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Beer of the Week (w/e 15th June 2025) with Tris39
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Detail Pages
The Wharf, Macclesfield
Macclesfield
SK11 7AW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Old Boots left this review about The Wharf
Traditionally decorated corner pub opened out into one U shaped room with a central U shaped servery. Old board (bleached) floor, banquette seating and Britannia tables tick the boxes, there’s two dart boards at one end on a plank wall which doesn’t. The counter is decorated with panels from canal boats and is a solid Victorian looking job, the Macclesfield canal isn’t far away. Five pulls grace the end of the counter towards the main road, the not bad keg choice is at the other end of the counter. Three pulls were in use, two with Abbeydale beers and fortunately a Salopian beer on the third, sadly only average quality so maybe that’s why it’s no longer a GBG listed pub. A few old Camra awards are still on display and there are some GBGs on a book shelf.
On 13th February 2025
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3648 recommendations about 3327 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Wharf
This is a nicely presented, backstreet boozer located just a short way out of the town centre, albeit on the wrong side of rail line to easily slip into a crawl. Inside, you'll find a nice, opened out interior based around a former, multiple-room layout.
You enter into a bare boarded bar area with the servery in a C-shape, directly opposite the front door. The bar has a nice panelled counter with a painted frieze which resembles a canal boat's livery, beneath a matching canopy and simple bar back. To the left of the entrance is a raised seating area with banquettes around the perimeter and a nice fireplace on the end wall which the landlord was busy trying to light when I arrived shortly after opening. Similar banquettes stand to the right, in a bare boarded space with lots of low stools in support. A partitioning wall partly screens the rear seating area, which mainly has basic tables and chairs, whilst the walls are a mix of exposed timbers or patterned wallpaper, with a dartboard on the back wall. The pub has been decorated in a modest, traditional style with lots of landscape paintings, plus a nice picture of the pub itself, as well as old brewery mirrors and other beer related bits. A cool Britpop and indie soundtrack played in the background, although there was only myself and one other bloke there to enjoy it.
There were three handpulls in operation, out of the five on the bar, with the line up comprising Doctor Morrons Our Wayne, Acorn Yorkshire Pride (£4.40 a pint) and Taylors Landlord. The bar staff were nice enough and the barmaid pulled the line through before serving me as the first customer of the day. The Yorkshire Pride was a good drop and I got chatting to the only other customer who was a mine of information about the local pub scene.
I really liked this place and thought it was a classic backstreet boozer with a welcoming feel, pleasant traditional interior and some well-kept beer to go at. One of the better pubs I visited in Macclesfield and well worth the short walk out of town to visit.
Date of visit - 16th January 2024
On 12th May 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3361 recommendations about 3361 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Wharf
Not my first time in the Wharf, in fact I was here with Ray (see review below) in August 2015. Then as now I was on a crawl, in fact towards the end of a crawl, when note taking has lapsed into illegibility and brain cells are at their least able. I wrote no review on that occasion, and on my more recent visit my notes read, "Corner pub near canal. 4hp. Good beer." I'll expand on that last point to the extent that I know I had a half of Landlord, which I rated NBSS 3.5, but I've no idea what it cost as it was someone else's round.
Note to self: must do better next time.
On 13th January 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 4349 recommendations about 3997 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about The Wharf
The Wharf has a seating area in the front left with banquettes and a fireplace with burner in the left wall. A U-shaped bar from the left wall serves this front seating area as wall as standing room to the right and a smaller seating area at the rear not dissimilar to that already described. Two dartboards are on the rear wall to the right and there is a small seating area front right. My visit was on a quiet Monday evening so there was little going on other than a bit of background music. I think the dart team must have been playing away. Standard and premium keg was available alongside five hand pumps, four of which were in operation. These were drawing Storm Brewing’s Force, Abbeydale’s Serenity, Pictish Brewing’s Galena and Bridge Pale. I liked it in here and plan to return at a busier time to see what it’s like.
On 13th March 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6133 recommendations about 6099 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Wharf
Quirky pub on the ‘wrong side’ of the rail line. The interior is opened-out in a disjointed manner. There’s a pretty painted lower servery, wood floor and fabric patterned seating; red is the main colour scheme. Five pumps with an ambitious four cask on a monsoon Tuesday evening. My Osset Blonde was served in a silly goblet glass but just about passed muster (NBSS 3). Something about the place just didn’t sit right with me for whatever reason. The local CAMRAs like it, branch POTY in 2022 so I read and GBG23 listed. 6.5
On 28th February 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5589 recommendations about 5570 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Wharf
A proper pub, with a real community feel - very busy on a Saturday evening, with live music (a loud pub-rock band, just like the pre-pandemic days!) starting their set when I was there. Opened out at some stage to leave a two-part U-shaped bar, with some further seating out back. Five real ales on handpump in a range of styles, with the Abbeydale Heathen (£3.70) catching my eye.
On 17th September 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8733 recommendations about 8733 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Wharf
This pub isn't very far out of town, but it is all uphill to get here. A very pleasant pub on the inside with two distinct areas. The front area is a lounge and the rear more of a tap room with a dartboard and pool table, along with a large TV screen. The barman was playing darts, but came over to serve as soon as we entered. We ended up having a chat about all thinks beery whilst his mate waited patiently for him. There was a roaring fire in the lounge area, so that's where Ms CAMRA had to sit of course! My pint was in excellent nick and Ms CAMRA liked the red wine, so we stayed for a second one. Fairly quiet on a Sunday night, but we'll definitely make the walk out of town next time we're in Macc.
On 21st March 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3296 recommendations about 3206 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Wharf
An attractive looking end of terrace back street pub, located in a residential part of Macclesfield town centre. I liked this pub on our approach, with it's well maintained exterior and summer blooming flowers in hanging baskets and along the entrance plinth. So once through the doors I was equally impressed with interior and choice of five ales. I went for the Tweed New World pale ale, which could have kept me here longer.
On 9th August 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3684 recommendations about 3684 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about The Wharf
The Wharf is up the hill from the town centre on the way to the Macclesfield canal. It sits in an area of traditional housing and, from the outside, looks a typical street corner local.
Inside it feels more modern but still very comfortable. On entering you're faced with a narrow boat themed bar with seating areas to the left and right. Further on to the right is an open area where bands are hosted and a guitar can be glimpsed on the wall behind the bar.
Four handpumps offered The Wharf Bitter, Pheonix West Coast IPA, which was in decent shape, Dark Star Kiwi and Buxton American Rye. There's also wide selection of Belgian and Continental bottled beers.
I'd be happy if this was my local and would be a regular visitor.
On 23rd October 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 686 recommendations about 685 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Wharf
This street corner pub is a little walk from the Macclesfield Canal and is close to the former Hovis Mill which dominates the area.There has been a refurb which has produced a very good real ale house while retaining the atmosphere of a back street local.There is a U shaped bar which serves two areas,the front left of the pub has a small real fireplace,carpeted with bench seating,while to the right is a wooden floored section with more bench seating,a wood burner,a wall mounted beer engine and two display cabinets with collections of toby jugs and other pub artifacts.The rear of the pub is large enough to accomodate musicians,a pool table,darts,table skittles and more tables and chairs.The ceiling supports indicate a previous layout of seperate rooms,but the open plan design works well.
The four handpumps dispence a changing array of beers and my Phoenix West Coast IPA was in good order.Looking around the collection of old pump clips indicates that some high quality ales have featured in the past from some leading microbrewers such as Dark Star and Magic Rock and the pub is quite rightly featured in the 2013 GBG and has won some local CAMRA awards.
A steep walk up the hill from the main drag in Macc ,I would say it's well worth the effort if you are looking for a cosy,well run boozer that is viable because of a focus on decent real ale, especially when so many other back street pub are falling by the wayside.
On 14th October 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2971 recommendations about 2971 pubs]