Never EVER fails me! Visiting football fans seek this place out above all others and for good reason. I always get a great pint (or six) and good conversation on the all too infrequent occasions I get back to Stockport.Splendidly traditional pub virtually under the famous railway viaduct, serving what is probably the widest range of real ales in Stockport.

There's the usual multi-roomed layout with that warm cosy feel that such pubs have and which modern drinking barns can never hope to replicate.

Most of the beers were from local micros - my pint of Copper Dragon Golden Pippin was a tasty pint.

THe large drinking yard outside is used for music and barbecues and gives a splendid view of the viaduct.

Unfortunately however, the noise of the traffic thundering past on the M60 nearby is very audible.

Note the fine Ward's 150th Anniversary Plate ( 1840 - 1990 ) on an inside wall and the hops decorating the bar area.

If I only had time to do one pub in Stockport, this would be the one I'd make for.Second visit in a week, and astounded by the quality of the beer, & welcoming atmosphere.
Remember the lyrics "everywhere but nowhere baby", looks nothing from outside, especially when passing, but inside, cozy, atmospheric, and several small rooms where the ambience merge plus spacious outside area underneath Stockport 11 million brick railway viaduct.
Memorable beers, 13 of the 16 hand pumps on including Bridge of Allan Caber Tosser, Celtic Gold, Copper Dragon Golden Pippin, York brewery Peaches and cream, and oh my god!...Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild! Even the missus's lager was up to the mark!
Well worth a visit!!

Single bar pub opposite the Peel Shopping Centre and easily walkable from the town centre.

The pub serves beers from the Porter Brewing Co, a microbrewery from nearby Rossendale.

A splendid bank of handpumps in the L-shaped lounge bar offered a range of 8-9 different Porter Brewery beers when I dropped in last week. My pint of Hameldon Bitter - £ 1.60p - was a pleasant darkish beer with a slightly bittery taste.

Seemingly unusual for Stockport pubs, there is a wide range of foreign bottled beer offered as well

There are the inevitable railway-themed pictures and photos to admire while you sup your pint.

Well worth seeking out, especially if you fancy something other than RobinsonsUsed to be a great pub. Spent many hours and pounds there whilst Paul & Bev, Fleming, Alex then Martin ran it under the Porters name. On my last visit was short changed by £10. The rude and unhelpful landlady and staff refused to check the till and denied till was up the next day. Will not be returning! Use the Crown instead!What a brilliant pub. My first visit and it was great to get the full range of the Pennine beers on, and all very enjoyable too. I had only ever had one of the old Porter range before so had a great time. Was told it is now safe for 5 years at least.

Classic pub with a wonderful interior. Serving most of the Robinsons range in tip-top condition.

The food looked great too....I think I'll eat there next time!Very good pub with interesting interior. Very busy on a Saturday afternoon. Good food including many veggie options. Three Robinsons pumps - Hatters, Unicorn & Tom Cat. Had excellent pint of Hatters.
Worth tracking down.Can't really add any more than the last review other than to reiterate it really is a classic pub.

iv have made this pub my local, as i like the atmosphere in here. there is a large amount of largers and also quest ales.
almost every weekend there is a reason to go here, the BBQ's on a weekend are fantastic. Popped in last weekend to watch the final of the tennis, although the pub was packed, still got served quickly and lots of TV's to watch sports on (5 I think)

Paved area out in front for those elusive summer days and beer garden / BBQ area round the back.

Plenty of staff working what is quite a small bar area, 3 cask beers on tap, and plenty of choice of lagers.

All in all a pleasant pub, with speedy service from staff that can remember your drink and decent beer.

Heartily recommended !What a brilliant night at the Orange Tree last Friday. They held an Independence Day Party with a Rodeo Bull, BBQ & DJ. Great fun & a nice friendly atmosphere. Best Night out i've had in ages!! I'll be going again next weekend!!

Decent boozer full of character, typical Sam Smiths pub with very well priced ale, visited several times and always worth a pint, food is decent too.Have you seen the really FAT guy who stands near the fruit machine? He will sell you anything! He carries loads of pills and ciggies. LOL OK, yes it's cheap. Good for students, but watch what you drink. Keep to bottles, because the beer is awful, tastes really stale. Be careful with lots of dirty old men looking at you all night, some dodgy characters in there!!, :)

Hate to disagree but we went in last week when the weather was cracking and we had a great lunch it was busy but the staff looked happy great valueWe went today at 12.30 for lunch for two, easy you may think?? Not here, there was one table of two already occupied, other than that, empty. My husband went to order and was told 30 minute wait before food could be prepared, then wait for it to cook, ie 45min before we could eat, at least!!
We were told that a party of 8 were coming and so no-one else could be served until 30 mins later. Are you seriously telling me a restaurant can only cope with 8 covers at 1230 lunch time?? The other table already had their food so they weren't counted either!! twice this pub has let us down. I do not recommend it, at all. Unfriendly, unhelpful and unable to organise a booze up in a brewery!! The Bridge Inn is one of the best pubs in Sale, it's friendly atmosphere and staff are always welcoming. It offers a good selection of drinks and the new menu is filled with tasty goodies you just can't refuse!

Hi Boddies_drinker.
Take your point, anyone can have a bad day, so called back again for a second look 1 month on. Olde worlde pub with a lot of character. Beer improved but still reasonable rather than exceptional. Agree its a valiant attempt to promote real Ale, and in yuppeeland that must be hard. However think they should concentrate on 3 or 4 real ales and do them well rather that 11 that are so variable. That being said on second visit Bank Top Port o' Call was nectar, Bank Top Volunteer good, 2 George Wright's ok to good, Theakstons best bitter just ok. All served in a combination of Guinness, Magners, John Smith Smooth glasses. I don't look for branded glasses, but the magners shape doesnt suit real ale! The scottish lady (landlady?) behind the bar was charming and the pub was a lot brighter than the last visit.Bit unfair AIRobis, the problem with the Tavern is it also tries to cater for the non-CAMRA members who like a glass of beer but are also looking for something different from a pub e.g. live music or something along those lines.

The other problem with branded glasses is that they tend to walk and I guess to get a fair picture you would have to have commented on the 7 beers that you didn't try.(The Orange Tree across the way can have 2-3 crackers one night and on the next visit you'd be better off asking for vinegar).

There aren't enough CAMRA types to make a pub solely viable on that basis given the competition in Altrincham.

If it's fancy glasses and posh beers that you're after then try Morte Surbite although make sure you've popped in to see your local bank manager before you pay a visit.Sorry not impressed, advertised 12 real ales, 11 were available, tried 5, Jennings Cockerhoop poor, London Pride Ok, Bank Top Volunteer fine, Marstons Burton Bitter ok but Everards Beacon wouldnt wash my underwear in! Grubby place!
Real ale served in Magners glass. Sorry Trafford CAMRA if this the best you can find I pity you!

No what we expected.Rather pricey and like previous comments, quite a few beers out of stock. We felt obliged to stay once the fuss had been made to find us a table and we sampled the complimentary hoola hoops while choosing.
Not somewhere I'd go very often and not for the whole night,as much as I couldn't afford it as anything else.
Was half expecting Vincent Price to pop outDisappointing, they advertise that they sell 250 beers. However, i have been in there several times now, and it is sad to report that their claim seems to be an advertising gimmick just to entice you downstairs. The reality and choice available are somewhat different. Quite nice new bar, owned by Wayne who used to run Le Trappiste, he still like to sample the beers though, he was in there drunk again the other week. We left as it's slightly embarrassing when he tries to talk to you in that silly accent that he adopts.

A good selection of beers though if you like sitting in a dungeon.

AWFUL!

Lunch menu very boring & extremely limiting. The food on offer was no more than you might expect in any cafe, no where near "gastro pub" style. Decor is old-fashioned beyond words, which made the whole place feel quite uncomfortable.

I ordered a chicken club on brown. Oh dear. Wrong bread, burnt, & absolutely smothered in foul, greasy, overpowering cheese. There was little chicken & what there was seemed very poor quality. The tiny salad garnish didn't make up for the high price. No-one else in my party was pleased with their food either.

I sent it back & didn't pay. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!Probably one of the worst pub lunches I've EVER had! A very old fashioned menu with a limited choice of basic pub grub and sandwiches. The Chicken Caesar salad came with baby gem lettuce, bacon, red peppers, olives, celery and onion but no traditional cos lettuce, very little chicken, no Caesar dressing or parmesan! A total waste of money. Won’t be returning in a hurry.Absolutely fabulous! Arranged a birthday party at The Plough at the weekend and was delighted by the attention to detail - balloons, banners, free bubbly!! The food was up to the same standard. Great place to celebrate anything.

Great beer, great atmosphere, friendly staff and superb clientelle.

I just wish I lived within walking distance!Great beer selection and well served. Good restaurant too. This little pub is laden with beer memorabilia. All real ale lovers should go.Imaginative menu and a superb selection of specials. Excellent range of continental bottled beers (what about some Heller Sclenkerla Rauchbier?)and at least five real ales in good condition. Very friendly staff. Small gripe - a bit chilly.

Very disappointed in June to find this pub "closed for refurbishment" and it didn't look as though it was due to reopen anytime soon.Well worth a visit if only for the Weetwood beer which was in excellent condition. Very much a dog lovers pub.This pub is the real thing, not a plastic imitation. There's a variety of real ales / cider in tip-top condition. Proper food is available and it's good. The ambience? - well, it's like stepping back into an sixteenth century tavern (I'm not really that old, just using my imagination). Bare boards, candles, dogs wandering about or lolling in front of the log fire, drinkers playing cards or chess, reading the paper or even having a conversation - the only music you hear is when a bunch of players starts a jam session (folk or jazz). No juke-box, no piped muzak, no slot machines, no big screens. When the Sealed Knot come to re-enact the Battle of Nantwich (last Sat in January) they look perfectly at home here!

Very unique pub. Tiny bar stocking what seems like hundreds of beers. Diverse and friendly crowd of beer-lovers. Definitely one of the best real pubs..Well when I was there (April 08 on a Tuesday night) it was full of CAMRA types and bikers who were even older than me. I am talking ancient. But nice. And the beer is simply sensational, and there is no music, no fruit machine and no TV.
Best pub I know of currently in England and I know a few.Visited this pub recently, and I cannot understand the comment about a "frosty reception". I haven't seen under forty for a few years now, and as I have only ever been there once I am not what you could call a regular, but I was met with a smile and quick word, my questions about what was on and what the beer was like were met with genuine answers, even though they had said this a couple of thousand times before. All in all, a lovely little pub, great beer selection (something for everyone) and a walm welcome. Sorry, but that ticks all my boxes.

Visited Saturday 3rd May and the place was a disgrace. Uneaten plates of food and dirty glasses left on tables. These were missed/ignored on at least two attempts by the bar staff to tidy up. Got that old invisible feeling at the feeling at the bar. Stood there for a good 10 minutes trying to get served. This was early evening, so it was not even busy. The bar staff not making eye contact no matter how hard you try, while talking endlessly to regulars. This should, and with a little effort could, be the best pub for miles. To top it all when the man next to me finally got served his 8/10th of pint of Landlord he asked for it to be topped up and they did so, with Millstone Pig & Whistle. He won't have the cheek to ask again!
Bone idle bar staff with a bad attitude who spend more time in the car park smoking than behind the bar. You can see exactly where they smoke, it is littered with fag ends.Only ever managed to get here in the daytime, so can't substantiate the concerns about how dirty things get in the evenings. A fine old pub, with lots of character and regulars drawn from all walks of life. This gives the place an air of accepting all-comers, which is rare in such places. The beer is undeniably excellent, with lots of brews from smaller local breweries which makes every visit something of an education. The food is also good and very keenly priced, and the staff are always ready with a smile and a joke - even at their busiest, and this place can get very busy indeed when customers arrive by the trainload!while since bean here. But sadly still the same: Fab ale, but very dirty pub, no reason for it because there's enough staff to clean the dripping beer from the tops,(no ash trays to empty.....well they never did empty them here anyway!)
They are doing some re-works around the station area at present making access less easy but not really a problem, I think they are going to re-name it 'The Stalybridge Station Scruffy Bar'... so I've heard, officially this time but we'll have to see.

Further to my last posting, the food is good and the service excellent. The White Lion now has a great selection of real ales and on our visit all those sampled were well kept. The menu looked interesting and reasonably priced but unfortunately we visited on a Monday night when the kitchen was closed (it's open Tue to Sun). The place has had a recent refurb and has a comfortable, airy feel. There's a large window at the rear of the pub with good views over the hills behind. Background music was kept low and the place had a nice, relaxed atmosphere. The staff were very friendly and when I commented that I'd just heard one of my favourite tunes played the person at the bar (Landlord?) gave me the CD! Will certainly be returning to sample more beers and the food. First visit today since refurb and it is very nice, 8 cask ales and good fresh reasonably priced food

as someone else wrote before......... This is a VERY fine pub with good ale and excellent food in generous portions. It gives an impression of doing things very much on its own terms. If you don't like that approach, don't go. e.g. today my wife wanted soup at lunchtime, barman said "If it's not on the menu, we dont serve it"I saw this pub while walking along the city wall and it looked most inviting and I wasn't disappointed. There are two bars - the one I was in was festooned with first world war memorabelia. I dont remember too much about the drinks available, but the bar got pleasantly busy as workers leftr their offices after their days work. No music, no games, just a nice place to relax and chat and drink. Well worth a visit.I visited with friends while staying in Chester for Easter and enjoyed wandering round this interesting pub while drinking the excellent real ale. Yes - there were a lot of rules on an outside board as to who was welcome, and the pub did close shortly after we left, but it is one to visit while in the area.