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Vine Inn, Manchester

42-44 Kennedy Street
Manchester
M2 4BQ
Phone: 01612379740

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Rob Hunter left this review about Vine Inn

Not been in here for years, and the place was much improved on the ale front when they initially opened the 'Malt & Cask' cellar bar a few years ago. However, on visiting on a Saturday evening in May, the ale offering was a sad reflection of its previous glory. Five hand pulls atop the cellar bar, with two of those completely blank and another with a clip turned round. The remaining offer was Tim Taylor Landlord and Black Sheep Respire. A cursory glance upstairs revealed nothing further at the main bar. The Black Sheep Respire was fine, but I suspect it will probably be another few years before I venture back to the Vine Inn with that kind of ale line up. Beautiful green tiling externally, which fortunately can be admired without having to step inside!

On 21st August 2023 - rating: 6
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blue Scrumpy left this review about Vine Inn

The tiled exterior of this Manchester drinking house makes it look very inviting. I've lost count of the number of times I've visited Manchester with the hope of actually finding this pub open and finding it closed to end up in the City Arms nextdoor instead. However, we finally found it open last Friday evening.

The interior is much more basic than the exterior would suggest and it's not a patch on the City Arms. Although we didn't explore any further than the ground floor bar (there is an upstairs and downstairs too).

Just the 2 ales were on - Timothy Taylor Landlord & Oakham Citra. The Citra was in a decent condition.

On 8th January 2023 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2442 recommendations about 2441 pubs]


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Ian Mapp left this review about Vine Inn

Must admit to rarely entering this one - always time constrained in Manchester and the City Arms is hard to pass.

Still, beautiful outside, as Quinno has described, and very ordinary inside.

What wasn't ordinary was the Timothy Taylor Landlord - 2nd of the night and 5th pint in 5 different venues. Pint of the night - perfectly kept.

On 21st November 2022 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1329 recommendations about 1315 pubs]


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Quinno _ left this review about Vine Inn

One of the ‘set of three’ next to each other on Kennedy St and certainly looks the most enticing – a lovely deep green Majolica tiled frontage catches the eye. Unfortunately the interior doesn't follow through, an early 90s refit I'm guessing. Enter to a small main bar; a downstairs cellar bar was closed but a few steps up to the right was a larger seating area, sodium-dimmed with a large TV showing not much to nobody. Some cigarette cards, a half-arsed collection of bottles on shelves and a decent looking darts area behind an alcove. Two cask at the bar, Purity Mad Goose and a pump tired Tim Taylor Landlord (NBSS 2). Staff were more interested in watching the snooker than greeting customers. Feels like there's a decent pub trying to get out but I dumped the remaining third of my half and decided to seek greener pastures.

On 16th May 2022 - rating: 5
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


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Moby Duck left this review about Vine Inn

The Vine Inn is a pub of levels, three in fact, unfortunately it doesn't reach the level of its more desirable next door neighbour The City Arms, however it's not so bad that its not worth a pint, just a little more basic in its offerings. Two handpumps sit on the bartop and on my visit it was the seemingly regular Timmy Taylors Landlord
along with Purity Mad Goose, I had the former which I found not too bad unlike Quinno who wasn't so keen and was also in town the same evening and had arrived and departed about half an hour before me, maybe a change of barrel or possibly different taste buds.
The pub has some basic character to it but for me the music, too loud for an almost empty pub and the wall mounted TV screens eroded any pleasure I may have derived from the place. Not in any way a disaster of a pub but nowhere near its neighbour, so to speak. 5.5/10.

On 16th May 2022 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


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Steve C left this review about The Vine Inn

The Vine is a split level pub with a bar and seating at street level and a large seating area upstairs with a dartboard in the corner. Sport is advertised, but an Ed Sheeran concert was playing on the televisions upstairs and down. To be honest the only other customers were a couple who weren’t interested in the football, but United were playing. An A-board out the front advertises a function room for hire, which may be the upstairs area. I noted the presence of a jukebox.
The bar supports a standard and premium keg range and the two handpumps were drawing GK Old Speckled Hen and TT Landlord. I preferred the pub next door so can’t see myself returning here anytime soon.

On 15th February 2022 - rating: 6
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


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Pub SignMan left this review about The Vine Inn

This is a fairly simple, split level pub, tucked away down a fairly quiet city centre backstreet. You enter to the lower level which forms the main bar area. This is a bare boarded space with an L-shaped servery down the right hand side, broken along its length by large pillars. The bar has a nice dark wood counter with brass hand and foot rails and a fairly by-the-number bar back of no great note. For some reason, the area opposite the bar has been left empty – perhaps a good deal of standing room is required during peak hours, but on a quiet evening, it made the place feel a little sad and empty, with just a single L-shaped banquette around the front corner offering the lone seating option. The Spartan nature of the room lends it the feel of a traditional public bar and the presence of a dartboard and jukebox only enhanced this feeling. Stairs to the right of the entrance lead you up to a lounge area which is divided into two roughly equal sized sections by a partitioning wall. The first part is a fairly bland, part-carpeted, part-bare boarded space with comfy banquettes to the front and a mix of high stools and chunky chairs through the rest of the area. A kitchen is visible to the rear and there was a TV screen showing muted news coverage, whilst the walls were decorated with a few whiskey mirrors and not much else. Moving through to the second section of the room, you find more seating arranged under bookcases, various bits of breweriana including a nice old wooden beer sign and some random pictures. Stairs lead down to a cellar bar which I didn’t explore as it appeared to be shut and there was a decent soul and Motown soundtrack playing in the background.
Just the two ales available at the bar and these were Taylor Landlord and Robinsons Dizzy Blonde on this occasion. The barmaid gave me a very friendly welcome and poured a pretty good pint of the Dizzy Blonde before calling time at the bar on this quiet, New Years Eve early evening.
This is a pretty basic feeling pub with some comfortable seating in the lounge but very little in the way of character or ambiance. I found the staff very welcoming and the beer in good shape but can’t imagine wanting to settle down here for much of a session and would probably only return if tied in with a visit to the superior City Arms next door.

On 7th February 2019 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


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Rob Hunter left this review about The Vine Inn

Not been in here for a few years but passed by on Saturday night. The main bar only ever used to have a couple of safe national ales on but when the Malt & Cask cellar bar opened it made this pub worth a visit. I found there were usually a couple of safe options on downstairs but the rest were more interesting. As you can guess from the name of the downstairs bar, there is also a fairly extensive whisky menu. It is strange how it feels completely separate to the rest of the pub; it really is a separate place with separate bar, toilets etc.

Peeking through the window into the cellar bar last Saturday we noticed Dizzy Blonde, a few unclipped and only one that had a pump clip we didn't recognise. Only had time for a swift one before my train home so decided to skip it this time in favour of the City Arms next door. I am sure I will be back at some point though.

On 16th August 2018 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]


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Brainy Pool left this review about The Vine Inn

nice traditional pub with two bars and several different areas. pub games available at the bar, and a darts board. it was quiet on this Tuesday afternoon and a pleasant place to pass some time. unfortunately it was a dull choice of Landlord and Dizzy Blonde on the bar and not cheap.

On 10th July 2018 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]


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Graham Coombs left this review about The Vine Inn

Slightly strange pub, apparently knocked through between buildings which produces a peculiar layout. It has all the essentials, somehow it doesn't quite feel right, possibly perhaps because it was fairly quiet and the downstairs bar where most of the ale is kept was closed. The Landlord was drinkable enough (Cask Marque listed) but wouldn't rush to return.

On 10th November 2016 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3322 recommendations about 3259 pubs]

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