Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 4th January 2026) with ROBCamra
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Marble Arch, Manchester
Manchester
M4 4HY
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Marble Arch
The Marble Arch is still one of Manchester's best options for cask ale and real cider. It's a shame that it's a little bit out on a limb, being out of the city centre. Looking at my notes, I don't believe I've been here since 2011!
The tiled front room with its famously sloping floor down to the bar at the far end is just as I remember it but I don't think I'd ever been in the separate room at the rear, where there are fridges for takeaway cans and bottles and where there is also an open kitchen. A door from this room leads to an unexplored outdoor drinking area. We ended up in this room with no tables available in the bar.
At the bar, cask ales are all from Marble. Pint & Manchester Bitter are their regular beers. Guests were Velocette, Christollen, Stout & Canto. The Christollen was nice but a little moorish. I'd also forgotten that they stock a few regularly changing ciders. Nightingale Tenterden, Ross-on-Wye Velvet Rainbow & Ascension Wrath were all on. My Velvet Rainbow was a typically dry cider from that producer. Keg beers included Marble Arch Marble Earl Grey IPA & Up All Night, Super 8 Cherry & Wander Beyond/Marble Hoot & Hoot Hoot.
Really good pub which I hopefully won't leave so long to re-visit from now on.
On 28th November 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3348 pubs]
Rob Hunter left this review about The Marble Arch
Visited back in August - 6 hand pulls for their own cask ales + 2 (I think) for cider.
Unchanged since previous reviews, always busy though we did manage to grab a table on this occasion.
On 3rd November 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 857 recommendations about 676 pubs]
Ian Mapp left this review about The Marble Arch
Not open Tuesdays.... just to mix it up a bit. It is open every other day of the week.
Guess which day Unlucky Alf was in town?
On 22nd May 2025
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1726 recommendations about 1700 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about The Marble Arch
Visited on Saturday evening. This place is always busy (no dry January being observed here, it would seem) and was standing room only initially, but a table did become free shortly after our arrival. Which is great, because there is nowhere really to stand in here without being in someone's way, whether it be other customers trying to get past to the bar or toilet, or staff coming out to bring meals to the tables. Six hand pulls offering their own (Marble) beers, with prices ranging from £3.30 to £5.75 a pint. Eight keg taps offering a range of beers varying from £3.95 a pint to £4.70 for 1/3 of a pint (admittedly that was for a 12% barley wine). My Marble Stout was served with a generous head, and needed to be topped up, which was done without fuss on asking. However, you shouldn't really have to ask. For the cider drinkers there are three further hand pulls to the side of the bar, along with some keg cider options.
This pub is one of Manchester's classic institutions but you do need to pay attention to the chalk board above the bar listing the prices if you don't want to end up ordering something surprisingly expensive. Always worth a visit but the experience is much improved if you can get a seat.
On 22nd January 2020
- rating: 8
[User has posted 857 recommendations about 676 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Marble Arch
Lovely building happily survived the adjoining redevelopments and very traditional, even ornate inside. Well worth a visit and not too far from Victoria station. A bit pricey though but seems popular.
On 8th October 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1585 recommendations about 1562 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Marble Arch
this is possibly the best beer pub in Manchester but it still somehow feels a touch overrated. it’s somewhere to visit as an occasional destination rather than a ‘pub’ to be a regular or spend a whole evening. I didn’t look at the price board - my fault admittedly- and got stung by a £5.25 pint of ale which immediately put me in a bad mood. the pub is nice inside but it had the atmosphere of a cafe and a young hipster clientele. I didn’t really like it that much but it may just be my taste.
On 6th January 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1180 recommendations about 1141 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Marble Arch
This is an iconic Manchester pub and worth the walk up the Rochdale Road to search it out. It’s an impressive building from the outside but it’s even more impressive internally. Well described by others, even without the extensive beer offering its worth visiting just for the fine barrel-vaulted ceiling and decorative frieze, the glazed tiles wall and the sloping mosaic floor that leads you inexorably to the bar.
The room behind the bar, where the brewery used to be, is much plainer and more aligned to dining and then there’s a very pleasant small outside courtyard area at the back.
The Marble beers available were Pale, Bitter, Pint, Left Handed Marble, Uppe Helle Natten Petite and Export, with the guest beer, Neptune Bolska IPA as reported below. I went for the Pint (has to be done really) and also tried the Uppe Helle Nattenm, which was an excellent macchiato porter.
As mentioned below this is not a cheap pub by Manchester standards and the pricing levels were a bit strange. But £3.90 for the 5.1% Porter was well worth it.
On 23rd October 2018
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2317 recommendations about 2167 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Marble Arch
As mentioned previously, an iconic pub and it was top of my to do list while in Manchester. Upon entering the sloping floor is quite evident, then of course the ornate wall and ceiling tiling really catches the eye. Most of the nine handpumps were occupied by Marble beers as you would expect. There was one guest beer, Neptune Bolska IPA plus Seacider on another, I noted quite a price disparity between the different beer strengths, Marble Pint at 3.9 % was £3.30 and Left Handed Marble a 6.2 % collaboration was £5.60, I had the 5.4 % Pale at £4.75, lovely despite the price. I made a couple of visits to this pub while in town, both worthy ones.
On 15th October 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2241 recommendations about 2206 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about The Marble Arch
Another one of Manchester's iconic pubs, and is where Marble used to brew their beers. I am pretty sure that on my first visit (many years ago) you used to be able to see the brewing equipment on your way to the toilets towards the back room. But no longer; brewing is done elsewhere.
Naturally, Marble beers dominate but a few guests are usually available too and some real ciders.
If you are lucky enough to get a seat you can take your time and marvel at the tiled interior and admire the famous sloping floor. It does, however, get very busy on a Saturday night and as it is a popular place for dining tables are often either reserved or in use by the same party taking their time over a meal. This can make it uncomfortably busy for the casual drinker as there is not much left in the way of standing room so you are always shuffling around trying to find a spot where you are not in the way (and usually failing).
Pricing used to be a bit steep in here, but I can't say I noticed on my past few visits, so either I have got used to it or other places in Manchester have caught up. The beer is always spot on and it's great to try some Marble beers that you don't always see in other places.
On 16th August 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 857 recommendations about 676 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Marble Arch
Must visit Manchester Pub on the outskirts of the City.
Beautiful building and great beer (as you would expect).
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2InlthU
On 12th March 2018
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1726 recommendations about 1700 pubs]