Albert's Schloss

Albert's Schloss opened in 2015 in the Grade II-listed Albert Hall building on Peter Street, the debut venue of Mission Mars — the group founded by Revolution's Roy Ellis and Neil Macleod alongside the Trof team behind The Deaf Institute and Gorilla. Modelled on an alpine Schloss, or castle, it is an enormous, theatrical 'cook-haus' where long communal tables and timber benches sit beneath chandeliers and a stage that runs a near-constant programme of house bands, cabaret, drag brunches and the venue's own 'Bongdays'. It trades from 9am breakfast through to a 2am close every day, and the format has since been rolled out to Birmingham, Liverpool and London.

For a venue built on tank-fresh Bavarian lager, the low-and-no offer is more considered than most beer halls bother with. Manchester Confidential singles it out — 'Albert's Schloss is well-versed in this area too, stocking bottles of Paulaner Hefe Weisse and the German Pilsner Jever Fun' — pairing an alcohol-free Bavarian wheat beer with Jever's crisp alcohol-free north-German pilsner. Beyond the beer fridge the bar pours Hip Pop kombucha (the Manchester brand formerly known as Booch & Brew) and keeps a dedicated 'No Alk' section on the cocktail list: a No-garita, a virgin mojito and a 'not an amaretto sour' shaken from Lyre's Amaretti, gomme, lemon and aquafaba, with spirit-free spritzes rotating on to the seasonal Sommerhaus menu.

The result is a proper night out that doesn't hinge on drinking. It won't rival a dedicated alcohol-free bar for range, but between the two credible AF beers, the kombucha and the shaken zero-proof cocktails, a non-drinker can settle in for the full bierkeller experience — schnitzel, giant pretzels and a front-row seat for the cabaret — without compromise. You'll find it a couple of minutes from Deansgate and St Peter's Square, at 27 Peter Street.