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Disappointment of the week with Mobyduck
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Detail Pages
The Bank, Manchester
Manchester
M2 3HY
Pub Type
Nicholsons (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Bank
The Bank is a Nicholsons pub in an old… erm… library. Past the impressive columned exterior and up a few steps is a square open plan high ceilinged room. The bar counter runs up the left-hand wall facing high tables down the centre and standard tables under the right hand windows. Ten or so thin supporting columns break up the area between the bar and high tables. In the right rear is a small raised seating area. No televisions, but there was some background music playing that was hardly audible over the chatter from the after work crowd on a recent Friday visit.
The bar supports premium keg alongside Carling and there are two banks of five hand pumps. Nicholsons Pale Ale, Sharp’s Doom Bar, TT Landlord and Laine Breaker were available. The Fuller’s London Pride and St Austell Tribute were labelled as coming soon. Food is available, the cheeseburger is priced at £12. It was busy during my visit, but the service was friendly and efficient. That said, the large open space is impossible to fill with any real atmosphere, even when very busy. I expect that this place gets quieter through the evening as the local office workers go home.
On 6th December 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about The Bank
Paid a visit on Sunday to have a meal with my wife, to recover from a shopping session.
There are 10 hand pumps at the bar, split across two banks, but the only available real ales were Doom Bar, Nicholson's Pale Ale, Robinsons Dizzy Blonde and Sharp's Atlantic, leaving three unclipped. I have been before and remember the real ale selection being better, or my memory could be deceiving me. It's always possible they had been busy over the weekend and run out of a few. There were a few better than average keg options including RedWillow Wreckless and a couple of ciders. The cider I had was rather nice.
I went for one of the Sunday roasts and having struggled to decide between beef and the ham hock, my decision was made for me when I ordered at the bar and was told there was no ham hock left. The meal was delicious; my wife had the Nicholson's burger which she reported was also very nice (and looked huge). There is also a chalk board with a list of pies, with tick boxes to indicate which are currently available.
The pub was not that busy but there were a few customers in. Service was quick and there were enough staff to cope. The meals arrived quickly but not suspiciously quickly. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the food in here and it was pretty good value; only a bit more expensive than a Wetherspoon meal but so much better. I'd happily come back again.
On 31st July 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about The Bank
This is Nicholson's pub and to be honest it's not very good. It looks like it used to be a bank but previews say it was a library and its a huge disappointment for a Nicholson's conversion. 10 handpumps with 5 ales duplicated. Lots of pillars inside the single room I was in and old pictures of wherever. I found it all a bit vacuous and dull.
On 8th January 2016
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Christopher Newman left this review about The Bank
Hi Rob,
Really sorry to hear you have had problems getting servd quickly it's certainly not something i enjoy hearing. we do get extremely busy on saturday evenings and it is difficut sometimes to be able to meet the demand staff wise so i genuinley apologise. If you would like to call in again soon then i will stand you a pint of one of our new summer range of ales ( some of which are really fantastic ). Just ask for Chris when you come in. Hopefully i can make up for your previously dissapointing visit.
kind regards
Chris (Manager at The Bank).
On 8th July 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Bank
Called in again on Saturday evening around 6:30. Three deep at the bar and only two serving. We walked out yet again. You really do need to get this sorted guys. Down a point again. At this rate you'll soon be on zero which would be a shame because it's a great building.
29/04/10
This place used to be the Portico Library and has had most of the main features retained since it's conversion to a pub originally by the Firkin chain quite a few years ago now. Has decent selection of real ales (up to 6) at a reasonable price for the city centre. Choice and quality has been improving lately beer wise but the service is often apalling. Definitely on the up at the moment. Worth calling in for one if it's quiet. If it's busy you won't get served in under 10 minutes!
On 23rd May 2011
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3223 recommendations about 3134 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Bank
The Bank scores as a cultural and historically important building now kept alive as a pub. As previously mentioned it was the Portico Library and the Library section still survives upstairs.
It’s a decent conversion and a lot of the period features remain, and although the high ceilings could have made it a bit of an echoing barn, it just about gets away with it.
Unfortunately I didn’t visit this Nicholson establishment on one of its better nights and of the six pumps on the bar, only two were operational and there were no current Nicholson festival ales to be seen.
I will not leave a rating as I did not stop for a pint, but turning to leave I bumped into the current Manageress who asked why I was going. And I have to compliment her on her honesty that the lack of festival ales was down to her cock up of not getting the order into Nicholsons on time, and that if I came back two days later they would be fully barrelled up.
Unfortunately that wasn’t possible for me, but I hope she did manage to get all the pumps functioning, because this is a decent building and I would guess a decent place for a pint when the usual Nicholson’s guest ale choice is on.
On 6th February 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about The Bank
A barn of a place with high ceilings and some impressive exterior stonework. Popular for lunchtime food and the beer selection is decent.
On 28th March 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]