Starting at Piccadilly Gardens, head up Oldham Street for the Northern Quarter.
The Castle is a traditional pub stocking the complete
Robinsons Brewery range. Carry on along Oldham Street and
turn left into Swan Street for
Bar Fringe (GBG) and the
Smithfield Hotel (GBG). I didn't have chance to visit these
three pubs but they have good reputations, especially
the latter - famed for its choice of real ales.
<- The Beer House
Continue on to the major junction (A664/A665) and turn
right along Rochdale Road. On the left is Angel Street
and
The Beer House, sadly closed on Sundays (which is
when I was there) but also known for having a good range available.
<- The Marble Arch Inn
A few minutes' further on up Rochdale Road is the
Marble Arch Inn (GBG, NI), built at the junction with a sloping side street
and one unusual feature is that the
pub floor follows the slope of the hill.
The pub brews and serves its own vegan beer and stocks
other small breweries' beers, such as Phoenix.
The decor is classic: tiling, padded bench seats, panelled ceiling,
engraved glass lampshades, metal tables with wooden tops and so on.
<- The Hare & Hounds
Turn back down Rochdale Road towards the city centre
and cross the major junction to Shudehill. About 150 yards down on the left
is the
Hare and Hounds (GBG, NI), a splendidly-decorated,
Grade-II-Listed, quiet
pub with a traditional three-room layout. There are front and rear rooms
plus a wider space in the middle, where the main bar is.
Holt's Bitter was on at £1.50/pint and there was also Tetley Bitter.
A portable TV was on but the sound was off.
The road curves to the right and leads to the Printworks
entertainment complex on the right and the Arndale shopping centre
on the left. Ahead on the other side of Corporation Street
is The Triangle shopping arcade and Exchange Square.
Walk through the latter, along the outside of The Triangle
(which has a huge outdoor video screen), to reach
the start of Cateaton Street, near the Cathedral.
<- The Old Wellington Inn and Sinclair's Oyster Bar
First are
Sinclair's Oyster Bar and
The Old Wellington Inn.
Sinclair's had on Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter at £1.35/pint
and is no-smoking inside.
These buildings were moved from the original Market Place and Shambles
to make way for the Arndale Centre and then again as part of
a pedestrianisation project.
<- The Crown & Anchor
A few yards further on is
The Crown & Anchor (GBG).
This Holt's pub has been modernised and expanded with three
levels and it was extremely busy, especially with food and outside drinkers.
Manchester enforces a policy of plastic instead of real glasses outside.
In spite of the loud pop music & videos playing, this pub seems
to attract people of all ages. Mild was on at £1.40/pint.
At the far end of Cateaton Street is Deansgate: turn
left (roughly southwards). There's a JD Wetherspoons'
"Lloyd's No 1", the Moon Under Water, probably worth passing.
The next stage is a long haul all the way southwards down
Deansgate to an area with railway viaducts. Go under the
first one and just before the second one, Deansgate
Station is to the left and Castle Street heads off to
the right (westwards). Under the Castle Street viaduct is
The Knott (GBG), a modern pub stocking a range of
microbrewery beers, including the Marble Arch's,
and on this occasion Coniston Bluebird Bitter (£2.20/pint).
There's a jukebox and a thriving food trade.
<- The Britons Protection
From Castle Street cross over to outside Deansgate Station
and carry on in that direction (eastwards). The G-Mex station
is high up on the left. Turn left into Albion Street and
then right into Great Bridgewater Street, arriving at the
Britons Protection (GBG, NI).
Beers included Cottage Squires Gold (£2.30/pint),
Coach House Gunpowder Mild, Jennings Cumberland, Robinson's Unicorn and Tetley Bitter.
There's a lovely ornate ceiling, with moulded patterns and a rich red background.
On the far side of the servery from the front bar, there's an ornate staircase
and further rooms, as well as a patio.
Another old feature is that the Gents has shoulder-high urinals.
The varying food menu is impressive: I had Crusted Cod at £4.95;
other items included venison and wild boar.
<- The Ra!n Bar
Further on along Great Bridgewater Street is the
Ra!n Bar (GBG), a huge modern pub conversion by JW Lees
from an umbrella factory and featuring their range of beers (Moonraker, Dragon's Fire, Mild & Bitter).
Table service is available upstairs.
At the rear a patio of tables overlooks a canal basin.
<- The Peveril of the Peak from the south
A little further along on the other side of the road
is the charming
Peveril of the Peak (GBG, NI), a survivor
of the extensive redevelopment in the area.
There are two bars,
one with pool and the other, to the right of the entrance, with table footy.
Tim Taylor Landlord was on at £2.26/pint; others
included Hobgoblin, Cropton Endeavour and Wells Bombardier.
There's plenty of unspoilt decor, such as glass panels along the top of the bar
and especially the magnificent exterior tiling.
<- The Peveril of the Peak from the west
The westerly side of the Peveril is Chepstow Street:
follow that northwards to the junction of Oxford Street
and Portland Street. Across the junction is JDW's
The Paramount, a modern bar, spacious in the main section but to the rear
a dark no-smoking area underneath a gallery area.
Wireless networking is provided by The Cloud.
Beers on included Marston Burton Ale (£1.30/pint), Abbot, Bombardier,
Hydes Satisfaction and Lancaster Bomber.
<- The Waterhouse
Head along Oxford Street (north-west) and bear right
into St Peter's Square, with the domed Central Library ahead.
Carry on past the Metro station, parallel to the
tram lines, to reach Princess Street and then turn left.
The majestic Town Hall is on the left but on the right,
at the junction with Cooper Street, is another JDW,
the
Waterhouse.
This appears to be a pair of Georgian town houses now
knocked together and Grade II Listed. All the internal walls
are still there, creating a large number of small rooms instead of the
usual JDW beer barn.
Over several visits I tried or spied Hanby Scorpio Porter,
W. Black's Divine Proportions, Clark's Classic Blonde,
Burton Bitter, Robinsons Champion, Pedigree and Lancaster Bomber.
One surprise was that a plain burger was as much as £5.15!
<- The rear of the Waterhouse, The City Arms and The Vine
Along Cooper Street and round the back of the Waterhouse (wheelchair entrance)
is Kennedy Street, with two superb traditional pubs.
First is the City Arms (GBG), which turned out to be my favourite pub of the trip.
Beers included the then-topical Six Nations (£2.10/pint), Bateman's Spring Fever (their new seasonal beer)
and Cairngorm Trade Winds. It's another classic pub, Grade II Listed, with a front bar
and a rear room down steps, both looking characterful,
with plenty of old pictures etc. Instead of the usual piped music,
Capital Gold
was playing quietly and there was a rack of newspapers.
Next door is The Vine (closed on Sundays)
where Greene King Ruddles was on (at £2.20/pint), plus Hobgoblin and Boddingtons.
The pub is on several levels, with the lower area having loud pop and the upper one quiet.
<- The Old Monkey, The Circus Tavern and The Grey Horse Inn
Turn back along Princess Street (south-eastwards, with
Chinatown off to the left) to the junction with
Portland Street, arriving at the
Old Monkey.
This Holt's pub had the usual Mild (£1.34/pint) and Bitter.
Pop music was playing quietly. Bench seating is arranged in booths
and there's a large central area for stand-up drinkers.
It has the feel of a pub older than 1993, when it was that now-rare thing,
a new-build city centre community pub.
<- The Circus Tavern
Exit into Portland Street and two doors along is the
Circus Tavern (GBG, NI).
As you enter there's a small, curved
bar counter in the passageway, with a couple of handpumps
but only Tetley Bitter is served from them.
To the right of the corridor are front and rear bars, decorated
with lots of sporting memorabilia. A characterful, cosy pub.
<- The Grey Horse
A few doors further on is the
Grey Horse, another Hydes pub,
with Mild on at £1.80/pint, as well as Bitter and the current seasonal beer, Perfection.
It's yet another classic pub with ceiling & wall beams, padded benches and so on
and very friendly. The urinals are Manchester's last open air ones.
Carry on up Portland Street to return to Piccadilly Gardens.