Micro Bar, Manchester

I had a bit of trouble finding the Micro Bar and had given up before spotting it to my left as I was leaving through the Arndale Market doors. This is certainly a very small bar shoehorned into a corner where it is shielded from shoppers by a gate that invites in only drinkers. There is seating for ten people, maybe 15 at a squeeze. There’s a short counter with three stools and some thumbs-up coat hooks that I thought were cool. Belgian and premium keg was available and the three hand pumps were drawing Dizzy Blonde, Acorn Brewery’s Barnsley Bitter and FTC’s (From the Cellar) Milk Stout. There is also a line of fridges with ciders and bottled beers being available. The owner is a very friendly guy and the beer range is great, but it’s very cramped so I’m not sure that I could stay here for an extended period.

After finding 5 successive pubs and bars that I wanted to visit in Manchester all closed, I decided that the only people about were shoppers and though the Micro Bar even with its limited opening hours, may well be open. Lo and behold it was indeed open and doing a very brisk trade. It is situated on the edge of a busy market with numerous food outlets scattered around it. However, whilst I'd been here before over 8 years ago, I don't recall the little gates creating an enclosed area for drinkers. I assume these are either new since my last visit or I was a little worse for wears when I was here last. For the first time visitor, it's not the easiest to locate. The best way to find it is to walk alongside the Arndale Centre along High Street and you will see it, as it overlooks the road. At the bar, there are 3 handpulls. Yesterday, these were clipped with Acorn Guiding Star, Dark Star Hophead & Blackjack Jack In A Box. Bag-in-the-box ciders can be found in a fridge to the side of the bar. These were Gwynt y Ddraig Dog Dancer & Abrahall's Thundering Molly. To the rear of the bar, are a number of draft pumps. Options included Brew York Juice Forsyth & Runaway NZ Pale. Boards dotted around also promote a large range of bottled beers which can be found in fridges or on shelves. My Guiding Star was quite enjoyable, made more so by the lengthy walk I'd had around Manchester trying to find somewhere decent that was open. It was similar in style to a mild. This little bar is well worth knowing about if crawling around Manchester.

A decent and compact bar selling a good choice of bottled beers, keg and cask on handpump. Three handpumps on our visit, FTC Rum Porter, Acorn Blonde and Darkstar Hophead all of which were priced at £4.30 a pint, which for me is very good for a central Manchester outlet.

Visited again a week or so and it's pretty much as it was at the time of my earlier review. On this occasion all four hand pulls were in active service and the two ales I sampled were enjoyable and in good condition. They also do warm pork crackling, which had to be tried and accompanied my drinks very nicely. One of the ales I had was by "From The Cellar" brewery - I haven't been able to find out much about this brewery but it may well be a local outfit that the Micro Bar is supporting.

Visited yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. Observed four hand pulls at the bar, two of which were on and two unclipped. The two available offerings were Elland GPA and Ilkley Mary Jane. I opted for the GPA which was a pleasant ale with a subtle ginger kick. Slipped down very nicely with the two samosas I had purchased from a nearby food stall. On that subject, Micro Bar now has its own area sectioned off as being for customers only, though you are welcome to bring food in if you are having a drink. My GPA was £3.50 a pint, or £1.75 for a half. There also seemed to be six keg taps and loads of bottles in the fridges and on the shelves. Seating consists of a mix of tables and chairs, stools around the end section of the bar, and stools at a ledge in front of the window looking out onto High Street. Nice for a quick stop off if you're in the area or shopping in the Arndale, though not sure it's the kind of place you would really stay for a session.

seems like a decent place for a swift one if you’re in the Arndale, probably not worth seeking out otherwise. it’s absolutely tiny and just blends into the street food stalls surrounding it. Any atmosphere is obviously killed by the noise from the market. I bought a samosa (£1) from the Indian stall around the corner and washed it down nicely with a half of Plum Porter.

Have visited a handful of times over the past few years, most recently this Sunday just gone. Obviously you are restricted to market opening hours which rules out an evening visit. There are a number of stools round the bar and a single table (made from a barrel) with two chairs. The rest of the seating available is shared with the rest of the market which in a way is good because you can bring your food here and get a drink to go with it, but the downside is you might not be able to get a seat because of people just eating their lunch. At the bar I spotted 4 real ales plus 2 ciders, in addition to 5 keg taps on the back wall and fridges full of cans and bottles including soft drinks for non-drinkers. There are also shelves full of bottles and cans for purchase to take away. A lot of Belgian stuff featured plus cans from the likes of Cloudwater, Wander Beyond and Beavertown. You can't come here and say there is nothing to drink (unless you only like Fosters). Available at the time of my visit were Karma Citra (see what they did there?) by Wily Fox, Nice Weather by Dancing Duck, Pale Rider by Kelham Island and the cider I had was Bee Sting by Lilley's, a lovely sweet 7.5% cider. I accepted the offer of ice in my pint of Bee Sting as I have previously found here that the real ales can be on the warmer side of average (presumably they have no actual cellar). I noticed newspapers were available but most of the customers seemed content with sitting round the bar. An unusual place and definitely an oasis in the madness of the Arndale Centre.