Bar Lorenzo

Beech Road, Chorlton.
Bar Lorenzo is a tapas bar in the heart of Chorlton. It's small and narrow, and the place looks and feels like the genuine article. The photographs on the wall are a nice touch, and the tables, tiles and bar area all look authentically Spanish. The food is very good and the service is excellent. As expected a couple of Spanish beers are served, including Cruzcampo. This is definitely a good place to go if you want to have an informal meal and a few drinks - with wine or sherry probably being better options than beer. It's a bit too intimate and food oriented to be described as just a bar, but it is possible to drink here without eating.

Bowling Green

Brookburn Road, Chorlton.
This pub is a pleasant surprise. It should be awful - think Sky Sports and large gleaming bar pumps for strong lager and guinness - but for some unknown reason it's actually pretty decent. Maybe the fact that it's unpretentious in comparison with many other Chorlton watering holes helps. The punters certainly don't have the Nathan Barley attitude of many trendy Chorlton types. The addition of a couple of hand pumps is a bonus, and the bar staff are very friendly. It feels like a very normal pub and is all the better for it. You can get to it through the small graveyard at the opposite end of Chorlton Green to the Horse and Jockey, and it does have its own Bowling Green.

The Beech

Beech Road, Chorlton.
This was once a very good pub. It's in a decent spot and has a few hand pumps for guest ales. The place looks alright - particularly the small room off from front bar. From the outside it seems like a very traditional local boozer. Indeed, it's a fairly small place that should be perfect for a few quiet pints. However, there have been a few undesirables hanging around this place in recent years, which has led to a threatening atmosphere. The room at the back of the bar has a large TV screen, which is always a bad sign. There might regularly be a couple of real ales on, but this is far from a welcoming pub. Let's hope things change in here soon because the Beech is potentially a good boozer.

Hope Inn

Chester Rd.

This is a very traditional pub in an area just outside the city centre (between Castlefield and Old Trafford). The only real ale served is Hydes. The front bar area is small, and there is a larger back room with a dart board and bench seating against the wall. There are wooden floors throughout, and the place looks handsome enough.  On this visit the place was very quiet and the barmaid was friendly. This is a well looked after pub, and it has clearly avoided the kind of disastrous refurbishment that was so common a few years ago. A decent boozer.

Pub Crawls

There are clusters of decent pubs in and around Manchester which are ideal for linking together as part of a crawl. Below are a few suggested pub crawls that Flavours of Manchester think are worth trying out. The emphasis is on real ale and boozers with a lot of charm. These are not complete crawls in the 'Didsbury Dozen' sense: many of them miss out less impressive pubs along the way. Many of these pubs can be found on the Manchester & Salford Pub Map.

City Centre - Northern Quarter
The Castle Hotel
Crown and Kettle
Bar Fringe
Smithfield
The Angel
The Marble Arch

City Centre - Oxford Road
The Briton's Protection
Peveril of the Peak
The Temple
Lass O'Gowrie
Salutation
Sandbar
Kro Bar

Salford - Crescent
The Crescent
The New Oxford
The King's Arms
The Mark Addy
The Old Black Lion
The Eagle
The Dutton
The Derby Brewery Arms
The Queen's Arms

Chorlton - North
Hilary Step
Jam Street
Pi
Marble Beer House
Dulcimer
The Bar
Oddest

Greenland

Horse and Jockey

Chorlton Green.
This used to be a slightly rough place where kids went to drink. After an expensive refurbishment it has become a bit posh for its own good, styling itself as "the Inn on the Green". The exterior still looks quite impressive - with a large beer terrace overlooking Chorlton Green in front of the half-timbered facade. The low wooden beams have also been retained.
The emphasis is now solidly on food. This is served throughout the pub and in a separate dining room. There are a few decent beers available, but this pub feels very much like it has been sanitised. Everything is too clean and shiny and new. Not a great place for a few pints unless you are outside in the sunshine.

Manchester Curry Cafe Map

Click to Enlarge

Other Food Venues

The following are either not lunchtime or not curry/kebab places that we thought we might aswell mention:

• Introduction
• Adelphi Cafe
• Afghan Cuisine
• AQSA Chippy and Spice Grill
• Atlantic Fish Bar
• Barbakan
• Buffet City
• Cedar Tree, The
• Coriander
• Darbar
• Halal Bites
• Jerk Junction
• Leo's
• Little Yang Sing, The
• Ning
• Original Third Eye, The
• Panicos & Yianni's
• Tibetan Kitchen
• Yakisoba

Pubs

Good Pint, Bad Pint - left great pint from the Marble Beerhouse against unnamed disaster

• Introduction and Full List
• Pub Crawls
• Manchester & Salford Pub Map
• Angel, The
• Argyles
• Bar, The
• Bar Lorenzo
• Beech, The
• Black Lion Hotel
• Bishop's Castle Beer Festival
• Bowling Green
• Cask
• Castle Hotel, The
• Charango
• City Arms, The
• Crescent, The
• Crown & Kettle, The
• Derby Brewery Arms
• Duffy's Bar
• Escape
• Fringe, Bar
• Gulliver's
• Hope Inn
• Horse and Jockey, The
• Jabez Clegg
• King's Arms, The
• Knott Bar
• Kro Bar
• Lass o'Gowrie
• Marble Arch, The
• Marble Beer House
• Mark Addy, The
• Monroe's Hotel Bar
• Mother Mac's
• New Oxford, The
• Odd, Odder & Oddest
• Orlando's
• O'Shea's Irish Bar
• Ox, The
• Pi
• Sandbar
• Sedge Lynn, The
• Trevor Arms, The Famous
• Trof (Northern Quarter)
• Wheatsheaf, The
• White Lion, The

Curry Cafes

• Introduction
• Manchester Curry Cafe Map
• Northern Quarter Curry Cafe Map
• Al-Faisal
• Cafe Marhaba
• Chappati Corner (Cheetham Hill)
• Chillis
• Hunter's BBQ
• K2 Curry Lounge (Cheetham Hill)
• Kabana
• Kabana (Cheetham Hill)
• Kebabish
• Kebabish Xpress
• Little Aladdin
• Qila Khyber (Strangeways)
• Taftan
• Tastemaster's
• This & That (Original)
• This & That 2
• Top Quality (Cheetham Hill)
• Yadgar
• Qila Khyber
• Taftan
• Tastemaster's
• This & That (Original)
• This & That 2
• Top Quality (Cheetham Hill)
• Yadgar

Kebab Houses

• Introduction
• Abdul's (Rusholme)
• Afghan Cuisine
• Al-Madina
• Al Quds
• Cafe Marhaba
• Camel One
• Caspian
• Chappati Corner (Cheetham Hill)
• Chillis
• Dubai
• Falafel
• Jaffa
• Janam
• Jazeera
• Kabana (Cheetham Hill)
• Kashmiri Spice
• Kebabish
• Kebabish Original (Rusholme)
• Kebabish Xpress
• Kobeda Place
• Lahore Karahi (Cheetham Hill)
• Lahori Kebabish (Cheetham Hill)
• L'al Quila Express
• Pasha Restaurant
• Qila Khyber (Strangeways)
• Rusholme Chippy
• Rusholme Kebab House
• Saajan Express
• Saajan Halal
• Saajan Halal Cafe
• Saajan Original (Fallowfield)
• Sadaf
• Sanam
• Sangam Fast Food Bar
• Spice Kitchens
• Tastemaster's
• Turkish Delight
• Venus Foods
• Zam Zam
• Zam Zam Tandoori

Kro Bar

Oxford Rd.
The original part of the Kro empire. This bar is in the middle of Manchester University's campus. As such you do find a lot of students drinking in here - which isn't really a problem. The bar area is a bit too bright, but the bar is fairly well stocked. Upstairs is a better bet for a drink. The two linked rooms are rather grand with high ornate ceilings, fireplaces, large mirrors and subtle lighting. I'm not certain, but it seems likely that this was once a large house. There is plenty of outdoor seating in the beer garden at the back and the terrace at the front. There is also an eating area with a range of benches that looks like a canteen.
Not a particularly inspiring place to go, but if you get a space upstairs you can spend a pleasant enough evening in here.

Sandbar

Grosvenor St.
This bar is superb. It has a great range of beers and a genuinely interesting interior. There are local cask ales, real ciders and a wide selection of european beers available on draft and in bottles. The place occupies a couple of old houses - the old exposed staircase is even used as extra space to store bottles. There is a rather ramshackle arrangement of different rooms, with each one having a different character. The front bar is light (due to huge the windows) and very lively. The back bar is quieter and a bit more civilised. The enclosed 'yard' area is fairly dark, and it has a stone floor and a huge bench for seating. There is a new smoking area/beer garden next to the main bar. Outdoor seating is aslo a feature, with a decent amount at the front and some round the back near the yard entrance. Sitting outside Sandbar on a summer's evening is a very pleasant experience. The toilets are unusual and worth noting. To get out you have to open a door plastered in posters, which is not an easy feat when faced with it for the first time or when drunk.

As with most great bars, Sandbar gets very busy at the weekend. It's big enough to accommodate a large number of drinkers, so there is usually somewhere to sit or stand. The punters here seem to be a pretty decent bunch, with a similar mix to that found in places like the Bar in Chorlton. Sandbar is easily one of the best places to drink in Manchester, and it is currently vying with Fringe to be the best bar in Manchester.

Kro Bar

Oxford Rd.
This was the first part of the Kro empire to open. It's a pretty decent bar. There is a good selection of bottled and draft beers, including three handpumps for real ale. The upstairs is impressive - with large rooms large tables, wooden floors,  

Jabez Clegg

Portsmouth St, near Oxford Rd.
This cavernous pub is located on the Manchester University campus, set just back from Oxford Road. It's not a great place for a drink - the clientele largely consist of bored students who lack the energy to head into town. The bar staff all seem to be about 16 years old and aren't happy to serve people. There are a couple of real ales available, but this hardly makes up for the lacklustre punters and staff. The place looks okay because the large main bar has lots of exposed brickwork. It feels like the sort of pub where it would be alright to watch an important football match - which is not a great recommendation. Something strange also happens in here at around 10pm. The drinkers are ushered out of the place and it is turned into a club. This is yet another reason to avoid Jabez Clegg.

Argyles

Wilbraham Rd, Chorlton.
It is reasonably well placed as a stop off point between the 'four banks' area and Beech Road (albeit much nearer the former). Argyles (sans apostrophe) is a very modern looking bar, and as such it lacks any real warmth. The interior is quite stark, in the style of some city centre bars that were popular in the 90s (think Berlin, Prague V or Dry Bar). The cocktail menu is extensive, but there was only one hand pump serving real ale when I visited. The bottled beer selection was also pretty uninspiring.

This bar is fine for a quick drink, but not really the sort of place you would want to spend an entire evening. The menu looks alright, and there is a decent beer garden at the back of the building.

Northern Quarter Curry Cafe Map

Click to Enlarge

AQSA Chippy & Spice Grill

Great Stone Road, Stretford.

JUNE 2010 - They had no curries or kebabs (except elephants foot doner) - I left. Seems they're concentrating on the chippy sifde of things, shame.

Well no sooner did we review Yianni’s than it closed – days later it reopened as AQSA (an Islamic holy place in Jerusalem – if you’re interested). It’s a bit hard to tell what’s going on here. After literally 2 days closed this place has reopened as something else.  Seemingly a Pakistani kebab/chippy place. Which is something we’ve never encountered before, hence it's in the sundries section. They’ve kept most of the fixtures from before – even the menu on the wall, presumably that at least will be changed in the near future. The only obvious difference from the front is the removal of the grill (precisely what I’d do when opening a ‘Spicy Grill’!). however in its place is pretty much the only thing better – a tandoor. The draw back to this is that it seems everything will be cooked in the tandoor and to save time the large seekhs or kobedas (hard to tell) were pre-cooked then microwaved. It wasn’t until this process was happening that I saw the fresh stuff hanging up in the fridge - skewers of meat, chicken legs and chops. Onion bhajis wand samosas looked home made and rather than the usual microwaving were crisped up in the chippy fryer. I love it when a plan comes together!  I’ve really no idea how this place will work out – it may try hard and be good or lower standards and end up pre-cooking and microwaving everything. Hard to tell at the moment. Lets hope the latter.

Manchester & Salford Pub Map

Click To Enlarge

Darbar

Wilmslow Rd. Rusholme.
Darbar has unfortunately gone the way of many Pakistani places that are trying to shed the old-fashioned (poor) curry house image.  Understandable in itself, but is not achieved by sticking a massive tele on the wall, having silly flashing lights and hiking up the prices. – Thankfully the chef remains the same and is one of the best around.  On its day the food is as good as I’ve ever had of this type.  However you have to order the right thing. There are certain expectations of what dishes curry houses will have available – so even though Darbar has the traditional stuff they still have the base sauce curries too – which are OK but unremarkable.  Stick to the fresh grills – juicy and subtly marinaded and the ‘chef’s specials’ – Karahi Gosht on the bone, Nihari, traditional Korma, Handi, etc and you’ll probably have an excellent meal.

Knott Bar

Deansgate.
A largish venue near Deansgate Station (formerly Knott Mill Station – hence the name of this place) and part of the complicated ‘Marble Group’. That might seem superfluous detail but if you’ve been to any of the others you’ll know what I mean – decent food, ale selection and a vaguely slap-dash vibe – but in a very controlled manner. It’s certainly one of the better places in this area – near ‘Deansgate Locks’ and ‘Aqua’. Sittng out on the balcony, on the upper floor, is a bit of a treat in decent weather and gives nice views of the cobble lined canal heading off into Castlefield and along Deansgate itself . It’s usually pretty busy here and is pretty good.

Yakisoba

Barlow Moor Rd, Chorlton.

This restaurant offers reasonably priced Asian food from a range of different countries - including Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and China. It suffers from a lack of seating, with diners being somewhat crammed into a long narrow space. When it's busy in here you really know about it.

For this trip, the service was generally good because the staff were attentive - especially when it came to ordering drinks. However, there was an issue with the starters arriving at different times - one being served a good 10 minutes before the rest. The food was good - one highlight being the Vietnamese beef stir fry dish. The crab and king prawn roll was poor, but the other dishes were all of a decent standard. The central idea of Yakisoba is to have a bento box with a rice or noodle dish. This make the place a bit more interesting, and it involves getting a small box with different sections containing crackers, melon, miso soup, sweet cashew nuts and salad. The box is accompanied by the main dish. The main courses cost around £8.95 to £10.95 (£5.50 for takeaway - bit of a bargain), and starters are about £2.95 to £4.95.

Yakisoba is a nice place to go for a meal out in Chorlton, and the it won't cost you a fortune. It is best avoided at the busiest times, and - as with all places - you need to choose your dishes carefully. Finally, the food is available to takeaway, and many people use this service. It is one of the best 'oriental' takeways in the area.

Mother Mac's

Back Piccadilly.
This is one of a select group of hidden boozers in Manchester - places like the Jolly Angler, the Egerton Arms and Corbieres all spring to mind. Mother Mac's is tucked away behind the bustle of Piccadilly in a very dodgy looking back alleyway - it's not really a fully fledged street. This place is very old-fashioned, which lends the pub an air of authenticity that you rarely get with places in the city centre. It's a very traditional back street boozer, with only Hydes beer available on hand pump. This might not be a real ale haunt, but it is a good place to go for a few quiet pints when in town. The clientele is unusual, with a number of old Irish blokes there for the last visit and no youngsters at all. A genuinely interesting pub.

The New Oxford

Bexley Square, Salford
For some unknown reason this place was opened as a 'Continental Real Ale Bar'.  Which basically means it's great for beer but decorated like some sort of European cafe - this seems a bit out of kilter with its otherwise 'real ale' vibe and clientele.  That asside, it's a good little place. The beer selection and quality is usually excellent - both cask and bottled. All other things can vary - from staff to punters to food. - It could be great when it's fully bedded in and definitely a welcome stop-off between The Crescent and The Kings Arms.

The Angel

Angel St/Rochdale Rd.
Formerly the Beer House, this has been named the Angel for well over a year. It was a genuinely great real ale pub for a number of years - although the final stages of the Beer House saw the place truly fall from grace. It reopened with an impressive menu, but without completely surrendering the boozing element. Much of the menu has gone - along with the chef - and the pub seems to have settled down as a decent drinking venue. Real ale is certainly back on the menu here: the beer and cider range is impressive, boasting around 8 handpumps. The lighting is subtle, and - combined with an attractive interior - this makes the pub a good place for a few quiet pints in the evening. The location means the Angel is on the edge of town, but this is no bad thing as it avoids crowds of idiots. It certainly does no harm to the nearby Marble Arch.

Current Recommendations

Rusholme Kebab:
Pakistani/North Indian – Saajan Halal – just gets it right nearly every time.
Honourable mentions to:
Lal Quila Express

Middle Eastern –Zam Zam - consistently good, £2.99 kobeda is a winner.
Honourable mentions to:
Kobeda Place
Jaffa
Afghan Cuisine

Town Kebab:
Marhaba, as the only place that does tandoor bread it’s an easy winner.
Honourable mentions:
Janam
Kebabish Xpress
Tastemaster’s – not incredible but better than you might think

Cheetham Hill Kebab:
Lahore Karahi
Honourable mention: 
Qila Khyber

Northern Quarter Curry Cafés:
This is really difficult as the 5 mentioned are all good, all have devotees but all have off days too:
Yadgar
Honourable mentions:
Kabana - Sunday Nihari and chops a particular favourite.
Al-Faisal
Marhaba
This & That  -though it has been a bit up and down.

Cheetham Hill Curry:
Top Quality – Cheaper and better than the competition. Special mention for the chicken biryani + 3 on a Friday.
Honorable mention:
Qila Khyber

Chorlton:
Zam Zam Tandoori - There's not much comptition and the tandoor naan would win it on it's own. However add in £3 tikka kebabs and good Pakistani dishes and Zam Zam is well in front.

Fallowfield:
Saajan Original - Almost Identical to the Rusholme Saajan Halal with less competition

City Centre pubs:
The Marble Arch - Classic historic boozer without equal
The Castle Hotel - A ramshackle old Robinson's pub with bags of character

City Centre bars:
Sandbar - A really good bar with a great range of beers and plenty of charm
Bar Fringe - The jewel in the Northern Quarter crown

Salford pubs:
The Crescent - A Salford institution that is still going strong. A haven for real ale fans
The Kings Arms - An interesting and attractive pub very close to Salford Central station

Salford Curry - Ok there aren't any (except possbily Halal Bites) but on that side of town This & That 2 is the nearest.

Chorlton pubs & bars:
Pi -This place is intimate and has an extensive beer menu, with hearty food on offer and excellent service.

The Ox

Liverpool Rd.
Formerly the Ox Noble, the Ox does have the potential to be a decent place for a few pints. This is a handsome enough pub, and it does serve at least two or three real ales. The main problem is that the emphasis here is very much on food, with most of the large ground floor being dominated by dining/diners. It styles itself as a gastropub, and it is also a hotel. None of the Flavours of Manchester team have eaten here for a long time, but from memory the food was very good. It is unlikely to revert to being a boozer, and the limited space for drinkers is a problem.