Jolly Angler, Manchester

A corner Victorian pub that stands as a monument to the past. The frontage is in white and black. The interior was a two-roomer, but now one, with fireplaces and a few photos. It is in white. There is a TV and the music was a decent level. I echo the reviews of my more worthy colleagues below - an old fashioned back street boozer. Service was very friendly, as were the other customers who detected my Brummie origins and shared my pain at being a Villa fan. Two real ales on, Hydes Original and Lowry - both were fine. Loved my visit here and would go back.

This is a proper pub on the outskirts of the city centre. Unchanged for many years, there's still a roaring real fire going in the grate on cold evenings.Four handpumps, but only Hydes Bitter available, which was in very good nick. They also sometime have the Hydes seasonals on the bar and also some from the new Hydes experimental brew plant called Beer Studio. Friendly punters and bar staff alike make this a difficult pub to leave. You'll always find someone to talk to at the bar. Be aware of the opening hours as the pub doesn't open until 5:30 during the week. 12 - 11 Saturday & 12 - 4 then 8 - 11 on Sunday. It's a great little pub and one I hope goes on in its current form for a long time yet.

I read somewhere that this was Beer Hunter Michael Jackson's favourite pub which may seem strange considering it's a simple, no nonsense back street pub, not as posh as Corrie's Rovers or as big as Early Doors's Grapes, it does have a few characters though and a small gnome fetish. Just one open plan room, residual walls show it's earlier layout, plain benches and wooden tables and a lovely cast iron fireplace. The counter sits in a back corner and serves Hydes bitter and some kegs, it's actually a while since I went in a pub and just ordered “a pint of bitter”, usually it's got to be the name of one of the umpteen brewers on sale or some daft name. The beer is good and the window has a collection of new and fading GBG stickers going back years. It's a pub that provides a space and the atmosphere for customers to interact and that's when it becomes warm and alive instead of just a plain, slightly, smelly room. I can see where Michael Jackson was coming from and it goes to the heart of the sometimes esoteric discussions about what is a pub?. This is a place that defines the term friendly back street local.