The Hillary Step

Fabulous gin and tonic! Great, rustic décor with comfy chairs and a good range of bar snacks. It’s well looked after and the staff and other customers are great.
There’s parking on the street and it’s close to several bus routes, and firswood tram stop. The Jazz nights on Sundays and Wednesdays are also really good. Well worth a visit!

A nice community bar in Whalley Range which I don’t get to anywhere near often enough. It mostly because it’s that little bit beyond the top of Chorlton. But that being said it’s about 10 minutes walk from the Chorlton Lesiure Centre. It’s well worth a look in though.
Tends to be popular with the local post work drinks crowd or those who live nearby who are walking down to Chorlton for dinner. When I popped in I believe there was about 4 other people I noticed throughout the night and I bar hopped down to Chorlton tram stop from here.

My recent visit to the Hillary Step was to meet a friend for catch up and drinks. I thought it was a decent location, just outside of the bustle of Chorlton and handily situated for him in Old Trafford and me in Stretford. There’s not much going on around it but on a Sunday night they had a live jazz band which was actually quite loud and hindered conversation. We were sat furthest from them at the entrance which unfortunately meant a very cold breeze coming in whenever someone decided to linger in the doorway. The beer was reasonable I thought, and the choice is pretty good. I didn’t have any food this time but previously I’ve been impressed by the meze style dishes. The menus are all hand made from wood and provide a nice touch. Maybe Hillary step works better in the summertime when the outside area isn’t just for the smokers.

There’s a lot of potential here to make a great modern bar. The building is one long rectangle giving it a great cosy feel where ever you are along it. This shape also seems to help create a nice tunnel for the live music at the far end, which of late offers some great amateur Jazz bands. Where this place falls down is its allegiance to traditionalist pub mentality. When everything about the bar screams modern bar its a whiplash contrast when you begin to understand whats on offer. Awful pub food and a very basic boring alcohol selection really leaves a disappointing taste. I think if the management took more feedback form the seemingly young staff on radical changes it could take may lead to refurbishment and more options that would really take the bar from mediocre to modern hidden gem of chorlton. Overall I had a nice time there but don’t see much reason to comeback, though I do hope one day given changes I will enjoy wandering The Hilary Step once more.

Great spot for a pint in the sun on an afternoon/​early evening! The beer garden to the front gets the last rays of the day, and they host a jazz night every Sunday which is quite popular. Some tempting bar snacks such as pork scratchings and chilli nuts too!

I visit often, as it is my ‘local’. It has a very good selection of beers and ciders. Always has a good atmosphere, and seems quite popular with locals.
The décor could perhaps be improved, and I often think that the lighting is a bit bright for an evening venue, especially at the back. However, the friendly staff and good selection of drinks makes up for this.

It’s the closest decent drinking establishment to our house and therefore I’d say my ‘local’! And I’m happy for it to be that way. They always have some interesting beers and a good turn-​over of quality ales. Good atmosphere, always busy so can’t always secure a seat but they’d struggle to fit any more tables in!
Great place for a drink with friends.

Jazz on Sunday nights, free entry

Nicely situated for the residents of whalley range that cant be bothered walking to chorlton for a pint, Hillary step offers nice ale and comfortable décor. The wooden benches are a pleasant touch and the staff were friendly, especially to the old Irish man jon, who seems a proper regular and likes a chin wag!

iv’e been going in this joint for almost all of the four years its been open now and upto the last 2months its been ok, but now there’s an irish barman working here who wants to sell you a drink upto last orders and then starts putting the chairs onto the tables 15 mins b4 closing time and making you most unwelcome, there’s also a click with certain staff behind the bar that stop serving at the final bell and others that will still sell drinks to their cronies at 12.55am? 25 mins after the final bell, at these prices everyone should be treated the same rather than different rules for different people. the breweries said this week they are on the way to the £4 pint, the hilary step has already got it with a pint of fruli at £4.10p.

Occupying a great location on the Chorlton /​Whalley Range border, The Hillary Step is a pleasant and friendly bar that has no real downsides. The staff are friendly and even in busier times you can be assured that you won’t have to wait too long to be served. Perhaps the disappointing aspect of The Hilary Step is the possibility that not enough has been made of the venue. It is bordering on the slightly dull, a surprise given its location and the traditional associations one might make with Chorlton and Whalley Range. Don’t let this put you off, if you’re after a quiet drink then pop in and I’m sure you’ll have a nice time. After all, it’s who you’re with that counts.

The Hillary Step is a hidden gem in leafy Chorlton. Just on the bus route from the city centre, it’s wooden floors, wide selection of yummy beers (always changing) and things to nibble mean its a perfect place to go for a quiet drink with friends or something livelier on the weekend.
It was one of the first bars in Manchester to be no smoking and that means the atmosphere has always been clean and fresh.
The staff mingle with the drinkers, joking and recommending the latest place to visit for the night– a welcoming venue with a family feel. In the summer, you can lounge on the benches outside and watch the world go by in the English sun