Having revisited The Elizabethan recently I thought this would be a good time to revisit my review.
My latest visit to The Liz was with my girlfriend and her mum, who had come over to visit and check out some of what's on offer in the Heaton Moor area, having decided to try and find somewhere for lunch.
It certainly wasn't the busiest I've ever seen it when we arrived, but there still appeared to be a shortage of tables as everything was either reserved or already taken. There was a table which was reserved from 12:30, however we arrived at 13:40 and there was no sign of anyone being sat there. One of the staff then spotted me and asked if I was OK, to which I said "Yeah, just looking for a table". He then promptly started to search for a table to seat the three of us, and when we mentioned the reservation which was an hour overdue he responded that they were still waiting for them to arrive. Now, I've never worked in hospitality, but it doesn't seem sensible to me to hold a reserved table for over an hour at the expense of other paying custom. 10 or 15 minutes I could understand, but this seemed like they were bending over backwards to accommodate the wrong customers.
Reservation silliness aside, there was a table available which needed clearing so the guy said he'd get that done for us whilst we ordered drinks at the bar. The drinks offering is your standard pub offering; Carlsberg, Guinness and the like, as well as several JW Lees brews as their the associated brewery. I went for a pint of the JW Lees MPA, or "Manchester Pale Ale". It was an enticing looking pint, however looks proved to be deceiving - I found the MPA to be pretty bland and flavourless with the vaguest hint of hoppy flavour but nothing to really recommend it.
For food, the three of us each opted to go for the Sunday roast: two chicken, and a beef roast for me. When it arrived, I was initially underwhelmed by the size of the plate but after I'd finished I was actually pretty full. The meat, both chicken and beef, was tender and well cooked if perhaps ever so slightly - just, barely - dry. The Yorkshire pudding was huge and crisp, the roasted vegetables were nice and the gravy was good if a tad over-salted. There was some broccoli and cauliflower cheese too, which was nice but not overly cheesy.
The pub as a whole was pretty quiet for a Sunday, but the temperature was far too warm. All three of us commented on the warmth at least once during our visit. The food was decent, though, even if the beer was a bit naff. There was also an amusing moment where one of the bar staff brought some drinks over to the table next to us and ended up spilling a full pint of soda all over himself, the floor and one of the ladies sat down.
I would have liked to have been in a position to leave a more glowing review of The Elizabethan than my previous score of 2, but I can't really justify it. Again, I must stress that I don't think The Liz is a bad pub - it's far from it. It's just nothing remarkable; it's the C- of public houses. I am beginning to suspect that The Liz may be much more suited to being a summer pub, as the sizeable terrace and outdoor seating area would be great in the sun with a cold pint or two of [generic lager here]. For the time being, though, I think it'll stay firmly on my list of "Meh, I guess we can go there" pubs rather than being a go-to watering hole.
If you're after a decent meal, then The Elizabethan can do that. If you want some good beers, then probably look elsewhere. read more