Varsity

Varsity is the place where you see people queueing up till the end of the footpath on match days! It attracts mainly student crowd since its near university and it sits right beneath Wilmslow Park halls of residence.

Reasons why it is my usual haunt:

- The ambience is not the usual pub look but more modern and spaciously laid out with large tables for big groups as well as small cosy ones for one on ones.
- The bar is great with good offers
- The food is delicious! Perfect for lunch or dinner. Very cheap for the place and the way it is served or made and definitely very filling! It's basically quite a steal.
- There are huge LCD's all around and covers all of the bar which is amazing on footy match days.
- Great bar with good nights attracting a lot of new student crowd, hence a good place to meet people!

They also have loyalty cards like the 'V-card' which is helpful all around the year, especially if you're going to be a student for the next year or two. All in all, good music and atmosphere, a definite chill out place with your mates!

Being directly underneath the posh Wilmslow Park halls of residence Varsity attracts a mainly studenty crowd which is diluted by hospital staff and visitors from MRI over the road and local football fans if you head there on a match day (only recommended if you don't suffer from claustrophobia).

If you're going to come here more than once it's worth buying a V-card, which is basically the same thing as the Yellow Card that you buy at Scream pubs, but also gives you access to offers at high street stores such as Office and Waterstone's (I wish I hadn't have given them my email address when I signed up though!).

The drinks are cheap and the food is surprisingly good for the price you pay. They also offer free wi-fi. The Thursday quiz nights are quite well-attended as are the Monday poker nights, but every other night of the week the lack of punters reflects the fact that Wetherspoons has opened up a few doors down which has a better atmosphere and cheaper drinks.

This Varsity is one of two in Manchester which is located at the opposite end of Oxford Road, where Oxford Rd meets Wilmslow Rd and is probably the best location for a bar in Europe. The tempting food in Rusholme's curry mile is just a stone's throw away, similarly the University is just down the road and above are hundreds of student flats and residential flats.


It's quite a nice place especially on match days when the atmosphere is electric expect to pay for a non refundable drinks voucher on entry to watch a live match. The service is swift and there's a good choice of pub grub available on the menu ideal for the lazy student who can't be bothered to buy noodles or baked beans from Tesco and lidi supermarkets door stairs.

What used to be the Pear Tree, something which always reminded me of my grandmother (there was a pub round the corner of her flat with this name) is now Varsity, and it's a different beast than it used to be. Where there were once local mischievous types that caused all sorts of ruckus, now has rather a pleasant atmosphere.

It's cheap, hence the attraction of louts. But with friendly yet firm door staff and a change of music it seems the scally contingent has left, replaced with a discerning suburban crowd. You won't find real ale or anything particularly staggering or unique, but it's a nice enough spot for a generic drink. Safe to try, methinks.

All i have to say about Varsity is that the food is bad and the service is even worse. I've never been to an establishment where the staff is so beyond rude.

The drinks are alright, but more expensive than Ford Madox Brown and the Oxford.

Positive: they do show football and rugby games. The seating is comfortable. The atmosphere is pleasant.

Negative: Food is ehh. Drinks are slightly expensive. Staff is almost unbearable.

Varsity is okay, its like Wetherspoons but more okay and less bad.

The standard mundane décor and layout can be a bit irritating, but ultimately the place is fine. Its not as cheap as Wetherspoons but its much nicer in the drinks department so its probably worth the 30 pence upgrade or whatever it is.

They show the football as well which of course Wetherspoons do not do. This makes a big difference, particularly to those interested in watching the football.

The food is much better than Wetherspoons, and not much more expensive. The most incredible thing I have ever had from there was a burger called 'The Dirty Burger', which featured beef, bacon, onion rings, cheese, a dollop of beef chilli (actually in the burger), jalepeno and salad. Absolute joke. I didn't eat properly for about 3 days after.

Drinks are often on deals so keep an eye out for those, as well as the potential purchase of a Varsity Card, which will probably make you some significant savings in the long run.

The perfect 3 star venue. No complaints, but no particular stand out points either. But I'm giving it four stars because I feel like it. And I set my own rules. So there.

Varsity is a sleek pub on the corner next to the children's hospital. With two big screens it plays all the major fixtures for you sports fans. Drinks are the usual array of ciders, ales, bitters, shots etc all at the reasonable price mark. Varsity does some nice big breakfasts for those, I can't be bothered to cook/ I don't own any food mornings when you're hung over for £3 which really are the holy grail for when your half dead. Sadly on the outside this corner often smells of piss. Staff though are friendly, wi fi is free and Monday nights are poker evenings of some sort.

Varsity is a great place to eat and socialise in the Rusholme/Whitworth Park area of Manchester. The food is cheap. The food is good. And there is not much more you can ask for from a bar/pub.

I often end up in Varsity after a late night in the library at Uni, as my ravenous friends and I will crawl along Oxford Road until we find somewhere that will agree to serve us some kind of munch.

The staff here are wonderfully friendly, and will often stop for a chat when delivering you food or taking an order. The friendliness and approachability of the staff is one of the reasons I am fond of Varsity, as it really makes the experience of eating there much more memorable.

The food is simple, and plentiful in portion sizes, which hungry students are hardly going to complain about. It ranges from Thai curries through to Nachos and Southern Fried Chicken, so there is a great range for you to choose from. The venue is very spacious and comfortable, which makes for a relaxing, pleasant place to sit, eat and socialise. I would not really classify Varsity as a drinking pub - more of a bar with food, as the menu is very prominent. Highly recommended for those on a budget!

Arrived at varsity with it packed with Man City fans and Irish hats everywhere. Probably my own fault since it St Patricks day and Europa league quarter finals.

Food is what you would expect from a typical pub chain, so it's a Guinness for me and a Mangers for the Mrs.
Little tip do not sit near the door as its cold when people open it or go outside for a cig.

I ended up having the mushroom and chicken pasta, and what a mistake that was. Seriously though it looked like it was from a packet from Asda, within 2 minutes it was cold and the sauce was sickly.
At this point in a meal I would usually send it back, but as it was packed I really couldn't be bothered waiting.

After the meal we made a swift exit, and will probably only go again when it is a bit quieter. Don't let this put you off however, it's just me having a rant because it was too busy and the food on this occasion was bad, but I'm sure it a lot better earlier on about 5ish.

This pub is centrally located right next to the University of manchester and normally has a good number of students hanging out there. It is just before the start of the curry mile on wilmslow road.


Their drinks are cheap and they also show a premiership football games on various screens. Now that smoking has been banned, this place is a lot better than it used to be before. It is also a nice place to have a pub lunch. They also have wi-fi internet for those who would like to access the internet while dining. However, because this place is a bar located below a residential area, it tends to close very early. Other than that, its a very nice place that comes highly recommended.