Northern Monk Refectory, Manchester

The bar of the Northern Monk Refectory supports four hand pumps, one of which was in operation during a recent midweek evening visit. I counted 20 keg fonts on the back bar that were pouring a long list of craft beers. I went for a pint of Little Faith, that is a 4% hazy session IPA priced at £5.60. The bar runs along the right wall and faces tables down the left. There are some long tables in the front windows and behind the bar in the right side of the pub is a second large seating area. The toilets are located downstairs were there is a cellar bar that was closed.

Saturday was my first visit to this venue, which is on the edge of the Northern Quarter and not far from Piccadilly station. There are 2 rooms. The one with the bar is much darker than the adjacent one we found a few odd seats in. This second room had bench-type seating and felt a bit like a Wagamama's. As with Rob Hunter's review, the solitary cask ale was Northern Monk Eternal Session IPA. Craft beers were Northern Monk Secret Agent Goat, Eternal Faith, The Enlightenment, Fresh 005, OFS 049, OFS 051 (no idea!), Don't Mess With Manchester & Secret Agent Macaroon, Lost & Grounded Keller Pils, NMB Co x Haze Outdoors Bare Your Sole, Newbarns Dry, Arpus DDH Mosaic Cryox Citra, Evil Water Rocket Pop & Lervig Sour Suzy. The fizzy cider was from Hogan's. A bit too busy for my liking, with little in the surroundings generating any interest. Just one cask ale was also a disappointment.

Tried again a few weekends ago. Managed to get the last free table, which was outside. There is a QR code on the table but this is just for tips and not for ordering beer - a trip inside to the bar is required! The venue is an Untappd Verified Venue so you can see the live beer menu if you are an Untappd user. Protective screens at the bar but nobody (including staff) seemed to be wearing a mask. Northern Monk Eternal was the sole cask ale available; there were also plenty of keg options. The Eternal was good. The table next to us were obviously completely rat-arsed but security was doing a reasonable job of directing them out of the main seating area when they lit up their cigarettes. The atmosphere felt a bit ropey outside and we were happy just to stay for one and move on.

Tried to visit on Saturday but they were full up. They do take bookings, so if you are planning a visit I would recommend going down that route.

With its head firmly up its arse this outlet for Northern Monk beers just reinforces the fact that expensive doesn't equate to good. Full of easily pleased 20 somethings being oblivious to the fact they're being ripped off good style. A number of overpriced craft nonsense available.

Used to like Kosmonaut, the previous bar at this site. Sadly it's now a ripped out soulless barn. Even the robots mural in the rear room has gone to be replaced by bare drabness, I hated it on sight. Then I was charged a rip off £5.50 a pint for one of their own 5% cask beers that had travelled all the way from Leeds and hated it even more. Mainly bare brick walls with a few prints around. Is it trendy now? HTF would I know. Won't be going again!

There are two large, rather austere rooms, the walls are bare brick, beams on the high ceiling, the flooring is wood, furniture is a mix of high and low tables, chairs and bench seating. They offer up to four cask ales, but only TT Landlord was available on my visit,there are twenty two numbered keg taps along the back wall behind the long bar in the left sided room as you enter up a few steps from street level,most of the taps had an offering and I tried Northern Monk Eternal, very bitter in taste ,but decent all the same.One for beer tickers rather than casual pub goers, I quite liked it.

Paid a visit to the newly opened Northern Monk Refectory on Saturday evening. There are four hand pulls at the bar for cask ale but surprisingly only one of their own beers on cask, which was Eternal - the other cask ale was Tim Taylor Landlord, which seemed a bit out of place really. The two other cask pumps were not in use at the time of my visit. There is also a massive array of 20 keg taps on the back wall, with three of those out of action. We went for the Bombay Dazzler on keg, which was perfectly fine. Very busy on Saturday evening, though I don't recall the service being inefficient. I'd probably go back at some point but not in any mad rush.