Another pub serving the population of this business part of town, The Town Hall Tavern is a comfortable retreat.

The Venue
This small pub traditional is round the back of the Town Hall, hence the name, and is a pleasant place to come and unwind after work. The building is Grade I-listed apparently and the bar area itself has diamond-shaped tiling on the floor and there are pictures of historic scenes of Manchester.

The ceiling is black and there’s lots of warm wood, including wooden pillars, and little stools and tables. There’s an elevated booth seating area opposite the bar which is enclosed by glass panels. All the upholstery is new-looking and high quality. Past the bar and down four steps is a lower level room which is tastefully decorated and boasts an open fire and black walls which features gold cornicing.

The People
An older businessman with his giggling dollybird are snuggled up in a corner of one of the booths, so it looks like a good place to carry on some sort of affair. The custom mainly comes from all the offices and public administration institutions around here, plus a smattering of regulars who live in the city centre.

The Food and Drink
On draught there’s Hoegaarden, Deuchar’s, Timothy Taylor, John Smith’s, Staropramen and Guinness and in bottles there’s Sol, Peroni, Beck’s, Budweiser, Bulmers and Upsider (a particularly good Finnish pear cider). You can get vodka, whisky, white rum and gin doubles for £2.95.

The food menu is varied covering melts, jacket potatoes, burgers and paninis - all for around the £4-£6 price mark. The wine list includes a Merlot Gran Hacienda (appropriate for Manchester) 2004 Santa Rita Chile, which is well-rounded and fruity and costs £10.95 a bottle or £4.75 for a large glass.

The Last Word
Very much a traditional white collar pub, The Town Hall Tavern has its own little chapter in the book of city centre bar life.

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