Congratulations are in order! The Bull's Head has made it into the Good Pub Guide published by…read moreCAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale, friend of my locals the Crescent, New Oxford and King's Arms). Many say that this pub would get a lot more custom if it wasn't on the 'wrong side' of Piccadilly Station as it were. However this does mean that it gets a nice eclectic clientele, including office suits at lunchtime which often suggests quality food (smart types are picky about their food, I've met plenty of them). The food itself is your hearty, tasty pub grub from upmarket peppery steak pies and gammon and eggs to sirloin steaks and corned beef hash. The chips are particularly nice. The beers include the Marston's standard Burton, Pedigree and specials like Long Hop, as well as many festival ales such as Everard's, Brains and Ringwood's. Down to earth, upbeat and friendly staff serve the pub's varied customers, creating a jovial and relaxed atmosphere. Certainly a worthy addition to the guide.

Because of The Star and Garter's odd choice of not opening until the gig starts (You're a pub with…read morethirsty MetalHeads stood outside for upto an hour,you do realise how much money you lost in that hour?) We were forced to wet our whistle elsewhere,and a quick check on the app showed that The Bulls Head was the nearest,so head there we did. It is always nice to go into a pub that has a good mix of clientel,and this was one of them,a smattering of regular looking folk? Check,a few suit and ties having a swift one after work? Check,and on this particular evening 2 Metalheads after a nice drop of ale. We both had a pint of Boon Doggle on draft (They have a really good selection),which went down a treat,as did the pub itself,it is a really nice place that I will certainly go back too the next time that i'm not able to get my drink on before a gig.. Good stuff

The Eagle and child is an old charming pub rightly considered to be the best pub in the area, it…read moreregularly features in the good food and good beer guides. The pub offers a variety of cask ales as well as a delightful array of draught and bottled continental lagers. The food is as popular as the beer and I strongly recommend booking in advance if you visiting in the evening. Friday and Saturday nights are exceptional busy and it can be hard to find a seat, the pub is open 12 3, and 5 .30 11.00pm (all day Sunday)

Great Pub set in beautiful Lancashire countryside, Staff & Service first class, our visit during…read moreLunchtime 12th August gave us a choice of menu's we selected Mussels & Smokies as our Starters with Rump Steak, & Steak / Ale Pie for mains. All food was of the highest quality, very tasty and filling, all round EXCEPTIONAL & VERY ENJOYABLE.

Not been in this place for many years, but after seeing it mentioned on a TV programme recently we…read moredecided to give it a try, the main reason being that on the TV they said they were bringing back the love of traditional English dishes such as Tripe!! Now as a kid I was force fed Trip and hated it, and never dared try it since, so was up for the challenge. The three of us arrived at around 1pm the bar was quiet but not empty which was great, we were greeted by a friendly barman, who showed us to a table over looking the river. We ordered drinks and read the menu. I had the Italian Red wine (£4.80 glass) which was fantastic and my friend had a bitter (£2) from a massive choice as they had just had a weekend beer festival. We decide to try the Tripe in Madera sauce, and Ducks liver in Madera (served with an egg on top) to share between the three of us, it was outstanding I would order both again we all really enjoyed the starter. Starters were £5-£6 each. For mains we ordered Fish and Chips x 2 and 1 Toad in the hole, I wanted the wood pigeon but due to a tooth problem decided I better save that for next time, these meals were also outstanding, we all gave it 10/10, the chunky chips, battered fish, mushy peas and tartar sauce were perfect, the Toad in the hole with 2 sausages was also excellent (mains were £8-£9 each) but this came with nothing else so had to order a side portion of chips at £3, we would have loved dessert but simply had no room. The service, staff were all very friendly and efficient (the meals came to a total of £53.50 not inc service) The down side as others have said is the entrance, toilets and outside areas, the bar is very dark, and could be said it is dismal, the cleanliness of the areas is poor but clearly the dated entrance, carpet, rails, windows, lets the whole place down, the location on the side of the river is great and with some imagination with flower boxes, and some refurbishment it would make such a difference, they must lose a lot of customers due to the entrance, we did think twice before entering. All in all I would defiantly return, I felt the service, food and drinks were all so good it was worth risking the stairs, but not sure I would take anyone for a special meal due to the entrance. Well done Mark Addy. Return May 2012 Food still first class and well worth trying, but sadly the place is dirty, service a shambles clearly need a good restaurant manager to match the great food.

Tell me about any bar that you have to cross a bridge then descend into a riverside basement to…read moreaccess (in effect, acting like a spy on a mission) and you've got my attention. The great thing about Mark Addy is that things stay disctinctly up-hill once you arrive. Named after the famous oarsman and publican who was awarded the Albert Medal for the rescue of over 50 people from the then highly-polluted River Irwell in the 19th century this is obviously a bar/restaurant well rooted in British tradition. Both the food and drink are exactly that- traditional, British, nonesense free, good stuff. The bar is also rather famous for its huge selection of cheeses and pate- perfect pint partners as far as I'm concerned. Dodge the lunch time rush and turn up late afternoon to make sure you get a riverside seat and you will find it one hard place to leave.

A real icon of the Victorian greatness of Manchester, Sam's opened in the same location over 150…read moreyears ago in the quaintly named Back Pool Fold location This is the place where the businessman of the day would eat when the City was known as King Cotton, but with the interior more recently updated to acknowledge artist LS Lowry who often frequented the establishment in the 1950s and 60s Framed photographs of the artist adorn the walls and a life size bronze sitting at the bar work so well It's an English pub, so unless you book yourself into the dining room, you buy your drinks and the bar and then find a seat The bar service is prompt and efficient The menu is classic North of England; steak and kidney pudding with mushy peas and mashed potatoes were just like I remember as a kid in these parts more than 50 years ago A tribute to Lowry on the menu is Lowry Lamb Cutlets - presumably a favorite of the artist back in the day; thick cut lamb chops on a bed of rocket was absolutely top notch This place is a classic and I can't believe that anybody would be disappointed

Sam's Chop House appears to be an old time pub / chop house feel. The atmosphere inside is actually…read morequite nice. The staff were also friendly. We arrived around 8:15 for dinner. It was clear the server was struggling with the 6-7 tables so the manager and bartender stepped in to help. It took a little while to get our simple drinks out but that is not offensive with the amount of tables quickly coming in. However the food was pretty horrid. I ordered the soup and a side of cabbage and my wife ordered their famous corned beef. The corned beef is a pate style corned beef that is oversalted and feels like it came out of a can and had the consistency of fancy cat food. It flavor was sincerely lacking. The pork roll came out first with the cabbage. The exterior of it was lukewarm and dense. Cutting into it I found the meat was ice cold. It had clearly not been baked correctly which was surprising given it came out 15 minutes before the cat food. All in all it was very disappointing and not somewhere we would recommend going for food. Drinks maybe. 2 stars only due to a nice staff.

Pains me to go with 3 stars as this used to be a family favourite - literally family wide as often…read moregroups of 15+ would take a nice walk through the Bolton countryside to the Pack Horse for lunch! It used to be fantastic; really old school and country style with brilliant pub grub at decent prices. In the last few years however, it has been restyled and remodelled - aiming to provide a more chic dining experience as appose to a gastro-pub with family feel. On this visit I had the cajun chicken burger, which was ok, nothing special - served with chunky chips that were again, nothing special. My girlfriend had the chicken sandwich which again wasn't going to win any awards. The Park Horse is a good pub still and in the summer months, there are not many better things than sitting outside on the decking looking onto the amazing views on fields upon fields upon fields however it has lost some of it's special sauce and more so it's identity. RIP childhood memories.. All this said It's still decent and the setting will forever be amazing - they can't change that - but the food has gone down hill and is just bang average in all honesty. Sadly it's another Bolton favourite that a few years back, would've received 5 stars screaming for a 6, but now is just falling into the bog standard Bolton trap.

One of those pubs worth a quick drive out to for some food. Although the restaurant area out the…read moreback is lacking in atmosphere compared to the other areas of the pub, the food more than makes up for it. Along with its sister place the Shoulder of Mutton, the menu here is well-executed traditional British grub. Expect large portions on large plates. My starter was excellent, with a good whack of crab flavour often missing from dishes that claim to be crab-based. For main I had an excellent braised belly pork on a flavourful chorizo cassoulet, and we shared some decent chips as a side. Puddings were sweet, terrible for you, and all the better for it.

This modern pub nestled in the village of Poulton Le Fylde is a fantastic addition to the area…read more I've been here once before for drinks and a catch up with my sister (she lives over this way) but today was the first time I tried the food. The menu here is all your traditional pub grub, ranging from light bites and sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads to full meals - ribs, chicken and steaks. I opted for the Tennessee burger - a chunky beef burger with bacon, cheese and Jack Daniels Honey Glaze, served on a soft seeded bun with thick cut chunky chips. It was very good. My niece, who's 5, was spoilt for choice on the children's menu too! They have an 'order at the bar' policy, which I didn't mind as it wasn't too busy and the food came quickly. Happy faces all round the table!

The pub was busy on a Sunday night. We were seated quickly & drinks were on the table in no time…read more Ordered the scallops & black pudding appy, but they were out of scallops so our waitress gave us a modified app which was delish. I ordered the Cod & Chips while the others ordered the Lamb Shoulder & the Roast Beef dinner. All meals were out quick & very tasty & fresh. I would definately recommend this pub for anyone visiting the area & I would love to say that I would for sure come back if I lived in the area.

Well this a fabulous little find just off the East Lancs Road near Rainford. Quaint little country…read morepub on a bend. Very traditional style of exposed bricks and wooden beams by here is a large car park situated at the side with ample parking. The staff are very attentive and knowledgeable and quick to serve and respond. There is a few little tucked away tables and is especially good for large tables. The food was very well presented and good hearty portions. It's also quite moderately priced. The wine is a little pricey for a country pub but there is a wide ranging choice. I would definitely go hear again. It's also great for the oldies and my fussy Bugga of Nan loved it.

Gotta check out this 1556 building and the English pub. The building is old timber with really neat…read morewindows. It's a narrow and tall building with separate floors for dining. We dined on the second floor for lunch on a Sat. We did not have reservations-but they are recommended. My friend dined on a lively chicken bacon avo salad. I had the chicken bacon cheese sandwich. We added halloumi fries which were delish! Our waitress was MIA most of the time-needing to go to the bar to ask for check and to order.

The Old Wellington was a great choice for our first meal in Manchester. I had been scoping out…read moreplaces to eat in the area prior to our visit, and with it's unique facade and close proximity to the day's activities, it made for a memorable meal. The food itself was delicious. I had a carrot soup. It was fresh and not overly salty. The sourdough bread and butter was the perfect complement and I enjoyed my meal immensely. My husband had a salmon bowl which looked incredible, but I didn't sample. One of the things we really liked about The Old Wellington was the high caliber of food quality. Being that we had just embarked on our UK trip, it was nice to have a meal that was healthy. I was really blown away by how great the food was and extra happy that I didn't have to settle for something overly rich that would've weighed me down for the days of walking ahead. While the atmosphere and the food were 5 stars all the way, I am deducting one star for the length of time it took to get the food. We scanned the QR code on our table to place our order (a relic from Covid times I suppose), and it took nearly 40 minutes for our food to arrive. We noticed other people going in and placing their orders, but this was confusing since our drink order arrived in a somewhat timely manner. We had timed tickets for an attraction nearby, so I had to leave part of my meal behind. Kind of a bummer since the food was so good and an hour should've been plenty of time to not feel rushed. Of worthy mention is the conveniently central location in Manchester. Literally less than 5 minutes walk to great shopping, Chetham's Library and Manchester Cathedral. We loved our time in Manchester, and someday we'll be back to try more from the Old Wellington. Next time, we'll place our order inside :-)