The Bridge

The Bridge is a nice, no-​frills boozer with a mish-​mash of furniture and décor to give it a quirky edge. The bar doesn’t stock anything out of the ordinary and prices are about average for the city centre but it’s a pleasant enough place to kick back and enjoy a cider or ten, come Friday evening.
As well as the main bar area, there’s an upstairs lounge, function room and roof terrace. Unfortunately, the terrace doesn’t look out over Manchester. Instead, it offers views of the surrounding brick walls and a good waft of chip fat from the kitchen’s extractor fans, but hey — this can be quite tantalising when you’ve had a few beers, let me tell you!
Like I say, The Bridge isn’t anything amazing but it does the job if all you want is a nice, basic drink in basic surroundings — probably a good place to start a Saturday drinking session or cheeky midweek drinks.

Never seen someone bring their own take-​out burrito into a pub serving food before.
But after eating at The Bridge we soon found out why.
Starters of chicken wings and mayo and my wife’s garlic mushrooms were fine, even tasty she said, but then there was the wait and wait and wait!
After nearly an hour the waitress toddled over and asked what we had ordered again, perhaps the chefs were snowed under? Well unless the other dinners were hiding under their tables they weren’t. The food must be great and freshly prepared then? Sadly not.
My wife’s nut roast, covered in a luminous orange gravy, God knows!, was more akin to Paxo stuffing, while her Yorkshire pudding well, Aunt Bessie would have been ashamed to have served it up. I had the fish and chips, basically McDonald’s fries and something that looked like it had been trawled up from the dark recesses of the freezer and deep fried to an inch of its life.
We complained, but were told that as we were on a deal we’d have to take it up with the company. A bridge too far? Oh yes, avoid!

Soooo disappointed with my experience at The Bridge. Had been here for Sunday lunch a couple of years ago and loved it so was looking forward to trying it out again. Especially with 2 courses only costing £10. Sadly we soon found out why it was so cheap. Don’t get me wrong I don’t expect top class quality for that price but what I do expect is gravy that looks brown not orange, fish that doesn’t look like a reject from Captain Birdseye’s factory and Yorkshire pudding that is homemade not frozen. Both myself and my husband’s food was inedible and we went home extremely hungry. The only saving grace was the starter which was ok. To add insult to injury we had to wait an hour for our sloppy dinner to arrive. You would be better going for a McDonalds than lunch at The Bridge.

I’m not often in Salford, but was very impressed by both the Lowry and Trinity Bridge.

You will see many bridges like this elsewhere in the UK, but Trinity Bridge is the only UK commission of the renowned Santiago Calatrava. It was opened in 1995. This white airy shape with thin vertical lines stretching upwards and sometimes intersecting each other was evidently influenced by the Gothic cathedrals. The bridge connects The Lowry hotel with the city centre, and the staircase takes you straight to the hotel’s entrance. Bizarrely enough, next door to the hotel is the Inland Revenue, or a tax office, in plain English. I always wonder what the celebrity guests to The Lowry think when they learn this…

There’s something to be said for being middle of the road; it’s easy, it’s comfortable, and there’s always going to be a market for you. Unfortunately, that also means you give up any chance of being something special, but clearly The Bridge feels this is a sacrifice worth making.
It’s not a bad pub, it’s not a good pub. It flies straight down the line with all the necessary amenities and qualities, but none of the optional ones that would lift it above the crowd. The décor is relatively generic but comfortable, and the drink selection is as standard as they come. There’s little to complain about, but conversely little to praise.
Like James points out, there’s nothing wrong with it, but there’s no reason to visit when there’s so many places nearby that are just better.

The Bridge (or the Bridge Street Tavern as I believe it is actually called!) is a nice little pub in my view… Its décor is, as the other reviewer states quite dark wood centric, but I’ve always found it comfortably busy rather than packed to the rafters or deathly quiet… It’s not essential, but its always nice to have the choice of standing or sitting! They do a good range of beers and wines, and the restaurant area has enough capacity to ensure they will usually be able to fit you in. The food probably is on the side of unremarkable rather than unmissable, but there are plenty of places that try and do the same thing as the Bridge, but don’t do it nearly as well.
Conveniently located just off Deansgate, but far enough from the ‘rough’ end, I would always consider the Bridge as a good meeting point, or first bar in which to start a night out. Not too shabby!

These sort of pub/​restaurants are ten a penny nowadays and though the generic dark wood, crimson velvet, striped and floral wallpaper and sprayed gold vases all add up to something vaguely serviceable there is also something deeply unsatisfying about them and almost an feeling of unease due to the film set falseness of it all.
As you might expect, the drinks menu consists of all the usual suspects and the menu is cheap and average.
There is nothing essentially wrong with the Bridge, I just don’t see what it has that would make you journey to this one in particular.
A food serving ale house masquerading as a gastro pub.

The Bridge is nestled away on Bridge Street, recently it has had a lick of paint as it looks a little more modern than a few months ago when it looked like a real old mans pub but they seem to be marketing themselves more as a restaurant and who can blame them, the food is delicious. I think they have even won an award or two.
I work nearby so The Bridge has become my Friday lunchtime haunt. A collegaue and I nip in for a drink, some cheesy chips and a gossip. He also tells me that they have a good selection of beers, although I stick to a soft drink as I have to go back to work (cough cough). The lunchtime crowd is usually made up of office workers and the odd shopper. It can be quite busy but I find I can normally get a decent table or at least be seated. It’s has a relatively small bar area then a restaurant at the back and upstairs.
I often call in for lunch at weekend as I can get restaurant quality food at pub prices. They offer a selection of sandwiches and wraps but if I am post night out I treat myself to a Sunday roast or the Slow Roasted Lamb Rump, which I could happily eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
The staff are always friendly and there is a cozy feel to this place. It’s a bit of a hidden gem that I think once discovered is not forgotten.