Gullivers

Good location, I went here to see a gig type thing, which was really good. The staff were polite and served me quickly which is always a good thing. I was surprised by how good the location was considering some of the reviews I had read about Gullivers, but I would happily come here again to see comedy, I am not sure i would come to see anything to loud here as it being a fairly small venue, and anything with to higher volume might be a bit deafening.
Will see what is on for the future.

Anyone who frequented Gullivers pre 2014 will know how much this place has improved over the last year. After a renovation of the entire downstairs bar, and now the addition of a stage in the upstairs venue — the place has come on leaps and bounds to what it used to be.
Rewind to the start of 2014, my first visit to Gullivers. The place was desperately in need of some TLC, and the punters were the perfect reflection of the shoddy interiors. I was cat-​called by some unsavoury characters, had an awful evening and vowed to never return again. Even the sight of Mark E. Smith swaying at the bar couldn’t convince me.
Now though, the place is unrecognisable. The bar shifted to the other side, seating booths were placed all along one wall and the cosy snug area is perfect for an evening drink. The juke box is fantastic, and most importantly the clientele are not complete nightmares anymore.
The new Gullivers feels upmarket but still with that good English pub feel. Hat’s off to the owners and manager who have really turned this former dive around.
Having said that, I haven’t seen Mark E. Smith in there since…

A «gang» of us beer fanatics hired a minibus and decided to «do» the pubs on Oldham Street.
Our first port of call was Gulliver’s. Closed, on a Saturday? Never mind a Christmas Saturday.
Never mind, we will go across to The a Castle. Closed again.
We ended up in Bar Fringe on Swan Street and was told by the customers in there that. Gullivers and a The Castle are the same company and they have hardly been open all Christmas.
It’s not the end of the world, we had a great day out but a little note in the window showing the opening hours would have been a help

I wasn’t expecting much on our trip to Gullivers; going there for a gig meant that, ultimately, we didn’t really care about the selection of beer or wine, and the surroundings don’t quite matter as much when you’re in a darkened room listening to music.
What we got, however, was a lovely experience that — although it might not become my regular boozer of choice — I wouldn’t mind recreating when the pops is in town and we need somewhere a little bit laid back on a weekend evening.
The barman was very friendly, with a bit of back and forth about what size glass of wine I wanted (NB: it’s always a large!), and the service was very smooth considering the circumstances; many obviously new to the pub who weren’t quite comfortable enough to sit down and simply crowded towards the rear of the room, towards the door and steps leading to the gig area, causing there to be only a small space available for serving others.
However, we noticed that there was a snug to the left hand side that no one seemed to be frequenting so, knowing there was a 15 – 30 minutes for doors to open, we popped ourselves down in there.
There’s a small bar upstairs, but it didn’t seem to be serving on this occasion, meaning people had to go back downstairs for an extra drink, but it seemed to cause little disruption. The gig area itself is actually lovely, with large red curtains and chandeliers — rather grand, in fact. Acoustics were good (despite a few chatterboxes, but they were swiftly told to shut up or get out — by other member of the audience, I may add…) and the space suits the acoustic/​folk vibe.
Much similar to its sister The Castle in that it can seem slightly threatening from the outside, but inside holds some pleasant surprises.

I went to the Carefully Planned Festival over the weekend and Gullivers was one of the venues taking part.
I really enjoyed the music but the upstairs room was ridiculously hot. I even managed to position myself near a big fan but it turned out to be one of those ones that suck air in at the front i.e. bloody useless. A couple of people I was with decided to miss some of the performance as it was so hot it was like a Turkish bath.
On the plus side it was a music festival and I got a proper glass pint pot! Yes Gullivers you are right, I can be trusted with glass as I am a civilised grown up. Thank you.

Gullivers has had a revamp and now could not be described as threadbare, although Ian M. mourned the loss of atmosphere and I’d agree the new look is a bit, well, new. One advantage is the beautiful windows down the right side of the pub get full exposure, with nice booths set up.
This was my first time experiencing the upstairs music hall and while Jo Mango was fantastic, the room was unbearably hot. She herself mentioned several times how sweaty she was (she’s adorable) and I don’t think it can be very pleasant for the performers to have to work like that, particularly considering the kind of delicate instruments she uses. So basically: get some AC, or open a window.

I went to Gullivers the other day for the first time in about two years and was pleasantly surprised. It is still what I think of as an ‘old man’s’ type pub but there is a mix of people, definitely not the usual NQ hipster crowd though. Not as dark and dreary as it used to be.
The reason for my visit was for a play put on upstairs. The space upstairs is a good size for a play. Would also be good for a band.
Didn’t spent too much time downstairs but enough to get a good feeling about the place. The wine was £3.50 for a medium, which is reasonable.
Also noticed a space just at the back of the bar that I imagine could be hired out for a small/​medium size group.
Not sure I’d go here especially but if out nearby then I’d definitely pop in for one.

Lovely little pub on oldam street in Manchester. Old man feel. Great venue for gigs upstairs. I’ve seen local bands like Puppet Rebellion play here. Sound system is decent. Very friendly staff. Kindly made me a cup of tea as I didn’t want to have any alcohol.

Uninspiring selection of beer and a vacuous atmosphere really let this pub down for me. With the Castle Hotel across the road, I really see no need to ever go to Gullivers.
…I can’t even think of anything else to comment on. That’s how uninspiring this pub is.
AVOID

So I’ve been wanting to check out Gullivers for a while, especially since it was taken over by the guys from the Castle a few months back. While on a recent Unilocaler night out, we popped in for a couple to see what the recent refurbishments have done to it and what sort of vibe it has.
The good news is that it’s still kept a lot of it’s original Manchester pub charm without selling out to become too NQ, the clientele is a mix of Manchester old boys, hipsters and people just wanting a good night out. The décor is… how do I put this… Well it’s the sort of place that Robert De Niro (in Casino) would call a «sawdust joint» — pretty rustic, rough around the edges but still some good character throughout.
The beers were fairly cheap if not having a spectacular range but I’m thinking this may change if the Castle guys get their way. What I hear is the real USP of this place is the live music room at the back which has been made into a kind of alternative, rock theatre and I’d love to check out a gig there in the future.
If I’m out for a beer then I probably will still go to the Castle across the road instead, but I’d have no probs popping into Gullivers for one.

Hmm. Gullivers was a mixed experience for me, primarily because of the difference between upstairs and downstairs. Upstairs is the live venue, certainly enough to make you feel as small as the place’s namesake when he visited Brobdingnag, with its incredible original features — ornate passion-​red ceiling, intricately carved walls… but for all its wonderful architecture, upstairs still has the feeling of being somewhat unfinished. Plus, the soundman was disgraceful. I was watching the pedant’s band accompanied by two musicians, both of whom said the sound could have been crisp as a fresh winter’s morning, but clearly the guy couldn’t be bothered. He seemed more interested in tinkering with his iTunes.
The bar squeezed into the corner of the live venue part is absolutely tiny, and it’s staffed by lovely people, but it’s slim pickin’s. I didn’t want to be rude when I’d asked for a vodka, lime and soda and wound up with the sweetest, most syrupy vodka, lime and lemonade. I had a couple of mouthfuls and had to haul ass downstairs for a Corona.
Now, downstairs. Completely different story, and this does make Gullivers a visit-​worthy establishment. It’s not quiet. You’ll never have a relaxing drink here. But it certainly is happy and lively. There’ll always be a pillhead dancing himself into a sweaty frenzy, but on this occasion a bunch of people joined him. The walls are plastered with band posters and touring paraphernalia from the 60s all the way up to the present day, and there are plenty of places to sit and people-​watch. Plus you’ll get an epic ton of classic Mancunian bands on the soundtrack — in fact, the whole ambiance is very Manchester. So give it a go, but just be wary of watching a gig here, as it might not be everything you’re expecting!

Gulliver’s is an intimidating place alright.
On a Sunday, you’ll hear people destroying your favourite songs on the karaōke. One man is particularly adept at crowd participation when it comes to the finer point of Elvis Presley’s back catalogue.
Walking into this pub is a bit like walking into the middle of a group of sailors who have just come back from a long-​trip.
Everyone is usually blind drunk and turning the air blue. It’s bawdy and rough as you like.
The pub itself is pretty trad. arr. and the beer is decent.
However, if like me, you have hair that covers at least 1% of your ears, you could find yourself losing a tooth or nine.
If you’re chicken, have a pint in The Castle across the road and watch the people who tumble out of the door, singing into the night with broken fags hanging from their mouths.
It’s almost admirably untouched by the surrounding Northern Quarter.

This place is really cool. It’s a proper pub, yet its very popular and busy with people actually having fun (on the weekends at least). This is an unusual combination these days, with the pub breed seemingly dying out except at times when the football is on.
They seem to cater for everyone, except those wanting a sit down and a quiet drink. The clientele are a wide age range and the bar sells everything from spirits and mixers to a good pint of old ale.
Its well worth a visit, and its something a little bit different as well so if you feel like you need to mix it up, give Gulliver a go.