Oddest

I like coming here for the quiz every now and then, it is very silly, yet I have always enjoyed it. You need a diverse group of people on your team and the ability to understand a tune played on a kazoo (we hardly ever get these).
Oddest’s food is good too, although they do advertise meal deals on their website that the staff seem not to know about, I suspect if you fail to ask about the meal deal you won’t get it and you will not be informed about it hence only giving them 4 stars instead of five. However the drinks are good, and it is worth a visit.

Went here on a Friday night, lovely chill atmosphere and good music. Not too crowded and a good variety of people, as well as happy hour drink deals. Then went back for Saturday morning brunch and absolutely loved it. Great food — classics done homemade really, really well.

We were a team of seven, playing their weekly wednesday pub quiz, very creatively named Quizimido. Food wise they have a decent menu of the usual culprits, such as burgers, sandwiches, wraps and so on and so forth with the usual sides to go.
Drinks wise they seem to have a good few taps on their roster and some good bottled options too.
I got the pesto chicken burger with chips. The chicken was well cooked (grilled to perfection) with the taste of burnt meat and pesto complementing each other. The tomato and lettuce in the burger did well to enhance the overall flavour and providing the burger with that little bit of hydration, the absence of which, can render a burger too dry and chewy. The coleslaw was a good add-​on to the package. The chips were well cooked too and lightly salted, which was great.
The lady that served me at the bar was very pleasant, friendly and polite, which again is an asset in any customer facing job.
The crowd was quite lively and young, with a lot of friendly banter going around. The quiz masters were very entertaining. Today’s quiz itself wasn’t something I enjoyed (but that’s me being me).
I have always been a lover of Odder which was their sister bar, on Oxford Road. Oddest continues to proudly maintain the tradition of good food, drinks and a friendly atmosphere.
As with everywhere else, I sincerely hope they maintain their levels of quality and service.

I finally visited the third of the trinity of Odd-​family bars and it’s by far my favourite. In case you hadn’t heard they’re soon to be a duality with Odder on Oxford Road (
) closing down to make way for an as yet unnamed national coffee shop.
As for Odd in the NQ (
) — well, I just didn’t get the place.
Anyway, great shout by our Emily B for recommending Oddest as a convenient spot to meet up for food before we headed to Marble Beerhouse.
I loved the interior immediately, lots of quirky design (look out for the cassette tapes), comfy seating and a sizeable bar. The space feels cosy yet roomy.
They have a nice selection of draught beers on tap, Oddingtons brewed by Black Jack Beers and Zool by Tiny Rebel were both really good indeed. I had to order the latter when I saw the menacing yellow eyes of the ‘Ninja of the Nth Dimension’ staring back at me from the beer pump!
Their food menu is also filled with some tempting options, with breakfast served until 4pm (I’m assuming for lazy students and night workers?), burgers, wraps, sharing boards, roast dinners and more, all featuring.
I ended up going for the Boston Fish & Chips (£7.95). When it arrived I loudly and unexpectedly blurted out «Oh God!» when I saw how massive it was — I’m rarely phased by portion size. As well as the whale-​sized Sam Adams Boston beer battered haddock, it came with hand cut twice cooked chips, the chunkiest of chunky tartar sauce and a huge serving of mushy peas. The chips were so-​so but the fish was absolutely delicious and totally hit the spot.
Their board looked to be filled with regular events, such as live music and a quiz, so I’d definitely want to come again to spend an evening in this great bar.

I’m giving Oddest 5 stars because of the amazing food and friendly staff! The décor is also really inviting and relaxing, coupled with the smiling, approachable staff, this makes the place a delight to visit! I had the cheese burger, sounds basic but it was awesome! I’ll be back!!!

I must update my review of Oddest to reflect the confusing creation that is their Sunday roast.
Grateful to have escaped hangovers but still very much in need of sustenance, a few friends and I headed here on the promise of great roasts.
The menu looks promising, offering rolled pork, beef brisket and lamb shoulder. The description of the vegetable sides was equally exciting — buttered potatoes, honey roast carrots, seasonal greens, cauliflower goats cheese and so on.
We ordered. We drank (beer excellent as always). It arrived. We all agreed that the meat was delicious and plentiful, though in hindsight I might suggest that they’re focusing too much on the meat to the detriment of everything else. For me a Sunday roast should be a holistic experience with every component just as delicious as the last. This didn’t quite hit the spot.
I’m sorry Oddest, I do love you, but what on earth are those things you’re selling as Yorkshire puddings? It certainly looked like one until I cut into it and found a texture somewhere between a muffin and the weird onion bhajis that sometimes appear on work buffets. Flavour wise it was all present and correct but I just can’t forgive that texture. Whoever is in charge of the cooking needs to go back to Yorkshire pudding school.
The vegetables were tasty, there was just so few of them. One slice of carrot. One parsnip. One broccoli floret. One cauliflower floret. There was a reasonable amount of red cabbage which was nice. I also feel that myself and Oddest are on different pages about what ‘seasonal greens’ because I was expecting something from the cabbage family e.g. kale, cavolo nero etc.
They also committed the cardinal sin of pre-​gravying my dinner. I’m not sure I can adequately express how not into this I am. Put the gravy in a jug and I can pour on as much as I want, please.
So overall my feelings were mixed. Nothing was particularly un-​tasty and for Chorlton it was pretty affordable at £10.50. I’m just not sure I can forgive that Yorkshire pudding and might have to go elsewhere for my next roast dinner fix.
Still loving the breakfasts, the cocktails, the beer and the atmosphere!

Oddest is a great bar in the centre of Chorlton. It has a quirky feel and I love the cassettes and records that adorn the walls. They have a wide selection of beers and cider and have a great quiz every week. We went to the last one on Wednesday and it was so much fun. Not serious at all. Oddest is well worth a visit if ever you’re in Chorlton.

I’m not usually a fan of the Odd family but when you’re visiting Chorlton and noone knows where else to go, it’s a great spot to find!
Arriving on a Saturday at around 6pm, it was fairly busy, and we had to be creepers waiting for a table — it paid off, and we grabbed one after about 15 minutes. Originally out on a drinking mission, it hadn’t quite occurred to us to find something to eat, so we decided to chow down at Oddest.
The menu is fairly simple, making it easy to navigate, and we actually all went for the same thing — the satay chicken wrap & chips. Simple. Food came quickly, was hot and fresh, and was just what we needed to line our stomachs. The wrap itself was full of both chicken and veggies, giving it a much appreciated balance, and the satay sauce was simply delicious.
Washed down with a few pints of cider (which the lining of the stomach only just survived!) it was a great start to our evening. In fact, we ended up taking the group back as we knew we could guarantee a relaxed but Saturday-​night atmosphere.

Mmm chocolate beer.
And on my previous visit I really enjoyed Titanic’s Cappacino. Yum!
For a Saturday, it was fairly busy, but not rammed. Had some good retro music playing — we think we may have heard something from Anchorman at some point! Our group of 6 managed to get a table with not too much issues. The manager even offering to help sort one out, which is extremely friendly.
In the past I’ve gone in and found the service particularly good. I wanted something that wasn’t on the menu — Chicken Salad, and they were able to serve this. No problemo. Amazing service.
I’m quite sensititve to noisey pubs, and don’t undestand why other pubs have to be soo loud, as to drown out all conversation! Not a problem here. It was lively, but of a modest volume!
So, I’m a fan of Oddest, and that’s before I mention the amazing tape wall — that most under 25s probably have never seen! There’s also a section with what we decided were Moroccon lights. Great venue.

Oddest is a really nice bar with a wide range of beer (so wide even I noticed it) and cider options including some very strong stuff from a giant plastic container that I gamely attempted to drink. It’s got a hipster feel (I particularly liked the pretty toilet doors!) and also features some cigarette vendors wearing what appears to be 1950s air steward uniforms. It was pretty quiet on the Friday night I visited, which meant we got seats! And comfy seats at that! DJ was great — playing a lot of retro tunes, as Shriomoyee C said. Would definitely recommend/​go back.

I was staying with friends in Chorlton and we alighted at Oddest for a Saturday lunch experience. The plates were piled high, the ambience relaxed and the sun shone. I found myself likening Oddest to some friendly neighbourhood pubs I’ve visit in Australia — maybe it’s the street side tables and canopy that led me to link the two.
The front window was festooned with a range of posters advertising stuff coming up at the bar: it feels integral to the community, I can imagine it has a loyal clientele who get their kicks here several times a week.
Well worth a visit.

I have a strong feeling that Chorlton is going to steal all the hipesters and ‘Kool Kats’ of Northern Quarter very soon with its wide range of restaurants and bars. Oddest is a part of the Od group of bars — Odder in Northern Quarter, Od on Oxford Road. Having been to all three of them I have to say Oddest is by far the best one in terms of their offering.
I went in on a Saturday night so obviously the place was buzzing with people, music and it was during the Chorlton Coffee festival. What I particularly liked about the place was the décor — it is so funky and well done up with a wall which has old records and cassettes (remember them, well if you are a nineties kid then you surely do), pretty lamp shades and massive mirrors all over. I personally loved the huge range of beers they had to offer, right from ales to lagers and even some unique ciders. I also had a cocktail here, even though it was a safe one (Mojito) it was really nice, you will be surprised how many bar tenders have screwed up my Mojito in the past (not mixing the sugar properly, not enough mint, sometimes even made it bitter). The music was very retro and old school rock and roll which again won me over because that is EXACTLY my kinda music. There are couches spread all over the place and a very big outdoor seating area (almost as big as some pubs) so when the weather is nice I can see most people chilling there instead. The crowd again was very sophisticated and if I may say so more upmarket and classy than pretentious and rich.
Verdict: I can see myself hanging around there a lot more and Oddest I am definitely coming back to try the food! (Hence the 4 stars)

Walked in and immediately decided this place was awesome.
Good selection on tap for the everyday and the ale fan. nice touch coming in the form of if you can’t decide which ale you want get a paddle, 3 thirds for £3 excellent way to taste what you’re after makes me think of the winter ales festival.
Didn’t do food but I’ve been reliably informed it’s gooood.
Liked that there were kinda different areas to the place depending on your mood classycafe in the window, other corners had a slightly Asian/​Arabian feel to them.
Oh and for all of us born before the 90’s the cassette tape wall ;-p
Music there in the background and not obtrusive, though I believe weekend it gets a bit louder (I’m assuming to compensate for it being busier at that time).
Only downside that I could find was you could smell the toilets clean but smellable, meh hardly disastorous

This was the Odd family’s first foray out of Manchester city centre, and I think it’s the chain’s best bar yet! It’s much bigger than central Manchester’s Odd and Odder, but the atmosphere is just as laidback and cosy.
Like the other two Odd bars, the décor here is really fun and unusual, with lots of antiques, reclaimed items and bits of taxidermy dotted around the place. There’s also a free jukebox, which is carefully stocked with new and classic punk, Indie, new wave and Northern Soul albums by the wonderful King Bee records, just across the road. So you can choose your own soundtrack.
But Oddest is much more than just a pretty, um, bar; the beautiful food and great range of booze mean it has substance, as well as style. They have at least a couple of pumps devoted to real ale and cider at any one time, and a huge selection of bottled beers, wines and spirits. The menu is tasty and very veggie/​vegan friendly too. I particularly love their weekend pie and pint deal, which offers a tasty pie and some lovely real ale for less than £8!

Oddest. Ha ha. There’s Odd and Odder. Now we’ve got Oddest.
If this mini-​chain opens up another bar, what will they call it? Even Odderer?
In many ways, the suffix of ‘est’ is typically Chorlton. It’s a daft place where the roads are paved with hemp, the cars run on maize oil and everyone works down the same hummus mine.
As such, there’s a sense of aloofness that pervades the place and, most of the time, it’s completely imagined by idiots like me who visit from outside.
This can make drinking in Chorlton problematic. While I have nothing really bad to say about Oddest (it’s quirky, has decent booze and the food seems pretty good), it feels like it’s main purpose is to yearn for some aching coolness which Chorlton simply doesn’t have.
I mean, there’s a bloody great Morrisson’s casting a shadow over the place.
That said, if you find yourself down there and fancy a pint, you could do a lot worse. Nicely busy on the weekend and great big comfy seats.
It won’t change your life, but you’ll have fun in there.

So I’ve done Odd and Odder, and now Oddest. Three super cool independent bars, with excellent vibes, atmospheres, offerings, beers, food and general bar quality about them, all retaining the Odd stylings in three quite different areas, well locations of the Manchester spots and hot spots.
Drinks, food, DJs, Quiz nights, whatever, I think it’s been established that if you pick your night out to include part of the Odd family it will be a good night.
Score!

And so we meet the youngest sibling in the ‘Odd’ family… Odd lives in the Northern Quarter, Odder resides on Oxford Road and Oddest is a Chorlton homie. Is that strategic or what? Place three kitsch bars in three of the most discerning boho studenty scholarly parts of Manchester, offer some nice European ales, put some great grub on the menu and provide squishy sofas and newspapers.
Oddest has chosen its spot well. Wilbraham Road is basically Chorlton’s drinking and eating boulevard, and is trying to live up to its name with particularly quirky decorations. There’s a projector displaying political cartoons, a draped satin ceiling, lamps you’d find in a Tarot reader’s tent, a Moroccan style nook, a retro jukebox from Chorlton Collectibles, a stuffed parrot, a tape cassette adorned wall and a Virgin Mary statue with Ice Age’s Sid the sloth in her hair. Can’t get more ‘odd’ than that. But there’s something of an issue with Chorlton’s suburban status, it does often mean that teenagers overrun Wilbraham Road trying to fake ID their way into bars — remember, there’s a lot more kids in the ‘burbs than there are in the city, so this is to be expected. Hey, I did the same in my village when I was young and impressionable. Just er, don’t mention it to my parents.
Enough of outside now, what’s going on in Oddest. Well, as I’ve said it maintains the quirk of its big sisters. And the teenagers haven’t managed to get in there. Bonus. Anyway, I’ve never been someone who enjoys standing in a bar. I always like to sit, I think the whole point of entering a drinking establishment is to relax and unwind. In fact I have groups of friends who book tables at restaurants and spend the entire first hour or so of the evening stood at the bar. Hey, I’m hungry and I’m wearing heels. I’m for sitting. Oddest on a Friday night is somewhere a lot of these people congregate, those that like to stand and socialise. But if you can get a seat, the bars in the Odd family are some of the most relaxing you’ll ever encounter.
Varied beer options include the likes of Peroni, Asahi, Estrela Damm, Goose Island, Warsteiner, Coopers and Budvar, all from different countries I’ll have you know. There’s not much feminine stuff in the way of cocktails but as I’m a fruity beer and cider girl myself I was more than satisfied. There are plenty of places to sit, and space for a small dance if you are so inclined. Music varied from the laid back jazzy sort to nights with live bands and even movie nights. Competition along the bohemian stretch is fierce but Oddest is giving it everything it’s got.

I am quite odd. I am a fan of the Northern Quarter’s Odd and Oxford Road’s Odder, so I couldn’t contain my excitement when I found out that the new addition — Oddest — was to be located a five minute walk from my house in Chorlton.
On the first week of opening I wandered down for a quiet drink on one quiet Wednesday evening. Only I didn’t get my drink, as I couldn’t even make it as far as the door! The place was completely rammed as it turned out to be the night of the weekly quiz, and as it was one of Manchester’s rare warm summer’s evenings the outside area was also packed to the brim.
Luckily it seems to have quietened down a bit, though is still very popular considering it isn’t somewhere most people would walk past and pop into spontaneously. A few weeks later I finally got my drink, and the chance to admire the ‘odd’ décor. Ironically it isn’t the oddest of the three bars, and is decidedly lacking in the odd knick-​knacks which define the other two bars, but it does boast some very cool Turkish style lighting, over-​the-​top mirrors and comfy purple booths.
The bar also has regular film nights and band nights, and is child friendly during the daytime. The owners have left themselves with a difficult task in naming the next bar in the Odd chain. Oddity?

The newest jewel is Odd’s crown and in my opinion, the brightest/
I love Chorlton, it’s becoming a great place for a night out now, enough bars to mean you don’t get bored and end up in town and a good enough range of things that you can have different types of nights depending on your mood.
Anyway, Oddest is great, the atmosphere is so relaxed, it’s similar to the Trof brand in this way but the other two bars don’t come close to getting it this right. The booth seating is great for groups and cosy couples alike, the food is basic but good and the drinks variety is good too. The music is quite good but all dependent on the DJ, sometimes it can be a bit too heavy.
My only gripe is that Oddest replaced Polar Bar which I actually really liked! Boo!
Also, where do Odd go from here?! Odd, Odder, Oddest!!! Not really much else they can do with that is there?!

First there was Odd, then there was Odder, now there is… guess what?
I have to say, I’m not the biggest fan of the brand. I found the first too establishments a little too pretentious in their style and attitude, but fortunately this new branch in Chorlton is a little more relaxed, although still characteristically whacky and eclectic with a bizarre but well put together collection of artifacts including Moroccan lamps and parachutes (!). I like the booth seating though, it’s relaxing and cosy to sit with friends in the afternoon, although it does attract a lot of families and children during the day.
I’ve only been here to drink. They have an excellent Happy Hour where you can drink a bottle of House Wine for just £7. The international beer choices (Asahi, Warsteiner, Peroni and Goose Island to name a few) and a great range of drafts including some rarer brands like Stowford Press and Kriek are a definite draw.