July - Old Monkey
The Old Monkey
90-92 Portland Street, Manchester M1 4GX
NOTE: Now transferred to the newly formed Central Manchester Branch
The Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA Pub of the Month for July is the Old Monkey on Portland Street in Manchester city centre. Mark McConachie paid a visit.
The Old Monkey was brewer Joseph Holt's first ever new-build house in the city. Built on the site of the Queens Arms beer house, it opened in 1993 to great acclaim. The current success of the pub is down to licensee, Stacy Saunders who arrived in early 2014 after a stint at the Ape & Apple. She is a woman with great ideas that have been brought to fruition in the pub; her friendliness, bubbly personality and charm really come through.
Set on two floors where the downstairs is seldom anything less than abuzz with custom and is definitely the main engine of trade it is popular with tourists who venture here from their nearby hotels. There is fixed seating round the edges of the room, but this is mostly a standing drinking area. Meanwhile upstairs has its own bar, and serves food and drink in a more relaxed, comfortable and intimate environment. The upstairs windows provide you with great views of the bustle of the Princess Street junction. On the first Wednesday of the month, the upstairs room hosts comedians sourced by the Trapdoor Comedy Club; these events cost roughly £3 advance or £5 on the door per ticket. On the first Monday of each month it also hosts "Mope music evening", this is described as three hours of musical misery.
Food is served every day when a menu of home-made dishes is the staple fare. Being a Holt's house, it serves their Bitter, IPA, Two Hoots, plus the hard-to-find Mild, alongside a guest beer (these change once a week), and the seasonal beers from Bootleg Brewing Co (brewed at the Holt's-owned Horse & Jockey, Chorlton-cum-Hardy) change with availability. The Monkey operates a loyalty card scheme (buy eight pints, get the ninth one free) in conjunction with the other two Holt's houses in the city - Ape & Apple, and Crown & Anchor, plus the Railway, Lapwing Lane, West Didsbury.
You are welcome to attend the presentation night Thursday 23rd July (from 8pm), and see Stacy and staff receive this much-deserved award.