You'll find Via on Manchester’s famous Canal Street, the central street in Manchester’s Gay Village. In the area, there's a whole host of bars, restaurants, pubs, and clubs which are huge social hubs for Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community.
Open since 1995, Via is one of these, and a staple on the Canal Street scene. A cabaret venue, it’s a lively spot for an evening in the city, where you’ll watch a range of extravagant artists’ live performances. Via is a bar, restaurant, and nightclub rolled into one – everything you could possibly need for a great night out.
On Via’s main menu, you’ll find a range of pub classics, with many dishes suited to sharing. The most obvious of these is ‘The Crowd Pleaser’, a platter of eight chicken wings, garlic bread, onion rings, southern fried chicken goujons, halloumi skewers, and cheesy BBQ beef burnt ends topped nachos in a beet tortilla bowl (that was a mouthful). Via recommends washing this particular platter down with its American style ales or IPAs, or really any other drink that takes your fancy.
Small plates are equally well-suited to sharing, coming in at three for £11.50, five for £16.50, or £5 each. There are tacos with a range of fillings, halloumi skewers, gyoza, and chicken with Korean BBQ sauce. Not to be outdone, you’ll also find some larger plates of peri-peri chicken with sides, fish and chips, and mac and cheese (you can add a range of extra toppings on!). In short, this is a menu which dabbles in a bit of everything, but will really hit the spot to fuel you for a big night out.
There's an outside seating area, and a smoking area, so you’ve got some choice when it comes to seating. Via is also dog-friendly, which is good to know (although it might be considered a little strange to bring your pooch along to 1am dancing sessions.).