So I'm here tonight to see Jason get North Manc CAMRA pub of the year - you can probably tell I…read moreagree. It's aesthetically unique, cosy and inviting. The beer is kept in superb condition, rotated every day and it has some of the best bottles in town. It's just one of the best pubs in Manchester for beer and atmosphere!

Reopened about four years ago now, this Grade Two listed pub is really intriguing in many ways. The…read moreCrown and Kettle used to be a courthouse in the 19th century and rumours still circulate that it is haunted; its that kind of place you see. An absolute must for real ale lovers, there is no brewery attached. Instead, they have up to eight pumps (a minimum of four) of both real ales and more mainstream beers like Fosters. Both these and drinks that I myself actually drink are very reasonably priced for a pub just on the outskirts of the Northern Quarter. If you're not familiar with the area just walk all the way down Oldham Street then cross over the main road- its right in front of you. It is very quiet during the day but that is what some people want after all. No, where the Crown and Kettle really could do with improvement is the food. I think it really lets itself down as it just isn't good pub food- maybe if they perked up the menu more people would straggle in during the day. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they don't want trade to be roaring at all hours - just a thought.

Cool atmosphere. Nice drinks. Array of spirits with a decent range of old and new Gins.read more

Really fun place to hang out at. The burgers was amazing and the sticky toffee pudding didn't…read moredisappoint. Espresso martini on point!

I'm pretty sure I'd be here every weekend if I lived in this part of Manchester…read more Port Street Beer House is an unassuming little pub with a fantastic (and massive) list of brews, both local and international. Service is friendly and efficient, and even the stronger stuff on the menu won't set you back too much: a pint of most beers will run £4-5. I grabbed a pint of a super-fresh saison from Blackjack (a Manchester-based brewery) and enjoyed it in the small-ish garden out back. The only drawbacks? It get can very packed---and it's cash only.

Port Street should be high on any lover of craft beers hit list, whether living in Manchester or…read morejust in town visiting it's perfect place to pop in for 1 or 2 (and see what their amazing list of guest beers is offering this week) or spend a long afternoon in warmth working your way through their extensive range while catching up with friends. That extensive list includes around 20 beers on tap, with at least 100 bottles on offer - mainly sourced from some of the finest USA, UK and Scandinavian breweries around. Prices are fairly high but no more than you'd pay in any other city for the same craft beer - it is though always worth checking the price (and strength) before you order a pint of that rare, one barrel produced collaboration between 2 of your favourite breweries - it could be time to get a new mortgage! There's a large lounge room upstairs and beer garden out the back with ample seating for around 40. Capacity is one problem with this place and it can get very very busy at the weekends so try to get in early or go offpeak. Don't miss out on their regular "meet the brewers" nights on a Monday evening. What usually starts off as a civilised tasting of a few very good beers turns into a bit of a Monday night session - something that's no good for anyone. These monthly events have been known to make Tuesday's very hard work in the past :-) They also run nearby Common and Chorlton's The Beagle - plus Indy Man Beer con so make sure you check these out to complete the full set!

Great classic pub. Delicious beers and good looking food. Back patio had lovely seating for when…read morethe small pub area fills up. Staff handled the crowd very well. I would highly recommend.

Proper English pub. Loved it. Beer was cold and ambiance was on point. Will be back. Loved it and…read morecan't say enough great things about this place. The bartender was so sweet too.

In all of my time living in the Northern Quarter, I would often see the old-and-slightly-decrepid…read morepub sign for Mother Macs, whenever I happened to glance down Back Piccadilly. For years I kept making a mental note to check this place out on my next pub crawl. I never did until about a month ago. Shame on me. I love drinking with older people as I love to hear their stories of Manchester days gone by - and this is that type of place. If you can hold a convo with people from all walks of life, you will enjoy the vibe in here. There are people who have been drinking in here for thirty years! Yeah you probably won't meet the man/woman of your dreams in here but there are no chavs either. I'm also currently on a mission to find other places outside of the main NQ drag, far from the maddening crowd. I can't imagine the NQ hipsters and trendies wouldn't be seen dead in a place like this (good). A hidden drinking den two minutes from Piccadilly Gardens, with cheap Jagerbombs (I dragged a large group of us here and we drank them dry of Jager) and more interestingly - quite a chilling history. Newspaper cuttings (and unfortunately MCFC memorabilia) adorn the smoke-stained walls, the former describing how a previous landlord murdered his whole family and the cleaner, before setting fire to the place. Not sure if anyone wants the gory details but I'll tell you anyway. The pub had a dumb waiter for moving food from one floor to the next. When the dumb waiter was inspected by the fire brigade (1976 this was) the cut up bodies of the landlord's wife and children, plus the cleaner were found inside. Grisly eh? One of my favourite films is The Shining and I can say that The Overlook has nothing on Mother Macs!

What a weird little pub. Small, dingy without being dirty, but a really good atmosphere. Been here…read morea couple of times over the last month and you're always made to feel welcome. It is what I would imagine a city centre 'locals' pub to be. People seemed to know one another and yet despite its location, tucked away on a back street off Piccadilly Gardens it is also often found by 'out of towners' and none regulars. All seem to have a good time. Becks Vier on draft, good range of spirits and, from what I could gather, the bitter is well kept too. If you're after somewhere to have a drink off the beaten track in Manchester city centre, away from the buzz and noise of more obvious bars and pubs, then this is it. Interesting, if not genuine (we couldn't find out, even with Google's help), newspaper articles about the history of the pub (mainly a murder/arson event!) adorn the walls along with other memorabilia, making for an interesting visit every time and a talking point should you need one!

First time in Pie and Ale, which in itself is astonishing given they are two of my favourite…read morethings. But now I know why, even though it's not hidden, it's listed as being on Lever St but in reality it set back from the road slightly down Faraday St. So it's not immediately visible from Lever St unless you're looking for it; which is really my only reason for not giving it 5*. Pie and Ale doesn't bound head long towards the current fashion of ultra trendy scrounged and up-cycled interiors that so many bars are doing, it's interior is very clean and simple but also warm and inviting and won't age or go out of fashion as quickly as some of the other bars in the NQ. It's also got several different space so you can choose to sit in the open seating area with the large glass windows, next to the bar at high benches or walk around the corner and up the stairs for a more cosy intimate set of booths above the bar; this means the location can suit a lot of different situations. They have a good selection of ales for the likes of myself, but have a good range of bottle beers and your general assortment of keg beers, wines etc. The pies are on the pricey side (£9.95-£11.95) especially compared with the likes of Pie Minister (£7.95 for the Mothership) only a few blocks away, but they are big and hearty as you'd hope and with the availability of cask beer (Pie Minister only has bottles) improves the experience for me. In my opinion it's always nicer having a fresh well kept pint than having bottled beer. I had the Moufflon and Minted Chocolate which was spot on as far as I'm concerned the chocolate and stout sauce went fantastically with the well cooked steak. Overall I really enjoyed the relaxed feel of Pie and Ale and will be most likely to return now I know where it is.

I think I've found my new favourite place!…read more Ok so I've been here before for our Elite event a few months back (and that was a flying visit) and I've had many friends spreading the gospel about this place being super amazing for beer, food and general 'good time' ambience but on Saturday night everything came together to really make me say "yeah I get it now" So without going into all the boring details - they do pies very well, they do ale vey well - the pies coming from a selection of about 12 (I had the steak and 3 cheese with peas and mash - £11.95) and a pretty similar sized range of craft beers, cask and real ales on tap. I really thought the selection was excellent (and well priced - a flight of 3 thirds was £3.40 of cask ale) and their bottles are a good mix of what America and Europe has to offer! This place is going to be amazing for the world cup with a big screen up in the main bar showing all the matches (they were actually showing the Champions league final on Sat night, adding to the ambience) - and the music was just the icing on the cake - what a fantastic selection of reggae, dub and hiphop for the 3 hours I was in. Really looking forward to going back and having some great beer with a phat ass pie soon! *extra note should go to all the waiting staff - amazing friendliness and table service all night - nice job guys!*

I love this pub, in fact I've been coming here for years and never tire of it's old world charm…read more Saying that - it's a place that I also never have on my go to list - it can be 6-7 months in between visits which is surprising given the amount of beer quaffed by me in the NQ each week... Saying that I think the beer is maybe the answer. With this being a Robbies pub, I'm just not massively keen on their range - and while not offensive, their style is definitely more old man bitter - even the new beers they say are as hoppy as hell always come back to tasting the same... But for a few beers it isn't a bad choice as the pub is great, the vibe in the back and upstairs welcoming and the jukebox upstairs is one of the best around - really good tunes and 5 picks for a £1.

I get really intimidated walking into pubs and bars alone sometimes. If I know the place then its…read morefine but I just don't do it that often. From being at uni, I was just so used to arriving with a few other people - not so anymore, Sophie. Time to grow up. I'd been to a couple of artsy meetings with a group of basically strangers who'd answered an ad on the internet about starting up a new 'organic', venue focused paper in Manchester. Of course such meetings had to be conducted in suitably independent artsy places. The second such was scheduled to take place at the Castle Hotel on Oldham Street. The Castle does not need a surly bouncer or a velvet rope. This is all implied by the ways heads swivel as you walk in. God, I wished I'd been with someone else. Specifically an old man, or failing that a friend of mine who used to live round here and looks like so much of an outcast that she pretty much fits right into any environment. I am happy, proud even, for the Castle that it has stood the test of time as the area around it has morphed into trend-central. This pub has stuck to its guns. But trust me, there are pubs with just as interesting interiors (mosaics and tiled bar) and history (licensed since 1776) that actually want you to be there. This one probably does not. They have nine real ales, being attached to a Robinsons brewery but again why not try The Crown and Kettle or The Marble Arch instead for something similar? Various musicians like members of Elbow (and man, they're everywhere) and I am Kloot are supposed to drink here but did you ever think that maybe this is just to get more peace and quiet than they would in somewhere remotely cool..

Me and the wife called in the Millstone pub, as we always do when we visit Manchester, as I am a…read morebit of a karaoke lover. There are regular singers in there but this time , I found it to be a very closed shop where the chance of getting up to sing, so as soon as the D.j changed I went to put my name down I was 5th on his list and I remember the person who put his name down before me. that particular chap got up to sing , and I said to the wife I will be up next. So when about nine more people took their turn on the stage. I went up to investigate where my song had disappeared to , he called someone else up to sing, and he started to sing the song I had put in. I did eventually get up, but just remember when visiting the Millstone for karaoke, it's virtually a closed shop. Next time in Manchester will look for something different.

Beware the irate "Manageress" An issue being made over…read moreordering a Guiness 1/2 or a pint for a 6 foot plus man in a very busy place by a confrontational member of Staff/ manageress under pressure who couldn't cope with it.

One of the BEST fish and chips I've had so far! Son and friends were staying at the hotel attached…read moreand we met them downstairs at the pub/bar. Cool vibes all around! Cool decor and cool music- ranging from New Order to alternative . Menu was legit British pub bar food - pies, burgers, fish and chips etc. But lemme tell ya their haddock fish and chips was one of de best I've ever had to far. A large more than generous portion battered and fried perfectly. Imma steak fry cut girl and their chips were delicious ! - thick cut, the way I like them and fried with a delicate crispy outside. We did have to ask for some ketchup. I thoroughly enjoyed the side of mushy peas- seasoned lightly, partially mush with partial full size peas. The steak and ale pie was delicious. Drizzled the yummy gravy all over. Order food at bar, they'll bring food to your table when ready. Great food, reasonable pricing for generous portions! Cool vibes

Though our stay at Abel Heywood was short, it was definitely worth it…read more It was a bit difficult to find as it's tucked within a few small streets, but the boutique hotel was memorable. It was conveniently located within walking distance of central Manchester with a variety of shops and pubs. Our room was very clean, and it seemed as though everything was fairly new and well kept. I liked the unique touches the hotel had as well, such as a vinyl record player, records, and a few books placed here and there to enjoy. It was also very quiet in our room, which, at the time of booking, I was skeptical of considering it was above the pub. The breakfast that I had at the pub was also very good and the service was very hospitable, both from the pub and hotel hosts. The only criticism I have is that the water in the shower kept going from warm to cold, which during the winter is unpleasant. Also, the internet was fairly slow, more so during the evening hours, which I attribute to the higher volume of people possibly using the WiFi. However, overall, the Abel Heywood is a place I would definitely recommend to others as well as visit again.

The Hare and Hounds is an old school pub in the city centre, it's located on Shudehill, opposite…read morethe Bus Station. Most people would see this pub when heading into town from Rochdale Road direction, as the side of the pub is often rented out to make advertising morals for various companies, which are pretty cool. It isn't the trendiest of pubs in town, with the client base seeming to be much older than other bars nearby in the Northern Quarter, and it did seem to be a little dead/quiet compared to others nearby, but there still seems to be a charm about this place. Competitive pricing, decent/average service and selection of beers. A good amount of seating too, some of it is reasonably comfortable. 3*

How strange. In my third year of university I began writing a story inspired by university life,…read moreand the pub everyone went to was called The Hare and Hounds. In fact there's been a real Hare and Hounds here in Shudehill all this time and I'd never realised it. Probably because I didn't have much reason to go to Shudehill back then, but there we have it. Well shame on me, because this is one of the oldest pubs in Manchester. It's in the Northern Quarter, but think of it as something of an alternative to it, because while the majority of the NQ is dedicated to quirks and boho vibes and artsiness with just the right amount of scruff and a few airs and graces, pretension ends here. This is about as down to earth as you can get. You'll find old men by the door (the front door of which is adjacent to both pawn and porn shops and apparently what is one of Manchester's most famous and discreet brothels... mmm, local culture) smoking pipes and cigarettes, and if you can muster up the bravery to walk past them, it's worth it. This place is soaked in character in the same way the likes of the King's Arms in Salford is, with a legendary Karaoke night full of geriatrics crooning along to Frank Sinatra and cheap drinks aplenty. The food is as down to earth as the place - decent, honest and simple. With friendly staff and live music upstairs sometimes, this pub is about as central as you can get and definitely worthy of a few visits. Practise your gruff voice and start whinging about 'the youth of today' and you'll fit right in, squire.