The very best pubs in Manchester and Salford

Like the very folk who go in them, the pubs of Manchester are a diverse bunch, from those with real ale flowing their veins (well, pipes) to centuries-old watering holes where plans were hatched and drinks were sunk to toast them.

These are the very best of them, as (just about) agreed upon by the Manchester Evening News What's On team.

The Britons Protection

Perhaps the quintessential Manchester boozer, the Brits has been keeping the city lubricated since 1806, and got its Grade II listing in 1990. With its warren of back rooms, and roaring fire in the winter, there are few places as cosy in the city, not to mention as well stocked with whiskey and bourbon from around the world. It has a staggering 360 in stock at any one time. Philosopher Friedrich Engels is said to have been a patron, while other more recent regulars have included the likes of New Order, the late Anthony Wilson and Elbow’s Guy Garvey.

The Britons Protection, 50 Great Bridgewater St, Manchester M1 5LE

The Marble Arch

The flagship pub for the venerable Marble brewery, this crooked bar on the edge of Angel Meadows is a gem off the usual beaten tracks of the Northern Quarter and Ancoats. The floor slopes down from the doorway, putting patrons slightly off kilter before they’ve even had a drink, but it’s just one of the things that makes the Marble unique. The pub grub really is a cut above too.

The Marble Arch, 73 Rochdale Rd, Manchester M4 4HY

The Circus Tavern

It might be the smallest pub in town - and said to be the smallest in the whole of Europe too - but what The Circus lacks in room to swing a cat, it makes up for in character. Comfortingly old school, ask for a hop-forward IPA from Vermont, and you’ll get a pint of Tetley, and bloody well like it.