Knock, knock. Who’s there? Secret bar. OoOh.

There comes a point in your adulthood where you feel the urge to reign in your drinking habits.

For me, this is currently spurred on by the trend in vegan brunches, yoga classes and ‘look after yourself’ memes #blessed.

ImgFlip

Luckily, I’ve discovered secret bars so now I can hide my ‘should have gone to the gym’ shame somewhere where nobody can find me.

Take The Washhouse in Manchester – disguised as a laundrette from the outside, any unassuming stranger would have thought I was acing my domestic adulthood chores . Little did they know, I’d actually booked myself a table in the secret cocktail bar hidden behind the washing machine.

The Washhouse Trip Advisor

But, the only problem with a secret bar is finding it … there’s one which opened up locally to me and I’m sure the only reason it’s quiet is because nobody actually know it’s there.

I fell victim to this hipster trap when my mum and I ventured out to a trendy bar in Liverpool. This bar’s secret was that it looked like someone’s front door – all you had to do was knock and let yourself in. Conveniently, this bar is situated … next to someone’s house.

I can only apologise to the air bnb guests for my loud door bashing followed by repetitive chants of “let me in, I want cocktails!!”

Betches

Still, there’s a lot of fun to be had when you’re opening secret doors, remembering passwords, going down hidden staircases and pretending to do your washing all for the sake of a cocktail.

Here’s a list of the best hidden bars in Manchester, enjoy! 

Drink Aware