The Rivals, Manchester

A pleasant bar in the Royal Exchange building. It's a proper pub as it opens every day except Sunday, not just when there's a concert on. Dark wood panelling around the bar area. The other panelling is made from old reclaimed doors which is a nice touch. The guy who runs it used to be at Parlour in Chorlton. The bar itself is owned by the same people who have The Castle on Oldham Street. There's a variety of seating options including high tables and stools and plenty of dining tables, many of which overlook St Anns Square. 3 beers available on my visit Robbies Dizzy Blonde, Titanic Plum Porter and a rebadge RedWillow beer. The Dizzy was decent enough.

This one is by far the better of the two bars in the Royal Exchange Building.This one is set in a room of it's own although there is also seating in the main area. There were 5 handpulls on the go on my Tuesday afternoon visit with the Titanic Plum Porter getting the nod.