Kro Piccadilly, Manchester A Pint Of Ale Pub Review
A ‘trendy’ bar in Manchester, Kro Piccadilly serves a wonderful range of cask ales in an open and relaxed atmosphere.
I spent a few days in Manchester with work last week, locked in a tiny underground room in what was once the vault of the Bank of England. When we emerged into the open, we ducked into a nearby bar for a spot of lunch and a drink. Kro Piccadilly caught our eyes and I was pleasantly surprised.
The bar, one of a chain of five Danish bars in Manchester, occupies the ground floor of an anonymous looking modern office building; red brick and glass abound. Approaching past the seasonal outdoor ice-skating rink, my hopes were not good for any real ale showing. How wrong I was! There were five hand pumps, serving Theakston XB, Caledonian Deuchars, Fuller’s London Pride and Tim Taylor’s Landlord (one pump was off). Other taps line the bar. We counted about ten different lagers, weissbiers, cherry beers and many other bottles in the bar fridges.
The Deuchars was served at our table and it was in fine form, the fruity taste was in full evidence. While we waited for our food, we took in the rest of the bar. It’s a very open space with white tiles on the floor and concrete columns stretch up to the very high ceiling. The bar is long and is lit from behind in bright orange neon - not as awful as it may sound! A huge Christmas tree occupied one corner and tasteful baubles hung along the top of the high plate glass windows. The bar was busy and there was a pleasant buzz about the place. It was populated mainly by city types taking lunch or having a break from a heavy Christmas shopping experience.
We sat on one of the sofas and awaited our lunchtime food which we chose from a menu with an ever so slight Danish twist to it. We waited a long time, but when it was delivered, my coronation chicken wrap was truly amazing, and the “handful” of chips was made up of the perfect number of the crispiest, fluffiest chips known to man. The only downside was that the wrap could have had a bit more filling in it.
According to the Kro website, a Kro is a Danish village pub and they are trying to reproduce the welcoming Kro experience in the heart of Manchester. From what we’ve seen, they are succeeding and they serve a fantastic pint of Deuchers! A perfect place for a sneaky lunchtime pint.
