73 Rochdale Road,
Manchester,
M4 4HY
(0161) 832 5914
The ViewManchester Review
Probably the finest real ale pub in Manchester and also the site of the city centre’s only brewery.
The Venue
The Marble Arch Inn is an authentic real ale pub which also houses the Marble Brewery - central Manchester’s last remaining one - in the basement. A pub has been here since 1888 and was only taken over by Marble in 1997. It’s ornate and full off character.
No, you’re not drunk - as you enter you notice the whole room slopes down from the entrance towards the bar at the end, following the incline of Gould Street. It’s tiled inside and out in lime green, pale green and dark green and there’s even a terracotta tiled ceiling and a tiled, patterned floor.
Even the all-wood bar is inlaid with dark green tiles. There’s a mirror above a working fireplace and a burgundy banquette along the wall with tables. There’s also a small area at the back where they serve food, as well as a beer garden outside which consists of a few tables and chairs against the backdrop of an ivy-covered wall. This area is due for a renovation and an extension.
The People
Don’t worry if you don’t drink real ale, this pub embraces all-comers. Local businesses types frequent it in the day and after work. Otherwise it is a mecca for real ale and traditional pub lovers of all ages and sizes.
The Food and Drink
There’s a beer for every palate here - from Manchester’s hop-accented favourites to bitters and stouts. As well as Marble’s own beers like its award-winning Janine’s 1, the popular Manchester bitter, Ginger Beer (their second most popular tipple) and Lagonda IPA, there are beers from other from other breweries including Piracy (Abbeydale Brewery, Sheffield), Farmer’s and Irish Dexter (Sheffield’s Bradfield Brewery), Spitting Feathers (Cheshire), as well as Budweiser, Guinness and Carlsberg.
And there’s an impressive selection of beers in bottles too, from the Trappist Monk range and matured Belgian beers, to fruit and wheat beers (doppelweiss and dunkelweiss).
On the menu is the perfect food to accompany a pint: sandwiches (cheese and red onion chutney), burgers and pies (cheese and asparagus, for £7.95). There are desserts also, and the wines are supplied by Reserve Wines in Didsbury with bottles averaging out at around £13 each.
The Last Word
With its character, clientele, warm welcome, amazing range of drinks (yes, including wine) and sloping floor, Marble Arch is a Manchester experience not to be missed.
The Marble Arch has been reviewed by 3 users