The Ruby Lounge

Reviews

• Katie H.

  star star star star star 14 September 2026

  I love the Ruby Lounge.  In the seven, nearly eight. years I've lived in the city centre, I have been here many times.  For 6 years I have been nearly neighbours.  I once even had to deliver some post that somehow ended up through my letter box.
  
  The prices are really good - £3.50 for a vodka and lemonade.
  
  The layout is good, with the area with the stage/dance floor and the seating area.  
  
  It is a great place to see bands as acoustically it is really good.  I have to confess though, I don't usually go to see bands.  I usually go for the various club nights.
  
  My Pop Curious is just fantastic.  It is the sort of night you'd have in the gay village but in the Northern Quarter (which is better for me as it saves a taxi fare home) and plays great pop music from 70s to present day.  The best night I've been to was the Eurovision special, when Sonia performed and then I got my photo with her in the meet and greet.
  
  Last night, I went to the Absolute Sh*te night which is a bit like Pop Curious but with some of the worst songs .  For example they played Barbie Girl and I'm Still Standing but also things like Bon Jovi.  The music is so bad it's good and there is such a good atmosphere.  
  
  Overall am a big fan and would recommend going here for bands or for the nights mentioned above.

• Marie-Line V.

  star star star star star_border 28 August 2026

  Went to a lovely country concert here from Aaron Watson who is big in the USA but small here so I got to enjoy him in this small and very 'personal feel' venue!
  Nice cosy place in the basement. Sound quality was good. Plenty of couches around the corner. As it is L-shaped when sitting in the couches you can't see the concert. If only it wasn't it would be more than perfect haha!
  Nice place!
  LOTS of ladies toilets but almost no doors with a working lock.... so that is why the -1...

• Shrimoyee C.

  star star star star star_border 27 August 2026

  I was looking for an opportunity to go to Ruby Lounge for a while but for some reason or the other it never happened till last weekend! I firmly believe in the saying good things take time to come and but when it comes it blows your mind!
  
  Last weekend after my Yelp events, a friend invited me here for a party and even though I was exhausted I agreed to go because I did not want to miss out on the opportunity of going to the famous Ruby Lounge! I was shocked to see where its located because I walked past that several times but for some reason NEVER noticed it! That is how unpredictable its location is, and from outside it looks nothing like a club! Having said that I was equally impressed when I walked in because the venue was spacious with comfy couches and a big enough dance floor! The bar staff were extremely efficient too, as I did not wait loner than 5 minutes at the bar!
  
  Coming to the music, its a rock club and the Dj played some of my favorite tracks all through the night, we kept singing aloud to it (yes lost my voice the next day). There were dancers on the main stage too, but funnily enough the dancers were middle aged men which made it hilarious! The crowd was mixed and less pretentious than typical NQ hipsters (slowly some of them have started to annoy me) and price of drinks was very modest too. The only complain I have is the entry at the door, 8 pounds is a bit much, don't you think so?
  
  Verdict : Loved it and will definitely go back again and again! :)

• Emma Louise M.

  star star star star star_border 24 August 2026

  Heading over to this venue confused me somewhat. It's not quite in the Northern Quarter enough to have true Northern Quarter status in the eyes of the hipsters, perhaps, nor is it situated centrally enough to be considered 'in-town'. The Ruby Lounge sits in a most awkward spot, amongst some tired-looking clothes shops, at the tatty end of the Arndale Centre. It's really not nice of me to say that, but you know what I mean by the tatty end. Sort of Piccadilly Gardens way but not quite. Musician friends of mine had deemed it an excellent venue however.
  
  'Is it?' I asked, nonplussed.
  'Yeah. Some good bands have played there.'
  
  What, in the weird little randomly-located shop-type thing on the tatty side of the Arndale Centre? Yes, it just so happens they have. And when I went to a friend's acoustic gig there, I must say how pleasantly surprised I was.
  
  It's decorated beautifully. It's spacious, yet manages to remain cosy. There are comfy leather sofas everywhere. And the stage area is excellent. I was starstruck, as Shelley from Coronation Street was there. Being a Mancunian, she's an uber-celebrity to me, she was always my favourite Corrie character. It just so happens that she's married to Paul Weller's drummer who helps manage my singer friend. Well ain't it a small world. And some kid from one of those C4 reality shows played too, you know, the rockier version of X Factor. He was awful.
  
  One of my essential features of any good gig venue is pear cider, and with Koppaberg cluttering the fridges I was in my element. Also, this may sound weird, but girls, visit the loos. Please. There seems to be an ongoing debate in each cubicle, as the customised doors with magazine articles superimposed onto them have inspired a fair bit of graffiti. Just have a good excuse for when you resurface twenty minutes later and your friends are wondering where you are.

• Jessica H.

  star star star star star 20 August 2026

  The Ruby Lounge has been my number one club and music venue since my first year of university in Manchester.
  
  Hidden on the edge of the Northern Quarter, this venue actually holds some of the top nights in Manchester - Guilty Pleasures has a monthly spot, Juicy often takes on one of its opponents here, and they even hold some 50s style dance nights. It can become a bit of a sweat box, but just wear something short sleeved, because it is worth a bit of smudged make up.
  
  In terms of live music, it has some of the best acoustics for solo or acoustic acts (funny that) that I have experienced in Manchester. Recently I went to see the Secret Sisters, a Southern American sister act who dedicate many of their songs to Hank Williams and that era of country music. Their voices sounded heavely and could be heard at every corner of the venue, even with their dulcet tones and ghostly harmonies. It sent shivers down my spine.
  
  One tip - the bar can become ridiculous later on in some of the nights they have, so be prepared to be patient. Or just throw yourself towards the bar like some do.