please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Another quality pub that gets the balance perfectly right between old school boozer and modern hipster bar.
Great beer and meat based snacks.
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2InlthU
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Excellent pub with great selection of beers. I like the way they have a row of cask out front and then a row of Keg at the back - all visible from the bar. Nice "hip" vibe, lovely place.
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Becoming pricey - a sharp contrast to its past.
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Now known as the Smithfield Market Tavern. As others have pointed out, Blackjack Brewery run the show and naturally several of their offerings are available at the bar. A couple of non-Blackjack ales also featured on my recent visit.
I have not been in here prior to its takeover by Blackjack so have nothing to compare to really, but it is now a deceptively spacious pub with plenty of seating. The ale was good and I would be happy to return.
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Have to agree with previous review, vastly improved and a more chilled out vibe with bar games dotted about the pub. The pub itself has been taken over by blackjack brewery who produce some very good beer pus a few guest beers. Great addition and some decent competition for the crown and kettle and fringe bar.
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Wow! What a good transformation of this pub. New seating area where the kitchen used to be. Less choice of real ale but if it improves the quality (due to quicker turnover) then that's a good thing. Still 6 handpumps offering a good choice at great value. I had the Black Jack brewery's New Deck and it was superb and at £2.70 in central Manchester, that's better than fantastic.
Highly recommended.
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Looking very smart and with a tasty selection of real ales after the refurbishment. Well worth a visit 9/10.
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Smithfield is currently a building site. complete internal renovation. at least someone is investing some serious money in it. the bar with 10 handpumps is still in place thank goodness. hopefully it will be back to it's former glory when work is all finished
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Walked past this place last night and discovered it was closed. Found out the bailiffs came round three weeks ago. I was never totally convinced to be fair anyway. Beer quality was never "bang on."
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Oh dear. What a shame. Not so long ago, the Smithfield was my favourite pub in the City Centre. Used to serve the best ale in a 5 mile radius. How the mighty have fallen.
The legendary pool table is still there, but the previous high standards have dropped alarmingly.
I had heard some rumours of the pub�s demise and went in last Friday to see for myself. They have got rid of the old kitchen and they have got rid of the quality ale as well. In its place were Marston�s Hobgoblin and EPA and 2 of their own Smithfield ales. I had a half of their Smithfield Bitter (�1) and it was undrinkable. I had 2 sips, put it back on the bar and left in disgust!
Have they got new owners? Has Marston�s bought the pub? The atmosphere used to be great but now just somewhere to avoid. �2 a pint will be an attractive proposition for some but if it tastes awful, what�s the point?
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Always a reliable port of call on the Manchester Northern quarter round. Decent prices, and a good range of beers.
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First visit to The Smithfield even though I have passed it many times before (usually shut). Anyway, good beer range with some new and interesting breweries to try. As has been said it is a bit dark and dingy and the pool table tends to dominate, but it was friendly enough and worth another visit .
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Bit scruffy but couldn't fault the beer and the prices.
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A lot of people were recommending this pub to us. But whilst the other 3 we visited in the area were excellent, I thought this was the worst of the 4. The ale range was good - Robinsons Dark Hatters & Old Tom, Greenfield Dobcross Bitter & Hopped & Stoned, Fuzzy Duck Tangerine Duck, Durham Apollo & Facers Smithfield Bitter. Chocolate & ginger versions of Old Tom could be found in bottles. I found the interior a little dingy with little natural light filtering through the front windows. However the welcome was friendly and so were the other customers. Whilst I would certainly come back and it is above average, it didn't inspire me as much as some of the other local pubs.
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Some may find The Smithfield slightly intimidating - it has largely resisted the process of gentrification which has consumed the 'Northern Quarter'. I imagine plenty of people would see that as good thing and it continues to serve an excellent and extensive selection of ales at great prices.
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I rate this pub - it's real and the selection of beer is great - thay had Old Tom on the other week! Must get back soon.
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Somewhat dark and dingy, but the beer is ok and good value. You can stay here too for �20 a night.
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Nice pub. Good beer and great jukebox. pool table pity its too near to the wall! but they have provided smaller cue's for this problem.
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Gem of a pub, due to the real ales in the most part, great selection and in tip top condition, they seemed to make an effort for the MWAF refugees by putting on a beer festival.
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Have to agree with gillhalfpint - what a great beer festival list, and what an inspired idea to let people order another seven beers from the cellar. All in tip top condition, friendly service, and an old style pub atmosphere. Will definitely pay this pub a visit whenever I find myself in Manchester.
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Wow what a great beer festival list on here. There were 9 great beers on the pumps at the bar, and another 7 available from cellar runs. Fantastic. Enjoyed 8 here before making my way to the Winter Ales Festival and it will be a start to the next couple of days too as there are lots more beers on the festival list. Today the beers in excellent condition were from Bees, Bluebell, Castor, Graffiti, Ha'penny, WC, Beeston and Tydd Steam. There has been a bit of a revamp and the old kitchen area is another seating area now.
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A typical "spit and sawdust" type pub in a run-down area near the city centre, but with excellent cask ales. Worth dropping in on a pib crawl.
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Just a Lancashire beer festival actually, to celebrate Lancashire Day (November 27th), featuring beers from around the Palatine and some from further afield. This was the busiest I've ever seen the pub, added to the post-match Man City crowd it made for a good atmosphere and not a seat to be had. ^ handpumps of Lancashire beers on my visit. Tried the house brew Smithfield Bitter, a snip at �1.90 a pint, plus Bazens' Lancashire Hop Pot. Both in great condition and served with a smile. One of the best and widest-ranging beer ranges in the city centre. It's a basic one roomer in a run-down part of town that some might call shabby, with a a pool table and warehouse style pillars. The open kitchen that faces out on to the room is indeed an oddity, but I've never seen it in action. It's a proper Mancunian pub in a city that seems desperate to eschew its heritage in frenzied pursuit of modernity, so don't be put off by the careworn exterior. It's completely different from the surrounding pubs in the Northern Quarter and complements a crawl of the area well.
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Had a Lancashire & Yorkshire Beer Festival on last weekend. serving some interesting brews - Phoenix Humbug at 7% went down well. Very busy.
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Usual visit last weekend when in the area. Good selection it seemed on..... 4 of the 8 beers "went" during my visit including an excellant Phoenix Snowbound.There didn't seem too much of a rush to replace the beers despite the pub being busy.
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Called in here on Saturday whilst doing a bar crawl in the area. One we�d chosen with help from reviews on this site and one we�ve wanted to try for a while now, so expectations were high, but I didn�t disappointed. Not a place you�d necessarily go in looking at it from the outside, but a great unpretentious pub inside. Initially full of Man City and Burnley fans, it soon emptied out around 2.30pm (happily) and we had the place to ourselves. 7 or 8 well kept real ales on (some local) and the bar staff were very helpful and obliging when it came to tasting the different beers before deciding which one to go for. Beartown Ginger Beer was pretty good. The kitchen area looks like a greasy spoon caf� or something out of the anarchic sit com �Bottom� and whilst a bit strange it does add to the quirkiness of the place. TV on showing the football, but unobtrusive. Good music. Well worth a visit if just for their great range of real ales.
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This area of manchester has such an eclectic range of pubs. This is the old fashioned pub with excellent range and quality of ales. Friendly staff and punters and quite cheap beer too. With bar fringe up the road, marble a little walk away, you've got a smashing choice.
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Over rated pub in Manchester's N1/4. There are several real ales on offer but quality varies and the choice isn't always great. Depressing atmosphere inside and smoking still goes on after hours. Not a patch on its glory days under Jenny.
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This is always one to visit on a crawl round Manchester and we enjoyed our May visit getting a couple of new breweries. Has atmosphere and friendly staff.
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The Smithfield Hotel is a pub in the northern quarter in Manchester. As other correspondents have stated, the pub does not look much from the outside and has a traditional yet antiquated feel inside � but if its top quality beer you want, then this is the place, without doubt!! Went yesterday for one of the periodic beer festivals that are held at The Smithy. Some twenty five beers were on offer, many direct from the cask in the cellar. All beers tried were great, but the stand out was Wem Lime Zinger � awesome! Thankfully, The Smithy shows no sign of fading away � unlike some of the other real ale pubs have done since the regeneration project hit the northern quarter. Long may it continue����
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Looks rubbish from the outside but quality on the inside, 8 real ales lots of bottle beers and cheap prices as well next time i come to Manchester i'll be giving this a try instead of the Travelodge along the road, possibly my second fav pub in the City behind the MA around the corner.
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Always a well-kept pint at a reasonable price and friendly service here. Also plenty of variety amongst the real ales. The room layout is a lttle odd, with a pool table virtually in the doorway. The place has been significantly smartened-up and the back seating area - thankfully - no longer has the 'down-at-heel working men's club' decor! Worth a visit when in the Northern Quarter.
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Visited on 7 March before moving onto the Marble Arch, was in Manchester to watch Colchester at Oldham. Only went in as the other pub I wanted to visit wasn't open yet, but lucky for me the pub was hosting a beer festival with 20 ales, nearly all I'd never heard of so tried a few halves. Excellent beer, friendly serving staff. Probably not the place to take your lady for a romantic date but for a decent beer in a traditional pub it's worth a visit.
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Visited for January beer festival on the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and wow! Wonderful well kept beer from the 7 pulls and from the cellar runs too. Food superb - hot chilli, rice, and chips for �3.80. Wonderful. Staff helpful despite being run off their feet, and atmosphere great too. This is a pub not to be missed whether there is a festival on or not.
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There was a beer fest on on my visit but half the handpumps ran out at the same time. Had something from Darwen brewery that was quite good. Ada behind the bar had a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp. Juke box was at a reasonable volume level but was low on choice. Still overall a reasonable gaff.
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This pub has changed hands in the last six months or so. The new managament have taken a 'new broom' to things, and on my last visit the place was nearly empty.
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Unfortunately the management of this tatty pub seem to have lost the plot of late. The Smithfield was always worth a visit for the beer but sadly they now take great pride in openly flouting the smoking ban - usually from 10pm onwards. The manager on one recent visit was smoking behind the bar and was nothing short of aggressive when we raised the issue. We were informed that smoking is more important to his trade than the beer....what a shame! I certainly won't be visiting the Smithfield again until they reassess their prorities.
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The Smithfield has an impressive array of handpumps dispensing a great selection of real ales. A must on any visit to the Northern Quarter.
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One of the few places selling Robinson's Dark Hatters, �1.78 for a pint, in 2008!! Interior is a bit run down but the beer selection is good and competently kept.
f1_mw - 28 Jul 2008 16:48 |
Always on my pubs to visit when doing a crawl of Manchester. Good beer and friendly staff.
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words cant describe this place
as nine times out of ten i am enjoying the delightful choice of ales good pub and decent accomadation
always worth a visit when in manchester
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Great pub, wide selection of well kept beers. Good value accomadation.
Usually a beer for anyone.
Look beyond the decor as this place is a gem. Excellant beer festival as well in January
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I have been in many times and it does have a large selection of micro brewery ales. I have never had a bad pint here but never have I had an outstanding one. An unpleasant place to be.
Northern Quarter crawl no longer exists but suggest keep to the Marble, Fringe & Crown & Kettle.
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Was very much open on June 23rd. The usual fantastic range of well-kept real ales was on, though my Foster's drinking friend was less impressed with his drinks.
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Unfortunately it was very much closed when I tried to visit last month and didn't look likely to reopen in a hurry.
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Without doubt the best PUB in the "northern quarter"(whatever that means).Real Mancunian accents, real well kept ale, no pretence. Just sit & listen to the locals ripping into one another with no malice. Classic pub.(Notice a for sale sign outside,hope it won,t alter).My first 9/10,would give it 10 but it leaves me nowhere to go.Can,t understand why I have never reviewed before,must always have been to p***ed to remember.
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Classic Manchester pub, with a choice of around eight real ales. Best pub in Manchester for beer scoopers.
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Very friendly and a great range of beers. Yes, the decor may not be in the top drawer but that adds to it's charm. Helps to be a short-arse when going to the bogs. Around the corner (ish) is the excellent Yadgar curry caf�. What more could you want?
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As stated earlier, knock on the side door on matchdays, as they will only let regulars and non football custom in. Usually, however, show football in the pub.
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This pub always seems to be closed, irrespective of whichever Saturday I visit - I hope it has not become one of the many real ale pubs to bite the dust.
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Rich66 is spot on. Excellent ale and a friendly barmaid made our visit worthwhile.
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Has a bit of a rough and ready feel compared to the other city centre pubs I've visited in Manchester, but a terrific range of ales makes it well worth a visit.
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It's a bit dark and dingy, but don't let put you off. If there is one pub that we always visit when in the Northern Quarter then this is it.
They always have a wide selection of beers and the regular Smithfield Bitter.
If the front door is locked (usually on a weekend, when there's a match on) just go to the side door and knock. When they ask if you're a hooligan, just say no.
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One of manchester's finest. Agree with everything said before, also has Sky Sports
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Excellent pub with 8 hand pulled beers to choose from in good condition, woman behind the bar misrable and surly needs to learn to smile.
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A ticker's pub with a wide slection of guet ales. The atmosphere
is scruffy/homely. Has a very Mancunian feel, or so it seems to this southerner. Near the Bar Fringe, Beer House, etc.
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A fine smoky hole to sample a huge range of rotating beers. Fantastic atmosphere, and a good place to go for last orders as has already been said.
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Nice place to get in for last orders,after an arduous evenings work sampling the beers of central manchester & the northern quarter...lots of beer choice,so buy halves till you hit the gold vein!
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Host to occasional beer festivals where oddball brews are jugged up from the cellar. The Smithfield Bitter is one of the cheapest, quality beers in town. If you're in the Northern Quarter the Smithfield is a no-frills must.
Dr Piffy - 12 Oct 2004 10:54 |
The Smithfield Hotel is probably one of Manchesters finest real ale pubs - it is located in the Norther Quarter of Manchester. The pub is popular with the real fraternaty and you are often spoilt for choice of beers from around the UK. The pub itself is long and narrow but the decour is pleasant and atmosphere welcoming, it has a pool table to the front of the building. There is a juke box but the music levels are such that conversation is easy. Overall an excellent pub and a must for real ale drinkers.Prices? about �1.80 for a pint of something you've never heard of!A must on the N/4 beer run.
dagsey - 15 Apr 2004 20:14 |
