Cloud 23 Manchester Review: Drinks Above the City

There are few occasions in life when paying £50 for the privilege of sitting next to a window seems like a perfectly reasonable decision. At home, for instance, the arrangement is generally complimentary. But this was Cloud 23 in Manchester, where the windows come with an entire city spread out beneath them, and suddenly the economics begin to make a little more sense.

We'd spent Saturday evening at Winsome, enjoying dinner before heading across the city for a 10pm reservation. Cocktails seemed a fitting conclusion to an already rather indulgent evening, and I'd booked a guaranteed window table at Cloud 23. At £50, it was a considered decision, although considerably less difficult to justify when you've already committed to the evening.

Besides, if you're going to drink cocktails 23 floors above Manchester, you might as well see Manchester.

A rather grand entrance

Cloud 23 sits on the 23rd floor of Beetham Tower, and there's a pleasing sense of occasion to arriving.

Downstairs, a dedicated reception area and red ropes give proceedings a slightly theatrical quality. Your reservation is checked before you're directed towards the express lift, which dispatches you skywards at a speed that makes your ears question the wisdom of the journey.

Beetham Tower, where the evening begins.

The lift to the 23rd floor.

Then the doors open.

Manchester, it turns out, looks rather magnificent from above.

By 10pm the skyline was a glittering patchwork of illuminated buildings, streetlights and ribbons of moving traffic. The city stretched out into the darkness, looking considerably more romantic than cities generally manage at pavement level.

Our window table gave us an uninterrupted view. Consequently, I was immediately glad we'd booked it. The interior is contemporary and comfortably luxurious, with plush seating, muted colours and lighting kept low enough to let the skyline do the showing off.

It's a clever arrangement. The room is attractive, certainly, but it knows perfectly well that nobody has come up here to admire the upholstery.

A little Manchester in a glass

Next came the drinks. The cocktail menu celebrates the city, with signature creations drawing inspiration from Manchester's heritage and character.

We began with Tart in the City and Worker Bee, two cocktails that sounded sufficiently interesting to distract us, briefly, from the view.

Tart in the City takes its inspiration from the Manchester tart, reimagining those familiar pudding flavours with raspberry, cherry, coconut, vanilla and lemon. It's fruity, fragrant and gently indulgent, with enough citrus to keep the sweetness in check. A nostalgic dessert given a rather glamorous second career.

The Worker Bee, meanwhile, was an altogether different proposition. Rum, coconut, pistachio and matcha come together in a creamy, nutty combination that sounds as though several ingredients have arrived at the wrong cocktail party. Happily, they get along beautifully.

Both were delicious and presented with considerable care. These are cocktails designed to be admired before they're drunk, although we managed not to prolong the admiration unnecessarily.

The cocktail menu has a little fun with Manchester.

For our second round, we returned to more familiar territory with an Espresso Martini and a Brandy Alexander.

The Espresso Martini remains one of life's more dependable pleasures, while the Brandy Alexander, with its rich combination of brandy, chocolate and cream, feels like something one ought to drink in a velvet armchair while discussing an inheritance.

I had no inheritance to discuss, but enjoyed the cocktail enormously.

A selection of moreish bar snacks appeared alongside our drinks. Not strictly necessary after dinner, but then neither was a second round of cocktails. We were clearly some distance beyond necessity by this point.

The pleasure of being properly looked after

There's a fine line between a venue feeling exclusive and making its guests feel as though they ought to be grateful for admission.

Cloud 23 gets the balance right.

The staff were wonderfully attentive throughout our visit, and the service felt polished without being overly formal. We felt looked after, but never fussed over, which is precisely how I like an evening to unfold.

On a Saturday night, the atmosphere had a lovely sense of occasion. Low lighting, beautifully presented drinks and the city twinkling beyond the glass made it feel special without becoming terribly self-important.

Perhaps that's what I enjoyed most. Despite the premium setting, it was an easy place to settle in, order another drink and allow a couple of hours to disappear.

Nobody appeared to be in any great hurry, least of all us.

Cloud 23 Manchester review: is it worth the money?

It would be disingenuous to describe Cloud 23 as inexpensive.

We'd booked the £50 guaranteed window-table experience and spent around £80 during our visit. This is a luxury cocktail bar, with pricing to match.

However, value isn't always a question of how much something costs. Sometimes it's about whether the experience lives up to the expectation, and in this case, I thought it did.

The view is extraordinary, the bar team makes thoughtful and beautiful cocktails, and the service is excellent. More importantly, the whole evening feels like an occasion rather than simply somewhere to have a drink.

Would I come here for a casual Tuesday night pint? Certainly not. Although I suspect the staff would be equally confused by the request.

For a birthday, anniversary, romantic evening or simply an excuse to make something of a weekend away, however, I think Cloud 23 makes a very convincing case for itself.

And I'd absolutely book the window table again.

Personal visit: October 2026. Booking terms, menu and prices may change; check directly with the venue before visiting.