site photographer were lovely. I had left my keys in the club and only noticed when security were the only ones left inside. They took the opportunity to intimidate me into agreeing to write a review before returning my flat keys to me. Overall good time but the bouncers have questionable morals to say the least.Robert Cathles
00:21 02 Oct 23
Took over an hour to be served. All the staff just kept disappearing from behind the bar. When I finally placed an order the waitress had no idea what she was doing and basically had to get the manager to make all of our drinks. They also ran out of Hells. Not planning to go here again.Callum McKernan
08:42 28 Aug 23
Yesterday I had an awful experience at on bar. During the day, me and my partner were frequently coming in and out of the bar to purchase drinks/use the toilet whilst enjoying the pride street party. Suddenly, as it turned 8pm, the bouncers began to claim that you could only be let into the bar with a wristband. Baring in mind, 5 minutes earlier, they had let me and my partner enter the bar to use the toilet/purchase drinks. I was very confused about the sudden change in attitude as to who could/couldn't enter the club, especially as they hadn't asked to see anybody else's wristband as we were entering. I questioned the bouncers as to why they had a sudden shift in attitude as to who could enter, then, out of no where, a female bouncer wearing sunglasses who was working yesterday, grabbed me and shoved me towards the street. Her attitude was awful. I have honestly never met a more disrespectful bouncer in my life. She had no right to handle me like that, especially since they were being so inconsistent with their rules. If you are the manager of on bar, then please do properly vet the people you hire as not only was she intimidating, she was extremely rude and caused a lot of distress and upset to me and my partner yesterday.Mic
16:59 13 Aug 23
Nice venue with some interesting history with good seating inside, on a balcony upstairs or outside.Hedoth Rimtech
20:48 25 Jul 23
Been coming to the gay village for over 15 years and this place lied about it being a ticketed event they also breached pavement licensing and glass was thrown from the balcony. And before the manager wants to make a sarcastic comeback, I have a video it. This place is gentrified it's gay friendly only it's not a gay bar anymore.Chlo
17:00 10 Apr 23
The place is okay, but got attacked by one of the bouncers, who was barging into me all night, then just as I was about to leave she grabbed my hair and threw me out onto the floor outside, then ran back in, the other bouncers were laughing at me and refused to give me her name to make a complaintJames Smith
18:55 14 Feb 23
AVOID security are constanly picking fights with punters. They'll walk up behind them, deck them and then drag them out. They're currently being investigated by the police for assault, battery and false imprisonment. They also haven't registered their CCTV with the ICO so if you've been in, the've violated your data protection rights.Ian
09:25 13 Feb 23
Avoid! Extremely rude male bald barman. Went there for the first time in years on Saturday, and we will never return. I can see from other reviews that people have had similar issues with with this guy before. Spend your money elsewhereYAFEA ALYAFEI
19:30 15 Jan 23
Amazing bar in Manchester canal Street and the gay village. Great atmosphere and vibes. The staff were amazing. Great drinks and music. And the drag queens were amazing.Happy Camper
18:23 28 Dec 22
My favourite bar along canal street. love the balcony on the 1st floor. always have a good time here. Friendly atmosphere Theo Obasuyi
02:31 02 Oct 22
A racist club. I was going to enter with my friends white and black. All the white getting in the place but us black they said not. It’s funny because we all dressing well. They had nothing to say because we have never been there. They try to say is not about color because it’s a "gay bar". ShamelessWilliam Burgio
22:23 24 Sep 22
I wish I could give 0stars. The service is so bad, they don’t serve you, they just stare at you . Impolite and unprofessional!!!!!I asked for a Vodka and Red Bull and she gave me just Red Bull!Thanks god the other guy ( long black hair and blue eyes) was so nice and understood her mistake and kindly got me the right drinkLili Grosserová
10:32 09 Sep 22
Had a good time there, prices are ok, but jeez so many straight men, it was unbearable! I went with my friend and we had to keep telling men off because they were hitting on us. Made me feel very uncomfortable when over 80% of gay village that night was straight men just starring at us. It's not the bar's fault of course, but it definitely ruined our night.Chris Mason
20:37 28 Aug 22
The worst fckin welcome Eva! Got denied coz they thought I was 2 drunk.. Wot rly annoyed me is that these lickle boys judged me. I was rockin in ere bk in the 90s wen it was Breakfast Club. Rude disrespectful boys on the door not Men, BABIES!Mollie Moffatt
22:36 17 Jul 22
Came early on - wasn’t very busy, bald white bar staff member serving all the men before us, no matter how many females at the bar. Had to correct the order he made me 3 times due to him not listening correctly (it wasn’t loud) and was incredibly rude the entire time, rolling his eyes etc. Floors incredibly sticky, it’s a shame as I’ve always had a great time coming here. Although, DJ on fire as always.Nancy Pelosi
14:52 10 Jul 22
Went here for a meal with the state legislator Cindy we decided to have a few cocktails it was very bad quality stuff... The staff were very unfriendly and nasty to me and Cindy.. we won't be bad againEPTAS Photography
02:07 09 Jul 22
9/7/2022: Disgusting place. No regard for anyone. The staff is ridiculous and the staff misbehave with customers including misbehaving with girls. Very racist staff. Not to forget stinking toilets and sticky floors and tables. The staff just throw the drinks from customers hands and get physically abusive.Utterly shameful place. Please dont go if you are not white.The people in the picture below just come to you, say no reason and take you by your collar and hit and scratch you if they are bored on duty and need attention. (With no proof of identity or manners)santosh naik
01:53 09 Jul 22
Can’t even give 1* . My humble request if you aren’t white never go there it’s not for you. They will throw away with no reason and kick you out m. Nobody is gonna listen to you. Same thing you are gonna expect from me in the futureRaminta DiaMay
16:02 24 Jun 22
Great cocktails, very rude staff!! Sticky tables!!! Free shot voucher is only for sour’sMaria P
20:20 07 Jun 22
Came here on Friday and had a fab time 🤗 Absolute tunes all night, everyone was up dancing and the bouncers were lovely!becc !
07:31 07 Jun 22
always have such a blast here! love the vibes and staff are super friendly too. music isn’t too loud and the bouncers are really nice. probably the safest place i’ve felt at canal street / gay village.Sol Nicolaou
01:22 05 Jun 22
Mature 40+ couple told we couldn’t go in as they were full (after enquiring why we were not allowed entry). As LGBTQ venue owners we are more than aware of relevant licensing laws & criteria involving health & safety & capacity. The venue was definitely not full & people entering around us. Obviously our faces didn’t fit!! We’d literally had 1 drink before arriving. Happy to have spent our money at all the other accommodating venues on Canal Street. Needless to say we won’t be returning or recommending. Think management need to get a grip of security staff.Ebony Connell
12:25 28 May 22
Went in with my girlfriend last night had an amazing experience so far and was a lovely night so far. We left for another place and decided to come back later as we enjoyed it that much. As soon as we went in we went to the toilet (unisex) we both went in the same cubicle as we always do and had done earlier that night in the bar. A guy staff then told us to come out so I came out straight away and stood outside where he then radioed for security and when security came up he asked them to escort us out of the bar. I was utterly confused and disgusted as we’d already been in earlier in the night and had no problems and I came out the toilet when asked but still got security on us! Will not be going back in a hurryChris Wong
11:57 16 Apr 22
Want to preface this by the fact the vast majority of people here were lovely - the experience was let down by one of the Drag Queens (Smiley Virus I think) kicking my friend in the back from stage for no reason.She was incredibly aggressive and tried to play it off as a joke, however it was a ridiculous thing to do and completely out of order. The female bouncer witnessed this happen and simply laughed - thought they were hired to keep people safe and ensure people are behaving themselves? As a club that prides itself on creating a safe and inviting space this experience was way off the mark.To make things worse the Drag Queen started shoving her competitors off stage during the lip sync battle - very immature and embarrassing.Shame the night was marred this way as the rest of the bar team were very nice & the music was great.Curtis Whitty
01:19 15 Mar 22
Amazing bar ! Amazing door staff a shame the same can’t be said for “G A Y” next door and their discriminating door staff… will definitely return to “on bar” the same can’t be said for next door avoid at all costs and go to “on bar” it’s a million times better and they do not discriminate!!Helen Walmsley
22:50 13 Mar 22
Really good pizza and drinks and lovely atmosphere, my girlfriend and I felt really welcomeBex M
17:02 21 Feb 22
Came here on a Thursday early evening, ordered two cocktails on the deal and paid by card...then waited. Fifteen minutes later and still no drinks.There was nobody else waiting to be served and only one other couple in.After waiting a little longer I enquired where our drinks were, as we had to get a train shortly and didn't have time to wait twenty minutes for a drink.They said the WiFi was down.Which meant the machine they used couldn't work? I don't understand how we were about to pay via a card machine, but everything else wasn't working.I coils physically see the ingredients for the cocktails behind the bar, I'm not sure why they could not have just poured them into a shaker and made the drinks.So instead of apologising and asking if we'd like something else - I suggested if we have something else instead.I asked for a beer which also wasn't working when they tried to pull a pint.To be fair I picked a different beer and they gave us a half each while we waited for free, and then when we couldn't wait any longer as another ten minutes went by - a double rum and coke to try make up for the £12 worth of cocktails we had already paid for but not received.That should have just been fine, except the Cole was flat and tasted awful.If I hadn't been rushing to catch a train that night, I wouldn't have minded waiting as much - but yoo should not have to wait 20-30mins for a drink in a bar in which nobody else is waiting.Poor service, poor drinks, overall poor.Hopefully the problem for fixed and it got better the rest of the day.Kai Keogh
17:40 20 Feb 22
Amie and Cheryl sorted my friend out she fell outside the venue they helped us made sure we was safe! Defo come back to this bar again lovely girlsJoe Charrot
06:47 22 Jan 22
Floor inside was sticky, the draft cola was flat (they have cans available) and the music was decent.The 2nd floor balcony is lovely.Kev V.
23:52 19 Nov 21
Poor service from security. Control every movement where you dance. Always half empty due to lack of, or increase of fun police. You want to have good music but lack of movement. This is the place 🙂John
11:53 05 Nov 21
Great bar. It wasn’t too busy on a Thursday night, and we got a couple of nice drinks. The staff are friendly, and the place is well decorated. They had a nice looking cocktail menu too. I’d definitely come back here.Andy H.
02:11 05 Jun 16
This bar is on Canal Street This bar And there is plenty of seating and lots of outdoor seating as well. And they do food as well. staff was friendly.Nice...James C.
10:41 19 May 15
My first visit to this newly opened bar, and what a massive disappointment! I had such great high hopes for the place. I'd walked past a few weeks ago to...Matthew G.
10:36 09 May 15
Excellent bar made cocktails , and happy he 3-8pm bogof- great quality, quirky glasses. great venue. 3 floors. Outdoor waitress service on the lawned area!...
On Bar Manchester reviews from Google Maps, Yelp and WhereIsGay
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04:00 PM - 05:00 AM
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04:00 PM - 03:00 AM
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Tuesday
04:00 PM - 03:00 AM
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Wednesday
04:00 PM - 03:00 AM
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Sunday
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