This pub is a bit of a Manchester institution. It is well located - being near the universities, Oxford Road station and the BBC - and fairly historic. The bar area has a lot of dark wood, creating the right atmosphere for an old pub, and the small 'snug' room is a decent space (and it is quieter and more private). There are usually three or four real ales on offer, and the service behind the bar is pretty good. The food is reasonable pub grub, and is not expensive by the standards of central Manchester. All things considered, this seems to be a very good place for a city centre pint.
However, despite this being the sort of traditional boozer that the Flavours of Manchester team usually rate highly, there are a few problems with it. The pub has at least two TV screens that seem to be on all the time. The area beyond the bar and the snug is often dominated by the sporting events shown on these TVs, and the pub gets very busy when big football matches are on. The range of ales is disappointing, and main seating area in the pub is rather uninspiring. It's hard to be precise about what is wrong with the Lass o'Gowrie but in our view it is not quite the classic city centre establishment that we all want it to be.
possibly my least favourite pub in manchester
ReplyDeleteAnd possibly my favourite pub, especially for the amazing range of events and theatre upstairs. Horses for courses I guess.
ReplyDeleteI want to like the Lass but the bar staff aren't very quick off the mark, and the no-lagers-on-draught brewery dispute has gone on for too long. I know Greene King have them over a barrel so to speak, but it's not ideal to have to choose a bottled Tyskie when there are other pubs with less hassle in the vicinity.
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