October 9, 2009
Nice, friendly and quite lively bar on the northern Manchester pub crawl. A single room, not very big, with an outdoor drinking area at the back. Five real ales (mine was a tad too warm) from local micros and a good selection of Belgian beers on tap and in bottles. Friendly and efficient staff. Can get crowded on weekends, with a slightly younger audience than the other places in the area. Jukebox with a decent selection of rock music. Nice and friendly place, worth a visit.

August 21, 2009
[RBESG 2009].Crowded place with loud music. Nice bottle selection and a few average casks (at least when we went). Gutted i missed the Jacob incident :D

July 30, 2009
Didn’t like the place. Too noisy, too full and mediocre cask ales. But the bottle portfolio seemed decent enough and it should be worth a re-visit at quieter times.

July 30, 2009
This was really different to all we’ve tried on the RBESG trip. Seriously just the most ’fun’ place we went to. The beers were sub-par, the cider was a rather regular Thatchers and it was quite loud and filled with people. Yet, somehow, it was a great experience. Really friendly staff (who slapped Jacob, which is alway good), the music was lively and okay. This would be a great last stop before going to a night club. Good Belgian selection.

July 23, 2009
Visited during RBESG 09, last stop before heading back to Sheffield. Crowded bar, looks very European, not as brightly lit as other English bars. Good selection of Belgians, some English micros on cask. And a very nice girl behind the bar, who slapped Jakob (Hildigöltur) in the face for demanding a lager. Kudos for that!

March 22, 2009
Good range of beers, including plenty of Belgian bottles, but British cask ales are not neglected as they sometimes can be in bars specialising in foreign beers. Rather idiosyncratic atmosphere with very mixed clientele.

November 29, 2008
Excellent bar, always busy and, when not too hectic, a very friendly atmosphere. The service can be a little lax occasionally - certain staff seem to favour regulars a little. Bit on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. Living in Manchester, it’s easy to take this gem for granted. I think it’s from the same team that own the excellent Knott Bar on Deansgate.

August 26, 2007
An excellent, very popular bar that is a refreshing difference from the typical English pub. Belgian interest is obvious in the large bottle selection. 5 casks offered as many beers I’d never heard of and they seem to rotate very frequently. Also very convenient location close to great other pubs. A must in Manchester.

August 10, 2007
Belgian bar situated in what is my favourite part of the Manchester N/4 real ale circuit. As Gazza has said this is as much a rockers pub as a Belgian bar so it’s an interesting mix of clientele here. Great jukebox where you will hear many tunes that you won’t anywhere else in town. I miss the pinball machine whatever happened to that ? OK so there wasn’t much room in that part of the pub but you don’t see them too much in pubs at all these days. Improving range of UK cask ales complemented by draft Belgian and European beers and plenty of bottled beers. The chicken gujons were about the cheapest pub food I think I’ve had anywhere and were very nice too but I’m not sure they still do them ?

March 28, 2007
I love this place. One of the real gems of Manchester and other than the Belgian Belly it’s the only place I make sure I visit no matter what each time I am back home. Reminds me very much of the Bizon in Brussels. Loads to look at (the aforementioned bike, beer paraphanalia all over the place, some great old bottles hanging around, collection of old pipes on the ceiling at the back and odd faces moulded into the wall etc. etc.) the interior is certainly interesting. The jukebox is one of the best in existance and the clientele seem to know as much about beer as they do music. It is a proper regulars place and if you go often enough are bound to make friends. In addition to all this Carmen is a great hostess and keeps a very good cellar. The number and range of the bottles in the fridge can fluctuate slightly but you are guranteed enough quality Belgians and Germans (usually with a spattering of Americans too) to keep anyone happy for an evening. At the far end of the bar you will find 4/5 ever changing cask ales that are always in top condition. Fringe is just a short walk from Piccadilly and a must visit if ever you are in Manchester. I want to move in.