Great pub that pours a proper Guinness and has wonderful food. The staff is attentive and friendly.read more

Walked in @ 5:00pm. The bartender was wearing a shirt…read moreadvertising the beer I ordered. Hé paused 5 seconds and then told me it was unavailable. He then suggested a "similar" beer that I'd already had on several occasions that was not even remotely close to the AmberAle that I was looking to drink. Seriously? He flatly was a jerk. Must be new protocol in Manchester pubs. Experienced it repeatedly. Was more interested in the chat with his mates then providing any service whatsoever. Don't waste your time unless you enjoy a surly uninterested bartender and crap service.

Serving Manchester's Irish community with Irish drinks and a bit of Irish flavour is a worthwhile…read morejob and the Union Inn on the Stockport Road exists to do just that. Inside, the décor is green (naturally), clean and comfortable. The bar is split into two or three separate rooms, almost as if each one is a living room. It makes the pub far more cosy and sociable for hanging out with friends. The locals are lined up along the well-stocked bar. I paid £1.70 for a glass of coke and some crisps which is pretty standard. On the walls are flat screened tvs showing the requisite Sky Sports News (why does every pub just show this nowadays?), but the real entertainment is to be found at one of the Inn's Irish comedy nights. Contact the pub for more details. Just a quick note for the men's toilets. No lock on the cubicle door, but very clean. Good job.

Friendly Irish pub in Levenshulme with Live music at the weekends. There are heated shelters out…read morethe back for the smokers

See this one is a strange one. I keep going on about pubs that keep on serving the same old…read moreindustrial booze and usually do my best to avoid them. But like a lot of people we now have a few friends who live in Levenshulme which adds to the attraction of Trove Bakery and the Antique Village. So when we do find our way to Levy at drinking time, we go where it's always been open and welcoming if maybe a bit rough around the edges. Fiddlers Green is that kind of Irish pub where the full warmth of the Irish community can be felt. And probably one of the best pint of Guiness served in Manchester. It's ideally placed in the middle of the village on the A6 so very convenient for a meet up if you need to go elsewhere after that. In brief, it's not the greatest pub, it doesn't really serve quality booze but it's full of life and serve great Guiness.

Ne'er was an update needed more so than this! The snug little Salutation has been taken over by the…read morefolks at Trof - those guys are spreading like wildfire, next stop Peter Street and Green Room - and if that means Trof food, house draughts and banter in a delightfully traditional environment then I'm all for it. I mean, this place is a pub's pub. All the original features have been kept; it hasn't been Troffed to the max aside from a few very subtle quirks. I came here with Jess H for the weekly pub quiz, and this is how a pub quiz should be done. A Pictures Round to be going along with, a General Knowledge one, a Music one and a Film & TV one. Lots of my favourite topics, and just the right level of challenging mixed with some smug feelings. Also, the girl who was running it was one of the friendliest, nicest quizmasters I've ever had the good fortune to encounter. Also, in these cold winter months, take comfort in the fact that the Trof's Salutation is one of the warmest pubs I've stepped into in my life. Warning. Wear layers! Great quiz, great chat and an eclectic mix of discerning students and happy locals. I'll be back to try the food, but job's a good-un so far.

This Irish bar is probably one of the best in Manchester. Great atmosphere and great resident band…read moreto keep th Irish liveliness going. Great staff who pour the best Guinness in town ( and I know my Guinness trust me). You will find a mix of students and locals here. You will walk away with a nice fuzzy feeling from here- and that's not just because of the drink.

Never have I ever. Stay tuned... this is a long and crazy story (little did she know, I'm a…read morefreelance writer!). The bar woman (heavy-set, red hair) who works there isn't wrapped tightly. I went there on Sunday night/Monday morning with some nice bartenders as a plus-one during a "bartenders-only" time. I am visiting from Toronto, Canada (first-timer) and was jiving with everyone. I go to pay via card and my friend and I were jokingly arguing about who should pay. I grab the machine before my friend can reach it, then I turn around, and begin keying in my password. The bartender then startles me by SCREAMING at me to "TURN AROUND! TURN AROUND RIGHT NOW! YOU NEED TO FACE ME WHEN YOU'RE USING THE MACHINE!" I turn around and jokingly say, "Why? You want to see my password or something?" and then she yells "I WAS ROBBED!".... Like, huh? Funnily enough, I was recently robbed (Manchester can be quite gritty). So I calmly tell her that and ask what being robbed has to do with anything. I was literally standing still, holding the machine, and keying my password into it, albeit with my back facing her. How are you freaking out about "robbery" while I'm in the midst of paying you? Weird. I promise you, it was completely out of left field. It's like she was transported into some traumatic setting from her past, wherein I was the perpetrator. So I pay and slowly hand her the machine. She snatches it rudely and people are looking at her wondering why she's being so aggressive to me. I shake it off, change the topic, and continue enjoying the night with everyone. I was never loud, drunk, rude, or obnoxios to anyone at all. And I deliberately ignored her existence. Now the bar's about to close and my friend asks if there's time to go for a smoke and come back to finish our drinks. She says yes, but we have to be quick. 3 minutes later, my beer's gone, all the tables are cleared, etc. So I calmly ask her where my beer's gone. She says she took it off the table since they're closing. I express my confusion, since my friend asked 3 minutes ago if there's time, and mumble to myself that that's $10 literally down the drain (the conversion from GBP to CAD is killer). Then -- again --, she immediately flies off the handle saying "YOU'VE BEEN AGGRESSIVE WITH ME ALL NIGHT! YOU'VE BEEN GIVING ME ATTITUDE ALL NIGHT! GET OUT! YOU'RE BANNED! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE HERE AGAIN!" Excuse me? You've got that backwards lady and everyone saw it. Don't try to make me look bad just because you embarrassed yourself. I just responded by asking her repeatedly, "Who do I look like that hurt you? Who do I remind you of?" I don't even care that she banned me. For one, I'm just a tourist passing through. And second, why would I go somewhere where I'm hated for no reason? I don't feel safe around this woman and other people who go there shouldn't either. She needs serious help. I am really disturbed by this bartender's behaviour. At least when you're robbed, there's a clear motive. Not sure what was motivating her aggression and hatred. To the owner who I met that night (yes, I'm the black woman with long dreads, seeing glasses, and a toque), please have a serious word with your bartender. She will surely try to paint me as a villain but ask anyone I was there with. And check any CCTV footage. No one deserves to be treated so poorly without cause. You don't have to like me to treat me with basic human dignity. Gah-lee.

Traditional-looking pub? Yes. Decent selection of ales? Alas, no…read more Did a search for pubs close to Chinatown before a meal and this place popped up so thought to give it a try. They were showing the footy on their two big screens so it was fairly busy in there (I say busy, there were probably 20 people but it's not particularly spacious). They had Timothy Taylor's Landlord and Black Sheep Brewery's Best Bitter available - the few others were more well known lagers etc. A pint of Landlord cost £3.90 and it was supposedly happy hour so who knows what they normally charge. It just doesn't have anything that would make me want to return in a hurry to be honest, there are better boozers only a few minutes walk away. Timber to Seven Oaks...

I love Baa Bar if nothing more than for it's name. (Tell me it isn't fun saying Baaaaaah Bar after…read morea couple drinks!) The place is lovely inside and really a step up from its surroundings. Drinks are fun and imaginative, and it's not terribly expensive. The place can get packed pretty quickly as it's tiny and the area is obviously packed with students stalking alcohol like it's key to their surviving the next 10 minutes -- which, granted, for many it probably is.

Here's another Fallowfield institution. A structure made of glass and steel, it used to be called…read moreGlass (why they didn't call it Glass and Steel I have no idea, it's such a catchy name... sense the sarcastic tone), and this three floored venue has had a huge refit and gained popularity as a result. It's one of those 'meh' places, perhaps not 'meh' enough to warrant a harsh two stars as it has a superb outside balcony feature for those sun-drenched afternoons and Smoky Joes. Plus the drinks are cheap. Of course they are, it's a Baa Bar. Winner. You'll get the odd club night here but it seems to have entered the collective consciousness as a venue for 'pre-drink drinks'. And hey, they have a place. I bet if we put together a list of pre-drinks drinks places we'd end up with something colossal. The music's not exactly my cup of tea with all that jungle, drum n' bass and underground dance (I'm making myself sound old, I must stop) but if that floats your boat then this place will too. A worthy Fallowfield contender.

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.

The Academy is so much better to see bands than the Ritz it baffles me why anyone chooses to play…read morethere,money talks I suppose. Everything about it as a venue is better apart from the choice of booze,Tuborg???? I didn't know they still made the stuff! Never had a bad experience here and long may that continue....

I have seen a few concerts at the Manchester Academy before. There are 3 concert halls altogether…read moreand they are all good intimate venues right in the heart of the Universities on Oxford Road. They have had everyone from Kylie to Prince to the very recent Brandon Flowers perform here. Tickets prices are quite reasonably priced depending who you're going to see, its nice to see that they have a great selection of draft beers to choose from and not that badly priced. So keep an eye out to see if you're favourite artist is going to perform at this great little venue.

Decent food & drinks but awful service…read more After spotting a 50% off offer for the brunch at the Mal on twitter we booked in. I'd heard good things so was keen to try this out. We got there a little early but as it was very quiet they seated us straight away. Despite the fact there were a lot of very good tables we were offered one in the middle of the restaurant. There was left over foods (quite big crumbs) all over my chair so we asked for a different table. The waitress again ignored all the nice tables and took us to another pretty average one. We immediately ordered drinks then had a good look at the menu. The format for Sunday brunch/lunch is an all you can eat starter buffet followed by a main and dessert that you order off the menu. The buffet has lots of great options on it. I had things like artichoke hearts, Caesar salad, couscous, Camembert, olives and some fantastic bread. There were also a lot of meat and fish options. After we finished our starters we still hadn't received our drinks and had to ask for them. Our waitress got confused and thought we wanted more drinks until we had to point out we still wanted our original drinks.... While we chose mains still no drinks appeared. We had to ask for the specials rather than being told about them. I ordered the lamb roast dinner and Dan went for the cooked breakfast. Then a good ten minutes later our waitress came over and asked what mains we wanted again - she obviously hadn't put them through yet. At this point I wandered back to the buffet and ordered some pancakes off the station at the end. They also do waffles! Amazing, I want this for the flat. The drinks were really good when they finally arrived - the Bloody Mary was great, very spicy and delicious. When the mains came they looked great. The breakfast comes with fries, steak, sausage, mushroom, black pudding, eggs and tomato. My roast dinner was good but I'd have liked mash as the roasties were a little dry and the veg was a bit over cooked. For dessert I ordered an ice cream sundae and Dan had the creme brûlée. The sundae was not good. The ice cream was melted and there was far too much cream on top. The cream was fairly tasteless and just sloppy so not pleasant. I sent it back. The bite I had of Dan's cream brûlée was good though. Some of the other staff seemed ok (although one waiter tried to give us a bottle of water when we asked for tap water - cheeky) but certainly our waitress was really struggling, we were told she was new. They took off one drink as compensation which was fine. A point to note here - they put a service charge on the bill. My pet hate in restaurants. We had not had good service and to have to ask them to then take the charge off didn't improve my overall experience. I can see why they are having to do 50% offers as overall based on today it wasn't an experience I'd rush back for. I do think that they could do better another day though and Dan really enjoyed his meal so we may return. Lots of small things they need to improve on. Hopefully they can.

Just a quick stop at Malmaison for a cocktail before heading out for dinner. This place does a mean…read more(good) Black Forest Martini, one of my favourite off the menu. Male moody boutique feel is perfect for a romantic drink with a special someone. The food from the SMOKE restaurant is delightful too but this is only a flying visit today sadly.

Run by Manchester City Council's Markets New Smithfield…read moreMarket is the largest wholesale market in the North West of England occupying a 35 acre site just 2.5 miles from Manchester City Centre (in Openshaw). Want cheap Fruit, Veg & Meats. Well here at New Smithfield Market is where you want to go. If you buy your fruit or veg from a greengrocer or meat/fish from a Butcher/Fish Monger then beat them to the punch and buy it from here before they do. Yes most local companies will normally buy from here. Most of the action is based in C/D Hallway and the Fish Market. It does look like it is still stuck in 70's and could do with a rejuvenation (unfortunately the market lost a £30m grant to redevelop it due to the cuts)

Its difficult to comment on Manchester Markets as a whole as they cover such a large area of the…read morecity and sell so many different things. From handmade jewellery to homemade soup, the Manchester Markets have so much to offer if you know where (and when) to look. My top three are the Food Market, The Plant and Flower Market and the Fashion Market (for full details and all of the other markets check out the Manchester Markets website). The farmer's Market is easy to stumble across as it is held bi-weekly in Piccadilly Gardens. There is a mix of locally sourced and continental produce for you to try (I tend to make my way along the cheese stand and take advantage of their free testers). I'd highly recommend the Savin Hill Farm butchers stall which sells fresh meats from their traditional, ethical farm. There is a lovely little soup stand which always has something warm and tasty, and definitely pop over to Trevor Duerden's fine fudges for a treat (their gift boxes also make great presents). The Food Market is held twice monthly, on the second and fourth weekend (Friday and Saturday) of each month between 10am and 6pm. The Flower and Plant Market often accompanies the Food Market and has some really interesting things on offer for anyone green fingered. From a fresh cut bouquet of roses to an ancient Bonsai Tree, there is something here for nearly everyone. The market is held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, opening between 10am and 6pm. The Fashion Market is held on Tib Street (just off Piccadilly) every Saturday. The stalls comprise of local shops and boutiques (like Rags to Bitches) as well as independent designers and jewellers. There is always something new to look at here, and plenty of bargains on offer if you're willing to haggle. I'd recommend deciding how much money you want to spend in a day and not taking any more with you or it will disappear before your eyes. Not as cheap as more traditional markets (such as the Longsight Market), Tib Street's Fashion Market is focused on quality over quantity and is worth every penny.