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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
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Detail Pages
Castle Hotel, Manchester
Manchester
M4 1LE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about Castle Hotel
Update - 17/02/23 - upping to a 10. Titanic plum ported on, Perfect Day by The The on the Jukebox and I managed to get a seat at the bar, joining into many conversations. Love this pub.
Very handsome grade II listed pub that wears its 200 years well. Shabby chic, I'd call it.
Great jukebox, quality Sunday papers and tiled front bar area. Nice locals. Robinsons beers in decent condition.
Worth seeking out for some old school drinking.
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2InlthU
On 19th February 2023
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1337 recommendations about 1323 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Castle Hotel
Alluring brown tiled exterior and I was drawn-in by the porch mosaic, lincrusta ceiling and beautiful ceramic bar (it is, of course after that description, CAMRA Inventory listed). A bijou main bar with minimal seating though as the first customer of the day I got the comfy window banquette with full view of the beautiful ceramic servery (were there other rooms? There was no indication anything existed down the corridor but other reviews suggest otherwise). Six pumps with five cask and a cider; 3x Robinson and 2x Titanic (which seem to be a regular fixture). My Unicorn was a bit flat (NBSS 2) but tasted fine. A friendly camp barman and Abba Gold on the stereo ticked some boxes for the area. I enjoyed my 20 minutes, it’s a nice little pub. Should have gone for the Plum Porter though...
On 16th May 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about Castle Hotel
Very busy on Saturday night. Standing room only, and once the group that had been smoking outside came in, it was a bit packed. Robinsons cask ales plus two by Titanic - Plum Porter and Cherry Dark. Despite Plum Porter being a favourite, I'd not had the Cherry Dark for a while so decided to give that a go. No complaints.
The Castle isn't somewhere somewhere that I can see ever becoming a favourite of mine, but it's definitely worth a re-visit every now and then.
On 21st February 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about Castle Hotel
A proper traditional feeling pub without feeling shabby. Not been for a few years so paid a visit last night. 10 hand pulls at the bar, half of those offering Robinsons beers, one was off, and the others were guests.
The small bar area gets busy quickly but we managed to get a table in the room behind the bar. This has an old piano and a rather nice fireplace (though partially hidden by the table in front of it).
It's a shame about the graffiti in the gents, in my opinion. I seem to remember it being like this when I last visited too.
I'm not mad keen on Robinsons beers so the guests make this pub worth a visit in my opinion. My Beer Brothers Session IPA was fine.
On 6th September 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about Castle Hotel
if it sold Old Tom and didn’t display the S*n newspaper it would quite possibly be a 10. lovely multi roomed traditional pub in the Northern Quarter with friendly staff and a classic pub atmosphere. let’s hope Robinsons leave it alone....
On 6th January 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Castle Hotel
This is one of the few pubs in Manchester that I've been to a few times before but not for many years, long before they cleaned it up. Although the layout of the place remains the same, like virtually all of central Manchester it's gone right downhill. It's now full of trendy young things and the room behind the bar had candles on the tables and a snooty clientele.
Worst of all they no longer sell Old Tom. The array of pumps had a dull choice of Robinsons beers, a couple of blanks and boring guests from Joules and Butcombe. I went for the Double Hop which was only OK and at £3.70 cost what I would expect to pay in London.
The decline of this place only reflects how central Manchester has gone since the last century. I think Coronation Street's Ken Barlow should rename his dog from Eccles to MediaCityUK to reflect this. It remains GBG listed.
On 23rd July 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about Castle Hotel
A good pub with 10 handpumps all working with 5 of them serving Robinson's beers, 4 guests and a cider. Mr Malden describes the interior well, so I won't. A bit less 'laddish' than it was in Gulliver's over the road on this visit.
On 11th December 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Castle Hotel
Very attractive preserved brown tiled exterior, small front room with the bar, a long corridor leads back passed a side room, closed at the time. The formerly troubled toilets are now in good shape. The entrance step retains the mosaic tiling complete with the pub name, boarded floor, tiled bar front. There is a moulded ceiling which must be original, the service in here was friendly as were the handful of punters congregated around the bar.
Robbies Trooper, Unicorn, Dizzy Blonde, Hartley's Cumbrian Wey ( Robbies), Lancaster White Label plus some seasonal spiced stuff I missed due to not wanting to look too odd writing notes in a small room with everyone on bar stools.
Always liked it here going back years, much improved with the times with a clean up and improved beer range.
On 17th November 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Peter Rydings left this review about Castle Hotel
Vast improvement on the last time we called in been refurbed and money spent on it but needs friendly bar staff
On 20th February 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 948 recommendations about 917 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Castle Hotel
The small bar of the Castle Hotel is found at the front where there is also an old standalone jukebox that was generating some background music. There is a premium draught range available from the bar that also supports ten hand pumps. I can’t remember what I had, but it was perfectly acceptable. Behind the bar is a separate room full of seating and beyond here is another separate area that had a band setting up in it. Advertisements around the pub highlight the fact that there is live entertainment almost every day of the week. Out the back is a small enclosed seating area for smokers that can stand the stench of the rotten drains.
This place seemed to be popular with students during my recent Thursday afternoon visit, many of them talking themselves up. Oh how to be young and full of it again!
There may be a good selection of beers, but this place isn’t very comfortable so I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit again.
On 22nd August 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5229 recommendations about 5197 pubs]