Rising costs are forcing closures and cutbacks across Greater Manchester’s pub and bar scene, but a new guide from beer writer Matthew Curtis highlights more than 200 venues still thriving despite the pressure.
It’s a tough time for hospitality right now. Alongside rising business rates and VAT, the start of the financial year this month has introduced a new rise to the National Living Wage, which will see the minimum wage rate for all workers aged 21 and over by 4.1 per cent to £12.71 per hour.
The increase in costs means that it can be extremely difficult today for those running a pub, restaurant, cafe or bar. A recent report of 20,000 businesses found that as a direct result of recent cost rises, 64% of venues expect to cut down on jobs available and 42% said they intend to reduce trading hours. One in seven also fear these added costs may force them to close altogether.
It’s a reality that writer Matthew Curtis has been able to document in real time. The author of Manchester’s Best Beer Pubs and Bars, he has found that a startling 10% of the venues spotlighted in the first edition of the guide back in 2023 have now shut. That’s why he insists there has never been a better time to go out and explore some of the city-borough’s top drinking spots.
The second edition of the award-winning book, which is made in conjunction with CAMRA, has just been released this month and features recommendations of more than 200 venues across all corners of Greater Manchester – including some which even caught Matthew, who is also the founding editor of the drinks publication Pellicle, by surprise.
“When I was putting together this second edition, I went through the entire list of pubs and bars in the first book and worked out which had closed down – it was quite brutal,” Matthew tells the MEN. “Some were closed during the pandemic and just never reopened, others were impacted by the cost of living crisis. There are so many places that were once these beacons of the community that now just stand there empty.
“There’s some sad stories in there. There was a proper old community boozer in Oldham called the Royal Oak, it wasn’t necessarily an exciting pub but it was a proper Oldham pub in every sense. And it’s a real shame that it’s been lost.
“But, on the other hand, it’s important not to be all doom and gloom. It’s quite impressive to be able to find around 220 venues across Manchester that are just trying to get on with things and are making the best out of what they can. Some of them are doing really well, despite the challenges, and that’s obviously great to see.”
In terms of some of his immediate highlights, Matthew says some of the pubs and bars that stand out to him include the Crown Inn in Stockport and Banktop Brewery’s Bank Top Tap on Belmont Road in Astley Bridge. In the guide, the Bolton pub is described as being ‘more old-school pub than modern brewery taproom’, with ‘a lot of love clearly poured into its upkeep’.
“Bolton surprised me,” he explains when asked which area impressed him. “I went to this very traditional pub, then headed to a little micropub called Bunbury’s and then just up the road from there was this modern deli called Earl’s, which is a café and then a vinyl listening bar in the evening. It had a lot of local beer available, and they were all just a great example of all these positive things that are happening where you might not initially expect them.”
Matthew says he hopes the guide will also stress how important it is to venture outside of town every now and then too. Some of his other top suggestions include the Prairie Schooner in Urmston (“Great name for a pub, and a very special place”), and the Stalybridge Buffet Bar (“one of the finest pubs in Greater Manchester”). “One pub that I will always come back to is the Swan and Railway Hotel, which is just across from the Wigan Wallgate train station,” he adds.
“It’s a beautiful pub, there’s a lot of love and investment that’s been put into it. It’s four storeys, built in 1898 and has a seven-room hotel and it’s just something really special. It’s one of those places that is as much for locals as it is for people to visit specifically for. It’s half an hour on the train from town, they do great beer and a great pie, mash and mushy peas. It’s just always a really great experience there.
“In Stockport, there’s also the Magnet which is on the A6 and it’s a bit of an institution really. I can walk in there on my own, having lived in the area for a few years now, and I’ll just bump into someone I know and we’ll just sit down and chat away. That demonstrates the importance of a pub to me.”
Asked how he hopes people will use the Best Beer Pubs and Bars guide, Matthew says he hopes people will consider his recommended Star Picks as stepping off points for people to visit before going off to explore the surrounding areas. It’s something he’s found that readers of the first edition have already enjoyed doing.
“I recently bumped into a couple who had come over from Sheffield and were in Heaton Hops actually using one of the beer crawls from the book,” he says. “We got talking and they were saying how they were going out and finding these places that were new to them. It’s great for tourists, but I think it can also be something for people from the area who are just looking for somewhere they haven’t visited or never considered before.”
The latest edition of Matthew’s book, self-proclaimed as the ‘definitive’ version, also shines a light on the fact that there are quite a few breweries based across Greater Manchester conjuring up some special beers. “We have almost 60 small independent breweries here,” he explains. “A lot of them have their own tap rooms too where you can go and taste their beers. A lot of the pubs featured in the guide are ones that are focused on supporting these small and independent breweries – it’s about championing the local economy and that’s something that’s really important to me.”
Whilst Matthew says he doesn’t like the term ‘use it or lose it’ when describing the importance of pubs and bars, he says the sentiment is fairly accurate. “If you want to support your local, you do need to get out there and visit them,” he stresses. “I just don’t like to put the onus entirely on the consumer as people choose to spend their valuable leisure time and expandable income how they want to.
“We preserve these spaces because a pub is somewhere that’s not work or the home. When you’re at home, you have responsibilities, you have washing up and life admin to do. The pub or a bar is somewhere you can relax, unwind with a good book, and meet friends. It’s where life happens. People have wakes there, celebrations of births, people break up there, they form relationships there. Pubs don’t have to be that complicated, but they are where all of these things happen.
“And it’s not all about getting drunk at the same time – there’s some really great no-alcohol beers right now. For a lot of people, the pub is often their only source of social interaction. It’s important for their well-being. One of the great things about Manchester and the north is that people love to chat. Even when I’ve been sitting in the corner discreetly making notes for the book, people have come up to me and started a conversation.
“But to support the industry right now, I really encourage people to just go out and explore these places a bit. Go out, pop in, see them for yourself, and don’t be afraid to venture away from your local from time to time. There are some genuinely special bars and pubs that we are very lucky to have here.”
Manchester’s Best Beer Pubs and Bars is available to buy now via the CAMRA website.
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