The Crown Inn

It’d been quite a while since I was last in The Crown, so after a film festival at The Plaza Theatre, two friends and I made the few minutes’ walk over for our last pint of the evening.
I hadn’t seen it at night before, so with its lights on and together with those of the monumental viaduct towering almost overhead, it made for an impressive setting.
Inside is cosy and welcoming (the bar staff were lovely) — everything you’d want from a no-​nonsense boozer. On either side of the bar are seating areas which were quite full with punters; I suspect most of them were locals.
A pretty good selection of cask ales available from both local and UK breweries as well as a couple of ciders. There are wines and sparkling options in the fridges too.
From memory there’s a beer garden at the back (though ‘garden’ might be pushing it just a bit). That said, in good weather it’d be lovely to sit out and feel dwarfed by the brick behemoth towering above you. Definitely worth a visit.

Situated under the train line viaduct in Stockport this is a place on it’s own really.
A little out of the way, but very much worth making a diversion for if you like a range of ale, and traditional pubs.
There’s a fair few little rooms, where you and your group can sit together. On this occasion I was meeting a group who’d been to the Stockport beer festival, so this may tell you how acceptable the ale choice is here.
It’s a venue that perhaps could be combined with another great ale pub in the area, to make your own ale festival on any weekend you want! Just up the hill — 5 mins away, is The Magnet. The Crown have a great range of over 10 guest ales. I suspect this is slightly less than the normal as it’s the beer festie weekend, but still very impressive.
(Tip: If you’re getting the bus from South Manchester get off at the stop before the bus station)

As a fan of old school pubs, The Crown in Stockport, under the iconic viaduct, ticks plenty of boxes for me.
I can imagine that in days gone by The Crown was constantly full of people with a fug of smoke throughout the various small rooms and bar, with plenty of ale fuelled cheer. Nowadays it seems to be a fairly sedate, quiet place frequented by regular locals and the odd whipper snapper (ahem) like myself, here for the beer and the lack of fuss.
The Crown has plenty of charm in the well worn furniture and classic pub accoutrements such as local old photography, beer making paraphernalia and vintage branded mirrors.
Around the far side of the bar there’s a dart board and jukebox with an okay if not the most contemporary selection — think classic rock and pop, nothing too cheesy. Otherwise the main entertainment comes in the form of the beer on offer, with several cask ales on offer at any one time, plus a cider or two it’s always worth a visit just to see what’s on and they even do a flight of 3 1/​3rds for those that want to try a lot of little tipples, most of which go very nicely with one of the rather good pork pies on offer. The prices are in keeping with Stockport pubs, nice and cheap, especially if you’re used to drinking in Manchester city centre.
I tend to visit The Crown on a Sunday afternoon quite often and have been lucky enough to be there for the local ukulele group meet ups, which adds an extra bit of atmosphere to a lovely little pub.

I do enjoying a causal pint in the Crown inn. I enjoy the little things about this place like the smell of the beers and cosy feeling. The service is friendly and joyful. In fact I may visit this weekend!

They have all the real ale you could ask for here. I think they have about 8 hand pumps and they also have a lot of rooms so you’ll always find a nice spot to sit.
They also do pork pies, which really are very good and are lovely with and pint.
There is a small beer garden and the bar staff are lovely nice and cheerful.
Oh now they make their own beer!

The Crown is a fantastic little pub with tons of character and exactly what you’d expect from a traditional boozer that sticks to what it does best. Situated just across the road from Mersey square and tucked in behind one of the main railway arches, it’s a hidden gem that is perfect for starting the night before heading up to the Magnet and Hope on the A6.
Lots of quaint little rooms with plenty of seating for large groups, the atmosphere is relaxed and unthreatening with a classic décor throughout. I didn’t make it in to it but my friends I was meeting were in the beer garden out back beforehand which is a nice additional touch.
The beers are all from decent UK and fairly local breweries with around 12 on tap and a couple of ciders. Prices are super low and the beer is excellent — what’s not to like!

Another Stockport hidden gem…
A great little local, sitting tucked underneath the huge viaduct, across the street from the Pineapple Inn. The area has nothing to go for it. A blacksmith, a kwik fit, car parks and main roads… but step in and you’ll find a warm and friendly atmosphere, mainly dominated by the local workers. It has a great selection of 15+ guest beers on tap and a few good bottles too. It serves pork pies and sausage rolls (I’m telling you this was the 11^th and final pub stop, these dirty pies and rolls saved the day !) and has a jukebox with proper Brit classics on. The staff is always friendly and prices are very reasonable. Definitely on my Stockport’s must go addresses.

Cosy and old, real fire, very friendly lots of charachters. Pity I live 6 miles away! My chap loves the cask ales an excellent real pub.

There are a lot of good pubs in Stockport, some you have to look for. But this is THE best. It’s not hard to miss being right under the viaduct. And with 16 handpumps, how can you not go and look???
Ci sono molti buoni pub in Stockport, alcuni lei deve cercare. Ma questo è IL migliore. Non è duro per mancare avendo ragione sotto il viadotto. E con 16 handpumps, come lei non può andare e può guardare? ???

Real ale lover? You’re going to love this place! Winner of numerous CAMRA prizes, the Castle is a superb pub that always has a huge range of beers and ciders to choose from. The beers come from major and micro breweries from across the UK and many of them change daily. So you can usually try something you’ve never had before.
Like many traditional pubs, the Crown is divided into two or three distinct rooms and there’s a great atmosphere in each. It’s particularly good to come on a Tuesday when they have folk musicians playing, but the weekends are pretty fun, too!
The only problem with this place is its popularity; everyone in Stockport seems to love it as much as I do. So if you go in the evening, you’ll probably struggle to find yourself a seat. My advice is to get there early and stay there!

Pretty expensive compared to most stockport pubs, but you get what you pay for.
Impressive range of hand pumped ales (+15!) from all walks of life.
You can even bring dogs in if they’re friendly

Lovely, cosy real ale pub that is well deserving of it’s CAMRA pub of the year status.
About 5 mins walk from the town centre, this pub has a wealth of guest ales on offer and is always welcoming.
I always try and grab a quick pint in here if I have been dragged down the shops.

Great real ale pub in Stockport, winer of the pub of the year. Locals are now steeling themselves ready for the inevitable wave of visitors from Didsbury and Chorlton. They’re welcome if they continue to ensure that the place is prosperous and stays open! Cosy fire, vast array of ales and ciders. Live music on a Friday night. Great pub dog.