Manchester on Screen: A Neighbourhood-led Film & TV Day Out

The city’s creative neighbourhood, filled with independent retailers, music venues, cafés and bars.

On screen

The Northern Quarter is one of Manchester’s most frequently filmed neighbourhoods. Streets around Dale Street, Stevenson Square and Oldham Street have appeared in productions including Captain America: The First Avenger, It’s a Sin and Morbius.

More recently, the area was extensively redressed for House of Guinness, with market stalls and period details transforming familiar streets into 19th‑century doubles. In contrast, Finding Emily uses the Northern Quarter unapologetically as itself, spotlighting record shops, backstreets and everyday Manchester city life.

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Explore without a strict route. The Northern Quarter is at its best when you wander around without a strict plan.

Start with Afflecks, an icon of independent Manchester since the 1980s. Spread over multiple floors, it’s packed with traders selling vintage fashion, art, jewellery and memorabilia, and it captures the neighbourhood’s alternative edge better than anywhere else.

For a relaxed drink, Fell Northern Quarter offers craft beers, natural wines and a laid‑back atmosphere that works as well mid‑afternoon as it does early evening.

If you want something sweet, Gooey Bakery + Café is known for indulgent bakes and a buzzy atmosphere that regularly spills onto the street.

For a quieter moment, browse UNITOM on Stevenson Square. This visual arts bookshop and editions gallery specialises in photography, design and fashion titles, and is a favourite with locals.

As evening sets in, the Northern Quarter’s music scene takes over. Night and Day Café is a long‑standing live‑music venue with a proper rock’n’roll feel, SOUP offers darker, basement shows and late nights, and Band on the Wall delivers an internationally respected programme rooted in Manchester’s music history. Or you could check out one of Manchester's newer music venues, YES, which is spreads across four floors, including a roof terrace.

Set around Cutting Room Square, Ancoats is filled with independent cafés, bars and restaurants.

On screen

Ancoats has featured across multiple TV dramas including Coronation Street, Tina and Bobby and The Stranger. Its restored mills and open streets make it ideal for portraying modern Manchester with heritage still visible. The neighbourhood also appears in Finding Emily, reinforcing its role as part of the city’s contemporary story.

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Use Cutting Room Square as your focal point. Surrounded by former cotton mills, it’s one of the clearest expressions of Ancoats’ industrial past turned modern neighbourhood.

For coffee, Ancoats Coffee Co sits in a warehouse courtyard and roasts speciality beans on site. It’s a strong pause point and a local staple.

If you’re staying longer, Ancoats is a great neighbourhood to grab food and casual drinks. Canto offers modern tapas, The Edinburgh Castle gives you a classic pub atmosphere, and Rudy’s is a popular choice for pizza. For cocktails without pretence, The Jane Eyre fits the neighbourhood mood, while Seven Bro7hers Beerhouse is a popular haunt if you fancy trying some locally brewed craft beers.

Don’t miss The Crown and Kettle, a historic pub known for its ornate ceiling. It also appears in Finding Emily, making it a subtle on‑screen sighting.

The second largest Chinatown in the UK, with a wide choice of East Asian restaurants, bakeries and shops.

On screen

Chinatown appears on the Film & TV trail as a filming location for Lazarus, where its densely packed streets, signage and colour provide instant atmosphere on screen. It’s often used for shorter scenes that need visual impact and contrast with the surrounding civic architecture.

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This is a part of the city best explored through food. Chinatown is compact and lively, making it ideal for wandering, menu‑browsing and building a meal in stages.

For a classic institution, Yang Sing is one of Manchester’s most respected Cantonese restaurants, known for refined dim sum and calm, polished service, with roots in the city stretching back to the late 1970s.

If you want something more interactive, Teppanyaki Chinatown turns dining into part of the experience, with chefs cooking directly in front of you.

For quicker, more casual options, Chinatown is filled with bakeries and specialist spots. Happy Seasons is often recommended for Cantonese roast meats, while Hunan and Red Chilli suit visitors looking for bolder flavours and spice‑led regional dishes.

If you want a more cultural experience alongside the food, booking the Scranchester Taste of Chinatown tour allows you to sample multiple dishes while learning about the area’s history.

Home to iconic listed buildings including Manchester Town Hall and Central Library.

On screen

The Civic Quarter regularly doubles for seats of power and authority. Manchester Town Hall has appeared in productions including Sherlock Holmes, Victor Frankenstein and The Iron Lady. Nearby areas around St Peter’s Square and Central Library also feature in Finding Emily, helping to ground the film clearly in Manchester.

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This area works well as a pause between neighbourhoods.

Step inside Central Library for a quieter moment beneath its domed rotunda. Even a short visit gives a sense of the confidence and ambition behind Manchester’s civic history.

Outside, St Peter’s Square is a good orientation point, linking easily to shopping streets, nightlife areas or the canal districts further west.

A historic spine of the city, where grand architecture, culture and classic pubs sit alongside modern Manchester life.

On screen

Deansgate is home to one of Manchester’s most visually striking filming locations. John Rylands Library has appeared in major productions including Darkest Hour and Anatomy of a Scandal, frequently doubling for political and institutional interiors thanks to its dramatic Gothic design. It’s the kind of place film crews return to when they want scale, atmosphere and a strong sense of history.

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Whatever you do, make sure you go inside John Rylands Library. Its vaulted ceilings, stained glass and hushed atmosphere make it one of the most cinematic interiors in the city centre, and it’s free to enter. You won't be disappointed.

Just off Deansgate on Great Bridgewater Street, The Peveril of the Peak is also well worth a space on your instagram. This pub is instantly recognisable with its green‑tiled exterior and traditional pub interior. It’s a great place for a single drink before carrying on towards Castlefield or St Peter’s Square.

If you want to extend your time here, Deansgate also offers easy access to nearby galleries, theatres and shopping, such as King Street, Manchester Opera House and Castlefield Gallery.

The Roman heart of the city, with canalside pubs, bars and restaurants.

On screen

Castlefield appears in productions including Peaky Blinders, World on Fire, Cold Feet and Fool Me Once. Its canals, iron bridges and warehouses make it especially popular for atmospheric scenes across different time periods.

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Follow the paths around the basin and you’ll see why it’s used so often on screen, with the mix of water, brick warehouses and iron bridges giving it a naturally cinematic feel.

Make a quick detour to Mamucium Roman Fort, the site where Manchester began. It’s a short stop, but it adds a nice sense of depth to what you’re seeing around you.

When you’re ready for a break, The Wharf is a solid canalside option for a drink or something to eat, especially if you can sit outside. If you fancy something a bit busier, Dukes 92 has a livelier feel and a large outdoor space by the canal which proves popular during the summer months.

If you want to keep exploring, follow the canal towards the Science and Industry Museum - a great place for learning all about Manchester's rich industrial past.

Centred around vibrant Canal Street, offering a unique atmosphere with bars, pubs and clubs.

On screen

The Village is inseparable from Manchester’s screen identity thanks to Queer as Folk and It’s a Sin. Canal Street also features in Finding Emily, with scenes shot directly along the canal.

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For a relaxed start, The Molly House is a cosy, low‑key spot with a friendly feel, ideal for easing into the evening. Just around the corner, Richmond Tea Rooms offers something completely different, a colourful, Alice in Wonderland‑inspired tearoom known for afternoon teas and over‑the‑top interiors, and it’s become a popular Village stop in its own right.

If you’re after something with more energy, Via and New York New York sit right on the canal and are classic Village bars, with music, open doors and a crowd that builds as the night goes on.

For something completely different, Oscars leans into a more theatrical night out, mixing musical film clips, live singers and cocktails, with a crowd that tends to get involved.

If you’re interested in the story behind it all, Manchester also has a dedicated LGBTQ+ walking trail that runs through Canal Street and the wider Village, highlighting key moments, venues and figures from the city’s queer history.

From there, it’s easy to take things as they come, whether that’s hopping between bars or finding a spot and settling in for the night.

Explore beyond the city centre to see how Greater Manchester as a whole plays a starring role on screen.

The Film & TV trail doesn’t stop at Manchester city centre. Several productions have used locations across Greater Manchester, making these places ideal extensions for visitors staying longer or looking to explore further afield.

Bolton

Bolton has become one of the most recognisable filming locations in Greater Manchester, largely thanks to Le Mans Crescent. This imposing Grade I listed crescent has been used repeatedly in productions including Peaky Blinders and A Gentleman in Moscow, often standing in for European cities and historic streets.

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Walk the full curve of Le Mans Crescent to appreciate why it’s such a favourite with location scouts, then explore Bolton town centre, which has a mix of heritage buildings, markets and cafés. Bolton Market is a good local stop for food if you want to ground the visit in everyday life rather than just filming locations.
 

Stockport

Stockport’s historic streets and viaduct views have made it a popular filming destination in recent years, appearing in productions including The Stranger and Peaky Blinders. The town’s older areas are frequently used for scenes requiring texture, character and a strong sense of place.

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Explore Stockport Old Town, with its historic market place and independent shops. The Underbanks area is particularly atmospheric, with stone buildings, small cafés and bars tucked into winding streets. If you’re interested in industrial heritage beyond filming, the Stockport Viaduct is a striking landmark worth seeing up close.
 

MediaCity (Salford Quays)

MediaCity is one of the most recognisable modern filming locations in Greater Manchester and is home to long‑running TV production, including Coronation Street. While very different in feel to the city centre’s historic areas, it plays a major role in Manchester’s screen identity.

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Walk around MediaCityUK to get a sense of how TV is made in Manchester today. You can spot the exterior of the Coronation Street set, explore the waterfront, and stop for food or drinks at Dockyard, The Alchemist MediaCity, or Seven Bro7hers at Salford Quays. The area is easy to reach by tram and works well as a half‑day addition to the itinerary.
 

Rochdale

Rochdale has featured in a number of productions thanks to its historic civic architecture and surrounding Pennine landscape. Locations here have appeared in series such as Peaky Blinders, where the town’s buildings convincingly double for earlier eras.

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Visit Rochdale Town Hall, one of the most impressive Gothic Revival town halls in the country and a standout filming location. Pair it with a walk around Rochdale Town Centre, or explore nearby countryside if you want to combine screen tourism with a change of pace from the city.