
Rain Bar
Quick info
About Rain Bar
Rain Bar is a pub in Manchester at 80 Great Bridgewater St, in a building converted from a warehouse and umbrella factory, with canalside views over the lock. As a JW Lees house, it pours Manchester Craft Lager. The kitchen focuses on small plates for sharing, with koftas among them, and also serves pizza with vegan and gluten-free options. A first-floor function room hosts parties, weddings and Christmas celebrations for groups, and food can be pre-ordered for those events. Group bookings and arrangements are handled by email.
Good to know
“Former warehouse and umbrella factory turned into a bar offering pub food and views over the lock.”
- AccessibilityWheelchair: entrance, restroom
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention manchester craft lager, canalside outdoor terrace, pre-ordered pizza and food and gluten-free platters.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention manchester craft lager, canalside outdoor terrace, pre-ordered pizza and food and gluten-free platters.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often point to the JW Lees beer, especially the Manchester Craft Lager, with the house bitter and local beers on tap also mentioned. Close behind is the large canalside terrace, which several describe as a draw on sunny days. Small plates such as koftas, loaded chips and halloumi fries are called decent, and one group found the food better than average pub fayre. Another found three shared plates between two people nice but not huge portions. Private events are a strong second theme. A birthday on the first floor, a wedding reception and a large pre-ordered group all describe helpful staff on email, and gluten-free platters and vegan options were provided. The caveats are practical. One visitor found the terrace rammed during graduation week, and a Christmas party on the mezzanine heard the downstairs bar through the floor and found the turkey dry, though there was plenty of gravy. One reviewer who amended a booking twice received an email confirmation within minutes of each call.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often point to the JW Lees beer, especially the Manchester Craft Lager, with the house bitter and local beers on tap also mentioned. Close behind is the large canalside terrace, which several describe as a draw on sunny days. Small plates such as koftas, loaded chips and halloumi fries are called decent, and one group found the food better than average pub fayre. Another found three shared plates between two people nice but not huge portions. Private events are a strong second theme. A birthday on the first floor, a wedding reception and a large pre-ordered group all describe helpful staff on email, and gluten-free platters and vegan options were provided. The caveats are practical. One visitor found the terrace rammed during graduation week, and a Christmas party on the mezzanine heard the downstairs bar through the floor and found the turkey dry, though there was plenty of gravy. One reviewer who amended a booking twice received an email confirmation within minutes of each call.
Featured reviews
- Google user
“Stopped here for a couple of drinks. It was graduation week so very busy. Outside looked really nice but was rammed. We had reserved a table for food and arrived early. Our table was occupied but the staff cleared it without issue. Service at the bar was quick and despite it being busy there appeared to be ample staff. Not quite service with a smile but friendly enough. Had some smaller bites which were nice but not huge portions. Three plates shared between two people. Liked the local beers on tap and the Mrs said the Aperol Spritz was nice. I would visit again and would recommend as a place to visit for food and drinks”
- Google user
“Excellent service, excellent communication, I amended our booking twice and received email confirmations with minutes of coming off the call. Service was great, food lovely , highly recommend 😀”
- Google user
“We organised my boyfriends 30th birthday here which was on Friday night. Organising was really easy and the team were really helpful on email and came back really quickly on any questions I had. I was able to drop stuff off early in the afternoon which made setting up really simple. James ran the evening for us on the first floor and did a brilliant job - he really looked after us and made the night run smoothly and everyone commented on how nice he was!! Thanks James for such great service 😃 Great drinks and pizza which we pre ordered and they also catered for vegan and gluten free guests. The first floor has a great atmosphere - it was a beautiful sunny evening and we had the terrace doors open which was so nice. We were able to set up our own playlist etc. Would really recommend rain bar for any party event etc. I was really impressed and would definitely book again!”
- Google user
“I remember coming here many years ago when it opened, long before many of today's customers were born. Only been a couple of times since. Last time on a proper cold, wet n dark Manchester evening. Jorvic making his first visit on a very sunny May Saturday. Busy with a good crowd enjoying the warmth. A JW Lees bar with a large canalside outdoor space. City centre prices. Jorvic on JW Lees Bitter. A classic pint. Toilets downstairs.”
- Google user
“We visited Rain Bar as a large group. We had pre-ordered our food. The food, drinks, service and atmosphere were excellent and we stayed way longer than we expected. The food was better than your average pub fayre despite it being a v busy afternoon. Great drinks terrace too. Staff were busy but always polite and attentive. Alex and Ursula arranged things efficiently on email. Thank you.”
Amenities
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
Show more amenities
- Accessibility· 1
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
Location
Bars near Rain Bar
- Kielys Irish Bar4.25630.2 miOutdoor seating
live music, Guinness, draught and bottled beers
- Cloud 23 Cocktail Bar4.33,2160.2 miWheelchair accessible
afternoon tea, panoramic Manchester skyline views, Vimtini cocktail
- Fountain House4.31,4450.3 miWheelchair accessible
sunday roast, scotch egg, steak
| Place | Rating | Distance | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain BarWheelchair accessible | 4.42,738 | — | manchester craft lager, canalside outdoor terrace, pre-ordered pizza and food |
| Kielys Irish BarOutdoor seating | 4.2563 | 0.2 mi | live music, Guinness, draught and bottled beers |
| Cloud 23 Cocktail BarWheelchair accessible | 4.33,216 | 0.2 mi | afternoon tea, panoramic Manchester skyline views, Vimtini cocktail |
| Fountain HouseWheelchair accessible | 4.31,445 | 0.3 mi | sunday roast, scotch egg, steak |
The 3 nearest bars by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
Similar Bars nearby
More to explore in Manchester

45 places
Bars in Manchester
Photo: The Blues Kitchen Manchester · 4.6 · 4,330 Google reviews
See all 45 bars in Manchester
4.8 · Maki & RamenRestaurants
148 places
4.8 · Starbucks CoffeeCafes
52 places
4.6 · Zara Hair & BeautyBeauty
26 places



