The Old Grapes

Paul (the landlord) is epic, food is awesome, company ok!
Very loyal to this bar, all staff lovely and helpful. Good outing any night of the week.

The Old Grapes is certainly an OLD pub. I wanted somewhere quick, cheap and cheerful for lunch around the Spinningfields and my friend suggested this place as everywhere else had queues.
Entering the Old Grapes feels like a different world, like it had slowed right down after escaping the hustle and bustle of Spinningfields. Upon first glance it looks like a beautiful old pub but sitting down I noticed how dated the furniture is and lots of the leather seats were ripped.
That aside, we could hear ourselves chat, there was a relaxed atmosphere of shoppers rather than office types and the food was nicely presented and general good pub grub.
There was an old lady serving food, I had to do a double take and see if it was Vera Duckworth!

We could hear The Old Grapes before we could see it — the music was blaring out the doors on a chilly-​ish Friday night. It soon became clear that this was not going to be a place for quiet conversation, which was no bad thing, as our group had just been enjoying the tunes at the Friday Food Fight (see review
).
It was bustling inside when we arrived and the Phoenix Nights-​style DJ was pumping out some great tracks from the 80s onwards (Soft Cell’s Tainted Love being a particular highlight). Loads of people were joining in like a mass karaōke so the atmosphere was lively to say the least.
As for drink options, it’s a full bar so you can pretty much get all of the better-​known brands, as other reviewers have said. The bar itself is huge so you shouldn’t have any issues with queuing and there are plenty of seats if you didn’t want to stand and sway with arms held aloft to the music, like we were.

I didn’t realise the Grapes had such a Unilocaly following and now I want to go back for food. Lots of food. However, when I popped in with the hens on Saturday food wasn’t on our mind. This was our stop after Zizzi’s and ‘on the way’ to the train station. In the words of Nanny M., «I don’t think Vera owns it anymore.» At least it didn’t feel like it.
Maybe it was due to the fact we were there on a Saturday but there seems to be a gap in between what y’all are saying and the experience we had. It probably is a lovely pub in the day time but, on a Saturday night, it felt a bit… strange. Music was blaring but, obviously, there was no room to dance, other than around your handbag and/​or table. The people were nice enough but there was one man who had quite obviously come straight from the street on to the dance floor. Kudos for his dedication to the music but it did add an air of tension to proceedings.
I would return but during the day as it seems like the Grapes could become competition for our usual pub outings to the Bank. Surrounded by the glitz and glam of Spinningfields but cozy and traditional inside. It’s like me as a pub. Almost.

The Old Grapes, it’s an old pub for old… wait no, it’s an old pub for pub type people.
the grapes is not going to wow you with its beer, its pretty much all your main brands, which is not necessarily a bad thing it can be great at times just to know exactly what you’re getting, but if you’re a Drinker of Beers that are a bit different you may want to have a wander around town.
as a Traditional style pub the grapes is spot on. It’s also pleasingly survived Spinningfields being completed, I came to spinningfields when it was mostly a giant building site and people seemed to choose the grapes because there wasn’t much else around, and people did wonder as the bars etc opened whether the grapes would end up a lot emptier, but Spinningfields missed a trick in that while bars opened no ‘proper’ pubs opened and so the Grapes continues when you’re in need of a no messing pint.
Not sure which is closer to Spinningfields now that the bridge has opened near the Mark Addy, but I’m sure the Old Grapes shall continue trundling along

Forget the fact that this pub is round the back of Spinningfields in quite possibly one of the nicest, most secluded spots down the side of Quay Street. The location might be perfect for office workers and secret enough to attract discerning clientele, but what we’re really interested in is the fact that The Old Grapes belongs to Vera Duckworth.
Vera Duckworth! From Corrie! What better Mancunian credentials could there possibly be? Well, sadly Vera Duckworth has shuffled off this mortal coil, but actress Liz Dawn is alive and well (she’s the one who actually owns the pub, not the character… you might have guessed, but some people have a hard time separating soap characters and the actors who play them). While you won’t see her behind the bar (a shame, I know), you’ll see her face all over the place as pictures of the lovely lady hang everywhere.
Other than this, the food at The Grapes is just utterly lush. Proper simple pub grub. Chips and onion rings are top notch as side dishes, crisp and stodgy and heavenly, and if you’re feeling really ravenous go for the option that’s basically a whole bread loaf sliced lengthways and covered with toppings from cheesy chilli to mushrooms and cheese… delicious, and I challenge you to eat a whole one. With a side order of rings. Impossible. I went here with work when I was stationed at Spinningfields a couple of years back and still remember my head whooshing towards the keyboard in the throes of foodbaby sleep that afternoon.
There’s a nice array of beers and wines available and in the summer, the outside patio area is pretty and rustic, with a handy Tesco nearby on one hand and the rest of Spinningfields’ restaurants round the corner if you’re stopping off for a drink before a meal. Just be careful on Fridays after 5.30pm, as office workers descend on the place like buzzards over a potential bite and you might not be able to move even if you squish your way in.

It is occasionally nice to visit a pub that understands how to be traditional without being boring. As much as I like to find the really original, quirky places of Manchester, I cannot ignore my childhood memories of visiting Ireland and eating or drinking at the numerous rustic places dotted around. Finding them in modern Manchester can be difficult, because a lot of places confuse ‘traditional’ with ‘intimidating’, but you sometimes strike gold.
The Old Grapes is in a good location to soak up the business men and women of Manchester, it offers a nice selection of beers and wines at reasonable prices, and has an outdoor patio area which is a pleasant place to while away a few hours in the rare occasions the sun appears. They do food as well, which is nothing fancy but tasty nonetheless, and nicely complements the rest of the establishment.
It’s good to see that places like this can still exist in the rash of dive bars and lounges that fill up most of the city nowadays.

This one is a definite must guys. What I missed when I moved to Manchester I pined for the friendly little pubs I used to go to dotted around Liverpool. I was in desperate need of a substitute for my local ‘The Grapes’ and now I have found one…‘The Old Grapes’…how reminiscent.
This place serves reasonably priced drinks and has a fantastic Location near Spinningfields. I may be an old man at heart but I am a sucker for cosy traditional pubs and this place is just that. Well done to the ‘The Old Grapes’.

Despite the rather unapealing name, the Old Grapes is neither soggy nor squelchy it is just a good pub.
Due to its close proximity to business district Spinningfields, 6pm on Fridays usually sees it get crammed full of office workers up for a laugh over a few relaxing pints and as such is generally a good natured and inviting place be.
Its al fresco drinking area is a really fantastic sun trap during the warmer months and the cosy and traditional pub décor inside means the Grapes is just as enjoyable a place to be as the dark evenings draw in.