Latest reviews from Littleborough

“If you want a beer with a view ..then this is the place for you...two real ales on..and 1 craft beer...“

Wirralbeerveg 1509 days ago

“Very good food big portionsfor tapas so dont over order, three beers on from the brewery next door and there own bottles available for takeaway terrace outside“

redders1974 2906 days ago

“Very traditional pub on the road out of littleborough roasting selection of safish ales the red lion bitter was great value at 1.70 and the bar food consists is pot noodles great place.“

redders1974 3141 days ago

“Best bottle shop in The Rochdale area decent selection of ales mainstream and not so mainstream usually a discount on six bottles and tasting nights advertised outside + the odd hidden gem just picked up a black ball imperial porter amongst others.“

redders1974 3235 days ago

“The Queens Hotel is on the main road, just round the corner from the Royal Oak and the Wheatsheaf. It always looks very busy in the evenings but it was rather quiet when we visited late on a Thursday afternoon. It has a flagstone floor in the main bar, with a carpeted snug area to one side and a pool table at the back. The beers are all Thwaites and they were in excellent condition on our last visit. (Last visited 14 May 2015).“

Boudicca 3253 days ago

“The Wheatsheaf is the nice old round building on Littleborough Square. Its exterior is better than the interior, which is open plan and a bit down at heel. There are two hand pumps, both of which were off when we last popped in. (Last visited 14 May 2015).“

Boudicca 3253 days ago

“Popped in for a swift one on a Sunday afternoon mid bike ridequite quiert and welcoming nice views and location usual beets and a couple of interesting guest ales blacksdheep velo and prestige ubo which was a very decent pint food served but didn’t eat.“

redders1974 3265 days ago

“Visited in August 2013, but also several times before and since. A homely traditonal pub with a reasonable selection of 4 or 5 handpumps and a better than average (but hardly earth-shattering) range of continental keg beers. The Phoenix house beer may well be a rebadge but they weren’t letting on. Locals were friendly & chatty and there was quite a buzz on a Saturday night. Definitely the best option if you find yourself in Littleborough town, as I quite often do as we have family in the area. Didn’t notice the grumpy landlord but I don’t think he was there on this occasion - the lady who served us was certainly welcoming enough. At least one of the beers was £1.90 a pint so no complaints on the value for money front.“

chriso 3283 days ago

“The Rake is a traditional stone building nestled into the side of the hill by Blackstone Edge Old Road. It’s been a pub for several hundred years and, as my grandparents lived close by, I was brought up on tales of the laughing cavalier ghost who’s supposed to haunt it. I can see him clearly now in my mind’s eye - not that I’ve ever seen a ghost of course, but as a child I had a vivid imagination. Anyway, the Rake has now been turned into a tapas restaurant. The food is really excellent - high quality and tasty - and they also have a brewery on site so they usually have three of their own beers available on cask as well as one or two Spanish beers and a cider. (Visited 27 December 2012).“

Boudicca 3296 days ago

“The lesser of the two Thwaites pubs in the Littleborough area, but this one is much more central than the other so may be your only option if you want to sample a couple of the brewers brews - there should be a few options here but nothing too exciting if you’re already familiar with these ales. Perhaps the best reason to come here if your in Littleborough is for the live football that’s shown on the big screen as you can enjoy some cask and sport at the same time.“

ManVsBeer 3343 days ago

“The Wine Press used to be a traditional pub (the Fisherman’s Inn, aka "the Fish" - in fact I worked there for several years many moons ago when I was a student) but it was converted into a trendy restaurant some years back and beer was eschewed in favour of wine, the clue being in the name. The last time I was there only standard lager was on offer but it’s good to know that that things must be looking up if, as wimpyjoe says, they now have three cask ales. (Last visited 15 April 2012).“

Boudicca 3668 days ago

“This shop has been around (albeit under different names) for almost as long as I can remember and it has always had a very good reputation for its selection of single malt whiskies. It still has those, alongside other spirits and wines (nicely displayed at the back of the shop) and a few basic "corner store" type provisions (at the front). I was very pleased to find that it now also stocks a rather good range of beer - some local and some from further afield. The service was friendly and the prices for the beer were reasonable, although the whisky, wine and foodstuffs generally don’t come cheap. (Last visited 25 January 2014).“

Boudicca 3743 days ago

“Has a huge collection of UK and American bottled ales as well as plenty from Belgium all laid out on a central table in one part of the store - far too many to remember to be able to list them all. This is certainly the best place around to buy bottled beers and lagers for some distance. Most of them are also in fridges if you fancy sampling them straight away. Tiny Rebel has several ales and BrewDog also has nearly a dozen bottles represented including the very expensive Abstrakt series. Brewfist have several ales here too.“

ManVsBeer 3764 days ago

“At the northern end of Littleborough and about as high as the road gets before it succumbs to the rolling hills that act as the border between Lancashire and Yorkshire, this pub in its own building is a very comfortable affair with plenty of appealing soft furnishings either side of a central doorway. The decor is the same throughout and although it’s open plan you can sit either in the left-side area with the bar, or the larger right-side area - both have stove burners that give off good heat. The bar has four real ale pumps that stock both local and from afar ales. There was a brew from Cornwall here on my visit. Food is served here.“

ManVsBeer 3778 days ago

“This old low-ceiling building has a central, cosy, but small bar area with a choice of three of the breweries ales on pumps. It’s flanked by the tapas restaurant seating on both sides and it has very good food here. The historic building setting also gives this place plenty of atmosphere. They have and sell their own bottled ales here too.“

ManVsBeer 3792 days ago

“Close to the railway arches that cross the main road at the junction at the eastern edge of Littleborough, this is a gem in the area and rightly popular. It’s in its own light brick building and consists of four rooms on the ground floor, three of which are serviced by separate serving hatches from the bar in the middle of the pub - each bar carries different sets of ales and lagers so be sure to check them all. There’s a very good choice too although the house ale Red Lion Bitter is actually an existing brew from the Phoenix Brewery in nearby Heywood. The front two rooms are very cosy with plenty of soft furnishings, warm lighting and brick a brac that combine to make it a very relaxing place to be. The rear two rooms are more oriented to gaming with the pool table occupying the third bar area room but also with a nice finish to the decor, and a smaller darts room that includes a television for the live sport shown here and some older mid to late 20th century compact rectangular tables that are good for cards or dominoes. This room has blue painted walls so it’s very different to the rest but it’s got an appealing enough atmosphere of its own. Dogs are allowed. After cycling here in the summer of 2014 I got chatting to a couple of locals outside who said the landlord is a miserable so-and-so, but can afford to be as his pub is so popular in its area. As he completely blanked me whilst I was trying to order I have no reason to doubt them!“

ManVsBeer 3801 days ago

“The closest pub to the railway station, this pub is in a building that is a half circle in shape with larger light coloured stone bricks giving it an older appeal from the outside. It’s been thoroughly modernised inside though with carpets and faux leather bench chairs and cube stools. There’s no shortage of space in this one room open plan but there’s also plenty of pillars getting in the way of all views meaning its slightly more intimate and easier to find your own space than usual. It’s also a sports pub and there’s an array of black and white still photographs from many different events from different eras to enjoy as well as the live stuff shown on the big screens. Failing that there is a pool table in one corner if you want to indulge in a game rather than watch one. There are two ale pumps at the bar but if what’s on doesn’t interest you be sure to look in the final fridge on the right where a very surprisingly good bottle selection exists.“

ManVsBeer 3801 days ago

“Rather a snooty place despite being rather remote but close to the Pennine Way. There is the walkers room, but when this is full you feel rather out of place, particularly when covered in the particularly sticky mud that Blackstone Edge is notorious for. Also doesn’t allow dogs, so Jasper had to stay outside in the rain. Not very friendly.“

imdownthepub 3892 days ago

“A white coaching inn overlooking the Hollingworth Lake above Littleborough. This is the better option of two pubs on the shore, although both have the feel of being a chain - this one has a nicer building even if it is less popular. The ground floor area is all open plan and large with the bar in the central area. Food is high on the agenda for visitors of this place and the set-up suggests this, although on a hot day it’s a fine setting to sit on the picnic tables outside and enjoy both a drink and the views across the water. Lager has the most options but there are three real ale pumps too. It will never have the best real ale selection in Littleborough, but it does have the best setting of all the pubs in the area and it’s a real joy to sit out on the shores of the Lake with a pint in the summer.“

ManVsBeer 3893 days ago

“It’s not quite at the highest part of the road before Greater Manchester turns into West Yorkshire on the road to Todmorden, but it’s close and in the shadow of some of the big hills that surround this pub. Its location on the Rochdale Canal means it is a possible stop for those who’ve had a weary day escaping from Manchester through numerous locks, or for those that want one last rural setting to sleep in before heading into the very urban waterways of Greater Manchester. It’s not quite a country pub but it’s more than comfortable enough with fireplaces in either side of this purpose self-standing pub with a wood dominance in furniture and soft furnishings.. The central door leads into a large open plan room with the bar facing you as you enter. The pub serves food and is a comfortable enough spot to enjoy a meal or just to enjoy a few drinks. There is a large enough car park and there are some picnic tables at the front of the building which faces the main road. As a Thwaites pub it serves Thwaites ales and one its lagers as well as popular brands of the latter style.“

ManVsBeer 3893 days ago

“Up on top of the hill over Littleborough (follow directions for Halifax), and just before the border with Yorkshire, this pub occupies a very lonely spot in the Pennines. Despite that there’s no shortage of people heading here for the meals served twice a day (shut in between except on Sundays), and a popular spot for larger touring parties or those on day trips. The views from its car park over Greater Manchester are fantastic any time of the year and it’s a good place to go walking in the wilds. There’s four ale pumps for those who just want to drink and there’s several areas to sit in all very comfortable in their own way, some with older brick-a-brac, others slightly more modern in their look. There are a few picnic tables outside.“

ManVsBeer 3945 days ago

“Just out of Littleborough’s centre a little way up the hill on the road to Halifax as the houses end. The bar area where you enter is quite small but nice enough and you can eat here if you want to although you’ll need to order at the restaurant area. This is beyond the bar and is extensive given it almost certainly makes it money from the food rather than drink. Drinking options are decent though and there’s a beer garden if you want to enjoy the country air. There’s a choice on three ale pumps and a Banks ale on keg alongside some ordinary lagers and they’re fairly expensive.“

ManVsBeer 3945 days ago

“An old coaching inn high on the moors above Littleborough, with good food and three guest taps as well as the regular Theakston bitter. The White House is nestled at the top of Blackstone Edge, 1,300 feet above sea level. It commands a fantastic view over the whole Manchester conurbation down below (magical at night) whilst its backdrop is bleak moorland, with the Pennine Way passing close by. There’s a small snug where you can just enjoy a drink – one man reputedly gets the bus up from Littleborough every evening for that very purpose – but the main attraction is the food, which is superb and excellent value for money. The guest beers usually offer something new and there’s a good atmosphere. (Last visited 20 October 2011).“

Boudicca 4510 days ago

“The Red Lion is probably the best pub in Littleborough. It has several regular draft ales including Holts bitter, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Sam Smiths bitter, Hartleys XB and its own Red Lion (possibly a re-badge and served from a strange contraption) as well as a couple of guests. When we were there in early June 2011 they were Phoenix Black Bee Honey Porter and Little Valley Queen Bee. More recently, in August 2013 they had Phoenix Black Shadow, Thwaites 13 Guns, Robinson’s Trooper and JW Lees Streaker. It also had several foreign beers on tap and in bottle – for example, Erdinger, Hoegaarden, Leifmans frambozen and Timmermans. If you approach from the centre of town, going under the railway arch towards Blackstone Edge, the first thing you see is the pub’s gable end and an old Wilson’s insignia. From the front, it’s a double fronted stone building with a small patio outside. The front door leads onto an arcade, like a drinking corridor, with the bar squeezed in half way along on the right. The main lounge is on the left and has banquettes and stools. On the far wall, which is stone, there’s a fireplace with windows on both sides. There are plates on racks around the wall and several porcelain carthorses. It was rather busy at 2100 on a Saturday evening and had a real buzz. We found seats in the snug, which also has a fireplace and lots of bric-a-brac – more carthorses, gypsy lamps, a few old photos and a pen and ink sketch of a working boat on the canal nearby. There’s a window through to the bar and a piano in here too alongside comfy armchairs and a bowl of water for a guide dog who seemed to know his (or her) way around. The two rooms to either side of the corridor at the back are given over to darts and pool The darts room, which also has a big television screen, was decorated in cool aquamarine that gave the impression of being underwater. Perhaps the pool room should have been this colour too! Service was very friendly and efficient although the person that served us wasn’t very knowledgeable about the beer. Overall, the pub has a cosy, lived in feel and I like it a lot. (Last visited 3 August 2013). “

Boudicca 4666 days ago