Denise from Manchester

About me My name is Denise - I love the buzz of cities, exploring galleries and street art, soaking up the energy of gigs and of course, writing about my days in my adopted city of Manchester. As long as each one starts with coffee, I’m happy. My curiosity and boredom with the mundane has led me live in Japan for over a year and taken me on some epic traipses, such as the Trans...

Mar 8, 2025

Fab Cafe Manchester

Retro-lovers' heaven

""Fab Cafe": a Manchester basement filled with retro TV and film merchandise & geek stuff, retro sweets etc. I love that this bar is just so unpretentious!"

Behind its unspectacular metal doors, Fab Café is a magnificent basement of fun. Filled with retro TV and film merchandise, it's home to collectors' items, arcade games, retro sweets and a well-stocked bar.

From its full-sized Dalek to its replica Tardis and local ex-soap actress DJ with a penchant for '90s mix tape soundtracks, Fab Café delivers a nostalgic and reliably fun night out.

During my 19 years in Manchester, Fab Café has been the scene of too many bizarre memories to count. From being greeted by a band dressed as horses to ending the night chatting to a seven-foot statue of a sea monster.

My favourite thing about Fab Café is that pretension is left at the door. This place is all about the fun rather than the frills. Wallflowers will be tempted to cut some rug after a beer or two by Fab's infamously great music. Indie and rock classics from the likes of Pixies and Guns 'n' Roses bring musical guilty pleasures out of your bedroom and onto the dance floor.

Themed movie and quiz nights (Game of Thrones experts, unite!), as well as Comic Con and gig aftershow parties, have added another dimension to the bar's personality in recent times.

Newcomers to Manchester should certainly spend an evening here, where a night of fun and bad dancing will gain you new friends, rather than disapproving looks.

Art & culture

Bars

Music

About this spot

109 Portland Street

Beer from:

4.20

Website

1612122997

Social

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