CityLife

The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary
Didsbury
March 2010

Overall: 3/5

The Sanctuary arrived in Didsbury last September with an attractive frontage smack bang in the middle of the action on Wilmslow Road.

Sitting somewhere between gastro pub and mid-market bar, it’s a new name on the high street for chain giant Barracuda Group, and usurps their former operation, Varsity.

It’s a welcome upgrade; a laid-back crowd-pleaser that combines cheap drinks and fruit machines with stylish décor, hideaway booths and modern artwork depicting scenes of Manchester.

Since opening it has ousted the TV screens, created a dancefloor for the weekend DJ sessions and sharpened its cocktail and food menu – which is now a smaller selection of freshly made mains such as red snapper, steak, goat’s cheese salad and sharing platters.

There are many ‘reasons to be cheerful’ with free wi-fi and daily offers from 5pm to 9pm, including selected bottles of wine from £7, two cocktails for £7.50 and the house champagne Louis Dornier at £20.

Drinks cross the spectrum of premium and bottom-end with best-sellers Peroni and Amstel on draught, alongside Kronenberg, Pilsner Urquell, and cask ale Bombardier.

The fridge features Corona, Leffe, St Helier ciders plus Crabbie’s ginger beer.

This a venue where youngsters will appreciate the value-for-money drinks and commercial tunes at the weekend, young professionals will gather in the comfy booths to muse over the cocktails and huge selection of beers, while parents enjoy a glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition, Caves Saint-Pierre over a freshly prepared steak.

The Sanctuary, 653 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6QZ (0161 445 9130).

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