Odder, Manchester

rubbish music, VERY weird people, looks like a hoarder’s house that much full of crap on the shelves & not cheap!

Odder could have fallen victim of trying to live up to the fame and spirit of their elder brother. Instead, they decided to play it cool and offer something different. The result is a chilled bar with small tables, leather sofas, mirrors, and oxen heads in hats on the walls. It is ideal for an intimate night out, but I've been there with larger parties of professionals, and it was just as good. I cannot comment on food, but the drinks are the usual mix of wines and beers, complimented by a regular quiz. A good antidote to the minimalist Kro Bar across the road and a chain of clubs and pubs around Oxford Road station.

This was Odder’s second bar in Manchester. It’s just opposite the BBC - an area the owners have tried to rebrand ‘the Southern Quarter’. Needless to say, that hasn’t really worked out. But, fortunately, the bar itself works very nicely!

One thing I love about this place is the atmosphere: there’s a free jukebox that allows you to choose the playlist, really lovely staff and quirky décor, which gives the place lots of charm. The upstairs room always seems really relaxed, too – even at the weekends!

The food and drink is also excellent here. Nothing is particularly cheap, but it’s all about the quality! You can choose between real ales from local and indie brewers, continental beers, gorgeous Stowford Press draught cider and much more. The food offers just as good a selection. And better still, it’s also well-priced and veggie and vegan friendly. I particularly love their weekend pie and pint deal for £7.95!

Probably my favourite bar in the 'Southern Quarter'. This place has a lot of charm and style. Featuring a small-ish downstairs and a roomy upstairs, and traditional-pub-gone-indie-venue furnishings and decor, it's a nice place to sit back and relax and listen to some music you forgot you loved. Loads of events nights and reasonably-priced, tasty food (which comes in huge portions!).

Situated in the old "Zumbar" on Oxford Road, Odder has long been one of my favourite Manchester bars. It's cheap and cheerful, filled with colourful wall decorations (and even more colourful bar staff), and also serves damn tasty food for reasonable prices (I can highly recommend their pizza-and-beer-for-£5 deal). And if that wasn't enough for your liking, they also tend to have some pretty bloody good DJs on there most nights of the week too.

I think the thing I love best about Odder is that I've been in when I've been absolutely achingly skint and still had a brilliant night. The clientele tends to be mostly student based, but you get the odd media professional popping in from the BBC across the road too. Indeed, I'd argue that it's one of the few places in Manchester where you could strike up a conversation with a friendly stranger over a bottle of cherry beer.

The highlight of Odder's offerings though is undoubtedly their Tuesday night pub quiz, "Quizimodo", a riotous blend of madcap dares, silly questions, and musical pass-the-parcel rounds which can see you going home with either a prize fresh out of the pound shop or £100.

Unique, quirky, friendly and cheap, Odder is certainly one of the best bars in Central Manchester - and undoubtedly the only place to be seen drinking on Oxford Road.

Odder, the relative of Odd (City Centre), Oddest (Chorlton) and presumably Oddly Oddlington (La La Land), lives where Zumbar used to reside on Oxford Road.

It's a quirky little place filled with strange ornaments and fake-fur bear heads. Yes, bear heads.

There's a good range of drinks behind the bar, from real ale, decent lagers and a big range of spirits. The prices are reasonable and often, there's decent offers that get you a (pretty nice) pie and a pint.

They do have DJs on upstairs, but as yet, there doesn't seem to be a running theme leaving the place suffering from something of an identity crisis.

That said, it's not a bad thing as such. It's an eclectic place that's worth popping in to. However, one thing is that many people go to eat upstairs and then the DJs come on, leaving many with a bit of indigestion.

It's a decent little bar that could be brilliant with a few tweaks.

Owned by the same people as Odd in the Northern Quarter, Odder is located on Oxford Road just opposite the BBC. A quirky little bar, this place offers a good selection of beers and spirits. The food is pretty good and not overly expensive. I think the drink prices are a little steep though.

Residing in the former home of Zumbar on Oxford Road opposite the BBC, Odder is the sister bar to Odd in the Northern Quarter (I assume if they open another one it’ll be called Oddest, don’t know where they go from there though…)

Much bigger than its sister bar, its bizzare decor includes a multi-coloured bar area and fake stuffed bear heads over the door - it really is impossible to describe everything that adorns their walls, you’ll have to see if for yourself!

They do have an ecletic and impressive array of spirits behind the bar, and some interesting beers and ales (though no cider) on tap - they do have some good special offers like £1.50 bottled beers or £6 bottles of wine at certain times of day, though the prices of their other drinks are definitely on the high side.

They do have some good DJs spinning an ecletic mix of tunes upstairs at the weekends (once heard a brass band version of Sexual Healing in here, strange but cool!)

Despite this, it’s not my favourite bar around - like Trof, I think it’s trying too hard to be uber-cool and hip and it doesn’t really do it for me. Not a bar I visit that regularly, though it’s definitely worth a look once in a while…

Odder bar on Oxford Road is much better than its sister bar in the northern quarter. It’s less poncey, more relaxed and bigger. The decor is interesting and makes a change from the usual dingy bar / oldy worldy pub look. Good range of drinks, real ale and decent priced food if you’re peckish. The pizzas are good.

4 stars to Odder. I love hanging around the downstairs bar at night. It’s cool, refreshing, nice friendly staff. Upstairs is a bit loud for me (can’t you tell I’m getting old) - but that is one of the good things about this bar. It’s on the student corrider yet not full of students. I have drunk silly in there with filmmakers and stars of the big screen on many an occassion. And Cleo is cool - but she’s never there! 8/10.

PS. I wish Cleo would stop using the Word Odd - her next bar is going to be called Oddest! What next. We want her to open a plain and simple Cleo’s Bar!!!!

The sister bar to Northern Quarter’s 'Odd Bar’, Odder spins off into a realm of its own somewhere on Oxford Road. Could it go on to achieve new levels of wackiness, and be the crazy that Odd Bar just.couldn’t.be? It’s about the same. A rich variety of beer and good food, designed for optimum chillaxing between friends. On a side note, if you are thinking of visiting, try to coincide it with the quiz night known as 'Quizimodo’ which is always good for a lark.

Odder is a fun little bar situated right opposite the BBC on Oxford Road. It’s got some crazy decor that may be truly inspired, or it may have been the product of a run of luck at a kitch car boot sale.

Ambience during the week is pretty relaxed with fairly unobtrusive music, making it a nice place to hang out for a chat over a pint. The drinks selection is very decent, with some lesser known brands available that don’t feature in the larger chains.

Quite a few friends have raved to me about the food in Odder, though the couple of times I have eaten there it was pretty mediocre fare. I’d suggest the quality may be a bit haphazard - either that or I need to get some more discerning friends.

Overall a nice little place that isn’t too loud, pretentious or expensive.

Sister bar to Odd in the Northern Quarter, Odder sits an initially ‘odd’ location for such a bar (facing the main thoroughfare of Oxford Road) but soon beings to make sense. There’s a real sense that this could be a genuine new quarter just south of the city (it’s currently referred to as ‘Oxford Road BBC’ on the bus). With Kro 2 just over the road, the Cornerhouse, perhaps a little further up and Pure Space (Generation X back in the day) we now have a destination you can stick around in rather than a quick meet up and onto elsewhere. Tentatively titled either Southern Quarter (original eh?) or Southern Gateway. There are ambitious plans (once the BBC vacate Oxford Road and move to MediaCity and once money is secured for huge transport plans) to regenerate a huge sway of Oxford Road with designs on Barcelona’s Las Rambla’s and may be known as City South.
Odder bar has certainly staked a claim on these initial forays into drawing more life (it’s a busy area already) towards the leisure end.
Artistically and eclectically (well travelled owner?) designed like the original Odd, Odder has a sense of the Ornate and ‘nu National Trustism’ within it’s décor. The first time I visited I thought they only had a ground floor. On my second visit I was shown upstairs (which is pretty large, dark and great looking) and instantly took the place to heart (as I did with Odd in the NQ). Good views over Oxford Road (it’s a corner building) part of which is overlooking the fortress like BBC studio’s (which of course is very likely condemned).
Drinks wise spot on: Premium ales alongside the Raspberry and Cherry beers; various vodka’s; decent wine list and rums, gins and whiskeys.
Fresh pizza’s are available amongst other bar food also.

Part of the family of Odd bars, this is another quirky gem of a watering hole. The decor is ecclectic, and reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. The music somehow manages to combine upbeat and funky with laid back and chilled, and has live music evenings too.

The crowd here is a mixture of the more sophisticated student, with the older 20-something year old who likes their bar with more character and less chain-brand.

Can get pretty crowded on weekend evenings, but you can still get a decent conversation in amongst the upbeat atmosphere.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Odder, a welcome addition to Oxford Road. The décor is unique and rings true with the atmosphere. The drinks are priced higher than one would pay in a typical chain bar, however this is something that you might just need to accept if you want to enjoy what is undoubtedly a sound venue. The food is excellent and the sizes of the portions match the prices. In other words, whether you are starving or just a little peckish there will be something here to fit your stomach and your budget. Enjoy!

Odder by name, Odder by nature, this bar has a unique feel, mainly due to the kitsch-chic decor. Packed out at the weekends, the two floors offer comfy seating, a good variety of drinks and a lively atmopshere. If you like this bar, try the original award winning Odd in the Northern Quarter.

Odder is managed by the same people who run Odd bar on Thomas Street and is definitely Odder than Odd bar. The interior has fake bear heads wearing hats on the wall and amazing kitsch furniture, with an eclectic soundtrack to match. It is on two floors and at the weekend turns into a night-club with a small dance floor. The prices are cheap and the food is good. They also have tables and chairs for smokers. Recommended.