October 12, 2009
Nice and friendly pub in a slightly worn down building. Three small rooms around the bar. 12 handpumps with interesting real ales mainly from local/regional brewerys. Beers were well conditioned. Nice and friendly atmosphere on my visit on a Saturday afternoon mid July 2009, with a bunch of locals on their way in to the city center. A bit off the beaten track, but if you’re visiting The New Oxford, you might as well take a detour here as well. An extra plus for the good music.

July 29, 2009
Old and worn place but with nice ambience with the 3 different small lounges. Just for having ’Ace of spades" on the Jukebox it gets 5/5 in ambiance for me. A few casks and some taps. Nice.

July 29, 2009
Worn out local boozer with a number of everchanging cask ales. Had a great time: a pub that plays Joy Division when I enter can’t be bad!

July 29, 2009
Fair enough place, a bit off the beaten track. Some locals looking at us patronisingly, but you’d expect that when 20 people suddenly walks in. Beers were mostly average. We only visisted for a short period of time, but did get to hear some good rock music.

July 24, 2009
Visited during RBESG 09. Shabby bar with worn furniture, but that’s what I like. Looks a bit dark, has got 3 small rooms with one of them supposedly meant as a "lounge room" with old and worn, but comfortable sofa’s and chairs. A few cask ales and some macros on tap. Didn’t try the food, as we were here for a short visit.

February 22, 2009
Weird location far from the city, seems like a lot of the punters are from the University just up the road, though not like your normal student bar. A bit shabby - generally worn and not that inviting - be careful of some of the chairs, they can be hard to sit on from wear and tear. But the beerlineup in the week of National Winter Ales Festival was fantastic, something like 45 different casks was presented, so in that aspect it is up there with the best in Manchester (the world). And the service was friendly and nice and did cellar runs most of the time.

November 29, 2008
Superb when run by Idy and Sal. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes now that these legends have, unfortunately, called it a day. Always a great range of beers. Relaxed atmosphere, good food and an idiosyncratic layout make this place pretty much unique for the area.

April 18, 2008
Odd place. At the end of a terrace of rather impressive Georgian houses in an otherwise run down and, in many respects, semi derelict area of town. Interior has an idiosyncratic, slightly scuzzy, studenty feel although I was there mid afternoon so not too many students around. Still has a pretty good beer range - about 10 handpumps, although they are a bit scattered round the various serving areas. I liked the place.

August 10, 2007
Was last here when Sal and Idy finally called it a day and moved on from here so theis place will always have good memories for me, been some great festivals here. Uncertain how the place will be from now on but there is always the New Oxford just down the road if things here take a turn for the worse.

September 6, 2006 [ Updated July 29, 2007 ]
Sal and Idy Phillips are famous in the Manchester pub scene. They ran the Beer House for one of it’s most famous periods in the mid 90s before taking over this old freehouse by the Irwell out in Salford. They have turned the place around and it now opens all day and serves about 10 real ales including many new beers with house beers from Roosters and Hydes with guests being varied and interesting. Sal still does his famous cellar runs, usually at festival times (and as long as "ees ready"), when cellar lists are posted above the huge blast-furnace hot fireplace. The food is cheap and filling with Wednesday night being curry night. Not as packed with students as you’d expect from the location almost opposite the University of Salford. Idy and Sal have now retired and the pub has been bought by a local businessman and the beer range has reduced accordingly. Still worth a look.