The Castle Hotel

I do love the castle, it’s become one of my ‘day off in the city’ institutions, much like its nearby neighbour of Koffee Pot.
The atmosphere is very old fashioned, which works to its charms, there is not much fancy going on in here to be fair, but that isn’t a bad thing.
Seating is a little scarce but that’s to be expected when each room is mediocre in size… As a gig venue for local acts it is very well put together, with its separate room and raised stage area.
Some amazing ale is served to boot but never ask for Fosters, my mate did that and the staff were pretty relentless in their mockery… So was I…
Staff are great and Dizzy blonde always goes down a treat, next time you’re in the city and need a proper pint, you know where to come!

I have never been in here it’s not somewere I would usually go I never really go up Oldham Street but it was after a Unilocal event.
The pub was like a traditional pub looked small from the outside but it was quit big inside, they have an upstairs too it’s a really chilled out outmosphe.
The staff were really friendly. I dunno if I would rush back but I’m glad I went overall a nice place chilled out and very relaxed.

So an ale loving friend suggesting calling in here for a quick drink before heading elsewhere — I was a little unsure at first as I had never heard of The Castle.
From the outside this place doens’t look too big, and when you enter it feels a little small, however the bar area is just one section, if you keep walking back there are small rooms with plenty of seats and tables. The staff were super friendly, service definitely came with a smile and was very prompt — there was no waiting around or faffing. It was order, pay and find a seat, definitely my kinda scene.
The atmosphere was very relaxed, so it was the perfect place to have a natter and be care free.
I’m really glad I came — the selection of beer and ale is good and the prices are pretty cheap compared to the rest of the area! I will certainly be returning!

I love this pub, in fact I’ve been coming here for years and never tire of it’s old world charm. Saying that — it’s a place that I also never have on my go to list — it can be 6 – 7 months in between visits which is surprising given the amount of beer quaffed by me in the NQ each week…
Saying that I think the beer is maybe the answer. With this being a Robbies pub, I’m just not massively keen on their range — and while not offensive, their style is definitely more old man bitter — even the new beers they say are as hoppy as hell always come back to tasting the same…
But for a few beers it isn’t a bad choice as the pub is great, the vibe in the back and upstairs welcoming and the jukebox upstairs is one of the best around — really good tunes and 5 picks for a £1.

The Castle is a fantastic traditional pub in the middle of the Northern Quarter. I really like the fact they support fringe and live events in the city and their stage area is in a cosy little room at the back with loads of atmosphere. The Castle’s interior is very pleasant and the staff are really friendly. Overall a great place to head to if you fancy a laid back drink in the Northern Quarter.

The Castle basically has it all — a pleasant old pub interior, nice efficient staff, a great range of drinks including many things on taps which I am given to understanding implies ales (although no Coke in glass bottles? I cannot drink sickly sweet pricey Fentimans all the time you know) and a beautiful little music venue.
The live music room has high ceilings and looks slightly like a chapel. When I went for a Carefully Planned Festival, the sound system and space worked really well for a indie rock band and a singer-​songwriter. Definitely somewhere I would head back to again and recommend. The only thing I am not sure about is how much space there is to sit, didn’t get to explore all the rooms although there definitely is at least one other side room besides the live music room and some space out back.

The Castle had somewhat of a reputation when we were at University as we could only ever find it when drunk — the rest of the time it seemed to just disappear into the Northern Quarter…
Anyway, I recently got the opportunity to revisit to see the amazing Billy the Kid play from her latest release. Now, I never had the Castle down as a music venue; in my memory, it was a tiny pub with little room and a fair amount of old men.
However, I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived and entered the stage area, which was actually a decent size (30 – 40 standing perhaps) with some really great acoustics. It had the heat of every music venue — i.e. far too much — but that’s to be expected.
The drink selection is pretty standard, but you don’t always need a fancy cocktail when a bottle of house white will go down just as well.
Bonus points for the jukebox!

I have walked passed this place a million times but thought i would give it a try after todays events…
First impressions… yes a very hermitage place with a choice of random beers…
The ladies behind the bar were lovely, and after settling for a indian pale ale I settled round the back to cradle it. I love the musty rooms with the old leather chairs and brass/​coppery table tops… perhaps I need to come back here with a bigger group and headacheless head?
I have heard that there are bands that play here and other shizzle, so I will try this place again in the near future… but my impressions at the moment are quite pricey beer with lack of personal space. and to me its just a pub…

Castle doesn’t have that old antique’y look, nope it really is THAT bloody old (200 years in fact) It’s also somewhere I have been a regular for the last year and a half. Whether it be going for live music gigs or for escaping the rowdy ethanol induced traffic of the weekend crowd. The fact that the place guarantees a sublime dizzy blonde also is a huge bonus. The golden zesty ale (sorry to disappoint) has been one of the firm local favourites for a while now.
Not sure I should reveal this but it has been a perfect place to play hide and seek on a Friday/​Saturday night in the Northern Quarter. It’s the only place where you can come and have a fairly quiet few drinks with friends after midnight (open till 2am). Given my circle of friends are all aware of this means bumping into them unexpectedly is always a pleasant surprise.
Having said that if you’re thinking of heading there this Saturday (09÷08÷14) It might not be so quiet. (But in a good way) One of my friend’s band Glass Tides are playing. If you haven’t been to the intimate little live music venue before, you really should. Even stood right at the back, the acoustics and view is exceptional.
The little courtyard in the back for smokers is also a place you can relax and get fresh air (kind of) when it gets a bit hot and sweaty inside. Or you could sit in the adjacent room inside and enjoy a few drinks with the music in the background.
When the live music is over, the old school jukebox near the bar is heaps of fun. All in all, can’t recommend this venue enough. And that, coming from someone who has a friend working across the road at Gulliver’s too. So if you’re about on Saturday come say hi.

For the fourth (and alas final) venue of the Unilocal Manchester Craft Beer Club’s Northern Quarter tour we headed to The Castle Hotel — we had tried Bar Fringe (
) but literally just missed last orders which was a shame.
Anyway, it was particularly busy in the Castle, the bar area not being the biggest, but it wasn’t that long before we all had our beers in hand and decided to head to the quieter, and roomier, seating areas towards the back of the pub. You have to wander down a fairly lengthy corridor and they are on the left where the live bands play (there was no one on the bill when we were there so seating was plentiful).
The place is unexpectedly cavernous, with the area we were in having high vaulted ceilings which I imagine would be great to help the acoustics when the bands are playing.
It proved to be a satisfying ‘Plan B’ to end the night’s NQ mission and we all really enjoyed it in there.

I love small pubs, with a great range of ale, and a good atmosphere. That pretty much describes The Castle. (Has it ever been a hotel you can stay at?) In the summer there’s a small beer garden /​smokers area — though aparently smokers brave the elements in Winter also! :O
So there’s all this AND it has a great range of small bands playing in the back room! GOOD STUFF!

I have visited The Castle twice in the last couple of weeks and have become a big fan. It is cozy, relaxed and had a great beer selection with changing ales on tap. I went there last week for the monthly Bad Language open-​mic night and really enjoyed the friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
It has lots of areas where you can sit so there’s plenty of room to grab a table and chairs. I am adding this to my list of regular and reliable pubs.

I know the Northern Quarter is a trendy quirky place, the «where it’s at» of Manchester etc… But the Castle Hotel is yet another kind of quirky trendy.
It’s a Robinsons pub, tucked away up Oldham Street. It’s dark and gloomy but it gives it that cosy feel that suits Manchester weather so well… IMO. I’m not sure how to describe the crowd, it’s fairly mixed but there’s definitely an arty, decadent edge… from patrons of all ages.
There are also some cool unknown bands playing from time to time and I can see myself going there for a couple of pints and a few tunes after work.
But when it comes down to it, it’s a proper pub, a good selection of hand pumps, most from Robinsons but a few other Guests as well. The Staff is super friendly despite what one may think upon entering for the first time.
Just get in, hit it with the rest of the crowd and drink up this true Mancunian vibe (even if it’s a Frenchy saying it)

Went here on recommendation and I have to say I am glad I gave it a whirl. I went with a group of friends; we were over from Ireland for the weekend and it was the one spot where to a man we all agreed on as possibly our pick of the weekend. The music, the beers, the atmosphere… the Castle had it all! If you’re in Manchester, it’d be remiss of you not to go in here.

I love this place.
It’s worth seeking out even if you only stay for one drink.
It’s got great Ale selections the pub is tiny and the Gig room with a small stage is VERY intimate.
It’s really worth finding!
I Enjoy the monthly Folk night by thank folk for that.

I used to like the Castle even when it was the full-​on scruffy hellhole (watching female friends take the walk of fear to the women’s toilets in the back room was always entertaining). But it’s a very different place these days.
A friendly, well-​managed pub with a decent range of cask ales, a lovely back room with a long-​hidden feature roof, and a small lounge featuring the «Please don’t play this if you can’t» piano. It’s popular without being too Northern Quarter.
They have regular gigs in the back. It’s somewhat cramped on such nights, but it’s still always worth it.

When I was doing my Masters, I had a group of friends who shunned chain bars, disliked music that more than ten people had heard of and could only enjoy popular culture in an ‘ironic’ sense. We’ve all met them, shared drinks with them, realised they’ve read at least five hundred and twenty-​three more books than we have… It was this group of people that brought me to the Castle on Oldham Street before the Gossip gig I mentioned at Night and Day. You know, when only ten people had heard of them. Ten highly intelligent lesbians for that matter.
I have a streak of this running through me. Not lesbianism, although I could go into my sexuality-​is-​fluid-​and-​we-​are-​attracted-​to-​people– not-​gender theory in detail, but that would take hours and detract from this here review of the Castle. No, what I have in my veins is a slight diluted hint of this mildly snobbish artiness, as in I can get on board with it but leave it at the same time. I do enjoy Morrissey’s poetic lyrics but not to the point where I’ll write them all over my folders and weep softly when I read them. (I got that out of my system back in the teenage years.)
So, Guy Garvey from Elbow digs this place. But he digs The Temple too, saying it has the best jukebox in Manchester… presumably because all four of his albums are on there. The Castle is a nice pub, décor’s homely, and it’s got that warmth and friendliness that I feel from the rest of the Northern Quarter. The frontage is ancient and inviting, and every now and again it this feels like one of those old man pubs you can sometimes feel somewhat out of place in. ‘You ain’t from round these parts, are ye?’ Nope. But I might just be able to drink you under the table, mate.
Disclaimer: I’ll never be able to drink a man under the table, old or otherwise.

I’m never sure what to make of The Castle, despite having many many fond memories of the place. This is the pub where my ex boyfriend taught how to play pool aged 17, and where I had my first pint of Guinness. I’d seen numerous bands play in its grimy, dusty fetid back room which always smelt of piss and vinegar, and I remember a friend of mine jumping up and down there during a gig only for some of the ceiling to fall down on his head.
So when I heard it was being done up and revamped into a darling of the Northern Quarter, a little part of me felt a bit sad. The Castle? Overrun by hipsters? Aren’t there enough pubs on Oldham Street already that they could go to?
As it is, the redevelopment of The Castle has been a major success. It’s gone from what could be politely referred to as an utter dive to a pub which is stylish and well stocked without losing any of the charm which made it so beloved in the first place. And it would be a very churlish person indeed who didn’t like what they’ve done to their new snug. And I’m not alone in thinking this — every time I read Manchester Confidential, or go on Twitter, I always see a fellow Mancunian raving about this place.
I’ve never had a bad night at The Castle, and — from the looks of things — I probably won’t have one either. The last time I was there, I ended up getting very merry on excellent real ale and having a rather interesting conversation with a tree surgeon. It’s nice to have the old place back. Especially as I can now be 100% sure the roof won’t fall on my head if things decide to get a little bit too lively.

The Castle is a lively, busy pub on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter.
One of the best things about this place is that proper Mancunians and some of us poncy indie types form out-​of-​town mix it up in the same place. And I really quite like it. The mixture makes things a bit more fresh and makes me feel like I actually live in Manchester. Rather than the feeling that I’m out in Old Street in London which is what happens when I’m done with a night out at Trof.
They serve some local ales as well as some lagers for us Southern fairies. You can choose to stand in the packed front bar or maybe go and find somewhere to sit in the cosy back room, which is a bit better if there’s a big group of you.
I realise some of the reviews here have been pretty negative. True, all of the other bars in the Northern Quarter are absolutely so much nicer than The Castle. The Castle isn’t trying to be as good as those places though, it’s just trying to be a bit shambolic and fun. And it’s good at that.

I get really intimidated walking into pubs and bars alone sometimes. If I know the place then its fine but I just don’t do it that often. From being at uni, I was just so used to arriving with a few other people — not so anymore, Sophie. Time to grow up.
I’d been to a couple of artsy meetings with a group of basically strangers who’d answered an ad on the internet about starting up a new ‘organic’, venue focused paper in Manchester. Of course such meetings had to be conducted in suitably independent artsy places. The second such was scheduled to take place at the Castle Hotel on Oldham Street.
The Castle does not need a surly bouncer or a velvet rope. This is all implied by the ways heads swivel as you walk in. God, I wished I’d been with someone else. Specifically an old man, or failing that a friend of mine who used to live round here and looks like so much of an outcast that she pretty much fits right into any environment.
I am happy, proud even, for the Castle that it has stood the test of time as the area around it has morphed into trend-​central. This pub has stuck to its guns. But trust me, there are pubs with just as interesting interiors (mosaics and tiled bar) and history (licensed since 1776) that actually want you to be there. This one probably does not.
They have nine real ales, being attached to a Robinsons brewery but again why not try The Crown and Kettle or The Marble Arch instead for something similar? Various musicians like members of Elbow (and man, they’re everywhere) and I am Kloot are supposed to drink here but did you ever think that maybe this is just to get more peace and quiet than they would in somewhere remotely cool.