The Refuge
About
The Refuge is one of Manchester's most beautiful bars and restaurants, occupying the ground floor of the former Refuge Assurance Company building — now the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel on Oxford Street. The interior is jaw-dropping: a vast tiled drinking hall with a sweeping marble bar, ornate columns, intricate mosaic floors, and soaring ceilings that feel more like a Venetian palazzo than a Manchester pub. The food is modern British-Asian sharing plates, and it's good — not just 'good for a hotel bar' but genuinely good. The cocktails are inventive and well-made. But really, you're here for the room — the Refuge is one of those rare spaces where the architecture does most of the work, and the food and drink just need to not let it down (they don't). The Refuge hosts regular DJ nights and live music sessions, and the Winter Garden (a heated outdoor terrace) extends the space beautifully. Weekend brunch is popular and buzzy. It's a favourite meeting spot for Mancunians and makes an excellent base for a night that starts civilised and could end anywhere.
https://www.therefugemcr.co.uk/ 0161 233 5151
Tickets & Pricing
Sharing plates £6-£16. Cocktails from £10. Weekend brunch £8-£15.
Opening Times
Mon-Thu 7:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 7:00-01:00, Sun 7:00-23:00.
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