Some 70 beers and ciders, a growing wine list, quality scran...and furry friends welcome too
LITTLE did I know what I had unleashed when I embarked on an epic city centre dog-friendly bar crawl with my chihuahua Captain Smidge. Social media acclaim followed – for Smidge, not me – plus the realisation that there are more bars than you think that will not just tolerate but heartily welcome your furry pal. And that goes for the suburbs, too.
Take The Parlour, cosiest of Chorlton watering holes. Under new ownership, it has plans for a special dog menu and a photographic hall of fame (#dogsatparlour) for canine visitors, all this while maintaining its reputation for legendary Sunday roasts and substantially improving its range of craft beer.
Step in off Beech Road and what do the chihuahua and I find? A customer’s Labrador lapping from a water bowl, immediately shared with Smidge, and for me a pint of Parlour’s own cask ale, brewed for them by Blackjack and used to make the batter for their fish and chips.
While the dogs got acquainted I could explore the rest of the beer array. The bar is in the 2018 CAMRA Good Beer Guide but its fridges are also well-stocked with cutting edge craft stuff. I spot a great can selection from Copenhagen’s iconic ‘gypsy brewer’ Mikkeller alongside a trio of bottles from Belgian Trappiste brewery Rochefort. In total, the bar stocks some 70 different beers and ciders.
Prices are decent. Hand-pulled Burning Sky Aurora Pale Ale, all the way from Sussex, costs just £3.60 a pint. Pretty damn good for a 5.6% premium strength pale ale, packed with tropical US hops. A more exotic keg sour, Hawkshead Gose, would set you back a fiver. The plan is for a guest keg to be on at half price one day a week.
The Parlour, 60 Beech Rd, Manchester M21 9EG. 0161 862 9535. The bar subscribes to the Foodinate http://foodinate.co.ukcharity, where if a customer buys any dish marked with a sticker on the menu the restaurant funds a nourishing meal for a local person in need.
