AO Arena drinks prices - and how they compare to Co-op Live

When the new Co-op Live arena briefly opened its doors last month, we got a first look at the drinks prices there - and it's fair to say it caused a bit of a stir. Pints were priced at £8.95 while a vegan burger would set you back £11.50.

After some branded the prices "an absolute joke" on social media, bosses insisted that their bar menus were "competitively priced". So how do they compare to similar venues?

Given that the AO Arena in Manchester is Co-op Live's main competitor, and has been taking on six of the venue's rescheduled gigs this week, we decided to compare the prices of the two venues' drinks offering.

READ MORE: Co-op Live bosses say opening gig WILL go ahead on May 14

It's fair to say neither venue is offering up the cheapest drink options compared to other pubs and bars in the city centre. But then, these are the two biggest indoor music arenas in Europe.

Here's how both venues measure up on the different types of drinks you might be buying when you head along to a gig. Prices were correct as checked at the Co-op Live Arena on April 20, 2024 and at the AO Arena on May 7, 2024.

Pints

Pints at the AO Arena will set you back £8.50, while half pints are £4.50 - that's for beers and ciders on tap like Birra Moretti, Strongbow Dark Fruits, Beavertown Neck Oil and Inch's Apple Cider.

At Co-op Live, draft pints of Guinness, Asahi Super Dry or local ale, Seven Bro7hers Easy IPA are priced at £8.95 for a pint. A pint of Grolsch is slightly cheaper at £8.35.

Both AO Arena and Co-op Live offer "double pint" options which works out as a slightly cheaper way of getting the booze. At AO Arena these double pints are £16.95, while at Co-op Live double pints of Asahi or Seven Bro7hers are £17.45, while the Grolsch is £16.35 for the double.

Wine and fizz

For a glass of white/red/rose wine at AO Arena you'll pay £9 for a 187ml measure. At Co-op Live wine costs 5p less than that - £8.95 for the same measure, although their wines are served in a can.

A full bottle of wine at Co-op Live will set you back £35, while at AO Arena a full bottle is priced at £32.

However the AO Arena does do an offer of "two bottles of house wine for £50" which might be more cost effective if there's a group of you going along which would save you £14.

If you're after a glass of prosecco, a mini bottle of the fizz will cost you £11 at AO Arena. A can of sparkling wine at Co-op Live is priced at £9.25.

Soft drinks

Soft fizzy drinks at the AO Arena are served in large or medium cups with a straw - a medium cup will cost you £5.10 while a large is £6.20.

At Co-op Live fizzy drinks are served in 330ml cans for £3.80 or pints for £4.80 and half pints for £2.80.

Bottles of water are £2.70 at the AO Arena, whereas at Co-op Live 330ml water is £3.20.

Spirits

For a 25ml measure of Smirnoff vodka, Gordon's Gin, Bacardi, Martell Brandy or Captain Morgan's rum, you'll pay £5.50 at the AO Arena, and mixers are £3.

At Co-op Live the price lists only showed doubles, so for a 50ml measure you'd be looking at £9.50 for Smirnoff vodka, Gordon's Gin, Captain Morgan's Rum. Mixers are priced at £2 for a dash of soft, or £2 for a tin of tonic and £1.50 for tin of soda.

Food

The full food offering was not available at the Co-op Live test event, although we did get to see the prices of vegan burgers at £11.50. If you were wanting a vegan burger at AO Arena this would cost you 50p more than that - £12.