Rampant Lion

Pretty average bar/​restaurant for the football and usually pretty dead since its off the beaten track of Oxford Road. It’s right next door to the student residences of Dalton-​Ellis Hall and Victoria Park campuses. Really nice outdoor terrace for the summer and the drinks on offer are alright for a reasonable price. Food is good with an extensive menu available.

I’m pretty sure this pub has schizophrenia, or at the very least a big case of multiple personality disorder.
I’ve lived by Rampant Lion for 6 months now. In that 6 months, I’m pretty sure management has changed 3 times. It seems nobody wants to hold onto it for any long period of time, and each time it changes, the new owner tries to inject their own personality into it.
Last time I stopped in here, the menu had switched to a nearly all Lebanese fare, with what looks like the soon addition of shisha. You can also get dessert, coffee, lounge in front of the TV’s on couches and chairs. Surprisingly the place where it lacks the most is what it should be concentrating on — the PUB aspect of their pub.
They have no cask ales, everything on tap is overpriced, and when I asked the bartender if there were any specials it was a simple and straightforward «no.» Also, when I ask a barkeep what beer they have that has the most hops in it and they point to Stella, it makes me think twice about their beer choices.
It seems this pub used to be a great place, but it just keeps going downhill a bit more every time it switches hands now. In my opinion, they need to give it a proper revamp and bring it back to a British style pub with proper beers, cheap options, and lose all the fluff that they’re trying so hard to push.
Their only saving grace is that they have the football games on with good quality TV’s. Heaven forbid they take that away next.

My husband and I used to come to this pub a lot between 1999 – 2004. Back then it was a lively pub, ALWAYS full with students and non-​students alike. On a sunny afternoon it was impossible to find a space in their HUGE beer garden. We recently moved back to the area and had seen that the Rampant had had a face lift. We decided to meet there on Monday evening with some friends for a drink and some food.
The weather on Monday was glorious, but the beer garden was deserted. And there were only 4 other people inside. We thought this was very strange indeed! The décor inside is nice and it’s much cleaner than it used to be. The toilets look like renovation has started, but not finished! The staff were friendly, but seemed more bothered about chatting to their mates who were playing pool and watching the cricket on the telly.
The barman didn’t really seem to know what he was doing; he recommended a 4.5% beer for a friend that was driving and offered my husband a glass with ice for his bottle of ale (!). Foodwise, lots of things were off the menu it took them 20 mins to tell me that the green curry I’d ordered wasn’t available. When the food arrived the meat was overcooked (the sausages were black and burnt, and the fish fillet was hard), the veg was badly undercooked and the gravy on the sausage and mash was half oil. We were asked if we wanted any sauces on our food and then the barman answered his own question and bought sauces he thought we’d want.
This pub seems like it’s trying to do too much and so isn’t doing anything right; there’s a shop fridge-​unit in the main pub next to the pool table and the nice ‘library’ area is full of plastic bags of pick and mix and catering equipment I mean, really? It’s a pub! It has the feel of a business that isn’t doing too well.
This area of Manc really doesn’t need a swanky bar. It needs a decent, reasonably priced pub that serves basic, good, pub grub and decent beer. I don’t even think it’ll survive this summer.

It’s hard to make sense of the Rampant Lion. Since the refurbishment the place tried to take on a more ‘up market’ look, but did so without offering any of the qualities such a place should have — for example good quality and off the mainstream food & drink. Couple this with it being in a largely student area then it was always on to a loser in my opinion.
The place has always been deadly quiet on the few occassions I have visited and one such time closed at 9.45 p.m. due to the lack of customers (with me and my friends being practically kicked out). They regularly run out of beer also as people have mentioned, meaning you have to buy bottles which are always overpriced. The staff too are also different everytime you walk in (minus the owner), so clearly things aren’t going to plan.
It’s a shame to write such a bad review, but I think that the shortsighted management of the place will see it close within the next few years at the most.

Okay, so I haven’t been here in about 5 years. It doesn’t matter. I went here nearly every single week when I was at the uni (and lived across the way). The pub is comfy and welcoming and I always had a fabulous time. I ate here only once or twice so I can’t really discuss the cuisine, but it’s really a lovely pub and I can’t help but think fondly of it.

The Rampant Lion, now that it’s under new management and post-​refurbishment, is what I can only describe as a huge disappointment.
Once upon a time this pub was a great little local, tucked away in a spot much in need of welcoming and relaxed drinking holes. But it’s all change now — what was once a place with good pints and pub style décor is now a plasticy bar with no personality.
The drinks on offer are generic and unimpressive, and the interior substitutes inconveniently low lighting for genuine atmosphere. The building was once full of relaxed ex-​student folk spilling into the beer garden, whereas now it appears to be all but empty at any time before midnight. Once in a while, very late at night, the venue appears to be rammed with people, though I’ve yet to discover what’s drawing them there.
I’d give this one a wide berth until they find their feet, or someone sensible takes it back to its former glory. Never have I left a pub so fast in my life.

Yum. Yuuuum. That was a good dinner. The Rampant Lion serves great pub food in a lounge so cosy you’d think you were in your Grandma’s living room. There are big squidgy sofas, a crackling fire and plenty of board games to while away the hours with.
The pub is ample in size and serves some good drafts, lagers and ciders as well as a fairly decent wine selection (although nothing particularly special or well matched with the food). The place hasn’t always been so cosy, in fact it was pretty crappy a while back but new owners have brought in a more homely feel which I think works.
On a Friday or Saturday night it will be filled with drunken students and things get a little more rowdy (not often rampant) and there is a bit of a questionable pub quiz, but other than that its a great place to stop off for a drink in the early afternoon or for a Sunday lunch.

I used to quite enjoy a jaunt to the Rampant Lion — the sit-and-you’re-sunk leather sofas, the sparsely attended indie clubnights in the basement (the only place where I have seen a request for Broken Social Scene honoured by a DJ) and pub quiz so difficult it would shame University Challenge («I keep expecting an essay question,» a friend once quipped.) That was under the old management though; the last old management anyway, from what I’ve hear it goes through managers in like someone going through a lot of something very fast! On my last visit it was a very different story.
My friends and I went back to The Rampant Lion for something to eat, having always been a fan of their reasonably priced, reasonably tasty pizzas. A few of the party decided to plump for something different; a baked potato, a tuna sandwich, a chicken burger. Not filet mignon or lobster thermidor, not even lasagne — just meat and starch and meat in starch, pretty basic stuff. Seven main courses, four of which were pizza, took over an hour to arrive. We accepted this gracefully, we had been marinating in cider for the past sixty minutes and just wanted to get some food down us that wasn’t crisps. The pizzas were cold, every one of them. The baked potato with cheese and was so light on filling it might well have just floated off the plate — the tuna sandwich almost had more beans in it. Worst of all though was the chicken burger which was pink and bloody. When we complained to the staff (and after some bickering about whether it was alright to eat the practically-​still-​clucking chicken) their offer was to send it through to the chef to have it cooked some more. My friend rightly said that she didn’t want the burger warmed through and wasn’t going to pay for her meal. The staff seemed unmoved, and acted put-​out when they had to alter the bill. The rest of us salvaged what we could of our meals and headed out.
The food was below par but what really disappointed most here was the poor quality of service that we ended up receiving. They didn’t care enough to keep us there so I won’t care enough to give it another try.

Just what is it that makes this lion so rampant? Viagra? Oysters? Gillian McKeith’s Horny Goatweed supplement?
Or perhaps it could be the customers who populate this traditional looking venue on Anson Road. But there’s a small issue — it’s changed hands recently and what used to be a hub of activity with live music and a bar of real ales as well as a substantial beer garden has become… a little tired of late. It’s always been studenty and had some great bites to eat, but it used to have a great deal of character before the makeover. The strange Flamenco soundtrack and promises of Salsa just don’t seem to suit it any more.
It’s still fine for eats (the home made chips are a favourite), but the mass produced beer is a bit… samey. If you want your classic big brand lagers you can go pretty much anywhere for that. Prices are reasonable, far cheaper than the city centre for starters, but it’s a lot quieter than it used to be and certainly not the same as it ever was, same as it ever was. And why oh why is the lemonade so expensive?
It’s a real shame, but this once Rampant Lion is looking pretty flaccid of late.

Although the rampancy of the motionless concrete lion which welcomes you to this establishment is questionable, the graffiti tells you a lot about that of the clientele — check the girls’ toilets for updated results on a tally chart of favourites out of love, sex, drugs etc.
The Cure on the jukebox, the open fire and the large, unrickety beer garden (a rare find in Manchester) just about make up for the verbal price warning issued by the bar staff upon ordering a pint of Leffe.
The food here is top-​class as well. I’ve been here for a couple of Christmas dinners with my housemates and for around £15 a head for a 3 course meal it was a really good deal.
All in all the Rampant is a nice but slightly pricey pub in the oft-​forgotten area of Victoria Park.

The Rampant Lion was once a great place to grab a quick bite and decent pint.
It was also a hive of musical activity with great nights being held in the annexe.
However, the expansive beer garden may find itself rather empty since a change in ownership.
My first visit since the new owners took over was brief thanks to a complete change into what The Rampant Lion was.
Now, in place of a laid back pub with good pizzas and pints, we’ve now got a starkly lit, faceless space that has replaced the pleasing chatter of customers with a dreadful cod-​Flamenco soundtrack and the smell of the toilets.
Concerning the latter, the first thing that hits you on entrance is the smell of backed up toilets. Then, when you’ve finished reeling from that, you’re faced with a bar that serves awful mass-​produced beer.
I’m far from a real-​ale fiend and indeed, not especially precious when a business changes hands… which makes it all the more pertinent that my stay in The Rampant Lion was staggeringly short.
Maybe if you’re looking for somewhere to eat, it’s fine and I just caught it on an unfortunate day. If you’re looking for a good pint and a bite, then steer well clear.
Astonishingly disappointing.

I feel a rather special bond with the Rampant because I’ve seen it go through so many changes of owners. I think of it a little like an unruly but ultimately lovable child; he goes his own way and does his own thing, but always aims to please in the end. And I have a good feeling about the latest in the line to the throne.
It was only recently sold, and only more recently refurbished, but already a different quality shines through. Gone are the slightly grimy interiors and grim lighting from before, to be replaced by clean white wall, nice lines, and a much more sophisticated décor overall. It is still in the throes of evolution, which is obvious from the unfinished flooring in some areas and hi-​fi sitting on the floor by one wall, but so far all signs point to up.
A downstairs bar is being established, along with live music and club nights on the way. The whole place seems to be getting propelled into the modern scene, and I personally look forward to seeing where it ends up. The only thing it’s really missing so far is a decent ale selection to get a regular stream of customers flowing.

The rampant lion is a beautiful venue with a large beer garden. Speaking as a regular, It’s fair to say that over the past year it has gone downhill however, i hear new management are taking over this summer and renovating the place into an new, exciting, thriving venue ready for the new term. I would keep a look out.

A student pub but good enough for the local cops to pop in after a shift, so it must be half decent.
Well, the beer has got better, but its alot quieter than it use to be.

A fairly large traditional pub, this place is very popular with students. The beer selection is fairly average, as are the prices. The food is quite good (I recommend the chips) and there are usually a few deals on at any time.
This place gets quite busy in the summer as there is a large beer garden, but there are plenty of seats.

Good student pub, quite large too so no problems finding a seat. The drinks are average, lager is very expensive which is disappointing but the cocktails are superb value for money, not the best quality mind you but for the price you can’t really complain. The food is okay, not fabulous — the homemade chips though were rather tasty. An okayish place overall — a special mention has to go out to their handdryers in the loo — the best ones ever! They actually dry your hands completely, every public restroom should have Dyson hand dryers.

This would be an average pub if they showed any interest whatsoever in football. I had to ask the bartender to put on England this last summer, even though it was on the BBC. They have an average menu, an average selection of beers, but below average (watery, to be specific) mixed drinks. The cocktail jugs are a complete waste of money.
They have an exceptionally nice beer garden, which is their only above average attribute. But, what good is that when it rains 10 months of the year?
I wouldn’t go there at all if the only other neighborhood options weren’t Varsity or Wetherspoon’s.

A great old rambling house, with fabulous grounds perfectly suited to Summer. Except when the Anson Road estate crew are in residence, but that’s another tale altogether. Perhaps a little dear for the local students and a bit ragged round the edges, but with potential.

Good, solid pub is the Rampo. It has the usual selection of beers and the usual prices, the interior is quite cool with a conservator thrown in for good measure.
The best part is the massive beer garden although with the English weather it doesn’t get used as much as it should, sadly.

This large pub just by the Victoria Park halls of residence (Manchester Uni) is a great place for food or drink. Traditional roasts are good value and quality, and there’s plenty of seating and a nice consevatory style area for the warmer weather.
Cosy atmosphere, with the feeling of the classic British pub.
Prices are pretty reasonable, and serves the student community well.
Great for a chilled out meal with friends or somewhere casual to take the parents when they’re up to visit.