Revolution

Great bar and good cocktails but the music is way too loud in here and if you’re with friends you can’t have a proper conversation. Music is as loud as you would expect in a club but this is meant to be a bar. Only thing I would say is to turn the bass down as no bar needs it that loud.

Just been for a couple of beers after work and didn’t have the best experience at Revolution at Parsonage Gardens, I waited ages to get a beer at the bar even though the bar was empty and i was being ignored by the bar tender, i then asked for two pints of Amstel due to them being on offer with the Revolution Privilege Card but the bar man said that it was San Miguel on offer i thought ok and paid for the drinks at £4 a pint!!! I then asked for two pints of San Miguel with another bar tender and they said San Miguel isn’t on offer its Amstel and theres only 50p off a pint with the privilege cards so why is it different at another Revolution? the whole place was dead at 5pm and lacked any atmosphere, we wont be coming back anytime soon.

Everyone has been to a rev’s I’m sure? It’s nothing to shout home about but its the standard bar you’ll find in nearly every city. Manchester of course has more than the one however this one is on small side-​street and if you don’t know Manchester it would be pretty hard to stumble across.
I’ve eaten here a couple of times now — like most chains they do 50% off on a Monday however I headed here with a friend on a Friday evening for some cheap eats and a bottle of wine.
We opted for the sharing platter which came with slider burgers, flatbread with humous and peppers, chroizo and wotsits! All for £13! We also ordered a side of fries and the waitress was great in bringing over lots of sauces and condiments. It was still table service when we arrived however it was starting to get louder and more lairy as a stag and hen do had arrived on Que. I think we we’re also slightly distrusted to not run off without paying as the bill shortly followed our food and the card machine also arrived without much of a pause…
The music in here is pretty loud — as you would expect and our wine finished us off! I wouldn’t fully recommend getting the cheapest bottle on the menu as it did have a very nasty aftertaste! However the food was tasty and the atmosphere gave us a good laugh at the very least.

Revs is the image of a ‘modern’ industrial revolution Manchester. Or I might have just been too under the influence.
The bar is a long bar with multiple taps and fridges but for a Friday night there were very little staff on.
But good atmosphere and good music. Door staff very friendly
I recommend the shots 2 and 4

After a busy weekend with the parent — and to avoid those Sunday blues! — a friend suggested we have a catch up over a glass of wine and some nibbles. Looking originally to go to Liquor Store, it was unfortunately closed, so we headed to Revolution close by.
It actually had a good ‘hum’ of atmosphere about it for a Sunday, with only one group seeming to get slightly rowdy towards the end of our visit. We were quickly noticed by wait staff and told to grab a seat wherever we fancied. Just looking for some wine, it was an easy order, though we were asked for ID (sigh) — anyway, something to take in your stride, so I’m told…
With a bottle of pinot grigio going down very well, we turned our attention to the food menu, and opted for 3 of the small plates for £14. Goat’s cheese bon bons were a personal favourite, as breaded cheese is always a winner in my book, and a smoky red pepper hummus served with breadstick and peppers was a pleasant surprise. Chicken wings were underwhelming, with a honey mustard sauce that wasn’t to my personal taste, but they’re such a ‘go to’ option at the moment I couldn’t resist!
Service continued to be friendly throughout, spotting an emptying bottle and offering additional glasses, and they were happy for us to pay on separate cards.
Although you won’t find me here on their peak days, this Revolution is back on my radar, especially for few relaxed nibbles and some live acoustic music on a Sunday afternoon.

Me and my boyfriend come here quite often to sample the various cocktails on offer. My favourite which I have had from here is the pornstar martini with a shot of proseco. If you visit through the week they do 241 cocktails between 5 and 9 which makes it very good value. You can also get 50% off food on a Monday. I recommend the burgers. If you are looking for a decent place to relax on a week night I don’t think you can go far wrong with revolution.

Service a little bit slow but food was good value especially with the ‘industry’ card we used for 40% off the bill! Will be coming here again. Love the décor and feel of the place.

This place was like a slightly more upmarket Wetherspoons. I was there for lunch on a Saturday afternoon with a group of friends and was really shocked at the amount of drunk, dolled-​up people in there at only 3pm — the place was rammed and really noisy!
We raced to get the only available table, which happened to be right under an air con unit, so after a few minutes, we were freezing cold, shivering and still in our coats. I politely asked a member of staff to switch it off but she didn’t cooperate so we ended up having to keep an eye out for people leaving so we could grab a different table, which we did — and thankfully was under far less arctic conditions. Phew!
On a visit to the ladies toilets, my friend and I were pounced on by a group of paraletic ‘hens’ who roped us into taking pictures of them in some rather unladylike poses. I was lucky they didn’t put me off my food!
The food was pretty good though, better than I expected. We ordered a selection of things from the sharing menu — nachos, mini beef burgers, pizza, onion rings and dips, which all came to the table well presented and tasted great.
So foodwise, this is a good place to go for lunch with friends but I would recommend going through the week, when (hopefully) there are less drunk people stumbling about and you can actually hear yourself think.

I’m not a club person… Yes I know this place isn’t a club but you wouldn’t class it as a bar either.
I’m 30 & love heavy metal music and really any sort of music.
But for an apparent «bar» the music was way too loud. When you have to not only invade someone’s personal space but actually invade & conquer it & still shout down someone’s lug hole to have a chat… You know the music is too loud.
Half of the music was hidden by the absurd amount of bass that rumbled through the building. That could be a DJ or equipment fault but either way too much bass can be bad
If you stood for too long you risked the chance of actually becoming a permanent ornament for them due to the floor being so sticky. Plus I went to bar with £20 got 4 drinks x2 Bacardi & Cokes & x2 Desperado’s and walked away with 50p change.
No wonder I don’t go out that often !
I also had to pay to get in ! (i broke my golden rule going to this place)

Even though Vodka Revolutions seem to be everywhere in Manchester, I’ve never been to one before. Anyway, me and my friends were out the other night drinking cocktails at label and decided that they weren’t so exciting any more.
We decided to move on to Vodka Revolutions instead, which isn’t too far away — just off Deansgate in fact.
We went up to the bar and ordered some cocktails. At Vodka Revolutions they tend to come in generous tumbler sizes, rather than poncy cocktail glasses. This is good if you’re drunk and gently sipping a drink is a bit too difficult.
My girlfriend had the brilliantly titled «Purple Rain,» which immediately had us drunkenly singing Prince’s famous song of the same. I went for the «Tuttie Frutti.» Both cocktails were really tasty, if not a bit sugary. In fact, the «Purple Rain» basically tasted of Love Hearts. Which was excellent in both of our opinions.
Vodka Revolutions was quite dead when we went on a Thursday evening, but I’m sure if it was a bit busier this would lend to an overall better atmosphere to the place.

Well its just a revolution but you can’t deny there’s something good about these bars. I used to think they were a Manchester thing but I’ve since seen one in Bristol. I think Manchester does have a fairly high concentration of Revolution Bars, with a good four or five adorning its streets.
They specialize in cocktails, and these are pretty good. I must say that I am not as big a fan as many. The cocktails are too sweet and dont have enough alcohol in. I don’t mean this in an ‘i want more booze!’ kind of way, its just that I think in a cocktail one should be able to taste the spirits and not just the sugar.
Having said that, it is good fun, with a large menu and prices low enough to try a few. Also, there’s the millions of flavoured shots so its always a good option for a fun stop-​off on the way out dancing.

I first experienced this branch of the ghastly Vodka Revs chain when Classy Friend and I were out shopping. We’d just laden ourselves with sale purchases in Kendal’s, and I was wearing stupidly uncomfortable shoes that kept falling off. We decided a drink was the only way forward. «Come on, dear, let’s go to Revolution» she said. I was shocked. Classy Friend is, well, classy. She’s not the sort to suggest a trip to a downmarket student hovel when we’re in the middle of a grown-​up shopping trip. «No, no,» she reassured me «It’s totally different, trust me» And it is! This branch of Revs is lovely.
The design aesthetic of Vodka Revs is supposed to be a sophisticated modern take on the opulence of Tsarist Russia, or something. A Revs barman told me this once and I stil hold it up as a true fact. Anyway, I have always found Vodka Revs’ décor a little on the underwhelming side, bringing to mind bad-​Changing-​Rooms-​bedroom rather than Tsarist Russia, with its half-​hearted upholstery and shabby chandeliers. This branch, though, is really well turned out. Now, I’m still on the fence about Tsarist Russian influences, because the idea of the Romanovs sipping a Scarlet Miss Charlotte cocktail whilst listening to Rhianna is uncomfortable to say the least. Still, this branch manages to couple luxe fabrics and opulent chandeliers with bare brick and stripped wood, and the effect is really quite pleasing. Then, as Emma-​Louise said, there’s the lovely view of Parsonage Gardens, a little green gem in the midst of a grey city.
Because of its location near the posh shops, during the day the clientele are pretty subdued and respectable. Of course at night, nowhere is safe; there’ll always be some bunch of braying ‘laddo’ boys or a shrieking bunch of tarted-​up girls with their knickers flashing. But for daytime, it’s grand.
The food and drink, I won’t spend too long on, as everyone who’s been out of the house in the past is probably pretty familiar with Revs’ repertoire. Expect pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, that sort of thing. All reasonably priced and with some BOGOFs if you have a Revs card (£3 or so from the bar). The drinks are OK too, with a large vodka selection (flavoured vodka, why oh why?) and a bunch of vodka cocktails, most of which are decent if you fancy something refreshing, but don’t score any major points on my discerning cocktail scoreboard. One thing; the G&T I had here was exceptionally good, clearly the staff are trained well enough to know that there’s more to a G&T than just G and T.
All in all, a nice little place to while away a few post-​shopping hours away from the hubbub nightmare that is Market Street. Just try and avoid it after dark.

I’ve often stated the words ‘is one like any other?’ when reviewing branches of chains, but never has the phrase ‘go to this one above all others’ been something I want to shout from the rooftops as loudly as I do with the Revolution behind Kendal’s next to Parsonage Gardens.
It’s no secret, unfortunately, and the Deansgate crowd to tend to swarm here when they should really stick to the Locks, but this hidden yet popular little gem is visited by not only the office suits but also the occasional student and many department store workers (the bar is visible from the staff entrance to House of Fraser after all), making for an eclectic and interesting experience. The location and the décor alone are worth forsaking all other Revolutions for.
Firstly, Parsonage Gardens is pretty, and if you grab a window seat for a quick and tasty lunch (on the table in fifteen minutes or it’s free) you can stare at the lush greenery and people-​watch. The interior is particularly sophisticated with its big antique chairs, quirky touches, comfy booths and two bars (meaning you’re never waiting too long for a drink). I’ve been here several times and always thoroughly enjoyed it. I had the best Bloody Mary of my life in this branch, something that hasn’t been topped after venturing into other Revolutions so I’m guessing this outlet has the whole package — the bartenders are even more skilled. The staff are polite and friendly, and when I popped in with some co-​workers for food, a companion apologetically sent her steak back because it wasn’t cooked to her liking and the waiter was more than gracious. I had some really nice snack food in here, a houmous wrap with vegetables and some chips, all of which were tasty and reasonably priced.
I’ll say it again, if you go to any Revolution in Manchester, make it this one. It’s almost a standalone bar and is a great option if you’re revelling on Deansgate. And be sure to try the Strawberry Woo Woo. And see if you can ask for it with a straight face.

Of all the tacky chains Revolution is probably the best.
The bars are unformatted and tastefully done and though inexpensive, the drinks menu is more than decent.
The Arkright House branch is tucked away just behind Kendals and is easily the best out the 3 in the city centre.
Hidden away from the usual lager louts that tend to populate Revolution bars, this one has a real sense of chic cocktail bar about it that you probably won’t find elsewhere. It is very spacious and has two bars so you’ll never have to experience the night ruining ‘sardines on the dance floor’ effect.

Hidden away behind a large apartment store that Mancunians will always know as Kendals (whatever it is they call it these days), this Revolution bar is probably the best of Manchester’s quartet.
They serve the same large drink selection as the other bars (mainly vodka as you’d expect but also good cocktails and a selection of beers and wines), as well as their fairly tasty (if a touch expensive) food menu, but this one benefits from being slightly off the beaten track and is therefore much more chilled out and relaxed, even at weekends.
The bar is split into two sections, each with its own dedicated bar. Parts of the bar on your right as you come into it can be booked for parties and special occasions, I’ve done it myself and had a great (if somewhat vodka-​fuelled) evening!
Well worth a visit

Revolutions are of course everywhere these days, but started here in Manchester (the original one still located on Oxford Road). Come the witching hour these bars are awash with badly drawn vodkas and masses of folkbit of a nightmare at times to be honest. However, at more quieter times they make interesting venues — the multitude of differently coloured vodka bottles against a large mirrored back drop and subtle lighting are fairly evocative.
The most recent branch I visited was as a post shop treat for me: I’d taken the missus and a cousin of mine into town to shop for clothesand it surely can’t get any more boring for a bloke (although some of the assistants take the edge of the experience somewhat.
This one has been carved into the ground floor of a grand building straddling Parsonage Gardens. This seems to be the grown up branch amongst the student/​younger crowd elsewhere in Manchester (especially Deansgate Locks and Fallowfield) and is an all together pleasant bar.
With a well informed interior décor and relaxed and friendly attitude this is the perfect post shop pint/​spirit stop. They still serve 12,000,000 varieties of vodka but happily they serve a whole host of other tipples also (premium lagers) alongside a smallish menu of food (burgers, sandwiches).
Hmmm’Absolut’ Burgermight they work?