The Temple of Convenience

A quirky little place. only worth visiting to see how weird it is. i seem to remember it had good music on the jukebox and pretty good beer. other than that it is actually a toilet.

The Temple is something of an institution. People chatter excitedly about the jukebox it has. In fairness to it, it is a very good juke indeed (provided you're a muso git like me who like to press buttons and get Velvet Underground and Stooges tracks in return).

To talk about the Temple and not mention the fact it is a converted public toilet is something of a cliche... however, it's one that can't be avoided. That's because it still smells like a public toilet.

It's a tiny little dank place that really does suffer from the smoking ban. No matter where you sit, the wafting fingers of urine follow you around... yet... unfathomably, it doesn't seem to be a problem.

That is probably something to do with the patrons who frequent the place. You see, The Temple is almost a one bar revival of the indie clubs of the '80s and '90s. It's all retro trainers and people huddled around tables talking about b-sides and, as such, the slight grimmery acts as a sort of nostalgic theme park for those that remember (or indeed, thrive on a borrowed nostalgia) the times when indie music wasn't completely overground.

So if you're a bit of a dolly bird or a man with fake tan and pectoral muscles that are squeezed into pristine white t-shirts with sequinned logos on, you'll walk into this place and dry-heave.

For those who fondly recall the nation's skanky boozers that helped oil your wheels before going off to a grotty dancefloor to dance to New FADS or Suede, this place will put a dewy fondness in your eyes as you guzzle down the decent beer.

This is a no-frills night out... and a good one at that. Blink and you'll walk straight by as this is literally under ground.

It’s hardly surprising this underground bar always rates so highly in ‘Best Bar’ polls. Although it’s located in a former public toilet (it used to be called The Temple of Convenience, geddit?), it offers a far-from-shabby selection of tasty continental beers, both bottled and on draught. It also boasts one of the City’s finest jukeboxes!

One of the best and worst things about the Temple is its size. It’s an absolutely tiny place with just a handful of tables, so you feel a bit like you’re in someone’s front room when you’re relaxing in here! However, it can be frustrating if you can’t find a seat. My advice is to get in early and, if it’s full, head for the ace Peveril of the Peak pub down the road instead!

Smelly, dirty and thoroughly unhygienic - these are all terms that have been used to describe the Temple of Convenience (so called because it's situated in a disused Victorian gentleman's toilet) since it opened in the late 1990s, but for me, it's a little sub section of heaven on Oxford Road.

I've been "worshipping" in the Temple for years, and nothing much has really changed bar it being a little less dingy since the smoking ban was introduced. It still has ripped red vinyl seats, an excellent selection of draft beers, and a jukebox filled with Tom Waites tunes for the broken hearted and whiskey soaked amongst us. And I'll swear blind that its toilets (which - by the way - are not for the faint hearted) provide a gallery for some of the best and funniest graffiti seen in any bar in the whole of Greater Manchester.

I've fallen in love in the Temple, I've fallen out of love in the Temple - I even once got a hug and a free whiskey and coke off Guy Garvey in there once after he accidentally spilled my drink. Don't come here if you want a place which is clean, well lit and polite. But if you're looking for a atmospheric drinking den filled with good music, good drink and sad eyed barmaids, you've come to the right place.

Nasty smelly pub not much bigger than a wardrobe. Don't know what all the fuss is about unless you like the smell of second hand clothes and people who look like they live under a viaduct.

Friendly, reasonably priced…but some what strange!

A bizarre mix of people….

Worth a visit for the experience but probably wont go back!

One of the smallest bars I’ve ever seen, if you visit the Temple with, say, 10 friends, you will pretty much fill it. I’ve never really like this bar hugely, it comes across as a place that has its locals and other people aren’t really too welcome.

There’s a decent selection of beers and its reasonably priced for a bar near the city centre. Worth a visit for the novelty factor, but don’t expect to feel welcome!

A very cool underground bar on Oxford Road.

My favourite thing about this place is can you pretty must just disappear. Blink and you’ll miss this place entirely, which isnt a bad thing if you’re trying to avoid someone…just dive down the stairs and you’re safe!

The choice of drinks is adequate, bt as it gets more popular it gets harder and harder to actually enojy yourself here. Which is a bit of a shame, but i guess thats the same everywhere as places start to build a reputation for itself.

Staff are friendly and quick at serving, which increases your chances of actually getting a table!

an important part of the indie trail in city centre . pref one of the first ones of the evening b4 9-5 robots get out of there blocks of workstations in room 101
great dukebox mellow bar bit of people watching. some rock types meld with indie kids quite well in here wich makes it special as all the rock bars so close….a magically different bar and fab when it rains and water pours down stairs…..beers fine and yes few indie faces from bands do put there face in for a quiet scoop ,theyll let on but they just want to be left alone mostly.

Remember that this is a converted toilet so it’s not very big. Try to get there before 8 o’clock. You still might not get a table though. The range of beer is good but mainly bottles of European beer. It’s a good place for a couple of pints. I wouldn’t want to stay for the evening though. The music is generally very good.

Plain and simple, it was a big disappointment. Smelly, no real ale, crowded & disinterested staff. Sorry but I walked straight out.

yes the temple is cute and has a bohemian feel to it that is exaggerated by having the tables crammed next to each other and being underground. Beers are all pretty cool from around the world and it, amazingly, doesnt smell of toilets (well sometimes at the bar a few hoppy bum smells can be hovering)

This is the best bar in a toilet that I have ever been to, or make that the only one! You descend into this tiny oddity down a small staircase loated just off the main road. It is a brilliant little to place to bring visitors but does’t quite cut it as a regular haunt.

They stock a good range of continental beers, but the prices aren’t cheap. The major failing and success of this bar is its size. It is so small that most times you can’t get a seat and you end up standing squeezed next to someone else desperately looking around for those showing signs of departure. However, if you are one of the lucky smug few to get a seat then you can while away a cosy and intimate evening laughing at those fools who came to the toilet too late.

An extremely cool and unusual underground bar in Manchester city centre. Can be quite hard to discover, basically there is a small sign 'The Temple’, above some steps, which do actually lead down to a bar.

This place oozes character, but the main attraction is also its main downfall. The bar is extremely small, and you may struggle to find a seat. It is so small that there is not really any standing room either. If you can get a seat, however, it is definitely worth a visit. There is a good range of more unusual beers. Not cheap but worth the extra cost than going to your run of the mill local.

Small, dark and perfectly formed bar. A perfect way to escape the loonies on Oxford Road. Your man out of Elbow is often spotted hanging about but I wonder if he’ll get to frequent it less now that he’s gone stratospheric?

Blink and you’ll miss it. What on earth is down there?! Its a bar!!! Converted from public toilets to a bar, this little gem of a hideaway is seriously effortless rock’n’roll.

Interesting place, very very small but definately worth a visit just for the experience. Staff are friendly and the cost of drinks is fairly reasonable.

great place! lovely bar area, clean toilets, and fab music!

Not been in this place for years and from what I hear the only thing that has changed is the owner. Built by Rafe out of an old toilet, the cruisers moved out and the Hulme crowd moved in. Many a night was spent till 4 in the morning with the locals from neighbouring Hulme (after the Sal closed), when the rest of Manchester shut down at 11 - that’s how far advanced this place was in it’s time! Rafe was a legend and I remember well the night that Labour trashed the Tory party and we trashed the Temple at 6 in the morning. Great memories which live on, like the Temple. I’m giving it 5 stars for as I remember it in the 90s but as for now, see other reviews.

Another great subterranean drinking den in Manchester. This one is perhaps eclipsing Corbieres in terms of notoriety due to it being a haunt of the mighty Guy Garvey and the location from which he recently broadcast on of his superb Sunday shows for 6Music.

Every time I visit this place I’m amazed again at just how shabby the interior is. But fear not, it’s all part of the charm and after a few bottles of Schneider Weiss you won’t notice that. You can only fit a hatful of people into The Temple, so its not for the claustrophobic. It’s pretty unique though. And that’s what I love about the place.

A good selection of beers and drinks from all over the world. There’s always an interesting mix of people there too. Another good early evening stop off. But beware, once you arrive it’s very hard to mount the steep stairs again and leave!