The Gas Lamp — Restaurant in Manchester

Before descending into this subterranean drinking den, if you take a look towards the top of the building you will notice two sculptures of smiling children and the words “Manchester Salford Street Children’s Mission” giving you a brief insight to the buildings history. This beautiful building is a former children’s mission and dates back to the late 1800s. The mission was formed to help support the families and children of the Deansgate slums. The Gas Lamp now resides in the former kitchens of the mission.

You could very easily walk past this place and not know it was there. A small sign and small lamp above a discreet door could very easily be missed. However, as you enter the doorway a huge blue hand and the word “BAR” painted on the wall let you know you are in the right place.

Descending the stairway feels a little eerie and almost like stepping into a military bunker. There are no windows in the main area which adds to the ambiance. There is a separate room round at the back of the venue that has a cosy seating area with a couple of windows for those who want a bit of daylight.

You will find a well-stocked bar with plenty of spirits. Their main focus being Whisky and they have a huge selection of single malts available. They have two real ale hand pumps which were represented by two local breweries during my visit. I believe they had nine draft beer lines, three of which were dedicated to craft beer and the rest were macro lagers from mega corporate breweries. They have a small bottle selection with a couple of decent craft beers available but this could be improved.

There is no food available and this would be my only real complaint. A couple of gourmet bar snacks wouldn't go amiss such as pork pies, scotch eggs, meat and cheese platter etc. If bar snacks were available this is the kind of place you could stay in all night. It’s a unique venue and one I would...

Story time: I was recently in Manchester on business, we went to a near by restaurant and after we finished we walked back to our hotel. Along the way we met a very nice young couple and started chatting about the differences between Seattle and Manchester. I suggested that we move to a local pub to carry on our conversation and they said they knew just the place! The Gas Lamp, an old public toilet turned into a bar. Now this isn't the fanciest place in Manchester but it has a lot of character and great service! I was at the bar asking about local good beer spots to hit while I was there for the week, the gentleman at the bar wrote down a few places on a scrap of paper and told me to head to the Northern Quarter. This list became in infamous "Bathroom List". Safe to say I hit all the recommended bars and each were fantastic! Loved the Gas Lamp, will visit next...

28/09/22: been here many times! Always a great selection of craft ales, unusual brews, but something for everyone!

The Gas Lamp is an interesting pub. Housed in the former Manchester & Salford Children's Mission building, the pub has an impressive frontage, but you could easily miss the small doorway that leads down to this basement bar.

On descending the dimly lit stairs, the room you enter is certainly different for a pub - Victorian glazed brick walls and little in the way of decoration. The bar is along the wall to the rear and is a sparse wooden affair.

The real ales on offer are interesting - no "famous" national brands here - the beers are selected from smaller interesting breweries, many of whom are not seen regularly even in Manchester's multi-ale houses. The Gas Lamp now has its own brewery, Pomona Island, located in...