There’s certainly no shortage of pubs and bars to discover in Manchester, so many in fact that you’ll find it very hard to narrow down where to go first. You’ll just have to keep coming back to our fine city until you’ve frequented all the watering holes on your list!

For TV enthusiasts, however, there’s one particularly great place to begin your pub crawl and that’s the Star & Garter, famed for its appearance in the one and only Brassic, starring Joseph Gilgun, Michelle Keegan et al.

You won’t know it as the Star & Garter, however, since it’s called The Crow’s Nest in the show, the home away from home for the Brassic gang for all six series of the comedy. Head there for a tipple or two the next time you’re in town and you’re sure to run into other Brassic fans, all of the same mind.

Of course, the Grade II-listed Star & Garter isn’t just known for gracing the small screen and it’s actually one of Manchester’s most iconic music venues as well as being a stellar pub, with all sorts of names on the punk and metal scenes taking to the upstairs stage over the years. 

The Fairfield Street venue is also well known for its Smiths disco, which is still going strong some 20 years or so down the line… so you know where to go if you’re a Morrissey fan!

Take your time to look around while supping on your pint and you’ll receive a veritable treat for the eyes in the form of significant amounts of Smiths memorabilia and artwork.

And make sure you head outside to snap a few photos of the Ian Curtis mural on the exterior of the building. This was originally painted by artist Akse in 2020 at a site on Port Street but, in a weird move, the first iteration was painted over by the marketing representatives of rapper Aitch for his debut album close to home.

Following significant outcry and outrage from Joy Division fans, the mural was repainted on a Star & Garter wall… where it will permanently stay.