The Boat House, Manchester

Official site of The Boat House - www.prioryinns.com

Official site of The Boat House - www.prioryinns.com

First time in since the refurb. It has had a smart paint job externally and has been brought up to date inside while still retaining a traditional feel. The gents toilets alone are a massive improvement. Three hand pulls at the end of the bar (near the entrance) offering Greene King beers - GK IPA (off), Yardbird and Old Golden Hen. Lagers dominate the keg fonts but Beavertown Neck Oil was available which slipped down pretty nicely. The daily food deals and offers seem to have disappeared, unless I wasn't looking in the right place. There is a standard and "light bites" menu to go at as well as a dessert menu. Externally there appears to have been a lot of work put into making the previously neglected beer garden into a family friendly play area which I am sure will prove popular in the warmer months. I believe there is also an external bar. We went for a meal, the food was nice and the portions must have been decent as we left feeling full and we had no room for dessert. Overall I'd say the refurb here has been long overdue and has really improved the place, while still retaining that "pub" vibe rather than turning it into a restaurant. Shame about Greene King having the monopoly on the real ale selection though.

Paid a visit a couple of weeks ago following the change of management. I was hoping the real ale situation may have improved but unfortunately the only real ale was Old Speckled Hen. The pub is owned by Greene King but the addition of at least one guest ale would be a massive improvement. There is a new food menu, with various deals on different days, eg two burgers for £10, steak night, Fish Friday, you get the idea. It looks like the old vault has been opened up and now has tables in so that space can be used by diners too, though it is by no means reserved as a dining only area. It will be interesting to see how the pub develops under new management and what the planned refurb brings.

The Boat House is a pretty nice and fairly traditional pub. It serves food all day but only until about 7:30pm. This is unpretentious pub grub at reasonable prices. There is a specials board and a special pensioners' menu. Kids meals also served in the form of chicken nuggets, curry, fishfingers, pizza, hotdogs etc. The adult menu has a 2-for-£10 section and Sunday roasts are now available throughout the week and are also reasonably priced and decent meat. Often the only real ale is Wainwright, occasionally accompanied by Ruddles. On one visit there was no real ale at all, but that appears to have been a one off. On my most recent visit Liquid Sunshine by St Austell Brewery was available and this was a welcome surprise. Staff friendly, plenty of seating inside and several picnic benches to the front for the nicer weather.