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Rain Bar, Manchester

80 Great Bridgewater Street
Manchester
M1 5JG
Phone: 01612356500

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Brainy Pool left this review about Rain Bar

after an afternoon session in the Britons Protection I strolled down to tick this one off. Needless to say it paled in comparison, a pretty standard corporate pub/restaurant with little to recommend it beyond the rather nice canalside location - plenty of tables and chairs at the back. Lees Bitter, Session and MPA on cask at city centre prices. Clientele a few after work drinkers, students and a dining family.

On 27th March 2024 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]


Ian Mapp left this review about Rain Bar

JW Lees modern pub - which I always thought looked like a "fun pub" from the outside and was never tempted to try, over the Pev on the opposite side of the road.

Its actually a decent boozer - with lots of wood, booths and an upstairs bar - where there was a function running on our Saturday afternoon visit. The real selling point, in the summer, would be the excellent beer garden overlooking the Rochdale Canal.

JW Lees Bitter in fine condition, as you would expect. Cask Marque accredited.

On 29th January 2024 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1329 recommendations about 1315 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve C left this review about Rain Bar

I visited Rain Bar on Tuesday evening last week when the pub was reasonably quiet. There are three steps up to the entrance and to the left is a small seating room with fireplace, that was not on. To the right of the entrance is the main seating area with a U-shaped bar projecting from the right hand wall. Along the front windows are high tables and along the rear are standard tables. In the front left corner is a sunken snug and some stairs leading up were roped off. The toilets are located downstairs. The bar supports four handpumps, one was unused and the other three were drawing JW Lees ales. There are also standard and premium keg selections. I decided to eat so ordered a large fish and chips with my pint, which came to just over £17. The food was very disappointing and definitely not worth the money.
Out the back is a canal side beer garden that I imagine is very popular during the summer months. I found the service to be friendly and the atmosphere was OK for a city centre pub on a week night, so I would return for another beer, but I’ll certainly not be eating here again.

On 15th February 2022 - rating: 5
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rob Hunter left this review about Rain Bar

Currently closed until further notice according to a sign in the window. However the web site offers a glimmer of hope, advising they plan to reopen on 2nd September. This is a fairly large pub with a big outside area to the rear, so I imagine this will be one of the more viable pubs to open with social distancing guidelines in place.

On 19th August 2020 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Malden man left this review about Rain Bar

This is a interesting old building, apparently John Willie Lees' flagship pub, the name Rain Bar does not reflect the regular Manchester weather but due to the pub once being an umbrella factory. A central bar with the boarded room wrapping around either side, some high tables towards the frontage and better booth type options to the rear. Down a few steps at the back is a partly separated area and the front corner has a snug which has a fire going and a picture above of some young bloke who looked rather unsettling to me.
Possibly the best seats are outside, a tiered area overlooks the Rochdale canal, I visited on an unseasonal sunny Manchester early lunchtime, it was a splendid spot to sit.
Lots of exposed brickwork, old beamed and unboarded ceiling.
JW Lees beers, Bitter, MPA, The Governer and Drayman's Reward. Food served, I was in early doors on Friday, lots of groups were ordering food already around 12. A nice well appointed spot, bet it is heaving at night.

On 15th November 2015 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blackthorn _ left this review about Rain Bar

A large and imposing pub located just a stone’s throw from Oxford Street station, the pub covers the ground floor of the building and is largely one open plan room, although with a couple of segregated areas off of it and a separate function room where a gospel choir were in full voice on a recent Monday evening visit.

The wood panelled bar counter is in the middle of the room with seating all around it. Bench seating at the rear was separated in to cubicles with wooden partitioning. Decor wise, the floor is polished wood with some chequered inlaid tiles in places and there was much exposed brick work which had been painted cream along the front wall. A tiny snug area was off to one side down a few steps, and there was another room at the front with wood panelling on the walls and a roaring fire making it somewhat reminiscent of a hotel drawing room.

The menu looked to be a fairly standard pub grub affair with options such as cod & chips, sausage & mash, chilli con carne and chicken Tikka Masala as well as a number of grills, sharing platters and pies. Most of the main courses were in the £8 - £10 range.

Beers on tap were predominantly from JW Lees with their Bitter, Archer Stout and Manchester Pale Ale as well as Marco Pierre-White’s The Guvnor. The solitary cider was Strongbow, unfortunately. All in all this is a solid enough pub I suppose, but there are several other options within a short stroll that are far preferable.

On 6th March 2015 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1937 recommendations about 1850 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


ROB Camra left this review about Rain Bar

Called in lots of times since my last review, the latest being just after Xmas when a couple of pints of Lees Plum Pudding went down well.

29/04/2010
Modern pub that was indeed converted from an umbrella factory. Lee's pub selling Bitter, John Willies and at least one of the seasonals. Pricey for a Lee's pub but pretty cheap for Manchester city centre. Decent beer, good wine list, good range of food. It's a nice place to go with the other half. Packed in summer at lunchtimes and early evenings with the office crowd, but very pleasant early evening at the weekend. Has a multi level patio out the back overlooking the Rochdale canal.

On 19th January 2015 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3216 recommendations about 3127 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Peter Rydings left this review about Rain Bar

Modern pub had a good meal last time we went in so called back for something to eat got a pint of John Willy's best bitter got a menu went to the bar they told us they had stopped serving food bit of a let down but will call back

On 2nd February 2013 - rating: 7
[User has posted 948 recommendations about 917 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Richard Sharman left this review about Rainbar

Large Lees pub in (I believe) a former umbrella factory, hence the name. Lots of bare wood and brick in the roomy interior. Usually a full range of Lees cask ales and decent food available. Canalside outside drinking area at the rear.

On 9th October 2009 - rating: 6
[User has posted 43 recommendations about 43 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Wynne Route left this review about Rainbar

J W Lees

On 23rd September 2009 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 354 recommendations about 337 pubs]

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