Dog & Partridge

Yet another Wilmslow Road pub, this time in the popular suburb of Didsbury. Good traditional pub in the middle of Didsbury with a pleasant relaxed atmosphere and friendly bar staff.

I’ve only ever had drinks in here prior to eating at SoLIta nearby, as it’s a good meeting up spot and always seems to have good beers on. The fact that it’s a bare-​boarded traditional pub only adds to its appeal.
They offer six different real ales on tap; they’re from national breweries but still decent and wholly drinkable. I’m sure I’ve seen BrewDog’s Punk IPA on keg here, so it goes to show they attract a younger crowd too. They even have a nice selection of gins available if you’re partial to a thirst-​quenching G&T.
The TV screens show live sports events such as football, rugby and golf. They’re quiet though so it’s not a sports pub by any stretch.
Massive bonus points awarded for the free monkey nuts from a barrel in the corner of the bar! Why this isn’t a standard offering in every boozer is beyond me.

A fan of ‘traditional’ pubs, I was looking forward to seeing what the Dog & Partridge had to offer when Michael B. & Amir R. suggested it be our pre-​SoLiTa meeting point. A short walk from Didsbury Village tram stop, it was simple to find on the main road — already a tick on the list!
Tables and chairs are predominantly dark wood, with plenty of mismatched seating; it very much reminded me of the pubs of Southwold, on the Suffolk coast i.e. full of locals and with the very present memory of when smoking was allowed indoors. But in a nice way, I swear.
They didn’t have a huge cider offering, but what they did have was pretty classic — strong and barely fizzy, without a sniff of elderflower or kiwi & lime nearby! A quick half of this and I was ready to set up in the corner with the paper for the rest of the evening.
I’m assured the beer selection is worth a mention, with Adnams on permanently and around ¾ taps that get rotated with new guests.
Good to see the traditional boozer is still alive and well — looking forward to our next trip to the area.

What makes a good pub? Fantastic beer, obviously. And a good atmosphere, of course. But what about the nuts? Now, you wouldn’t think that they’re important, but, quite honestly, the free nuts on offer here give me a huge amount of joy. I love to bag a table right next to the barrel that contains them all, just so I can feed my face.
But there’s much more to this place than free nuts! From the great real ales and ciders to the friendly atmosphere, lovely bar staff and central Didsbury location, it’s all good! In fact, there’s a lot of competition round here, but I’d say this is my favourite pub in Didsbury. It is a big football pub though, so if there’s an important game on, it can get incredibly busy!

I’m not sure if this is something that I should be admitting on a public forum, but the Dog & Partridge is where I had my very first drunken experience at the tender age of fifteen. Its place in my heart was cemented by the fact that they didn’t chuck me out on my ear for falling asleep underneath a table after one too many gins, but instead a kindly barmaid decided to take pity on me and stuffed me to the gills with glasses of water and monkey nuts.
Ever since then it’s pretty much become one of my all-​time favourite boozers, and a place I’d recommend to anyone looking to whittle away the hours in the company of a good book and a pint of real ale. What it may lack in terms of appearance, it makes up for in atmosphere — mainly because it always appear to be packed out with happy drinkers, no matter what time of day it is.
Indeed, the Dog & Partridge is a pub as it should be — simple, unpretentious and selling damn fine ale. If you’ve ever worried that Didsbury Village is losing its unique charm due to overdevelopment, the fact that pubs like this can still exist there should put your mind at rest.

This pub is a real traditional boozer, very old fashioned and caters for all ages, but particularly popular with young, sport loving males! A regular haunt for the local rugby clubs but always retains a sense of character and does not lose its charm. The D&P (as it’s often referred to) has cask marque accreditation, so it’s reasonable to expect a decent pint here. On tap they have Tim Taylor Landlord; Theakstons Best; and Bombardier alongside the lagers. There is no feed served here, just bar snacks! There are also several large TVs used for making this a great venue for watching the match, but not so good for a quiet drink, it is usually quite packed in here, so I would not expect to walk in of an evening expecting a quite drink.

I was looking for the phone number for this pub online and I really had no idea there were so many Dog & Partridges in the north! Anyway, I managed to find the number (I left my gloves in here, luckily the bar staff found them and set them aside for me to pick up).
You can’t miss this pub, it’s in the centre of Didsbury village and it’s a classic boozer with well-​preserved signage on the outside. Inside, the traditional Sherlock Holmes features continue and the landlord and staff are friendly and welcoming. Because of its central location and it’s laid back atmosphere, it can get very rowdy in here on weekend nights but its a great place to drink in the afternoons or come for live music Tuesdays or quiz night every Wednesday.
The Dog & Partridge has cask marque accreditation, meaning you can find decent ales on tap like Tim Taylor Landlord; Theakstons Best; and Bombardier but a great selection of regular lagers too.

This is a real traditional boozer, with free monkey nuts & everything! My other half loves it in here — not my fave in Didsbury but a good place if you want something more traditional in Didsbury

Great old fashioned pub that caters for all ages, but particularly popular with young, sport loving males! A regular haunt for the local rugby clubs but always retains a sense of character and does not lose its charm. Best pub in the village

Crowded, bustly and in need of just a smidgeon of TLC. But still well worth a visit if on the Didsbury Dozen

One of my favourite pubs in Didsbury, the Dog and Partridge sits lovingly wise and confident amongst the unfortunate chains just a few yards further down Wilmslow Road.
Bar staff that know their business and make you feel welcome is a blessing these days (try getting that in the fake clam PLC nationals).
The D&P (as it’s often referred to as!) has cask marque accreditation, so it’s reasonable to expect a decent pint here. On tap they have Tim Taylor Landlord; Theakstons Best; and Bombardier alongside the lagers.
Although the smoking ban is now fully bedded in, the D&P still, somehow retains the aura of a thriving cigarette party, but without the actual smoke. Magic!
Small alcoves and snugs (with a couple of real fires thrown inperhaps that’s where the sensation of smoke is coming from?) make this is a real charmer.
Used to be my local before the house prices of Didsbury forced my retreat elsewhere but it’s only a short bus ride away, so it’s good to pop in on occasion.
The place really hasn’t changed in years (doesn’t need to, the natural lived in character takes care of that) and they still have bar mats/​towels on the ceiling and the free monkey nuts in the corner.
Only minor complaint would be the TV’s that seem to be on most of the time (albeit showing sport), though there’s always a good, red faced atmosphere in here during the local derby. With wi-​fi access available (playing Mario Kart DS with ‘Tako’ in Korea next to a warm open fire with a ruddy ale close by is quite a charm) to boot this place has it’s yeasty hands in past and future.

The Dog and Partridge — what a fine name for a pub!
Anyway, what we have here is a fine little establishment. An old fashioned British pub. Small, crowded, now slightly filled with TVs though. Good beer, good crowd.

THe Dog and Partridge is a small traditional boozer popular with a younger crowd. There’s no food, just massive bowls of monkey nuts, and several large TVs — which makes this a great venue for watching the match, but not so good for a quiet drink. It’s always packed out. The selection of ales is always good, with 4 – 5 guests plus your usual fayre, and it’s not too pricey. So this is ⁴⁄₅ as a pub to watch sport in, rather than ⁴⁄₅ for a pub generally :)