Manchester voted second best city for independent pubs in the UK

In somewhat unsurprising news, Manchester has been voted as the second best place in the whole of the UK for a good independent pint and boozer.

The survey, commissioned by business-comparison site Bionic, set out to uncover the UK’s best craft drinking destinations in an attempt to get people back in pubs following a rough eighteen months for the hospitality industry.

The study judged each city based on its pubs’ customer reviews, the number of unique beers available and the number of top rated pubs and microbreweries to create an index ranking.

@themarblearch / Instagram

It also looked at the most popular pints to share on social media and which independent beers are each generation’s favourite.

And, low and behold, Manchester ranked very handsomely in second place as a result of its vast number of 1,600 independent pubs and 781 unique beers, scoring a respectable 77 out of 100 in the overall index ranking. That’s a lot of beer.

And to make this news even better, Manchester beat the capital city London, which ranked in third place with 5,800 independent pubs and 552 unique beers (none of which will be a patch on ours, obviously.)

Newcastle took the top spot, just pipping us to the crown with a score of 80 on the overall index ranking.

Bionic

Glyn Britton, Chief Customer Officer at Bionic, reflected on why we should consider visiting local pubs rather than supporting chains: “The lockdowns have been hard for many small businesses so next time you’re in need of some essentials or even just fancy a pint, try heading down to your local high street to explore what’s on offer at the grocery shops, restaurants, pubs and microbreweries.

“You won’t just be getting goods, you’ll be helping to support the future growth of your neighbourhood and help give back to your community.”

You can read the full report here.