The City Arms, Manchester

Excellent little boozer. Very good selection of beers though a dark beer would've been welcome on this visit. But 8 cask ales is not to be sniffed at.

Tetleys, Arundel Sussex Gold, Moorhouse's Witch Hunt, Tom Woods Shepherd's Delight, HH(gk)Olde Trip, Jennings Cumberland, York Mordic Fury, Thwaites Nutty Black. Nice old bar positioned to left of entrance in smallish front (‘upper') room, old lead-light windows to street, display barrels above bar, wood floored throughout, incorporating an old brass plaque near door pronouncing ‘Tetleys Festival Ale House'. Couple of tables with banquette seating, drinking shelf with high stools opp bar, small tv in corner showing skysports news, dartboard next to this. Walls carry small number of old manc photos & brewing diagrams such as cask taps. Down a couple of steps to larger seating area with leather banquette seating around 3 walls & fireplace at far end, wood tables & stools. After a few pints I found myself imagining a commons-style debate between punters facing each other along the opposite, longer sides of the room, hopefully on important subjects such as football, or beer. A blackboard down here reminds what beers (&abv) are on. Side entrance leads to a victorian tiled corridor, gents, and this lower bar. Good sountrack, Dylan playing as I left. Closed when I last tried coz Sun hrs are 12:00-20:00. Well worth a visit, even if £2.80 is slightly dear up here. 7 October 2008 Most disappointed to find this closed Sunday nt, as was the Vine next door. Recall enjoying a previous visit but review & rating will have to wait.

Best of the three pubs here, very much a traditional city centre watering hole unchanged in decades, with a small bar area plus a larger room down a few stairs. A friendly welcome, and a nice range of beers from Moorhouse and Timothy Taylor. Makes a handy escape from the nearby conference centre. GBG 2015 listed

Nice little pub with plenty of choce of hand pulled beer only thing that can spoil it is that people wont move from the bar for you but will call back

They had seven real ales on handpump, plus Thatcher’s Heritage Cider. There are two separate but interconnected rooms. The front room is comfortably furnished with red leather banquettes (a la The Lords) and normal tables. The back room is reached down a few steps on the left and is similarly furnished, but with green leather banquettes (a la The Commons). The lavatories are reached through an entranceway on the left, leading into a hallway that is decorated with what looks like the original green tiling. This is another small (although large by Circus Tavern standards) friendly and welcoming pub. A definite “must visit” pub for anyone visiting Manchester – as long as you appreciate real ale and traditional unspoilt pubs.

Agree, excellent small two roomed real ale pub. I like the idea of three pubs in a row and the City Arms is sandwiched between the Waterhouse and the Vine. Busy, but not overly so on a late Sunday lunchtime . Smallish front room and then an even smaller but more snug back room down some steps and a good place for a pint if you are lucky enough to get a seat. Seven handpumps also on the go with a couple of Jennings ales complemented by Micro and regional brewery beers and the one I tried was a very well kept pint.