FOOD & DRINK

Manchester Pub Crawl

By Ellen Himelfarb

From football to rock ’n’ roll, the pub is the centre of cultural life in the U.K.’s industrial heartland. If you want to get to know the real Manchester, here’s where to go.

Peveril of the Peak

Thoroughly modern as it is – owing to recent investments in cultural reinvention – Manchester embraces its working-class roots. Sure, gastropubs are springing up around every corner; if you’re after organic free-range deep-tissue-massaged beef with celeriac mash, it’s yours. But Manchester is a city of dedicated pub-goers, where no degree of modern refinement could ever take the place of good ol’ fashioned brass taps and nook.

To kick things off, the Arndale Centre, right in the middle of the action, is a good place to get your bearings. Start at the modern glass Selfridges department store, then cross the street to the twin Tudor buildings that house the Old Wellington. Pies are the thing here, made with British beef and even more British ales. For entertainment, just sit out in the vast cobblestone beer garden and watch the world go by. (All of Manchester seems to pass this spot at some point or another.)

Next head south to Cross Street, where a weathered 1907 sliver of a building wedged between modern offices houses Mr. Thomas’s Chop House. Frosted-glass Beaux-Arts lanterns are fused to brass rails around the windows and bar, while the mahogany and tiled floor have survived more than a century of tippling. Concessions to modernity in the cuisine are few, but the restaurant in the rear serves possibly the finest fish ’n’ chips in northern England.

When you’re ready for round three, wander over the canal to Bridgewater Street, the locus of the pub scene. Peveril of the Peak, a lonely Victorian cottage on more of a slight rise in the terrain than a peak, tiled in the typical calm green of its era, is the place for one-on-ones. The Pev, one of Manchester’s most famous watering holes, is as placid in atmosphere as it is in appearance. The music is low and the pace is slow, so you can concentrate on the company. (Robbie Coltrane is rumoured to be a regular.)

Briton’s Protection, a favourite of musicians playing at the hall across the road, has a reputation for being a little on the raucous side, but the stained-glass nooks and the stellar collection of fine whiskies compensate for the boisterous vibe. With tongues loose and cheeks rosy, migrate to Temple of Convenience, named for its previous life as a Victorian subterranean public loo. What it lacks in aesthetic appeal, it more than makes up for in authenticity. The scene is pure “Madchester,” with posters for local concerts plastered on the walls and bands like the Stone Roses turned way up.

Once you’ve had enough, emerge with ears ringing and make your way to The City Arms, near the Manchester Art Gallery, where women sip rosé after quitting time and their boyfriends track the football scores. You could nurse a pint till “last orders” on one of the green leather banquettes, but maybe it’s time for a late-evening pie at the Wellington or, if you’re the hardy type, clubbing till dawn.

(Ellen Himelfarb is a freelance writer living in London. She contributes to The National Post, The Globe and Mail, and the U.K.'s Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph newspapers.)

Useful information

Old Wellington, 4 Cathedral Gates, 44-161-830-1440
Peveril of the Peak, 127 Great Bridgewater St., 44-161-236-6364
Briton’s Protection, 50 Great Bridgewater St., 44-161-236-5895
Temple of Convenience, 100 Great Bridgewater St., 44-161-278-1610

TOP PHOTO: BRITAINONVIEW
OLD WELLINGTON: BRITAINONVIEW
MR. THOMAS’S CHOP HOUSE: BRITAINONVIEW
LEGS: BRITAINONVIEW / NWDA / SIMON WINNALL