Tib Street Tavern

I was really impressed with this place, and for what it is, I’m not sure much needs to change.
After a fantastic dinner in NQ we we’re looking for a spot to watch the England game and finding Tib Street on Unilocal,listed under Sports Bars, I was a little nervous as to what it would actually be like. I was happily wrong with my ill-​conceived preconception!
It has modern interior and large screens to watch sports/​tv on, as well as a decent selection of brews. I tried the Portland American Ale which was pleasant enough if not outstanding, and helped wash down another mediocre performance from the England National Team.
Tib Street Tavern isn’t going to blow anyones socks off and you’re probably not going to bring you’re date here, however I am reviewing this purely for what it is, a pub/​sport bars, that is a good place to grab a drink with a mate and watch some sports on the box. And for me, Tib Street ticked both boxes with no complaints.

I’ve been to Tib Street Tavern once or twice over the years just for a quick one or two drinks before moving on to the next bar.
Today, my friend and I decided to try out watching the Six Nations rugby here for a change. I arrived first and tried to find a seat, which was difficult as the place was packed, but eventually found some seats downstairs. There are three large booths downstairs (which I think you can reserve) and luckily a large group left as we got there.
The place had a good atmosphere, though last year we watched the same fixture at Twickenham, we were feeling a little sorry for ourselves this year. The two lads who sat on the other side of our booth were friendly, so that helped,
My friend and I were on wine and it cost just over £8 for two small glasses (one of pinot grigio and one of rioja), so fairly standard for city centre.
For nights out, I’m not sure this will be top of my list, however, I would consider coming here to watch the rugby again.

Tib street Tavern should stick to what they do best… Serve Heineken and show the football.
I’ve just ordered a Chilli Chicken Burger which comes with fries, £6.95. I’ve eaten here before so I haven’t a clue why I even bothered to order as this time was worse than the first time. The food arrived, it looks alright, how looks deceive me. The chilli sauce that the poor chicken breast is drowning in tastes like petrol mixed with hairspray, it’s VILE. The brioche roll is as dry as a newspaper. The salad is soggy from the petrol and hairspray kinda sauce. The fries however, I quite liked them.
I hate paying for food when it’s this bad.
Great place to watch the football and kick back with mates, just stay away from the food. (The chef also looks slightly dodgy!)
2* possibly 3* at a push but it’s left such a horrible taste in my mouth, it’s getting a 2* today!

We went to Tib Street Tavern a few weekends ago to watch the first half of a Sunday Liverpool game — the promise of some good food before having to watch football was enough to get me on board!
Only knowing it as ‘somewhere to watch the match’, I was pleasantly surprised at the general atmosphere and interior of the pub/​bar. We sat downstairs and managed to bag a table (roughly an hour before kick-​off) at the edge of the room, giving me a good people watching spot and the other half a great view of the many, many large screens.
People started to trickle in at the same time as us and, by half time — when we left to meet up with some friends — it was rammed, including people sitting on the stairs to capture what was supposed to be a Liverpool victory.
Food wise, it’s a simple menu but there’s something for everyone. I had the steak sandwich with fries, and it was nice enough. The steak was cooked as requested, but the fries were a bit greasy, and the ones hidden under the sandwich were lacking any texture at all.
As a place to go and find a compromise on a Sunday, I’m happy to be in Tib Street Tavern.

Tib Street Tavern isn’t aimed at me. It’s aimed at people who like to watch football in groups, in pubs, on ginormous TVs. All of this it performs admirably. I can’t think of many places in the Northern Quarter, or even the city centre, that are as conducive to watching live sport as Tib Street Tavern.
But like I said, it’s not for me. The atmosphere isn’t at all hipster-​y or particularly cool, though it’s certainly pleasant enough. The Millstone this ain’t.
What really gets me about this place is that they’ve not quite figured out craft beer yet. A surprisingly good (if limited) selection of ales is backed up (I use the term loosely) by an excessively wide variety of bog-​standard macrobrew draught lagers — your Amstels and your Peronis. Nothing horrendous, mind, but nothing interesting either. It’s not particularly cheap, either — £3.50 for Amstel isn’t too bad for the NQ, in all fairness, but other macrobrew beers (Peroni, etc) are significantly more expensive.
I suppose I’m being too picky. Beermoth’s next door, though, so you’d think someone in management would have noticed? Never mind. Tib Street Tavern’s usually too busy for anyone to notice me popping next door to buy an awesome chilled beer, sneaking back and drinking the bottle in otherwise pleasant surroundings… so long as there isn’t a match on.
And for allowing me to do exactly the above, Tib Street Tavern, please don’t ever change.

This is again one of those places which I have walked past several times but never ventured inside, till last night. I definitely did not regret my decision as you can see by my very generous 4 stars (some people have complained to me about being too generous with my stars. ahh well I love every business in Manchester you see and like to focus on the positives).
Tib St Tavern is not typical Northern Quarter bar, rather it has a very London bar feel to it – Two floors, wooden flooring, big comfortable booths and rock&roll playing softly in the background. The decoration inside is very artistic and fancy, as in I love love my living room to look like that. They have some incredible mirrors and pictures on the wall, some of which looks very expensive indeed. It is also popular as a sports bar (i was gutted that I did not know that before) because they play all the matches and have big screens and small screens scattered around. I would say it is a very sophisticated sports bar where women would not feel completely out of place (mostly because of the whole atmosphere inside). The drinks are reasonably priced too, I was expecting it to be a bit more expensive after entering the place. The staff were friendly and the manager also engaged in a bit of a banter when I said I am having a coke instead of a beer (Yeah i need some detox). The only downside i felt was that they take their last order at 11 pm, but again it was a weekday (Wednesday) but I hope they are open late on Weekends.
Verdict: Great place to hangout with your friends and watch a match or just chat!

Recently renovated and taken under new management, Tib St. Tavern is quickly growing in popularity, and there’s no question as to why that is. They’ve got this place down to a science! The lighting is not too bright, not too dark; the noise level is high enough that you can hear the football being played, but not so high that you can’t hear your mates; the beer selection is varied so you can get a good pint, but not so varied that you spend 2 hours staring at a menu; the wafting smell of food is enough to entice you without smoking out the place — this is the Goldilocks of sports bars!
This is my new favourite sport pub to go to. They have an array of games on, and can usually be found playing all the Man. Utd. games with a fair amount of support. You can’t wear team jerseys or colours in here though, so keep that in mind. This is a nice pub, and you can tell they don’t want it to get too rowdy.
Projectors and big-​screen TV’s ensure that you’ve got a view of the events, no matter where you may be standing. This pub is two floors with lots of tables and chairs strewn about, but on busy days it’ll be standing room only. The downstairs seems to be a bit more relaxed and has more dining tables, while the upstairs is favoured by the large bar with 3 – 4 bartenders making sure everyone gets their drinks quickly.
They have a changing menu of food, with a single-​page printout of the day’s fares on tables. I have yet to eat here, but I’ve been extremely tempted — the kitchen smells magnificent, and just reading what they have to offer is enough to make me drool!
I wish this was closer to my flat, but its location is very convenient for everyone in the downtown Manchester area — I walk 2 miles to get here, and it’s totally worth it.