No.1 Watson Street

No. 1 Watson Street is a vast improvement on it’s previous incarnation. I like the focus on local ish beers. The bar itself is a nice quirky change of pace from the normal chalkboard. They have utilised the large tiles on the back wall and simply writting the bar menu directly onto these with a black marke. I’m surprised I’ve not seen more of this around actually.
The food is quite nice. I especially enjoyed their curry pizza which was tasty and saucy though a bit messy to eat.
All the staff are really friendly including the manager, which goes a long way to encouraging me back. I would say it;‘s really the space they are working in which lets them down slightly.
I’ve read other reviews which say the space is lacking a bit of atmosphere which I would tend to agree about. I think this is down to a combination of a fairly spartan décor and plain tables but also the large glass windows which dominate. Also I’ve noticed this makes the place very cold in Winter. I couldn’t actually locate any heating in the bar at all. In fact I had a discussion with a friend on this evening about how they could improve by turning the large wall at the back of the bar into a big feature which could double as a heater for the space.
It may be more pleasant in Summer as I think it would be quite bright and cool with the largew windows and high ceilings and there is some space for seating outside on the side of the Great Northern Warehouse square.

With little time to spare before a gigness. the Unilocal app came out. Seeing my options I swiftly selected this place.
It was like entering a Christmas grotto. lots of fairy lights and a warm snug ambience.
Anyway, it was Tuesday so it was two for one on pizzas, which normally cost about £9 each. All cocktails were about £7.50 and sounded pretty creative.
Parked in a comfy lounger facing the fairy lit window we ordered a spicy avocado pizza and a meat feast. It was then I was informed that most of the cocktails were unavailable apart from a fizzy sloe him concoction. Also they had no cider apart from this Perry & old Rosie.
My cider drinking companions hopes were also dashed to find they no longer offered asahi beer on tap .
Disappointment set aside, all focus ensued towards our pizzas. I have to say for to the money this was one of the best pizzas I’ve had. The dough was perfectly cooked at the right thickness. the cheese was proper stringy and the spiced avocado was succulent. I washed this down with the workers offer £3.50 house wine.
The bar lady also brought me over a fizzy sloe cocktail which was also awesome; and recommended the cocktail bar upstairs.
Overall, a great ambience with a couple of set backs regarding the cocktails and lack of cider. however service was great alongside epic tasting pizzas. I will be back.

I was pleasantly surprised by our visit to No. 1 Watson Street. Following the rules of nearby Junkyard Golf, it was loser buys the drinks — so, my round! We already had plans to head to BrewDog but, as the heavens opened, we ducked into No. 1 Watson Street instead.
It’s a very pared back space, with large windows and light wooden furniture, giving it a similar feel to the Common refurbishment. Almost at odds with its surrounding bars (Almost Famous and the like) but joining up quite nicely with the sophistication of Epernay upstairs.
At the bar, I was disappointed that they had no cider on draught, only a 7% perry, so I ordered a bottle of the Orchard Pig instead. The other half didn’t seem too impressed with the beer selection but found a pint he was more than happy with. We grabbed a table of two away next to the lovely fairy lights in the window and watched the world blow by as the Manchester weather took a turn for the worst!
They have a selection of magazines to read, including Ferment, so I can imagine it would be easy to spend a few hours here. The food looked good but it wasn’t quite enough to keep us here. Maybe next time.

I’m glad that I gave this place another chance after a somewhat lacklustre experience before going to Junkyard Golf at the Great Northern. On that occasion, I had a nice beer (can’t remember which one) and some cheesy garlic bread which was really delicious. However it was dead on that occasion and really lacking in atmosphere.
I went back the other night after a feast at Almost Famous, as we’d already visited Albert’s Schloss that night and it was handy to be able to waddle from one door to another in under a minute.
On this occasion it was much more lively and welcoming. As Natalie W mentioned, it’s nice to go somewhere where you can actually talk to your companions. I had a pornstar martini which was really nice. At £7.50 I’d say averagely priced for the city centre. The bar staff were really friendly and chatted to members of our group about their drink choices.
The décor is really smart in here and it looks great but it could do with some cosy touches. The plastic chairs were really cold when we sat down, which sadly didn’t make us want to linger there for long.
Unless it becomes more comfortable and (most importantly) warmer in here, I can’t see myself whiling away the hours in here, but I’d still say it’s nice to pop in for a quick drink. And maybe some cheesy garlic bread.

Came in here midweek and was happy to find good and NOT LOUD music playing so I could actually chat to my friend. It sounded like the décor was a bit austere but there’s some nice splashes of colour around and I found it quite welcoming.
The beer selection looked sizeable but I went for a good rioja instead. We got pizzas on the 2 for 1 deal during happy hour which is great value and they are tasty too. I’d also recommend the little sausages which are dressed in some kind of honey concoction (i.e. they added sugar to fat, so it’s delicious).
Will def be back because it’s convenient to the cinema (where the nachos taste like death, apparently) and way quieter than Albert’s Schloss.

I really like One Watson St.
With Peter St. being one of the new places that has hit its peak for going out, I think One Watson St. is an excellent place to start off your night out. Or, if like me, you’re having a boozy daytime it’s an excellent stop off.
The bar is huge, central to the room and can’t be missed. Their impressive selection of beers will keep most people happy and for those drinkers of cocktails there’s some excellent ones to sip.
The atmosphere and the staff are always lovely and lively in here. They sell Pizzas too! Gah. I can see it’s going to be one of my favourites!

Some friends arranged to meet here before a round of pop-​up crazy golf in the Great Northern. Granted it was a wet and cold Tuesday evening in darkest November, there was only one other customer when I arrived at about half five; but it only seemed fair to give them a try.
It’s a really large space, having previously been the former Taps Pour House (gone and quickly forgotten). The décor is rather bare and Scandi in nature, but that’ll appeal to a majority of people. During the autumn and winter months, however, it may lack somewhat in cosiness (something nearby Albert’s Schloss has in spades — that appeared to be where the rest of the area’s punters were drinking). I couldn’t help but feel I was sat in a hotel’s lobby or a retro departure lounge.
With a dozen beers on tap, and probably 30 bottled varieties in their fridges, you’re quite spoilt for choice, but to me there was nothing that really helped them stand out from the crowd of newly opened bars. They do have their own Worker Bee Lager to try, which was decent, but I’m struggling to come up with more examples of distinctiveness.
In need of a quick bite, two friends and I went for some fries and garlic bread with cheese which were tasty and filling. As well as other ‘bar plates’ such as this, they offer pizzas and salads.
All in all I’d have to say they’re middle-​of-​the-​road for me and with the aforementioned AS having opened, they have some serious competition on their hands.
Tip: From 5pm to 7pm on weekdays they have an offer for 2 for 1 pizzas + Worker Bee Lager for £3 (or house wines for £3.50 a glass).

I came here on the very first day of their soft launch — one of the first there so got a free pizza! I went for the Parma Ham pizza which I thought tasted really good. I wanted to have an Asahi beer (my favourite) but unfortunately they didn’t have any in stock. (I mentioned this in a tweet and they apologised about it — which was nice of them).
The beer I had as an alternative — suggested by the waitress — was the Worker Bee beer which I liked. The pizza did unfortunately take a while to arrive but it was their soft launch and had not properly opened — still not opened now actually.
As an indication of how they were not 100% open was that as I was waiting to get in, some furniture had just arrived! Since then, the rest of the furniture has arrived.
Since I live round the corner — I can’t possibly live close to any other bar — I am really looking forward to them official opening and seeing how it goes.