Great little pool hall hidden away on a side road between McDonalds and the (closed) Feathers pub…read more Annual membership is just £5 (as guest price is £3, it's well worth getting), they have 11 standard pool tables, 5 American pool tables and 14 snooker tables (according to the website, I've not personally counted!) and it's a great way to spend a relaxing evening, it's a far cry from the smoky pool halls of old and is welcoming for both men and women alike. They have a pretty standard bar selection, prices are around average. One gripe - unless you're a seasoned pro, I'd avoid the poker tables, things can get serious and a little heated, nothing too major, just the odd raised voice. But these are off to one side and can be easily avoided if you're just coming to play pool. A fun night out.

Looking for another pub after dinner we stumbled onto Roxy! I sent a colleague in to see if it was…read moreworth entering... YES and more! Pool, Ping Pong, miniature golf with some crazy holes and more oh my! Beer pong tables, pinball, shuffleboard, this place is where you want to be with friends. Drinks, food and games by the hour, you'll definitely have fun and also enjoy the random art strewn throughout the two story building.

Roxy Ball Room is a pretty new place on Deansgate which only opened only the end of April this…read moreyear. They already have a venue in Leeds. First heard about them when they were at the Cocktails in the City event serving cocktails - as soon as we saw it and heard about what the place was, we planned to visit. So back in June, went with some friends with the plan to eat some food and play some pool and ping pong. Unfortunately the kitchen was closed as they had basically run out of food. Although it wasn't busy (which meant it sort of lacked atmosphere but it had only been open just over a month so probably the reason), there was a large-ish group which were there and they came at the last minute and emptied them out. I happen to tweet about something and mentioned about the kitchen and very nicely they invited us all back to have some food, drink, pool and ping pong, all complimentary. Very nice of them - didn't expect it. So about a week ago we all went. One of the people working there mentioned that the pizzas were very good. I was already planning on going for a pizza anyway - went for the Funghi pizza (mushroom). Could tell it all hand-made as the pizza was not really in a circle shape - but thats a good thing! Like burgers used to be, and still is in a way, there is tough competition doing pizzas now with some very good places. Overall I thought the pizza was really good - maybe not the best ever but good. And also it got the approval from the Floriana - who is Italian so she knows a good pizza! I ordered some sweet potato fries as a side and it was a big portion. Someone else ordered "normal" fries and they were sort of crinkle cut chips - tasted good and nice texture. I also had a cocktail - a Daiquiri - which was pretty good also. After the food, it was "game time"! Opportunity to work off some of the food we had eaten :) First was pool and we played in the upstairs level which was quiet - just us. I played better than I did last time with a few decent shots. Maybe the key is to play after a cocktail? After pool, we played ping pong on one of the many tables at Roxy. We played on the lower level of the place. It was at this point I realised that it was actually busy - loads of people playing ping pong, pool and beer pong. Its definitely more strenuous ping pong compared to pool - possibly more than picking up the ball from the floor than the actual playing ping pong. It was all good fun. The only problem I thought was the lighting which were sort of spotlights. So as well as dazzling a bit, it was also very warm. So overall, I think its a nice place to visit with a group of friends (its such a big space) and play some pool/ping pong/beer pong and to get some decent food. Thanks to Roxy for the complimentary food/drink etc. I think we all agreed that we would be back again.

Great American food. Just not great service the employees act like your bothering them and one lady…read morespecific with red hair and a nose ring is rude as hell.

Great American food. I'm from America and the chicken sandwich and the wings were superb. Drinks…read morewere great but prefer the regular fries over the animal fries

Traditional city pub, knowledgeable staff, very well-kept ale, comfortable seating and beautiful…read moreheritage interior. There's a fussball table I hadn't noticed before! Titanic plum porter and Tiger Rut were both on tap (cask) when we last visited - great to have such a range of light to dark even in the summer months.

'Pint or a half?' A…read morehop and skip from the architectural wonder of the Bridgewater Hall is Peveril of The Peak. Like the nearby Briton's Protection, it's one of Manchester's original drinking dens and one of the few places to escape modernisation. Outside is a mix of shocking pea and pastel green tiles whilst inside there's three different rooms with a distinctive 1970s feel. The walls are decorated with pub memorabilia and faded photos of celebrity musicians and actors whilst the jukebox is stacked with lots of Mancunian hits. There's also a pool table, dart board and bar stools encouraging conversation and friendly banter rather than getting legless or watching a widescreen TV. Prices are reasonable for the city centre and the staff are friendly. I'm more of a spirits girl than a beer swiller but for those that like a pint at the end of a long day, they have Deuchars, Tiger, Jennings Cumberland and Copper Dragon Golden Pippin ales on tap.

Did During my recent week-long visit to Manchester from the US, I was looking for a place to play…read morepool and found this gem that didn't require membership. Many other places I called insisted on membership before allowing me to play, but here, it was accommodating for visitors. Although there weren't many tables available and we had to wait about half an hour for one, the ambiance was enjoyable, with a nice eating and drinking area. I highly recommend this place to anyone who doesn't want the hassle of a membership but still wants to play pool! not want membership.

If you fancy becoming the next Ronnie O Sullivan or Stephen Hendry, then Steven Charles Snooker…read moreCentre is the kind of place you'll have to spend your whole life in. Thankfully, it's a welcome change from the snooker halls where I didn't spend quite enough of youth in to get any good. Rather than being shabby, smoke filled and dim, it's moodily lit and classy with red and black furnishings. They serve food all day, every day as well, with a full breakfast a snip at £3.50 and burgers, pies and curry on offer too. Oh, and if you actually do want to become the next Ronnie, this place is open 24 hours. So the time to become great is there if you want it. Probably not for me.

It has a very loyal clientele Riley's on Bury New Road. The kind who "go down there to watch the…read morematch" or "for a few". That said, it is fairly welcoming to those of us who get snooker and pool mixed up (STILL) and who, contrary to popular belief, know the off side rule. But nothing else about football. The drinks are inexpensive and it's a good bar to go for a quiet chat. If you don't mind ve-ery casually dressed locals smoking outside the door, then this is the place for you. Don't dress up. Riley's got very busy on New Year's Eve last year as, like everywhere else, it was open late until about 2am. Other than this obvious exception, the only other time that I have seen it too busy to be comfortable was on a 21st birthday held there. I have never used their dancefloor here but you know, that's a personal choice.

Bloody Hell. Memories, like the corners of my mind...la di dah di daah... I know the words, it's…read morethe effort of typing them that escape me. But Riley's eh. Oddly located just off the Prestwich run, Riley's is primarily a snooker hall, supposedly supplying future Stephen Hendry's and Jimmy Whites of this world a place to practice and compete with one another at well competitive rates in a safe and relaxing environment, that also happens to house a couple of big screens, a bar, and a few sofa style back rests. Some hardcore pool players come here, but if you're local, then it'll be in your subconscious as a stomping ground for college age persons to come and socialise, and even get a bit rowdy when the DJ spins some tunes. Even as an attendee at Riley's I was never sure how the damn thing worked. Sometimes you needed a membership card, other times you didn't. Sometimes it depended who you were with, other times it was a matter of who was playing, if they were playing, if they weren't playing, and so on and so forth before they'd allow you to go in. It's a bit dingy in the décor department but as it isn't professing to be a glitzy American style snooker hall, it's almost expected, maybe preferred. One thing to bare in mind, it does have that vibe where if you're not local and you step in through the doors, everyone in there will turn around and have a good ole look at you and see where you're headed and what you're doing and such before they turn back to what they're doing. Be brave snooker players.

I've been there for the first time yesterday. I was with my boyfriend in search of a place that has…read morea pool table and because we live literally five minutes away from this pub, we've decided to give it a go. Cheap drinks as well, and it's 50p for a game of pool. You can also play darts if you want, or just sit there, relax and have a brew. They have a beers garden, and in the afternoon there are a lot of people around smoking and chatting. It's a Joseph Holt pub, so of course, some Manchester Ales can be found, like Maple Moon for instance. Very good beer, I recommend it. All in all, the staff was really friendly. As long as it's not busy, this pub is actually nicer than I've expected. Yeah, I'll probably go there again.

Live over the road in New apartments but have lived in a lot worse areas growing up. Went in to…read morewatch the Man United v's Chelsea game. Lady behind bar was friendly, played the football scratch card which helps for the free food at half time. Only one screen with limited volume. Cute girls sat around pretending to watch the game and plenty of regulars you will most likely see on a regular basis. A crazy landlady who obviously doesn't take the slightest s*** from anybody. Would I return again ? ABSOLUTELY. Pubs like this are a die'ing breed. If people don't visit them and give the support they should have then it will just be another apartment block for developers. People of LAMBA COURT SLATER HOUSE STEELE house pop over and have a pint for F***s sake ;-) Resident of Lamba Court ;-)

I came to Manchester in the hopes that I could find a place to watch the Champions League final…read moreamongst some of the Red Army, learn some chants, and be local amongst the fans of what is called the best-supported football club in the world. Sam Platts delivered. It was a ticketed event and was sold out, but the fellas at the door took a liking to my friend and I, reckoning that we'd be the only foreigners inside and impressed that we'd made the trip, so they let us in. Two hours before the game, the chants were already deafening. We stood in the tented beer garden, where the game was projected on a big screen. When Rooney scored, the explosion of hollering and beer was truly deafening. The only shame was that Barcelona had to go and win (leading to a lot of beers being thrown at the screen). Chant of the evening: "He'll shag who he wants! He'll shag who he waaaaants! Our boy Giggsy, he'll shag who he wants!"

Along with The Trafford and The Bishop Blaize, Sam Platts is one of the biggest, best and most…read morepassionate Manchester United pubs in the city. Its actually (just) my least favorite of the three, but still deserves its five stars. I have seen football matches at many a stadium across the country but these three United pubs have definitely the most passionate fan-base that I have witnessed. Every game from several hours before the game to five minutes before kick off these pubs are full of fans chanting and celebrating in advance in passionate style, with hilarious songs, chants and banter. Sam Platts has got the best garden area of the pubs around here, so perhaps in the summer months this would be the pick of the United pubs. This beer garden as got a little bar where you can buy cans of beer and get plastic cups, saving those less fussy from the extreme queue inside. Its also very close to a different side of the stadium to The Trafford and Bishops Blaize, so depending where your seats are, it may be the best place for you to ensure maximum drinking time pre-kick off. Quality.

I was coerced into coming here on a Sunday. I agreed under the guise of a Bloody Mary special to…read morecombat my hangover. So...I would not have picked this place as my first choice as a spot to work off a hangover. It had too many clean lines. I was wanting something old, dark, traditional, dark, quiet-ish and dark. So it was dark but in no way traditional. None-the-less there was indeed a Bloody Mary Special so all went well. It was a special that included an English breakfast. Between the Bloody Mary the hearty eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns and so on...I left in far better shape than I arrived. That was the extend of my experience- which seems a shame as there is a lot to do here (billiards, terrace- karaoke - they told us). I don't know that I would say this will become me Sunday recovery go-to place, but I will likely return and check it out under different circumstances.

I came along to Blackdog Ballroom as my friends +1 for their launch of their new cocktail…read moremasterclasses. They launched three new variants - studio 54, all cocktails popularised in the 70's, Mexican/tiki themed cocktails and my personal favourite Prohibition. I had cocktails st Blackdog quite a few times and they never disappoint and these be additions to menu are very welcome in my opinion. We had some rather fantastic Manhattens, Sazeracs, and a New York sour -the standout drink for me. A traditional whisky sour topped with red wine, sounds crazy but it's fantastic. Next time I'm looking for somewhere to drink cocktails and chat to some very knowledgeable mixologists I'll be popping along here.

Another addition to the trendy Northern Quarter line up. Blackdog Ball room certainly has balls,…read morepool balls to be precise. A bar come diner come pool hall in a prime NQ spot must be a winner. The decor is fresh and suitably trendy. I visited on a busy Saturday night but it was perhaps too busy to get a feel for the place. I'd like to go back early evening and have a bite to eat. The food is being overseen by Anthony Fielden of Northern Quarter Restaurant so that gives me hope. I was a little miffed that although they advertise cocktails the guy behind the bar looked at me like I had just asked for a bowl of milk. No cocktails on offer but the other drinks were reasonably priced for that area. I was in there on a reconnaissance mission, and would have been interested to check it out anyway, but felt a lot of the clientele were in there because they thought they'd be classed as the 'cool set'. That just means everyone is watching everyone else and forgets to actually have fun. Luckily my friends and I snared a table and set about doing just that. I felt the music was poor for a Saturday night. I was expecting far better, especially as it's open until 5am. There are loads of good DJ's around who could offer something far more original. It was a bit like listening to a CD that is advertised in the ad breaks between Holyoaks. My friends and I left before I was tempted to 'hang the DJ' and found solace elsewhere. It certainly isn't the jewel in NQ's crown but it's the new kid on the block so perhaps once it has found its feet it'll find a voice I want to listen to on a Saturday night.

It's a source of amazement that I have yet to review Blackdog NQ. I frequent the place so often, my…read moreopinion of it has Yoyo'd countlessly over time. As one of the few places open later than other establishments during the week and due to its spacious nature Blackdog has become the goto place for nightowls / school night revellers / creatives / NQ bar staff... As a result whilst weekday night are somewhat passable, the weekends have become something of a nightmare. Unless you like the idea of grinding every Tom, Dick and stinking Harry on your way to the bar. Unless you like waiting half an hour for a drink, which you're most likely to spill given everyone around you thinks they're MJ reincarnated. It probably isn't your kettle of sardine. However Blackdog is brilliant if you want a game of pool and unwind during the week. It's brilliant for a weeknight in January with chilled vibes as I discovered few days ago. But on a busy night it's better to avoid it.