Gastropub classics in Manchester

“Got there at lunchtime and it was lovely and quiet. I went for the standard carvery and the other half had the chicken burger. The carvery was lovely and fresh with good sizes of meat. The chicken burger was good, apparently, but the coleslaw let it down. All in all a good quick stop off for a lunch that was hot and a good size. The cake slices were huge!”

“First time across the pond and having a fantastic 24 hours thus far. Wanted a proper breakfast and stumbled into here. Did not disappoint. £4.25 for that hearty breakfast. Very nice, historic type pub with happy patrons enjoying their pints. Looking forward to the next day 10 days in the UK”

“This is a fantastic pub. They were able to cater a large event (60 people) at very short notice. The food was delicious and the staff were absolutely lovely - nothing was too much trouble! The atmosphere was great and really made our Christmas event a success! I would definitely recommend the Eight Bells and I will be back to visit soon!”

“A fabulous pub. Despite being hemmed in by the continuing high rise building that the dreadful council allow to make this once fine city as ugly as possible, this gem retains its character. It was around during the Peterloo Massacre and injured were brought there for treatment. It serves some fine real ales, has an extensive beers garden, comfortable interior and a room with some excellent United photos and memorabilia. Well worth a visit.”

“this pub is clearly popular , lovely rustic looking pub with plenty of space inside and out. brewery run by JW LEE - plenty of draft Ale and lagers and then your mainstream such as Strongbow and Guiness. food being served but cannot comment as drinking only.”

“Had a lunch out with oir eldely parents this lunchtime, we travelled over from Huddersfield. The service and food was very nice and the my partner highly recommends the Lees bitter. Not been here for quite a fee years. The new management has greatly improved. Will defo go back. (Didnt take photos of food)”

“Stopped into this pub on the way home from a weekend wedding to break up our journey. The chef and host could not do anymore for us. The food (mikes kitchen) was delicious I had a chicken roast and my husband had a homemade pie. Our daughter is a fussy eater they accommodated her perfectly. Staff were very friendly and easy to talk to, as we left they were setting up for karaoke, wish we weren't leaving.”

“Really friendly and helpful staff, good veggie breakfast and great value for money. Left feeling nice and full ready to start my day! I’ll definitely be going back!”

“Lively friendly atmosphere. The food was lovely and piping hot. *Edit The pub has changed to Thai food now and after eating there I can highly recommend it. Great food”

“We visited the shady oak tonight, to try the new menu! We were served by the lovely Michelle who gave us our free glass of Prosecco and told us about what to expect for the taster night. We tried and reviewed all these plates; bread, patè and olives - lovely patè but would be happy with less. Really liked the spicier patè and a nice portion of olives. Hallumi fries - I really enjoyed these, big portion but my partner isn’t keen on honey so he wasn’t into them as much as me. Salt and pepper wings - we both really enjoyed these and would come back just for these! Cajun wings - We liked these but not as much as the salt and pepper ones! Padron peppers - Wasn’t keen on these, maybe because we wouldn’t order them. If you want vegetarian choices there is probably better options out there. Salt and pepper squid - Nice flavour but abit chewy, definitely keep them paired with sweet chilli! Flat iron steak - We would definitely come back just for this. It was cooked perfectly to our liking and melting in the mouth. Lovely peppercorn sauce too! Wasn’t too bothered about the fried onions on the side. Shady oak burger sliders - These were so nice and juicy and as someone who prefers chicken burgers I really enjoyed it! Curry of the week - Not a curry we would choose as we prefer creamier currys like Korma, Butter Chicken, Tikka but was tasty, not too spicy and a good amount of chicken! We will definitely be back again soon to try more dishes and re order some of these ones too!”

“So I'm giving this review because of the landlord and his wife. My son had a meltdown on the main road. I had to sit on the floor with him to keep him safe (he's non verbal and autistic. This is also rare too). Anyway they xould hear him at the pub and the landlord and his wife was concerned. She came out and kept us company. She also took the edge off too. I know we didn't go in for drinks but if the landlord and his wife are like this it tells me how welcoming their pub is. Thank you so much ♥️”

“An amazing cosy pub with a ceiling so low you almost have to limbo dance to the bar. They have a nice selection of pies on the bar if you’re peckish, and my fella was well happy to see Murphy’s stout on tap, makes a nice change from Guinness. There is a nice big beer garden out back as well with some seating under cover”

“Great place, had my baby shower and my sons 1st birthday party here, food is amazing, prices are great and such a great atmosphere! Staff are also so nice and accommodating. Will always use these for get togethers now!”

“Fantastic Food, Fantastic Staff. Stunning Surroundings. Beautiful interior and exterior. 100% well worth the visit too sample their Beautiful, Delicious food. And FANTASTIC ATMOSPHERE. Tribute group's start on the 18th December ABBA on. Once every month from then.”

“Met up with my Son for the first time in 46 years here and had the best time, atmosphere was Great food was Excellent and the staff were Very friendly, we Will be calling again soon... Prices are very fair the Only problem we found is that there are No disabled parking space in the car park apart from that it's great...”

“Took my Rotweiler a few times, it's nice to go in a pub with a big dog and people don't look down on him. The staff give him treats and come and stroke him, always a filled water bowl. Great food & they do dog Sunday dinners which go down a treat for £2.50 & a lovely normal roast dinner too. The food menu has a lot of variety. Brilliant view of the canal from the carpark. We love it here”

“Read the review and got so confused as I have a lovely experience at the restaurant. The staff was friendly and switched on. The food was lovely. Pizza has nice crust on them and the duck was tasty”

“We visited in a family group. The carvery food was basic and straightforward food. It isn't gourmet food but it was tasty, very affordable and generous. The staff were attentive and helpful. Booking is recommended as it is a popular place to eat. I would definitely go again thanks to the affordability factor!”

“Recently renovated and is now actually worth going inside! They were making all the new menu food photos while I was in last. That food looked really good! Beer is good and wine selection is also good. Breakfast is also good!”

“Everyone is friendly and the atmosphere is calm. It's nice on Sundays as there is a quiz where everyone is able to enter (free)”

“So, fundamentally this was a really nice place. The atmosphere is modern yet comfortable. I felt it was clean and well-looked after and I did not find anything obvious out of place. Our party was there for a wedding reception and there were quite a lot of us. We ordered a lot of food and although I felt that the service was a little slow perhaps, I didn't find it slow to the point of questioning it as, after all, they were cooking approximately 20 meals from scratch. I ordered lamb shank and crème brule and I really enjoyed the lamb. I found it to be well cooked and definitely enjoyed my meal. As far as I am aware most of our party enjoyed their meal and we found nothing to complain about with the food at all. The service was actually really pro-active and helpful and I got the impression that nothing was too much trouble and the staff were really polite.”

“Great food. Good price. Delivery time is quite a bit. All in all it's an amazing takeaway place and I WILL BE ORDERING FRPM HERE AGAIN!!”

“Great place nice and cosy, great pint. Would deffo recommend!”

“Called in today and had the afternoon tea bought from Groupon . We were met and served by Shadi who was very friendly and her service was the best. The sandwiches and cakes were excellent especially my favourite the Tiramasu . The restaurant was very clean and tastefully decorated . Will definitely return again .”

“Very beautiful space with good food. The options are decent enough for the type of setting. They have a kids menu as well. We had the chicken and bacon club sandwich, sweet potato fries and halloumi fries. The food looked good and tasted really great. Some seats were just beside the window that overlooks the ski. There's also a balcony that gives a good view of the ski”