Atlas Bar

Atlas Bar first opened in 1996 in the railway arches at the southern end of Deansgate, on a site that had earlier been an Atlas-branded car spare-parts shop. In its early years it was a pre-club haunt near the Haçienda and, by local lore, a regular of Factory Records boss Tony Wilson. Mark and Elaine Wrigley took the bar over in 2012 and remade it as a self-styled café, bar and gin saloon, opening with 28 gins — then 21 more than anyone else in the city centre and, as it turned out, just ahead of the national gin boom.

Today the back bar holds more than 570 gins, billed as the biggest collection in Manchester and catalogued in the bar's own 'Gin Bible', making Atlas one of the city's defining independent drinking rooms. The long, narrow arch keeps its brick-and-glass railway character and trades all day, from morning coffee through to late-night G&Ts, with a signature gin paddle board that lets drinkers flight three gins with matched garnishes and tonics.

What sets Atlas apart for non-drinkers is that the low-and-no list is treated as a proper part of the offer rather than an afterthought, with drinks starting from around £3.50. The non-alcoholic gin range runs to Seedlip, Tanqueray 0.0, Gordon's 0.0, the botanical aperitif Everleaf and the Italian-apéritif-style Tuscan Tree, used to build bespoke alcohol-free 'gin' and tonics, a 'Nogroni' and other zero-proof serves — and the gin paddle board comes in an alcohol-free version so teetotal guests can taste through several no-alcohol G&Ts side by side. Beyond the gins there is 0% Prosecco and cider, Seedlip-based mocktails, Heineken 0.0, plus Frobishers fruit juices, Jarritos Mexican sodas and premium Double Dutch mixers to build with. Co-owner Elaine Wrigley has leaned into the trend as established gin houses release zero-proof bottlings, telling The Manc in January 2022 that the arrival of well-known brands making alcohol-free versions lets the bar push the boundaries of what it can serve non-drinkers.