Smithfield Hotel

Went to The Smithfield for the third time today, a Saturday afternoon when the Northern Quarter is very, very busy. Closed again I am afraid.
Looking through the windows it looked disheveled and unloved.
No worries though, had a good afternoon in the area. Well worth the mini bus fare.

What, you thought I was finished with the real ale pubs? Not a chance. Here be the Smithfield, a place chockfull of unusual brews, particularly during the beer festivals. Like a lot of my favourite pubs it has a very scruffy and homely feel, almost as if the bar staff themselves run the place (the Crescent is very much like that… and I do talk about it too much, I know).
With a pool table and a jukebox with appropriate noise levels, this is a fun place to be. Long and narrow with cosy dated décor, it’s welcoming and holds no pretences — you’ll hear many a real Mancunian accent in here and management have been known to flout the smoking ban from time to time (whether this is a good thing or not is up to you!). You’d be coming for the beer, no doubt, as other pubs such as The Crown and Kettle and The Marble Arch have the monopoly on prettiness, but it’s a worthy destination anyway, particularly if you’ve become a little tired of nearby Thomas Street and Stevenson Square.

I totally agree with Alexandra. This place feels like home to me. It’s quaint, it’s charming and filled with lots of history in the way of photos from bar staff and regulars past and present. This gives Smithfield a ‘Cheers’ kind of feelling, and even if you’re a new patron, you’ll still be welcomed like family.
One of the best reasons for coming here though is their incredible offerings of real ale. Dark Hatters (Robinson’s of Stockport), Tears of Angels (from the Hornbeam Brewery, Denton, Manchester), White Amarillo (Durham Brewery), and Smithfield Bitter (Phoenix Brewery, Lancashire) to name but a few, plus there’s Amstel, Guinness, Strongbow and Foster’s.
Try it, you might like it.

This pub does not get much press strangely as it is a fantastic real ale boozer with bags of character.
I am never happier then when I am in a traditional pub in the middle of winter with a group of my friends drinking local ales. Admittedly this pub may need a little bit of refurb but aside from this it ticked every box for me!
The kitchen here is a little strange and the food is simple but the staff are really friendly and the place never gets packed out. If we don’t keep sourcing out these traditional little pubs I can guarantee they will disappear soon to make room for even more chain bars.