Manchester quality beers at town prices are just a few minutes from the city

We all know that Manchester is an epicentre of great cask and craft beer, with people flocking to areas like Northern Quarter to sample the best of the UK beer industry. But city centre drinking – especially in a large vibrant city like Manchester, where venues have huge overheads – comes with a city price tag. In fact, the price of a pint can be comparable to that in London. That’s something that us northerners can find hard to swallow (as delicious as the beer is!).

But what can you do when you want to drink great beer?

The answer to that is just a few minutes away. Stalybridge railway station is just 10 minutes from Manchester Victoria or 14 minutes from Piccadilly and right there on platform 4 is Stalybridge Buffet Bar.

In a Venn diagram with sets for city-quality beer and affordable town prices, Stalybridge Buffet Bar occupies the sweet spot in the intersection. For those who left set theory behind at school, it can also be expressed as the best of both worlds!

Continuously in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide since 1999, the Buffet Bar always has a fine selection of cask beer, curated by co-manager and cellar man, Phill Shaw.

City beer & town prices, but that’s not all

We know what you’re thinking, you don’t just go to Manchester for the great beer. It’s about the pubs themselves; the look, the style, and the ambience. You need more than saving money on your pint to tempt you into the suburbs. Worry not, because Stalybridge Buffet Bar is like almost no pub still operating today.

One of the last few remaining Victorian buffet bars, Stalybridge is packed with character, every inch filled with railway memorabilia and original features. Even the original Victorian marble bar is still there (despite the attempts by Environmental Health to have it removed in the ‘70s for ‘hygiene reasons’!).

You can even treat yourself to some traditional northern fodder with black peas, corned beef hash, and pies & peas served in the autumn and winter and there’s the (now infamous) Crisp Butty Pairing Event on periodically for those looking for new taste sensations! We love Manchester and its amazing beer offering but we’d urge you to think beyond the city and try something new. We’re confident we can match Manchester for choice, quality, and environment, and you’ll go home with a lot more change in your pocket!