Where are the best student hangouts?

No doubt you enjoy going out for a drink with your friends, whether it’s to discuss your latest lecture over a latte or a recent relationship drama over something a bit stronger. Picking the right venue is crucial. You probably have your favourite haunt; however, in the spirit of starting at university and trying new things, SSG decided to cover the length and breadth of Great Britain in search of places to stir the imagination as well as your cappuccino or cocktail; places where you can not only gulp a tasty beverage but drink in some culture at the same time. This is what we found...

Chapter, Cardiff
Chapter is an arts centre with three theatres, two cinemas, a gallery, a bar and a café. As a result of refurbishments (due to be completed by early next year) the current bar is only a temporary one, but it still maintains the funky, quirky feel of the rest of the venue and serves a variety of drinks, including flavoured beers.

In the café the tables are in long rows, creating a very relaxed atmosphere. The food includes healthy and vegetarian options, while the portion sizes are impressive. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all available. The cinemas are quite small and the seats not as comfortable as you’ll find in larger establishments, but the films are a mixture of mainstream and arty offerings and the place was packed when SSG visited, so numb bums are clearly not too much of a problem. Although the gallery is closed until next year, all sorts of exhibitions are usually on show, while the theatre regularly puts on exciting performances. Mae’n wych www.chapter.org

Fact, Liverpool
This is Liverpool’s Foundation for Art and Creative Technology: Fact. The interior, all precast concrete and exposed pipes, is home to a three-screen cinema, two galleries, a media lounge, café and bar. The cinema hosts special film seasons and festivals, as well as mainstream movies. The other good news is that you can take your drinks in with you! The bar itself plays good music and has reasonably priced drinks; however, when SSG visited, the majority of patrons were only using it as a pre-film meeting point rather than having made a specific visit for its limited charms.

The café is a good spot for breakfast and lunch – the baked potatoes looked particularly appetising – with free wi-fi to boot. You could also eat there in the evening, with food served until 9pm (7pm on Sundays). Visitors to the galleries can take in the newly commissioned work of emerging artists from around the world, while in the media lounge you can get free film, music and software downloads. www.fact.co.uk

The Arches, Glasgow
If only The Arches offered Masters degrees you could easily spend the next four years in there, with its café-bar, cutting-edge theatre productions and club nights ranging from Pete Tong to student-favourite Octopussy. If you’re feeling flush, you could start your night with a pre-theatre dinner in the downstairs restaurant: the height of arty, urban sophistication. If it weren’t for the dull rumbles every time a train rolls past you’d hardly know you were dining in a converted railway arch.

With two dedicated bars and numerous others springing up in unlikely places depending on what shows are running, there's a range of drinks for every occasion. Wine starts at £11.50 for a bottle; draught beers or mixed drinks are usually around £3.00. Evening entertainment can range from studio theatre to comedy or dance; SSG saw a very plausible Doors tribute band grace the stage. Whatever the act, the venue’s unaltered railway arches give a feeling of intimacy to what is a deceptively large space. www.thearches.co.uk

Cornerhouse, Manchester
In a bustling part of the city centre, Cornerhouse’s café and bar areas have a very friendly atmosphere and staff. There is a great selection of food and drink: the beverages on offer include smoothies, soft drinks, cocktails, coffees and – SSG’s personal favourite – alcoholic milkshakes! Entertainment includes quiz nights, DJs and a three-screen cinema, where the choice is usually between a new release, a foreign film and an older, award-winning arty film. Discount such as the Breakfast Club package are on offer, which includes a cinema ticket, full English breakfast and a coffee, all for £9.20.

There are three gallery spaces on the second floor; SSG’s visit took in Broadcast Yourself, a slightly disappointing look at how artists have approached television as a platform for their work between the Seventies and Nineties. The gallery bookshop offers a good selection of items, while a small bookshop sells quirky postcards and wrapping paper. Overall, a highly vibrant and friendly place to visit. www.cornerhouse.org

Shunt, London
If it weren’t for the bouncer on the door wearing a T-shirt advertising the fact, you wouldn’t ever know Shunt was there. However, the unassuming entrance in London Bridge station provides access to an amazing venue. Once you’ve paid the £5 entrance fee, you walk down a long corridor (pictured above) into the 70,000sq ft of brick vaults underneath the station. The atmosphere is a bit like a David Lynch film, with video installations and weird sculptures in rooms on either side, a damp smell in the air and dark, mysterious corners. The main area houses a number of cavernous rooms, including two bars where a beer costs £3 and there are free nibbles. Seating options are many and varied, with all sorts of different types of furniture, including stools and tables on an old milk float.

Each week a different artist uses the space in Shunt as they see fit; SSG had a go on a zip-line death slide, an art project based on an old Korean aeroplane that mysteriously crashed in England in 1999. In another room we found a mixture of phonographs and gramophones playing early sound recordings. Other entertainment includes music – a fantastic band called Kill it Kid played during SSG’s visit – and a games room with a pool table, pinball machines and fussball table. Well worth a visit and great first date material: you’ll look damned cool knowing about this place. www.shunt.co.uk

Broadway, Nottingham
Broadway was originally a 19th-century church, but its four entrance pillars are the only clue to its religious past; now they put all their faith in culture. Four cinema screens – including one auditorium designed by Nottingham-born designer Paul Smith – show a mixture of recent films, old favourites and digital art projects. There are viewings of a different kind too: digital art is projected onto the glass façade on the front of the building. For an evening tipple, the upstairs Mezz bar is the place to go. It leads onto the Terrace where theme-night barbecues are held; recent themes have included Indiana Jones and Batman.

Downstairs, the Cafebar offers a deal called the Broadway Bite, where for around £10 you can buy a main meal and a cinema ticket. Digital art – commissioned by Broadway itself – is also projected onto the walls in this area. One thing to bear in mind is that full-time students with an NUS card can get discounts on cinema tickets. As well as films, you can also see talks from well-known authors and directors: recent visitors have included Chuck Palahniuk, Irvine Welsh, Will Self and Shane Meadows. This is a hub for all the cultured people in Nottingham, and a thoroughly chilled affair as a result. www.broadway.org.uk

Reviews by: Sian Clarke, David Inglis, Alex Jones, Dan Poole, Jeremy Timings and Chris Watt

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