Apotheca

I like this little intimate Bar, Its cozy and always a friendly bar to relax and to catch up with friends in this Northern Quarter hangout.

A staple of mine for after work drinks. As a gin drinker, Apotheca is a personal fave featuring a large selection of common and less known gins. Make sure to get sacred gin or a deaths door.
Cool vibe inside, styled on an old style chemist. Great for just a few chilled casual drinks or as a starter for a night out. Can get quite busy in the evenings on Friday/​Saturday so get there early!
If it does get a bit too cramped around the bar area they have quite a large downstairs section with its own (although not as well stocked) bar.
Happy drinking!

I really need to hit the NQ more often! I always find some new bar or café tucked away which I love and with not a chain in slight!
I met my friend here for a drink on Saturday evening and it was 2 cocktails for a tenner! Where else do you get a happy hour on a weekend? We didn’t manage to bag a table but we found a cosy corner of the bar to stand beside and got to catching up! The bartenders here are great even with it being busy they were efficient and quick at getting the orders rolling.
Back to the alcohol — I can throughly recommend a cheap glass of fizz (around £4) and the lady grey — yes a cocktails with a tea infused flavour! If you aren’t an earl grey lover the «walk on the wild side» is a good choice for a whiskey but fruity number.
I also loved the décor here from the plush sofa to the bookcase shelving behind the bar it had that quirky feel that I adore. Hopefully i’ll be back soon to give some more cocktails a taste test!

Apotheca is a place where i’ll uually go to when in the Northen Quater and most of he time it has been a great experience and reasonably priced — especially with he happy hour of 2 cocktails for a tenner. My last experience was the complete opposite though. It was early on a Saturday afternoon and wasn’t extremely busy (I have been here in the past and had to fight my way to the bar and still received excellent service). I waited about 5 minutes to be served. I can understand as cocktails are very time consuming to make especially if they have a few of them to do. After placing our order we were told to take a seat and the drinks would be brought over. After about 20 minutes I enquired at the bar and was told by a very unfriendly bar man ‘nothing to do with me, you’ll have to ask the bar man I ordered with’…not exactly good customer service — it then took about 5 minutes to get the attention of the original bar man. He had forgot about our drinks but it seemed like he was trying to pass the blame to another member of staff… The ‘moment’ had gone so I just asked for my money back. If this was my first visit I would definately not be back but as I have had good experience in the past I will probably be back in the future.

I have been here on a number of occasions usually on a Sunday and it’s excellent.
But today’s experience was the complete opposite we ordered our drink and the bar guy told us to take seat so we paid for our cocktails and sat down, a good 20 minutes later we was still sat there waiting for our drinks so my partner went back to the bar to ask were they were and another member of staff said sorry can’t help you will have to speak to the guy who served you another 5 minutes have gone by and the guy who served us said oh sorry will make them now so we said no its OK will have are money back and go somewhere else. I would never recommended this bar on a Saturday unless you like waiting 30 minutes for a drink. Might give this bar a miss for a while.

Good cocktail bar, servicing a wide variety of drinks. Special whisky cabinet along with good selection of gins.
During the week there are some good offers on so worth visiting then.

Went there last night with friends. We had:
Oriental blossom
Selfie inflicted
Cultivation of the eastern giant
Hazy memoirs of a geisha
Tequila kiss
Strawberry sickle
Root to ruin
Mint Choc cooler
They were all on 2 for £10 before 7pm. The quality is still great and we were pleased with the service also.
Keep it up, Apotheca!

I tried this bar after multiple pushes from my brother to try one of their cocktails. Finally i went in on a Saturday night. When we got in around 8pm there was already a lot of people in the bar which shows that its popular. While my brother went to order the drinks I procured a table, which on a Saturday is prime real estate as a number of patrons were looking for a place to sit. The bar was crowded but the bar staff were very professional and knowledgeable. working in between each other and with an excellent artistic flair that was a pleasure to watch. A number of different drinks were being consumed ranging from cocktails to on tap beers to basic soft drinks.
Suddenly my attention was drawn to the huge fireball created at the bar and watching my brother as he said «thats ours». when he brought the drinks over they looked exceptionally appealing and delicious and on first try I fell in love. There was no alcoholic taste to it whatsoever but i guarantee that after 2 or more, you would definitely feel the effects.
Looking at the menu I was amazed at all the different cocktails that were available and that all the staff knew how to make.
I went up for another round and i could see first hand the time, love and knowledge put into the drinks. They took a while to make but this just cements the fact that the staff craft the drinks rather than just throw them together as other establishments do.
I cannot recommend this bar more than I do but i guarantee that every time I go out around manchester drinking, I will start in this bar (and hopefully use some of their cocktail offers). I love this place and I am planning to go there for my birthday.
If you are in manchester and love flair, quirky bars with excellent music and atmosphere, a great selection of drinks, including spirits then you should be in Apotheca … the question is … why aren’t you there now?

Right. I tried Apotheca again.
Awesome cocktails. Funny bar staff. Good music.
I’ll be back very very soon.

This is one place I keep coming back to again and again. I love it on Sunday’s as there’s a good choice of music here that’s played at the right volume and there’s plenty of choices to sit. The cocktails are two for £10 until 7pm which isn’t the cheapest of cocktail areas but the quality and unusualness is there. The staff are very down to earth and its somewhere I can happily come and drink on my own. The décor is vintage cosy with leather sofas and old wooden tables and cabinets… filled with unusual bottles. the food is exceptionally good too serving tasty pizzas from Dough next door! They also offer good chilli and wedges and sandwiches. .
Overall this is a place who take their cocktail makings seriously and offer cocktail classes as well.
Only criticism is that on a friday and Saturday night the music is too loud and can get quite crammed… but hey that’s the northern quater for you: p

Always a good atmosphere but normally lack of seats available for afternoon drinks but at night it’s packed. Good range of vodka and rum!

I am writing this especially due to the staff. Had bit of an incident here and the managers and bar staff were abs. Wonderful in helping, I couldn’t have asked for more. I’ve never seen bar as concerned esp. In manchester about their clients.
A youngish professional crowd, friendly and easy going.
Apparently the cocktails are excellent, I do prefer my whiskey though. As virtually all day nearly every day its 2−4−1 you can’t go wrong.
Pros: staff, cocktails, atmosphere
Negs: lil too dark for some

Some great cocktails, good beer and decent offers, especially during the week.
The only drawbacks are at weekends where it can get ridiculously overpacked and their insistence on putting on a «DJ» just to ensure you can’t speak to your mates, but early doors and midweek it’s a firm favourite.

I was quite disappointed by Apotheca on my last visit, after I so much enjoyed the fig caipirinha I had at the Unilocal event here (admittedly I poured that myself and accidentally put way too much fig liqueur in). The cocktails were very sweet and took an age to prepare. I also think that inside is looking a bit tired. It wouldn’t be somewhere I would choose to go again, despite it’s good happy hour deals.

I have been here and was impressed with their cocktails. That is high praise from a guy who prefers a pint. The cocktails are so unique and they look like works of edible art. I had a great time when I came and feel like I got me moneys worth. The music was surprisingly good but it is tucked a bit out of the way (North Quarter).
What I am most excited about is their cocktail school I will be attending with a few mates. I’ve heard its a lot of fun. Can’t wait to go and relay my experience to the Unilocal community.

Apotheca is one of the hot spots of the more semi-​glamorous end of the Northern Quarter.
We went there on Saturday for a friend’s birthday. I admit I would not decide to go to this bar on my own accord. BUT… and I cannot undermine this but… it is where I met my wife-​to-​be so it has that nostalgy and memory factor for us.
As a bar, it is pretty basic stuff really, well priced cocktails, decent wines and beers nothing groundbreaking but nothing bad either. They also do food but I have not tried it for some years now.
On a Saturday night it’s a vibrant atmosphere, DJ pumping ecclectic beats and all sorts of punters are getting ready to go to the next step in a relaxed and casual way.
For me they do not have anything that sets them apart from other bars but they do it well, good service, it’s nice and clean, good tunes, good atmospere etc… A decent place if it’s your kind of vibe.

Nuts, Berries, Chocolate, Alcohol and Fire all in the same drink? — Thank you cute bar man at Apotheca for making me the best cocktail I have EVER tasted! I always love friendly and experimental bartenders who are always up for a challenge to make you an amazing cocktail (I usually do that with food at home) and Apotheca has definitely impressed me with that!
A New York style bar with great music selection, they played most of my favorite tracks here starting from Santana to Red Hot Chilli Peppers. It is definitely a little bit more up-​market than the usual Northern Quarter bar, but fear not folks it is definitely not pretentious! And I think sometimes its nice to go to a place where you need to dress up and make an effort! This place is connected to Dough and I only figured that when I went to the rest-​room because they both share the same toilets and owner of course!
The only reason I am going with 4 stars is because I feel its a bit crammed and the seating arrangements could have been better but besides that this place is definitely a 5 star place!
Verdict: Oh I am going back again and again till I try all their cocktails!
P. S. Did I mention that they do two cocktails for 9 pounds? Well yeah this place is not just great for your taste buds but very friendly to your pocket too!

My oh my, this bar is related to my beloved Dough! In fact, it is Dough’s sibling! Well, let’s say Dough’s my boyfriend. (We’re being hypothetical, people. I’m not dating a restaurant.) I should get to know its family, so it’s only fair that I visited Apotheca. And taking advantage of the Unilocal N4 Passport with four cocktails for £12, how could I not? Noms.
It’s amazing to think that this part of Thomas Street was once known only for porn, office supplies and an inexpensive curry. Now you look around and it’s one of the most concentrated, high-​end parts of the Northern Quarter with an array of restaurants and bars; the likes of Odd, Trof, Teacup and many other lovely establishments including the impossibly fantastic Dough. You could view Apotheca as nothing more than another bar to crowd up an already cluttered area, but you shouldn’t. That’d be an AWFUL presumption.
You can get to Apotheca several ways — it’s connected to Dough via the basement and ground level but it also has its own front door, albeit not the most awe-​inspiring method of entry. Come on, secret tunnel much! The décor follows Dough’s moodily-​lit American diner feel… scarlet walls and black leather seats, an almost ebony bar and plenty of Apothecary-​themed little items like glass cabinets of potions and trinkets and tall chests of drawers. The basement area holds both the toilets and a space for busy nights. It’s the perfect place to nip for a drink whilst waiting for a table at Dough, but it’s worth a visit on its own strengths. It feels slightly more upmarket than the weather-​worn artsy, music-​focussed establishments in the Northern Quarter but it’s by no means pretentious or full of itself. Rather, it’s quite charming.
On that note, these are some of the friendliest bar staff in all of Manchester. When my companion requested her Amaretto Sour with 42 Below Passionfruit and without egg white, she and the bartender engaged in some great mixologist vs. punter banter until she relented and allowed for the meringuey froth. ‘If I’m sick, I’m coming back here tomorrow and blaming you,’ she warned him. ‘On my head be it,’ he agreed. She was not sick. The cocktails were excellent. Mine was full of rum and coconut goodness with a sour tang perfect for those who like their cocktails with a bit of bite (that would be me). The Amaretto Sour was awesome, and despite being advertised as a short, it came in a lovely tall glass. (San Francisco’s spoiled me with its Mission-​area giant margaritas and caipirinhas, and now small cocktails upset me greatly.) What a nice surprise!
Now, could you get any better than this? You can eat Dough pizza in Apotheca. Yes, next door’s pizza is served as bar food in half portions, making it the perfect snack to soak up a few drinks. We did just that and had a lovely fresh garlic pizza bread with mozzarella to ease down our cocktails. Plus you can grab the salads, nibbles and starters too. You don’t need me to tell you how thoroughly awesome the food from Dough is, I’ve already waxed lyrical about it at length and I shan’t bore you again. Drinks-​wise, I can’t tell you how shocked I was to find Asahi and Orangeboom on DRAUGHT. Where on earth does that happen? I LOVE ASAHI! It’s hard enough to get those anywhere, let alone from a tap!
Over 30 cocktails will have you binge-​thinking right into next week, there were plenty to choose from on the N4 Passport offer anyway, and they’re particularly unusual ones too with the likes of lemongrass, coriander, chilli, fresh lime, coconut and ginger gracing the ingredients. (Mine had lemongrass infusions. And the Long Island iced tea we all shared knocked us right into next week. Plus the gin cocktail my mum chose had an option for which fruit you’d like muddled into it — she went for strawberry and it was a *good* choice.)
I’m so into Dough that I was going to love Apotheca anyway, but I didn’t expect to love it quite as much as I did. Kudos.

Apotheca do 2 cocktails for £9 from their menu of 20 or so cocktails. I had 3 Bloody Marys which were perfectly delicious, and my companion had 3 Mojitos.
The bar staff were friendly, brought our drinks over and said bye when we left which is basically all I need to be happy. The seats are leather (pleather? leatherette? or leather? who knows, they didn’t make any mooing noises) and the tables have cigarette burns in the paintwork showing through to the MDF so it feels a bit shabby, but still shabby chic.

The unusual name comes from the antique pharmacy cabinets, which line the front bar that were originally used to provide medicinal relief in the form of a remedy– I guess they where in a hurry to come up with something.
The draws have been put to good use and are now home to a variety of distilled tinctures and elixirs once again providing a cure in perhaps a more sociable setting– so I suppose that half excuses the name.
Being at the Arndale end of bar rich Thomas St this is a great place to begin a night’s excursion into the Northern Quarter.
It’s cosy and comfortable (if a little samey) and never particularly overstuffed so you are always likely to get a seat if it’s too early for your dancing shoes.
Although not a place anybody is really going to wax lyrical about, Apotheca is nice enough and certainly worth a round in.