The Deaf Institute

Loved this quirky bar which is part of the Trof chain which i love. I came in for a few drinks before heading off to the Manchester Academy to see a gig.
I loved the whole layout of the place with scattered tables here and there, staff are young, friendly and easy to chat to, drinks were great priced and they also have a daily happy hour but we just missed it by an hour. They have a great selection of beers to choose from and there own draft beer which i particularly like.
We will definitely come back and maybe see a gig in there upstairs music room.

One of my favourite gig venues in manchester. The place just feels cool, never mind the awesome sound and cool layhout.
Used to love going to revolver hippy nights, not sure they do those anymore though?

We popped into the DI for a mid Saturday evening pint on the way to Manchester Academy to see a gig. I was actually really impressed with how chilled out it was at this time, it would seem Saturday around 8pm is time for chilling in the main bar/​lounge.
Good tunes, good beers at good prices (the Longhammer IPA was only £4 a pint) and a nice clientele — just what we were after.
This place is multi-​faceted with gigs and club nights upstairs (very impressive hall) and they also do a variety of food, mainly catering to the burger side of life (although I hear their Sunday Roast is also pretty good)
Hoping to get to a gig here soon, probably more likely I’ll be back for more beer even before then.

I went to the deaf institue last year to watch some live music
it was ok! but the place was small .
they sell arrange of cook food but didnt get a drink as they only seemed
to sell mens drinks of beer and cider and largers so that was disappointing!
I been to much bettar bars and pubs on and behind oxford road so this
place for me is a no no!

Deaf is excellent for a beer or a burger, or both.
The Trof brand extends through to this bigger site well, and they’ve long since proved themselves as a fantastic venue for drinking, dancing, live bands, gigs or indeed a chilled out Sunday lunch.
Their menu isn’t expansive, but they have a great selection for carnivores and the vegetarians amongst us too. It changes fairly regularly aswell.
They have great options on breakfast baps and coffee/​tea etc, but I’m less than enamoured by the quality of their breakfast ingredients. Their burgers are far better.
Drinks selection is very large — their cocktail list comprehensive and fun, and their beers range from the Trof standard to more expensive premiums.
It’s been a while, but I think they still have a pub quiz (perhaps when the students return in the Autumn), and regular variations in music style in between club nights and gigs.
It’s definitely one to avoid when there’s an event on — the youngsters tend to rough the place up a bit, but you should check it out especially in the day or on a Sunday for chillout and a nice cocktail.

This place is right by office. I go quite a lot for a lunch.
The food is great, are chips always hot, burgers always juicy and you can pick up the Trof Dog here too. Which if you haven’t tried you really should. The milkshakes are worth a go to, thick and yummy with ice cream.
In the evening this place is good to hangout, good music and good drinks.

I have seen two concerts at the Deaf Institute now (the gorgeous Sarah Blasko and the oh-​so-​cool Fanfarlo.) It is a fantastic small venue — just the right size for an intimate audience without being too squishy. It is a fairly basic stage set up (although who doesn’t love a giant disco ball hanging from the ceiling?) but the sound quality is good and there is easy access to the private bar. Brilliant. The drinks are well priced, particularly if you get in for the £3.50 happy hour cocktails. I had a Dark & Stormy which had a surprisingly light and cheery affect on me.
There is plenty of seating and some out door areas that I am yet to explore. Bring on summer!

The Deaf Institute is a great music venue. The upstairs area is very well set up — nothing obstructing your view, stadium seating area at the back and gallery up one side while a bar runs the whole length of the other. So far, so excellent. Drinks are cheap, service is fast. You won’t get the cocktail menu from downstairs but they’ve got various delicious things such as Brewdog Dead Pony in cans.
The gig itself was great (Forest Swords) although srsly, crowds, why don’t you clap for an encore? It’s just rude not to… The audience was actually enormous, perhaps a little too many people for comfort actually (and surely for fire safety) and they only put the air con after the gig by which time everyone was boiling. Weirdly, a lot of people were wearing coats despite the presence of a cloakroom/​the general proclivity of Mancunians to wear t shirts in gales. These hipsters…
I had assumed this was predominately a music venue so was very surprised to find a full café/​bar downstairs which, as well as its own live acts, apparently does pretty good food and cocktails. Will be sure to return.

Good for: HAPPY HOUR, upstairs event hosting, smokers, sweet potato lovers
Bad for: light-​weights, going in not hungry then seeing/​smelling the delicious food your neighbour has just ordered and suddenly becoming ravenous.

Loved this place when I visited! Gorgeous food, hilarious wall paper in the ladies bathroom (I won’t spoil the surprise) and just a really interesting quirky place to eat. Small bottle of Fruli was £4.50 which annoyed me but over all, a top place to eat.

What do I love about The Trofs? Ohhh, just about everything. I love that I can get obscure beers here. I love that in my experience, the staff have been all kinds of really nice. Like, seriously. Between Cheekbones in Fallowfield, some guy who though he vaguely knew me in the NQ and made me some ridiculous frothy coffee which had hazelnut in it, to the lady here. At first, I was completely confused. The weather was delicious and I was seeking a place with wifi and outdoor seating, so in I sauntered and clocked the sign reading ‘outdoor terrace’. After lingering around the bar a bit and looking at the specials board, a girl who I thought was another customer stood at the bar said, ‘Hi. You okay?’
‘Oh yeah, fine thanks!’ I replied. ‘Just deciding what to drink. You?
Yeah, good thank you. What can I get you?‘
No, I wasn’t being chatted up — she was working here. Pity, it’s always nice to know I have a way with the ladies. Still, how lovely! Just chilled out friendly conversation. Anyways I ordered and was able to set up a tab, so ventured out onto said terrace and waited for my mum to join me with a cheeky Friday glass of white.
THIS TERRACE!
Okay, it won’t be for everyone. But I think it’s ace. You climb up a ladder to a platform — yes, a ladder — and there’s just one picnic bench and a balcony-​sized terrace. It’s brilliant. It has walls at the back and feels really private, and since you’re likely to be the only one up there, it could well be. When someone brought me my wine they had to pass it up to me as traversing said ladder with a glass could have been tricky! It was even funnier after my mum arrived and they brought the food.
Another thing I love about The Trofs is that there’ll always be slight differences between the menus. Certain dishes you can only get at specific locations. We went for a chicken niçoise salad and a pork and chorizo burger split between us, and they were both divine and didn’t cost the earth. Complaints not coming, certainly not from me.
All-​round great experience. I know this is the place to be for gigs, but it’s also the place to come for some serious al fresco entertainment! A ladder. Just brilliant.

I’ve never had the opportunity to visit the Deaf Institute after dark but I did have the pleasure of visiting it’s lovely little eatery on one sunny afternoon! I’m not sure whether to call the «Ground Floor Café Bar» Trof or the Deaf Institute, there are so many members of the growing Trof family that I get easily confused.
When I visited I had just finished my exams and as my Summer was beginning my experience may have been through rose tinted glasses, but that’s fine with me as I thoroughly enjoyed myself!
There’s a lovely casual atmosphere in this place, I don’t know whether it is the friendly staff who are constantly joking back and forth with each other or the laid back, open plan seating; but it makes for a lovely chilled lunch and I felt as though everyone there was 100% stress free!
The actual seating I did have bit of a problem with. Now I’m all up for odd bod and miss matched décor and I get the look they are going for, but they could at least make sure that the seats are comfy! Sitting on one of the booths was a right palaver as it acted as more of a slide than a seat, every few minutes involved repositioning myself and the crusty leather which insisted on sticking to my tights added to my annoyance! My friend was sat opposite on a tiny little stool which looked as if it was going to give way under his petite bottom; so the moral of the story is that you must ensure comfort for my derrière before you can impress me!
Other than that, no complaints! I loved how Veggie friendly the menu was, not that I wish less flesh for the eaters of meat but I feel Veggie’s are neglected in the world of hospitality and so it’s nice when people pay them a bit of attention!
I had a falafel burger with carrot chutney on a toasted brioche bun and it was truly delicious. A few more chips wouldn’t have gone a miss but the ones I did have were bloody beautiful! Twenty quid for two meals and four drinks cant be too bad and with my friends trusty Trof card we got a discount, this makes me happy as a customers loyalty should always be appreciated!

Ah! After months of vehemently asserting that upstairs at the Deaf Institute is one of THE best gig venues in Manchester I now have to introduce a caveat — not for early gigs in summer.
Yes, the garish wall-​paper still, weirdly, works, yes the wall of speakers behind the bar still looks cool as and, of course, the massive disco ball over the dance floor is still, well, a massive disco ball. So what’s different? The difference is that thanks to an unfortunate combo of BST and a glass panel roof until, say 21:00 the room is flooded with daylight.
So, until late evening, a space that usually gains a lot of its charm from bearing a quirky resemblance to your old scout/​brownie hut actually just feels like your old scout/​brownie hut. Not only does the poor old support act have to deal with the usual support-​act related woes (namely, playing to a mostly empty room while most of the punters are in the bar downstairs) but they also need to create some kind of atmosphere in a space with all the ambiance of, well, a scout/​brownie hut. Save from getting everyone involved in a chorus of ‘Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree’ they’re kind of fighting a losing battle to try and break the ice.
Of course, by the time the main act swans on it’s all a bit darker and a lot more conducive to a gig venue. Unfortunately, in my case it then transpired that the band I had endured several flashbacks to frequent tellings-​off from Brown Owl for was actually pretty terrible but oh well!

A bit overpriced for their beers and not great wines but good cocktails.
I’ve been there twice, once for a gig which was great fun. They have some really good line ups.
What put me off was the second time i went there, there was vomit in 2 corners and the bar staff were rude.

I’ve been here many times, but only for gigs upstairs, so I resisted the urge to review it until I had chance to visit specifically for its cocktails and food as well. I love the upstairs which is used for live music, its small, cosy and intimate. Tickets bought for a gig here will be classed as general admission, but that means you get a choice of either standing room on the dance floor, tiered seating towards the back or if you get there earlier, you could be lucky enough to sit on the small balcony to the side of the stage. The bar does get busy up here, but that is to be expected when there is live music on, but gaze at the enormous glitter ball hanging from the ceiling or the stare at the parrots on the wall whilst waiting to be served, that’s what I do!
On the ground floor is the Café Bar and open from 9am you could start the day with a Royal Breakfast or Eggs Benedict washed down with a frothy coffee, currently they are doing an offer of a breakfast butty and coffee for £3 and if you can’t face a full English, they also do a light breakie for £4. I went for lunch and although disappointed that the Falafel was temporarily off the menu, I was more than happy with the replacement of the Ploughman’s Lunch I had instead. Amazing sides of chutneys and pickles with some great local cheeses and they gladly replenished our plate with whatever we wanted free of charge, so we had some more chutney and cheese! To wash it down, we sampled some of the cocktails that are wonderfully described on a huge blackboard behind the bar. Unsure what would drinks would complement our lunch, we sought advice off the bartender who suggested we start with a pineapple and black pepper marguerita, our starter if you will and that we finish with a fruity badger cocktail for our pudding!
Wonderful service, wonderful venue with real charm, next time I am visiting on a Sunday to sample the free range roast dinner with maybe another cocktail for pudding! Oh and do make sure you visit the bathrooms, the décor is awesome.

I’m probably not the best person to write a review of the Deaf Institute, as I just mentioned to a workmate today, I can’t put my finger on exactly *why* I don’t adore it… I just… don’t.
Time was, I could spend hours on end in the DI. Eating the lovely Trof nosh and drinking the Trof lager and generally being louche and lazy. Then of course night would fall, and we’d move on to the wine. They were good days, but recently I’ve felt something’s missing.
Now, the clubnights and gigs are still fantastic. They get really great DJs and recent gigs have included These New Puritans (yeah, still knocking around) and the huge upcoming Marina and the Diamonds all for around £10 a ticket. Regular night Now Wave is free in, and focuses on awesome music, basically anything you can dance to. On dancing nights, DI still has it. And when you get tired you can sit on the cool bench seats in back, and watch the people from your shady incline.
The cocktail bar downstairs also still has it. Cute little tables in intimate settings, with an admirable jukebox and very very very good cocktails. It’s a great place to go if you’re on a date, even when it’s busy, as once the tables fill up down there, people just go elsewhere. The cocktails are all around the £6-£7 mark, and I strongly recommend the French Martini.
I wish, I truly do, that I could put my finger on what has changed about DI to make me not love it anymore, but I can’t. Perhaps, perhaps it didn’t change. Perhaps I did. Oh, what a sobering thought…

Am I the only person who’s had a bad Deaf Institute experience? It seems that way.
I went to see a Duke Special gig here just over a year ago, shortly after the place had opened and it was a complete disaster due to the sheer number of people they had let in. I don’t mind being crammed in like sardines as I’m quite good at using my elbows to secure some space, but this was ridiculous. Some people couldn’t even fit in the room upstairs so were forced to listen to the gig from the top of the stairs or even further down. It was completely impossible to reach the bar as people were rammed up against it. Duke Special likes to surprise his audiences so treated us all to a sing-​along performance on the piano downstairs after the gig. This was mayhem and again some people could not fit into the room at all.
Aside from that experience, the Deaf Institute seems to know exactly what it’s doing. Even though I don’t really understand what vintage electroclash is, it sounds quite cool and the venue does attract an effortlessly cool crowd. The Trof lager is nice and reasonably priced, the wallpaper is garish and the animal heads are weird.
A good use for a beautiful old building which would otherwise be left to wreck and ruin.

It doesn’t have the same history as The Roadhouse, Night & Day or Manchester Academy but The Deaf Institute is probably my favourite venue in Manchester these days. They have great club nights and a truly eclectic range of gigs from emerging punk-​funk and disco groups like Yacht and The XX to established underground pop bands like Broadcast. Even better, most of the gigs take place in an intimate room with high ceilings, cleverly stacked seating and standing room for about 300 people.
I went to see Detroit protest singer Rodriguez on Monday evening and had a fantastic night. The atmosphere was great, the acoustics were fab and the drinks were mighty fine. Being a long-​term country and Americana gal, I also fell in love with the Good Dolly and Bad Dolly wallpaper in the ladies toilets! The only disadvantage is, I’m still a little hungover!

Approaching bouncers for a few years now with my adorable, youthful looking face always has me reaching for my driving license (provisional, still). What did I get at the Deaf Institute last night? The bouncer opened the door for me, told me that the gig would be upstairs but hadn’t started yet meaning that I could go to the cash machine whilst a friend drove round and round looking for free parking. A good start.
Drinks in the café on the ground floor were pretty reasonably priced — £2.75 for vodka and mixer, £1.25 for OJ — cheaper than some pubs near where I live, yes ma’am. The eclectic bohemian wallpaper and furniture illicited some oohs and aahs as we found a place to sit. I thought that it was cool that it managed to remain quite a masculine place (it was mainly men drinking in the café bar) with all these kitsch clocks and things everywhere — usually men steer clear of shabby chic establishments.
One little seating area was reserved but the bartender told us we could sit wherever we wanted so we took up a whole eight person booth just for the two of us. Then up the wooden stairs to the gig. It did feel a bit like we were going to confession, as per our surroundings, but the décor in the 300 capacity Music Hall didn’t disappoint.
Bunting on the cute little stage, a handy amount of staggered seating at the back for the oldies and a collage of retro speakers on the wall behind the bar. Chandeliers, funny signposts, mirror ball — oh it was beautiful. I did get beer split on me but we can blame that on my spatial awareness (see above that I still have a provisional driving license for more details)…
We have plans to go back this week. I think that says it all really …

I was pretty impressed by the place, and somehow I thought I would be. On the corner of studentsville — I wish this place had been open when I lived in the Bowden/​Grosvenor complex as a fresher a million years ago. Aaah, but then at least we had the Old Steam Brewery
An imposing building — can anyone remember what it actually was previously — was it a genuine Deaf & Dumb Institute in recent history? I have a feeling it was something slightly seedy that you hurried past between the Sandbar and The Temple. Whilst taking photos outside I was accosted by a large group of deaf people also taking photos. They asked me if I was deaf too. I replied that I wasn’t, that I was writing a review hence the camera. They thought that was funny. I thought it was pretty funny how the one building had extremely different meanings for both of us — that sums up Manchester’s regeneration over the past decade fairly accurately I think.
Inside, there’s a unique café/​bar on the first floor where the most prominent feature is the wallpaper. I hate wallpaper, but the stuff on the walls at TDI really works well. It evokes some kind of retro/​vintage interior with its montage of Far Eastern images and classic flock designs. The walls are also adorned with stag heads and assorted cuckoo clocks. There is a spacious and airy feel to the whole sprawling room, with plenty of light flooding in from the rear. The bar is well stocked with various ales on tap and in the fridges. Whilst there I had a latte (£1.60) and a Hoegaarden. A good mix, though I used separate glasses. Table service for non-​alcoholic beverages and food added a touch of quality too.
The food looks pretty good, with all-​day breakfasts, brunches and roast dinners on Sunday.
Upstairs is a nightclub type venue. I didn’t venture up there but hope to in future. A band were arriving and I talked with them for a while. They looked at me and I looked at them, perhaps with them wondering Do you recognise us? and me wondering Who are you?. They were called. I forget! But one of them was wearing a very bright pink body warmer that I won’t forget in a hurry.