April 9, 2012
A relaxed, laid back bar with five hand pumps and a reasonable selection of bottles. The Bar Fringe doesn’t look too appealing from the outside, perhaps because it’s on the wrong side of the busy inner ring road, but inside it’s quite nice – relaxed, comfortable, cosy even. The decor’s interesting – there’s a comfy looking armchair and tables in a raised area by the window and high tables wrapped around narrow columns opposite the bar. I was warned before I went in that I’d see rats, and so I did. Fortunately, they were of the plastic variety. One was suspended in a cage at one end of the bar, staring out a witch hanging at the other end. This was also a model, not a real live witch of course. There’s also a cuckoo clock, lots of Belgian bottles and a few posters and metal plates sprinkled around. We sat in a small alcove at the back where there are three gargoyle-like masks on the wall and clay pipes on the ceiling. Outside at the back there’s a cobbled alleyway where the barrels are stacked. I didn’t think the barman was over-friendly but I saw him later at the Winter Ales Festival and he looked much happier having been released from work. (Visited 18 January 2012).

January 22, 2012
This is a great pub with a massive green man greeting you as you enter. The decor and staff are quirky and fun. A decent choice of cask ale and some Belgian bottles. Well worth stopping in for a laugh.

July 18, 2011
Quite unnoticeable from the outside. 5 casks, 12 taps (couple of Lages, rest German and Belgian). Big Biergarten. Not that crowded on Friday night. Nice place.

June 5, 2011
great place...great surroundings...great cider...wish they would have the jukebox a little louder as i can hardly hear the thing now

January 2, 2011
The bar was quiet the night of our visit but regardless the quirky character of this pub was enticing. Really fun place with a few scoops by way of hand pumps and there’s also a limited bottle selection. Colourful staff and locals and a sweet jukebox. A must visit on a Manchester crawl.

February 27, 2010
Great selection of beers on tap and bottled. A nice looking place: good decor and well laid out with a beer garden. The real draw though (probably) is the rudest barstaff I have ever encountered - which accounts for the "robust welcome" which is mentioned in one guide I read. The charming barmaid I met suggested that I was poorly endowed, lacked technique and should eff off home at the earliest opportunity. She also, rightly, corrected me when I claimed that an abbey beer was a trappist. Worth visiting.

October 9, 2009
Nice, friendly and quite lively bar on the northern Manchester pub crawl. A single room, not very big, with an outdoor drinking area at the back. Five real ales (mine was a tad too warm) from local micros and a good selection of Belgian beers on tap and in bottles. Friendly and efficient staff. Can get crowded on weekends, with a slightly younger audience than the other places in the area. Jukebox with a decent selection of rock music. Nice and friendly place, worth a visit.

August 21, 2009
[RBESG 2009].Crowded place with loud music. Nice bottle selection and a few average casks (at least when we went). Gutted i missed the Jacob incident :D

July 30, 2009
Didn’t like the place. Too noisy, too full and mediocre cask ales. But the bottle portfolio seemed decent enough and it should be worth a re-visit at quieter times.

July 30, 2009
This was really different to all we’ve tried on the RBESG trip. Seriously just the most ’fun’ place we went to. The beers were sub-par, the cider was a rather regular Thatchers and it was quite loud and filled with people. Yet, somehow, it was a great experience. Really friendly staff (who slapped Jacob, which is alway good), the music was lively and okay. This would be a great last stop before going to a night club. Good Belgian selection.