Note: this is a breakfast review so may not reflect the pub fully. I was waiting for an event at Mosi, and decided to check out the nearest pub for breakfast options. The menu was pretty standard, so I quickly have chosen what to have and went to take a seat. The breakfast was of the right temperature, no twists, does the job. If want a quick fix ( depending on how many people are already there) while waiting for your train or stuff at Mosi, than that's the place; otherwise might want to check out things nearby. The wait was a bit too long - but again, this is a pub, not a breakfast place, so not sure it's fair to expect fast service at this time of day. read more

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The Ox has been a place I've been wanting to revisit for quite some time! In fact the last time I went for lunch was probably a good 5 years ago and whenever I see a Yelp review come up for it it does make me think I've been missing out on this fine classic pub that serves fine British classics for too long! Although it's traditional and there's nothing that makes you go wow like some nearby trendy bars, it's definitely this which appeals to me - in fact I found a lovely little table towards the back with a roaring fire which warmed me up on a day when the weather was starting to look rather autumnal. I was served by 3 different staff and all were friendly, polite and welcoming. For some bizarre reason I decided to go for their 2 for £12.95 lunch deal (why I needed 2 courses at lunch I'm not sure but it seemed good value - plus I'd been in meetings all day so needed a fair amount of comfort food) and I went for the ham hock terrine to start with (lovely piccalilli) followed by the steak and ale pie with chips and vege's (devine). The quality and taste was excellent and with a very full belly I felt my work here was done! Speaking of work, it was also a good little spot to work for an hour on my laptop afterwards - with free wifi. That's the right way to blend tradition and modern so as the customer has the best of both worlds :-) read more

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Went here about a week ago with a couple friends and we all had a burger with chips. It was properly the biggest burger I have ever had and was about 1 inch in thickness! It was also really really tasty with the combination of the various herbs and garnish. Highly recommended. The only reason not giving it 5 is because I have only been once so they may not make everything good. Also, it was very warm when next to the real fireplace! Update: (15th August 2010) Went again today for lunch with ex workmates. Once again I had The Ox Burger (not made of Ox btw). Burger itself was very nice but not quite as nice as I remember when I had it just before Christmas. Its a very big burger and very filling. Service wasnt good at all though today for some reason. We ordered food after having a drink but then it took about 30 mins before food came. All of us had the burger so its not like we had lots of complicated different dishes. When we finished and asked for the bill it took ages as well. If I could I would knock the score down by a half but cant do half points in Yelp. Maybe it was an off day as regards to the service. read more

The Oxnoble - The burger I had. Delicious!!! - Gastropubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Love this place! Imagine a cosy country pub with a roaring fire, slap-bang in the middle of Manchester. Not been in here for a couple of years, so I was keen to check out the pubs on Liverpool Road, Castlefield once again, prior to a curry (there's three curry houses alone on this strip), so after starting off in The White Lion next door, we stopped for one in here. Bit disappointed about the seating plan, to be honest. Seems like they just want to cater for diners, with at least three quarters of the pub now taken up with tables set aside for meal-eaters, to the extent that there are rope barriers everywhere! So us three boozers had to scrap around for any stools we could find and ended up sharing a table with some randoms (not that I mind at all). Totally forgot you can stay here too (it's a reasonally-priced hotel) and I really must come back for one of their epic Sunday lunches, in the next few weeks. read more

The Oxnoble - What an ass! - Gastropubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

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Cosy, inviting pub in the centre of Manchester close to Hilton, curry places (akbars, Bollywood etc) and party strip Deansgate locks! Very busy when we went after work on a Thursday and seem to cater for diners rather than drinkers though so had to scrap around for chairs BUT great wine and not too pricey! Heard great things about the food so will be coming back for a hearty roast or midweek treat! read more

The Oxnoble - Christmassy!! - Gastropubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Awesome bar that has affable barkeeps and cask ales. Don't get me started with the pub decor...dope. It's right down the street from the White Lion. There are multiple dining areas to get your meat pies on. yum yum gimme some. read more

The Oxnoble - Yup - Gastropubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

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One of my friends has been hankering for a 'proper' Sunday lunch for a while now and, after racking my brain for where I would consider the best (I'm not a massive fan of eating them out as my mum's is just so amazing!) I reckoned our best bet was with The Ox. It was fairly empty being a warm day, so we sat down in the bar area with a bottle of wine and looked over the menu. Alongside the main roasts - lamb, pork, beef, chicken - you could get some of their more classic pub meals, such as fish and chips. There was also a nice selection of starters and desserts for those wanting to take part in the 'two or three for £___' offer. I started with the bourbon soaked pork belly chunks, served with a horseradish mash and red cabbage, which was really tasty. The crunch from the cabbage worked really well with the tender pork, and the mash had a nice little kick to it. For main, I had the roast beef, which was served as close to the perfect home-cooked colour I have come to expect. The yorkshire puddings here are by far the main event, as big as your head and a great balance between fluffy and crispy. You get both roast potato and mash - which I never really understand, but hey - and a side of veg, which was served in a sharing tray for us to pick from; carrots, parsnips, courgette and (my favourite) cauliflower and broccoli cheese. Oh and a gravy boat, for those who want a little bit more moisture on their plate! Needless to say, neither of us could finish this impressive meal and needed a bit of a walk afterwards. The offers on food here are just great for the quality you get, and I have no hesitations in recommending this to everyone. read more

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The Short tale of the Ox Oh the Ox, the master of the double bluff. I turn up outside with my special lady friend telling her I've read all about this amazing gastro pub- we are smiling, hurray! We go in and it looks like a bar where you could easily get your socks robbed- we are sad, booo! Then we are served our meal and everything is gastro- we're happy again, hurray!!! The End. read more

The Oxnoble - Gastropubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

We heard that this place offered two courses for £10 and had some of the best food in town. Whoever told us this was not wrong. When you walk into the Ox you could be forgiven for thinking that it was just another pub that offered good ale in Manchester. However this place offers gastro dining at its best. I had chicken pate to start followed by steak and ale pie on a bed of mash with black pudding. The portions were perfect and the flavours were really delicious. The wine that was recommended was perfect for the courses ordered and the staff were great. The only negative I have to say The Ox was that when we returned a second time the staff were quite slow and the service was poor in comparison to our first trip. Forgiving the staff for what I perceive may have been an off day perhaps The Ox is a great place to take your loved ones for a cheap and impressive meal. Thumbs up to the Ox. read more

The Oxnoble - Gastropubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

The Ox in Castlefield is a great pub, it really is, but even so, its only my fourth or fifth favourite pub within 50 yards of its location. That does sound pretty harsh, but it just so happens that lots of the best pubs in Manchester fall in this small area. Its only moments away from the wonderful Knott Bar, a couple of doors down from the best bar in Manchester called Cask, and a minute or two from Dukes 92. Its nearby The White Lion is vying for fourth place with this lovely place. However, its still really worth a visit, and in my opinion one should come to this area and have a pint in all of the pubs around here. This one has got a more traditional feel, with old-style décor and a wooden bar. Its best feature is probably its extensive beer garden, like its neighbour, another great pub The White Lion. Great beer and great Sunday roasts to boot. read more

The Oxnoble - Gastropubs Near Me - Manchester, XGM

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I called in here to meet Michael B for a quick drink before meeting others at Sapporo Teppanyaki. It's really nice inside as pubs go, warm and welcoming with a decent amount of space. I only stayed for one half so can't entirely judge it from this visit, but in terms of what I want from a pub it was quite lacking. The beer range was really limited. Service was not engaging at all - one member of staff started pulling my beer before drifting off, leaving another to jump in to finish it. Both of them seemed more concerned with chatting with another customer than me. Prices were reasonable. I'll call back again if I'm nearby, though I definitely wouldn't pass it up for the infinitely beerier and friendlier Knott Bar. read more

The Ox is a nice pub which also serves a very good fish and chip meal although the prices on the menu somewhat took me aback - basically at least £10 for a main course. Maybe that's just how much meals are now, but I keep thinking how strange it is that housing in Manchester is so much cheaper than London but food costs just the same, if not more. read more

I was in Manchester looking for a good Sunday roast, and I found it at the Ox. I ordered the beef, and my friend ordered the lamb... and both were delicious. Not only did they taste better than most of the roasts I've had in London, they were also significantly cheaper. £13 will get you two courses on a Sunday (or 3 courses for £15), and on all other non-Sunday days of the week you can get two courses for £10! One of the things I don't like about English cooking is that often everything is overcooked. Not so at the Ox. My beef was medium rare, vegetables were perfectly cooked, and the multiple types of potatoes/other starches that arrived on my plate were also delicious. Not only that, the sticky toffee pudding that arrived after dinner was thoroughly vanquished was incredible. Go to the Ox if you want a nice gastropub meal, and have a beer while you're at it, the selection was pretty good. read more

The Ox Noble is directly opposite the Museum of Science and Industry so the perfect location for a spot of food or drink after soaking up some of the museums' delights. It is a traditional 'pub' with lots of seating and an outside terrace area for when the weather is fine. I've not eaten in here for a while but I really enjoyed it when I did. The food is 'gastro pub' grub with large portions although slightly pricey for pub grub. The bar isn't particularly well stocked for lager drinkers (my Dad wasn't too chuffed) but there is a good wine selection with a number of different options by the glass which is always a welcome sight. This pub is popular with the after work crowd and can get incredibly loud and rowdy after a couple so it isn't really the place to go if you want a quiet chat unless you sit outside. read more

With most gastro pubs the pub part gets lost. They usually just have small bar area in a token tribute to the pub they may have once been and are largely restaurant, the atmosphere defined by the up-market-ness of the food on offer. But The Ox is unusual in that it really is a proper pub and gastro restaurant crammed together into a fairly small space. This means it offers the rare possibility of having fine food in a very casual setting. The word casual didn't quite sum it up when we came on a Saturday afternoon though. The front part was rammed with boisterous football fans who'd stopped in for a beer on their way home from the match and was noisy and bustling. This could easily put somebody off who'd stepping in from the street expecting a quaint pub lunch. But if you pass through this, there is a section marked off for dining which is much calmer. This divide between the two parts almost works, though during our meal shouting did keep spilling over and it never felt completely relaxed. The Ox has a £10 two course menu with an range of appetising sounding pub dishes - pies, steaks, and fish. Wanting something a bit fancier though, we ordered from the other gastro menu with mains at around £15 to £20. My starter of black pudding potato cake had light potato puree inside with a softness contrasting nicely with the crisp shell of breadcrumbs around. Little specks of black pudding in the potato filling added an earthiness to its taste. The accompanying poached egg oozed out golden sauce that was perfect to eat with the potato. I ordered roe deer for the main, interested to try this meat. The small slices, brown round their edges and pinkish in the middle, didn't disappoint. They were wonderfully meltingly soft in a way I'd normally only expect from the highest grade of beef. They had perhaps a slightly more gamey flavour than beef's subtleness, but were very smooth to eat - without any of the slight graininess of fibrousness that meat can have. The accompanying beetroot gratin was also good. The thin layers of gratin, though tasting surprisingly similar to their potato equivalent, had an extra fruitiness, sweetness and softness that made them feel rich in flavor. Generally the vegetables accompanying our dishes were interesting. The fish came with rosti which instead of normal potatoes' softer flavor was made from sweet potato which had a brasher taste and texture which helped it nicely offset the creaminess of the fish and it's sauce. My only complaint was that the patty of potato strands, which should be lightly browned by frying, was slightly over fried so a few pieces were a little blacker. I also felt that the pork belly one of my fellow diners had wasn't quite as meltingly soft as it can sometimes be with really slow cooking. But it was better than many I've had too, and these are minor niggles in what were otherwise some really well prepared dishes. They all endeavored to do something a little bit more interesting and generally succeeded in pulling this off, justifying The Ox's claim to be a gastro pub more than many do. If you're looking for a place to get some stimulating food in a very informal setting, then you could do a lot worse than coming here. read more

I was taken here by Jess H some Sunday's ago...I was told that I was in for a treat! Of course I wasn't let down. After ordering a bottle of wine to share we perused the special Sunday menu that was a reasonable offer with 2 courses for around the £15 mark. I started with the terrine - slightly disappointed it wasn't served hot it was still enjoyable with plenty of flavor. I followed this with a traditional beef roast with all the trimmings; roasties, veggies, a huge Yorkshire pudding and plenty of red wine jus more than a gravy. It was all-divine and I have been since with another group of friends but I must say I prefer a good ol' thick juicy gravy rather than the posh jus. Definitely a reasonable Sunday lunch for Manchester centre - nice quiet bar for a relaxed atmosphere too. read more

Cosy pub that does a decent Sunday roast. It's a comfortable and charming gastro pub with real fires and little nooks to sit in. I came for the Sunday roast but was actually more impressed by the starter and dessert. You can get 2 courses for £14.95. The leek and cheese tart was really tasty and I would get it again. The roast beef dinner was more mixed with the beef not as pink as I would have liked. The cauliflower was undercooked and the Yorkshire pudding a little overcooked. Plus there wasn't enough gravy which can make or break a roast. The rest of it was good though. The piña colada cheesecake was the best part of the meal! Really creamy with a ginger biscuit base (an idea that I plan to steal) plus a pineapple coulis that was a good sharp contrast. Wish I had some now. read more

Yet another stunner in the popular Castlefield area, this pub really is a solid little ox. Classic pub fare here is served gastro-style, but with competitive prices. From Monday to Saturday until 10pm you can choose 2 courses for £10. not bad at all when the dishes are hearty classic like Mussels, Steak and Ale pie or fish and chips. Desserts too are old favourites like crumble, sundaes, cheese selections or even a Jaffa Cake Trifle - fun and mightily tasty. I like the rustic feel of the Ox, it deceives you into thinking the quality might not exceed the decor, but it does on all counts. You can actually book a clean, contemporary room here too for just £50 a night, should you be too full to make it out the door! read more

The Ox is a country pub, yet it stands tall in the heart of the city centre district of Castlefield. With it's Roman ruins round the corner, village and heritage, speak volumes around here. An open log fire, my heart skips a beat. I haven't seen one of them in ages since my city centre dwelling. We came in on a Sunday after hearing about a must frequented establishment in Castlefield. £12.95 for three courses were absolutely beautiful. Every course was cooked to a high standard, the soup, the pork, the sweet potato mash, the ice-cream. Richard Davies and his team are to thank for that. Truly deserved of his rosettes. The Ox is also a hotel. Obviously I have no need to stay in the hotel, but if there was ever a chance, I'd be hoping for some more of these spectacular fire places and amazing room service. read more

I'm not from Manchester but was tempted in by the previous reviews of others. I had soup to start, which was fine. Nothing special. Sunday roast was perfect on a cold February day. Plentiful helping of potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire pudding. The serving of beef was a bit small however it was well cooked and delicious. Two courses for £14.95 is not bad either. The place was quiet when we arrived with only one family there. By the time we had finished it was filling up nicely so is obviously a popular spot. Nice atmosphere with the fire going in the corner. Would recommend to others. Staff could have been friendlier and more engaged. read more

The OX is a really cool down to earth English pub and Hotel which is right near Deansgate on Liverpool Road, Its friendly staff welcomed us and asked us what we would like to drink, its a really friendly down to earth place with loads of old pictures scattered around here and there, It had a nice chilled out atmosphere as well. I also hear that they do some great meals in this place and offers like two courses for £10 Monday to Saturday. This place is kind of a mix between a gastropub and a country pub right in the middle of Manchester City Centre. I can't wait to go back! read more

A really nice cosy pub next to the Science Museum, staff friendly. Refreshing as it doesn't feel part of a chain. I didn't eat here but ambiance at 6pm made me want to stay longer, Black Sheep on draught. Would go back. They have rooms too from £35 (possibly one of the kennels at the rear. Bizarre that veg choice has been same for 2 years - mushroom and thyme pasta. read more

Had a few drinks here after work, it's a lovely pub, bigger than I thought it would be. It had a good range of reasonably priced beers too! They play really good music too which always helps me decide if I want to stay or not! A little gem for sure! read more

Great local pub feel in the middle of the city. Loved the open mic live music sets and overall casual vibe. Food was excellent as was the service. I'll go back! read more

A really nice cosy pub next to the Science Museum, staff friendly. Refreshing as it doesn't feel part of a chain. I didn't eat here but ambiance at 6pm made me want to stay longer, Black Sheep on draught. Would go back. They have rooms too from £35 (possibly one of the kennels at the rear. read more

An excellent establishment located almost next door to the Museum of Science and Industry (which is also well worth a visit if you're in the area). The food is absolutely first-class; it's therefore quite pricey, but to be honest we came away thinking it was well worth a few extra pounds for the quality of the product. The beer was decent and the atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. The service was, perhaps, a little on the slow side, but maybe that was just us. Parking could be a problem -- but the area is well served by trams, trains and buses, and who wants to have to drive to a pub?! read more

Good little boozer in a nice area of town. It has outside seating and serves both food and drink. The atmosphere is relaxed and the cientelle is a mix between an older crowd, and the younger city living neighbours. I found the staff in here really friendly when I went in for a daytime drink. I was studying nearby at the Cervantes centre and I was suffering from a cold. When I asked for some hot water for my lemslip they were very obliging and didn't even charge me for it. I was surpised as we were hardly big spenders, nursing a coffee, a lemonade and two bags of crisps between us. I would definitley go in here again if I was in the area. read more

Very characterful gastro pub in the centre of Manchester. Food is excellent and very well priced, with very satisfying portion sizes. Bar staff less sparkling a rather off-hand feel. Food makes up for it though. Recommended for a satisfying meal in a busy, bustling atmosphere. read more

The food has improved amazingly with the incorporation of the new chef and the service is one of the friendliest in Manchester. Probably one of the best places to dine in Manchester when you take into account quality of food and price!!!! I'll be back!!!!! read more

This is a wonderful little inn above a great pub. The rooms are quite simple, but have a TV and they are clean. You really can't beat it for the price. The inn is above the Oxnoble Pub which is a really fun local pub (we didn't hear any noise coming from the pub as we were 2 floors up.) As a visitor to the UK it was really fun to mingle with the locals over a couple beers. I heard the food here is excellent, but (unfortunately) we never got a chance to eat here. The Ox is walking distance from Deansgate station and walkable to great shopping and restaurants. Old Trafford is a quick tram ride away. I found the locals to be very friendly and they are more than happy to help you find your destination. read more

Been here many times. Always bring friends from abroad, since they serve more than decent pub food. Their fish & chips is the best so far I had in Britain. Call it fancy, it approaches perfection. read more

Excellent food, friendly service, free wi-fi. Normally have a couple of guest ales which are decent. Quiet in day, busy in evening. Sometimes get a few celebs in. read more

My friend and I visited The Ox last weekend. We'd only gone for a drink initially but the atmosphere was very good and we were served quickly by a very polite barmaid. We decided to eat there too, despite being around 9pm there was a very extensive menu albeit not much for vegetarians and many 'specials' in addition. The food prices were slightly on the high side (hence my 4* instead of 5* review). I only had chunky chips and my friend had fish, chips and peas and both meals were delicious - worthy of their price. My friend went so far as to say it was the best meal she'd ever had out. All of the staff were friendly and efficient and I'm looking forward to going back next time I'm in Manchester. read more