we came here to eat christmas dinner at a pub for a nice, festive english traditional food! once we entered, we sat ourselves down in the middle area, near the back as when you're ready to order, you go up to the bar to do so! we took a good while deciding what we should have and i previously had a friend recommend the buttermilk chicken burger as a game changer for burgers so i decided to get that one! they still had their christmas special menu and there was a turkey special as well as the chicken burger special, which my friends decided on! upon ordering, we noticed that the turkey dish was only 2.99 and the server told us that tonight had a special on turkey dishes and my mind was changed to ordering that one as well! the wait wasn't long as our food came all at once within 10 minutes or so and it was very fairly portioned! the pub itself had a nice, quiet, somewhat dim-lite atmosphere that made it very comfortable to relax and catch up with friends! overall, it was our first time at weatherspoons and we were very happy with the experience! read more

The Ford Madox Brown - buttermilk chicken burger - Pubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

It seems like a chain in its feel, but as an outsider traveling to Manchester it was pretty good. I've had a better full English elsewhere, but none come this close to the price and promptness. The restaurant was clean, the service was good, and the food was satisfying. I'm a bit of a coffee fanatic and my latte just wasn't how I preferred. The coffee tasted a tad stale and I believe the milk was over steamed. The steaming issue seems like a recurring thing in England though, so it may just be preference-based. I returned this evening for a pint and I was still satisfied with the service. I can see myself taking a few friends here to hang out. read more

The Ford Madox Brown - Pubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

It's a wetherspoons, but if you ignore this little factor it can feel like a true local. Always full of locals (surprisingly) there are massive fire places that you can sit next to and slowly cook yourself by. Whilst cooking yourself you can wait for your food to cook as well. The pub isn't exactly in gastro territory but it does ok too alright food. The big breakfasts are for winners at an odd £3 a shot and often you'll find that what you pay for is what you get. Humongous tellies are just about viewable from every seat in the place and the big games are always broadcast, the staff are friendly and the ambience of the place is very cosy for such a large establishment. The fireplaces make this a great place to defrost yourself with a pint of bitter on a winters day. read more

The Ford Madox Brown - Pubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Unlike the other reviewers, I am actually a big fan of Spoons(es) in general and was genuinely quite excited when this one opened. I like the way you can always find out about the history of the building through little framed pictures, I like the books on the wall, the veggie breakfasts, the fact that you can still buy a pint for under £2. We used to head down to the FMB for a change of scenery from the bar in our halls bar. Compared to the Waterhouse, the Paramount and the big Spoons in Piccadilly (as well as our bar) this is truly luxurious. No grubby carpets, sparkling toilets (complete with sofas) and comparatively few old men. What's wrong with old men anyway? I like this place, and it's somewhere that I feel comfortable waiting on my own whilst waiting for my (invariably late) friends to arrive. Maybe I'm just an old man at heart. To sum up, the best bargain boozer in the area. If you're looking for a younger atmosphere and a more traditional pub then head further into Victoria Park to the Rampant Lion. read more

The Ford Madox Brown - Pubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Ford Madox Brown is a new wetherspoons next to the old jaguar garage (now a bike store). I've not been in, but I have this photo :P Anyway, we can all guess exactly what a wetherspoons in the heart of the student area of manchester will be like! Cheap drinks, full of students read more

The Ford Madox Brown - Pubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

This very busy popular affordable pub relentlessly does its job with ease. A very mixed crowd seem to feel at home in their respective nooks , booths and tables. As a free house it controls its beers and prices keeping them varied and affordable with competent pub grub to match. Fish n chip Friday is always a hit. It is always busy so it always has a lively feel to it, great place to start, finish or even spend an evening with friends. read more

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Did you know, the Ford Madox Brown is one of only 3 Wetherspoons in the whole country that DOESN'T have Wi-Fi? Neither did I! So, if you are ever in the situation where say, BT has completely screwed up and you are without internet or indeed a phone line for the next 6 weeks, don't bother dragging your entire laptop and all its bits all the way from your crap internet-less house to the FMB. Because you will, like I was, be sorely disappointed. I don't really know how to review a Wetherspoons, because it's a WETHERSPOONS: they're all exactly the same. Same food, same drinks, same faux-décor. Its like trying to pick your favourite part of a piece of wood. So, in the interests of a fair and accurate review, I shall be taking the scientific approach and looking at all the variables. My God, my science GCSE HAS come in useful after all. Firstly, the other customers. Personally, I don't think there are THAT many students here, when you consider its location (it's only a 2-minute walk away from the main university campus). There are a fair few, but a good 50% of the clientele seems to be made up of a large amount of elderly gentlemen, whom are a great puzzlement to me. Who are they? And where the bloody hell have they come from? Where do they live? If anyone knows, do enlighten me. I find them fascinating. Secondly, the ladies toilets are HUGE- I've never seen anything like it in my life. I mean, these bad boys are MASSIVE. In all my memories of the FMB, there has never- ever- been more ladies than cubicles. And henceforth, there has never been the dreaded queues. There's even a little corridor type thing leading off the main part of the room to yet MORE loos. It's fantastic. The bar staff are brill, friendly and always up for a chat whilst they sort out your drinks. It's like, if Spoons were staffed by all those friends-of-friends who you don't really know but always see at parties and get on really well with, that's what it would be like. And I swear, a miserable bar tender can sour your Pink Tutu in seconds (oh yeah, they do pitchers with fabulously camp names as well). But to be honest, a Spoons is a Spoons. You can get drunk for a reasonably small amount of money, you can easily while away a good few hours bitching with your friends, and they do a decent selection of food in case you get peckish. It's not too bad. This Spoons loses points because of the lack of Wi-Fi, but regains them because of the ideal location and friendly bar staff, as well as the fact that they usually turn a blind eye when the students sweep any leftover ketchup or salt sachets into their bags. And by students I mean me and my somewhat opportunistic friends. However, having said all that, I'd like to quickly add in this little anecdote, which I feel the Yelp populace will enjoy. I made the Beau read the above review before putting it up, to check for spelling mistakes and any shopping lists I may have absently-mindedly made mid-scribe. He read, gave a pleasing amount of compliments (I've trained him well) before going 'The Ford Madox Brown? That one near Tesco and Superdrug? Oh yeah, last time I was there this guy came up to us and told us that he'd been in jail for MURDER!". So, yes. In addition to the above, Yelpers should note that they can expect beer and banter with convicted criminals if they enter this establishment. But it's ok, you can always hide in the cavernous ladies loos. read more

Pretty woeful, but not terrible for a Wetherspoons. Situated just along oxford road, if it's a cheap pint you're after this has to be the place. Big Hands is of course much nicer, but twice the price, and Varsity is a pit of despair, so it'll have to be the Ford Maddox Brown. Its named after the artist Ford Madox Brown, a one-time resident of Victoria Park just behind the pub. Some of his paintings can be seen in the Manchester art gallery nearby. Its got out of town Wetherspoons prices rather than the city centre ones, which is pretty important as that is its only pull factor. Its £1.50 for an ale and not much more for a lager. They also do lots of spirit & mixer deals and cheap jugs for sharing as well. The food, well we all know Wetherspoons food. If you play it safe and have ham egg and chips for £1.99 you wont have any reason to complain. Its got an eclectic mix of art-work in there and some decent furniture which make it feel a bit more local than usual Wetherspoons. Still, they do fund UKIP read more

Situated on oxford road, you may think this place is beyong amazing! But think twice and probably read this little piece before you know, you're just going to experience expensive food and drinks in here. The place is of course done up in a more expensive tone, and looks like those old grand hunter houses! But who cares about appreciating the decor when the drinks and food are totally not student friendly and expensive and nothing all that great! Though, the only thing I'm a fan of here is the chicken cheese nachos, quite different from anywhere else I know. But other than that, I don't really see anything! Maybe good for the working class. read more

Been in here before.It follows the usual Wetherspoons pathcheap drink and food at a reasonable quality. The pub is clean, the staff are friendly and it usual has a very pleasant atmosphere too! read more

Has a very tasty burger with bacon and many other deals. One of the best and (at the same time) cheapest places where I had a launch after courses. Also has 5 out of 5 food hygiene rating. read more

I'm not a Wetherspoons hater, I get the problems people have with them. But that's an expectations thing. Knowing the situation, FMB isn't the nicest pub in the range, nor the worst. Has the menu and beer selection you would expect (with actually quite a range of American microbrews for a Spoons). Best thing about FMB is the location. Have eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner here. read more

Friendly place with a peaceful atmosphere. Drinks are cheap and it's a convenient place to meet friends. Service is pretty good.

Nestled awkwardly between Rusholme and Uni, there's a strange little row of shops. There's a Subway (oh, there's *always* a bleedin' Subway) and a Tesco (ditto) and a Wetherspoons. Aaaaah, Wetherspoons, the chain-pub behemoth with its £2.99 cottage pie and its £4.75 beer and burger deals. Ahhh, Wetherspoons, with its low low drinks prices and general air of cheapness. Now, in recent reviews, I have pointed out that I love a bargain, and that I like a dirty, cheap 'n' cheerful bar every now and then. So, why don't I love 'spoons? I'm not sure, to be honest. A lot of it is to do with the clientele. They're not very nice, most of the time. The Ford Madox Brown juuust about manages to balance the 'terrifying local man' contingent with the 'friendly student' contingent, so that's OK. And the food really is good value. I've eaten here a handful of times, when I've just been like "sod it, I want a pint, I want a burger, let's get cracking" and though it's not exactly Michelin starred, it fulfilled my expectations and my appetite. As with all 'spoonses, The FMB puts on 'festivals'. That is to say, there'll be a wine festival, during which you can pop in and get 50p off one of their finer Blossom Hill vintages. It was during one such 'festival' that myself and my friends, giddy from having handed in our dissertations, and drunk from FMB's cheap pints, noticed a table, unguarded, laden with unopened bottles of plonk. We were excited, and as we left we nabbed two bottles. On the bus on the way to Shambolic Friend's house, we were a-swigging our stolen plonk when Classy Friend pipes up "Becca, this wine is Ribena". I excitedly replied, "it is raaaather fruity isn't it!" to which her riposte was "no, Becca, it's just Ribena. IT IS FAKE WINE!" The story ends with me spilling said Ribena all over the bus and myself, and being sharply glared at by an old lady. This story has nothing to do with whether you should go to this 'spoons, but it makes me giggle. Though, come to think of it, it could be a searing comment on how cheap drinks prices are RUINING the youth of today, it depends if you read the Daily Mail I guess. The FMB is not a place to spend your whole evening. It's a good after-work place for a swift one, it serves admirably as a lunchtime venue and it's an OK place to get a cheap start to your night. What bugs me about it, though, is that it doesn't feel honest. There's a 'spoons in the city centre called The Wetherspoon, and it's horrid. I like that, that honesty. The FMB, with its artist namesake, faux-wood-panelling and cavernous cathedral loos and brocade armchairs, feels like it's trying to deny its 'spoonsy roots, and that rankles a bit with me. 'Spoons ain't classy, never has been, never will be. And that's fine. What's not fine is the air of pretence this place has. So, final verdict, come, eat, drink, just try not to get too angry at the faux-class that awaits you; it's just a 'spoons. read more

Your typical Wetherspoons branch. Large interior, plenty of seating, wide array of drinks and good available at all times throughout the day, mixed in with the combination of students/group drinkers and your hardcore locals. Definitely worth going in for a pint and even more worth going in for the traditional beer and a burger at only £4 along with the afternoon meal deals of gammon, egg and chips for only £3. Clean interior and large outdoor area for a summer pint when the weather's nice. Recommended. read more