Sunday 27th January 2013
Bob Thompson
Whilst in Manchester for about a week I'd walked along Thomas Street several times and hadn't noticed this bar and so it proved to be the case when myself, Mike and Linda went looking for it on this Sunday evening.
Directions were asked several times and we still hadn't located it when in a eureka moment, I glanced into a very nondescript café window and saw, at the far end, a bar with some casks on it. We'd found it and noticed, in the door, the Marble Brewery logo etched in the glass. It seems our biggest mistake was to look for the Marble Beer House, which it is not.
Inside it is relatively basic with a long table fashioned out of floorboards on the left and a longish bar on which, at the end, were four casks settled on auto stillages. We were slightly disappointed to find that of the four beers normally available the choice was down to two.
This started me thinking that is Sunday night the best to visit this pub? Do they tend to sell out after Friday and Saturday? It is a very popular area and I hope I'm wrong. More reports required.
Despite the reduced availability we really enjoyed our beers which were: Marble (Manchester) Pint (3.9%) and Stouter Stout (4.7%). The stout was especially lovely.
The food menu here is very interesting. It is nearly all cold yet they have made the most of this, as they offer differing platters of 12 meats and 19 cheeses, size of your choice. A few are Continental, mostly the meats, yet the majority are from the UK, and that includes most of the cheeses. There are Pork Pies and Ploughman's lunches and the cold food only rule is broken by their toasted sandwiches. This seems like the ideal food to while away a lunchtime or afternoon whist drinking the excellent Marble beers.
I must go back soon, it's a very likeable bar indeed.
Important information:
57 Thomas St., 57 Thomas Street, Manchester M4 1NA. Tel: 0161 832 0521
Open: Daily 12.00-24.00. Food is available daily from 12.00 to 23.30
It is around five minutes walk from the Metrolink (Tram) stops of Shudehill, Market Street
or Piccadilly Gardens. For buses, its five minutes to Piccadilly Gardens and Shudehill Bus Station. It's about ten minutes from Victoria Station and around fifteen minutes walk to Piccadilly Station for trains on the National network.