Star & Garter — Restaurant in Manchester

A special, unrefined venue that steers well clear of the mainstream, it might just leave you with some of the most memorable, authentically Mancunian moments of your night-life. Threatened by planned expansion of Piccadilly Railway Station as well as stiff competition from trendier parts of the city, it's a diamond in the rough well worth visiting while you still have the chance.

The tall and narrow red-brick building stands on its own, some way down Fairfield Street past Piccadilly Station's grotty backside, beyond a bridge that briefly shelters you from rain. You enter into a medium-sized room on the ground floor with faded pub decor and shabbiness that I find quite welcoming. The unpretentious, alternative crowd the venue attracts also contributes to a good atmosphere.

Upstairs, there's a dimly-lit room where folks in skinny jeans, vintage or unfashionable clothing dance enthusiastically to songs less frequently played on the radio. The room is home to 'Smile', Manchester's longest-running indie disco as well as another disco dedicated entirely to music by Morrissey and The Smiths. I recommend starting with either of these if you've never been before. I've been countless times to shuffle and bounce unashamedly until the dark walls and windows start to sweat with condensation and yellow street light creeps through the curtains.

Events at The Star and Garter are quite diverse, from legendary open-mic nights to gigs and club nights with particular artists or genres as themes, so I always check what's on before turning up just in case it's...

An amazing place. Hidden away on the corner of Fairfield Street, the Star and Garter is one of, if not the most influential indie club that has existed ever in Manchester - probably the world. Famed for its Morrissey Smiths Disco and Smile, the Star continues to allow indie kids from all over a fab night out without the need to suffer a guy in a bucket hat and shades in the middle of winter. If you're a fan of Manchester's indie scene, and you haven't been, you can't really call yourself a fan.

But that's not all, The Star plays host to weekly gigs from Manchester's best upcoming artists. Whether it's indie or dreampop, sludge or stoner, it's the best place in town for new music.

The staff are excellent, and the beer is reasonably priced. They've done away with fancy craft ales that take up far too much of your time to order (if you want to sip things and talk about a "bouquet", book a wine tasting), and gone back to the traditionals - San Miguel, Boddingtons, Half a Beck's and a packet of pork scratchings style! If, however, you're still stuck in 2016, they do provide a small selection of craft beer suited to most tastes, but take a look around you and you'll soon realise that you should've just gone...

Me and my friend visited this place on 04.05.22 to see Call Me Karizma's live performance. We had a great experience, two gentlemen on the entrance were lovely and friendly, another guy who checked our tickets was lovely too. Once the venue door opened, we were let inside before the show started, we had some drinks in the bar, ladies serving us vere welcoming and nice. After that we went upstairs for the show and it was sooo good, unbelievable! Call Me Karizma is such a talent, kindest human being. The way he performs is just another level, I wish more people could discover his music. Me and my friend (and I'm sure the other fans too) had one of the best nights there! After the show ended, we took some photos with artist and had a good chat with one of the gentlemens (the one who was on the entrance at the beginning) just before we left. Amazing and...