The Marble Arch Inn — Restaurant in Manchester

The Marble Arch is one of Manchester’s must see pubs. It’s a little out of the way, but within walking distance from Shudehill tram station and Victoria train station.

Trust me the walk is worth it. The grade 2 listed building was built in 1888 and recently celebrated its 125th year! Walking through the door feels like you are literally stepping back in time as the building has retained much of its original décor. The first thing that’s grabs you is the ceramic tiled walls and ceiling, with the names of various tipples tiled into the wall Gin, Run, Ale, Porter etc. Bring your eyes back down you will find a beautiful mosaic floor that leads you towards the bar and past an open fire that creates a warm and welcoming environment on those cold Manchester winter nights. You will need to get there early though to secure a coveted spot in front of the fire!

They have a Google Business Photo view of the interior of the pub which you can view on Google Maps. However, this does not do the place justice, you really have to see it for real to appreciate the beauty.

The Marble brewery was founded in 1997 which was housed at the back of the pub. The beers were so popular the original 4.5 barrel brewing system could not cope with demand and the brewery had to relocate in 2011 to expand. The Marble Arch still serves as the ‘Marble Brewery Tap’ and you will always find a vast array of Marble ales on sale in bottle, cask and keg. The beer selection also has a number of rotating guest breweries and plenty of Belgian bottled beers and European lagers so there will always be something for everyone.

The food here is very good. It’s is not your standard ‘pub grub’ its pub grub with a twist. They have a talented team of chefs who produce an every changing seasonal menu. You can’t beat a good cheese board to go with good beers and The Marble Arch don’t just have a cheese board, they have a dedicated cheese menu that has over 20 cheeses!

My only complaint would be that the staff can be very hit and miss. Marble have three pubs in their local chain and this being the flagship original venue I would expect the staff to have great beer knowledge, especially about marbles own beers. The majority of the time when I have asked questions about a particular beer the staff where unable or couldn't be bothered to answer my questions. Unfortunately more often than not it appears the staff have been employed to simply pull pints and deliver food to tables. There doesn't seem to be a passion about the beers they are serving or the building it’s being served in. The staff are the front line, the face of the business and unfortunately lacking knowledge in a few key areas.

However, overall my experience here has always been an enjoyable one. They produce great beer and great food. They just need to improve staff training and education slightly so the staff can confidently field questions and educate customers on what they are drinking, how it was produced, what the ingredients are, the history of the building etc. Make these small tweaks and this would be a 5 star...

After a lovely history walk we ended it at the Marble arch. My mum wanted to go in as we have never been there before and been told lovely things about it. Well I wish we hadn't of bothered. As soon as we walked in a guy approached us aggressively saying where's your mask? Where's your mask? I was quite taken back and thought I'd missed a government rule in the past 2 hours. I tried to explain that I don't wear one, he grabbed the box of masks from the bar and offered me one (not in the nicest manner) I explained again. My mum politely got a mask. He then jumped back from me and again quite aggressively asked have we booked as there's no tables at the front so will have to go in the back. I said that was fine and we walked away, him then shouting about it being table service. We walked to the back of the pub but I then decided we wasn't staying in there after such a bad welcome and in front of other customers. I run a pub myself so I completely understand the stress were all under but I would never treat a...

I went here on the recommendation of a +friend and wasn't disappointed.

I'm not a real ale drinker but I've learnt enough from my friends that I was impressed with what I saw when I visited recently. For my part, I'm a cider drinker and the proper scrumpy on offer at this establishment will definitely see me going back. I may find out what the gins are too.

I love the Victorian tiles and woodwork, and the high ceilings. There's a relaxed beer garden which was empty when we went (largely due to the cooler weather), but one of the bar staff came out and joined us and we had a good chat with him.

I found the main course I had (skewered kebabs) to be a little on the pricey side but for an occasional treat, I don't mind that too much.

The best thing, though, has to be the selection of cottage industry cheeses. I love cheese, and was impressed by the freshness and flavour, and the fact that they were largely from the local area.

I hope to go...