Manchester

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Mr Thomas's Chop House

More Photos
MichaelJM
MichaelJM
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
6
Photos
Editor Pick

Thomas's Chop House

  • September 26, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
Thomas's Chop House

I’d spotted Mr Thomas’s on one of my walks around town and it looked real interesting. It is a tall long thin Victorian building that has been operating as a pub-cum-diner since 1870 and with an almost unmodernised interior it had to be a place to try. It was originally a Georgian town house until Mr Thomas Studd got his hands on the place and after a few years in the original building he commissioned an extension in 1901.

It is truly a marvellous “museum” to Victorian Chop Houses and despite reading several negative write-ups, suggesting that this was an unfriendly place with exceptionally slow service, I was chuffed to be welcomed with a real friendly smile and speedy service.

I have to say that it’s not the cheapest of places to drink in but the food was competitively priced. I’d opted for a pint of Black Sheep, a gorgeous pint when well-kept but at £3 a pint it was a little bit overpriced.

At £10.95 I opted for the “most excellent seasonal gammon” (all the dishes are given ‘olde worlde' titles) with fried egg, “proper fresh pineapple” (I’m not sure what an ‘improper’ one would be like), roasted vine cherry tomatoes, field mushrooms, and chunky chophouse chips. It was a delight to see and a bigger delight to eat, and you can be assured that I left not a single morsel on my plate.

Whilst pondering whether my digestive system could manage a pudding, I checked out the rest of the building. All of the 30 landlords of the pub are listed on a gilt engraved board at the back of the pub. From 1867 until 1901 the pub was run by Thomas Studd and, following his death, his widow and then his daughter took over. Maintaining this list is a great idea (long may it continue) and photographs of the old landlords and the Victorian customers are hung around the pub, giving it a superb historic feel.

I was sat opposite a massive "gated" wine rack and was a good position to appreciate the principle features of the pub - its arches and beautifully tiled walls shining their green lustre throughout the building. Interestingly, when it was rebuilt it made use of a cast iron frame (one of the first in Manchester) and the outside of this building, with its decorative hand crafted terracotta blocks and fine local brick from Accrington thoroughly deserves its Grade II listed status.

I did decide to try a pudding and opted for the fruit cheesecake - it was a good sized portion and probably one of the best "pub" cheesecakes that I've tasted in a long while.

So Mr Thomas's is a great all round experience combining fine dining with a taste of history and a "free museum" thrown in.

The observer's food critic reported that Mr Thomas's has been serving 'big-fisted, paunchy' British food for 140 years. And in that time they've perfected the art of hearty cooking"

Try it yourself!

From journal More of Manchester

Compare Manchester Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Helpful Manchester Links

Manchester Travel Deals