mofgimmers's Qype reviews
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60-62 Bradshawgate, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 1DP
mofgimmers
wrote on 29 June 2010
Barracuda Bar is a very basic chain pub with uninspiring beer choices and standard-issue grub.
Now, while that isn't exactly awe-inspiring, it isn't exactly a gripe either. Essentially, this is a place that feels very familiar and you'll slot right in should you find yourself inside.
The beer is cheap and there's offers on the food at lunchtime.
The bar itself is located in the pleasing Nelson Square and is easy to get to from the town centre or, if you're from out of town, around 5 minutes away from the train station.
So.
Yeah.
It's a pub. Any old pub.
Not bad in any way. Not great either.
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37-41 Churchgate, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 1HU
mofgimmers
wrote on 29 June 2010
For the most part, the chain of Varsity bars are monumentally uninspiring. However, the one in Bolton feels a little different (maybe it is something to do with a lack of choice when you're faced with fussy drinkers?).
Basically, this particular one is a big, big pub. There's a balcony to sit at (which can be a bit tricky to climb to if you've had a few) and a decent sized beer garden out back. Be warned though, the toilets are upstairs and the stairs are steep. You'll have a stitch after your fourth pit-stop.
There's all the usual pints being pulled... however, they've got a decent line in real ales. My last visit saw them offering Black Sheep on the cheap with every fourth pint free. Excellent!
The beer gets even cheaper if you sign up for a V-Card which, if memory serves, costs you a quid.
They also serve half-decent food. Basically that means the standard pies, salads and chillis and the like. To be fair to Varsity, it's perfectly fine.
It isn't bursting with character, but this is far from a chore to visit.
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Le Mans Crescent, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 1SE
Bolton Museum, Art Gallery and Aquarium
mofgimmers
wrote on 29 June 2010
Bolton Museum is surprisingly great. You imagine that a town like Bolton would have little more than a big turning steam powered wheel, with locals simply stood around cooing at it.
That's because some people have got the wrong idea entirely about this fine town.
The truth of the matter is that Bolton Museum has some really wonderful exhibits. One area of expertise surrounds Egyptology. You are advised to go see the stones, pottery and real life mummy.
Serious.
Elsewhere, there's dinosaur skulls (bloody massive things), a nod to the industrial revolution and stuffed animals. If I remember rightly, there's a snarling fox which could well give you nightmares.
And it is all completely free.
The art gallery is just as impressive and the exhibitions they've had have been astonishing. In recent years, they've embraced pop-culture with a great look at the '60s as well as focusing on the masters like Da Vinci and Picasso.
The aquarium however, is a bit crap.
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44 Bridge Street, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 2EG
mofgimmers
wrote on 29 June 2010
X Records is a real forgotten gem of a record shop which should certainly be on the radar of anyone half serious about their records.
Basically, as no-one ever remembers this place exists outside of Bolton, you can find loads of ace deleted stock, usually at knock-down prices because the owner doesn't have a clue what he's doing. That means stock that is not available anywhere else, not marked up as a 'rarity'.
There's a decent array of styles and genres, with modern releases nestled up against an extensive metal and hard rock selection. There's also a load of decent reissues on the shelves.
Tucked away in the back is a dedicated dance area where you'll find shaven headed lads nodding furiously along to kiddiecore donk or whatever they're listening to that given week.
Thanks to some changes in staff (be it that they left to pastures new or were 'let go'), X Records has sadly lost its way slightly and these days, it seems to be afloat thanks to Kiss memorabilia rather than selling records to enthusiastic teenagers.
That's a shame as this is a shop that has done wonders in shaping me and my musical tastes over the years.
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58-60 Newport Street, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 1PB
mofgimmers
wrote on 29 June 2010
Olympus chippie is an ace place to know, should you ever find yourself in Bolton with a growling stomach.
The chips here are more expensive than your average chip-shop, but mercifully, what you get here is a superior chip than anywhere else in Bolton.
More crucially is the chance to sit down and eat your food from a plate. I know there's a certain romanticism that surrounds eating fish 'n' chips from newspaper, but let's be honest, most places don't do that anymore, leaving you with a depressing yellow styrofoam tray.
No. This chipper is designed to give you a good feed with a pot of tea while you take the load off your weary legs after a day of shopping.
The service is sharp and very friendly indeed. Get yersen in!
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St John Street, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL6 7NY
mofgimmers
wrote on 29 June 2010
I've spent many hours on the mighty Old Station Park, getting up to wholesome and, well, not so wholesome hi-jinx.
Old Station Park is the place for dreamers. You have your first illicit fag or stolen cheek-reddening kiss on these hallowed grounds that once was a hub of railway activity.
The last train has long pulled out of this particular bit of Horwich, and so many jobs went with it. Seen as an act of hope-filling civic pride, this park was a beacon for a former community bond. However, once the jobs went, the alcoholism and heroin rolled into town, which, when the moon comes up, seeps into the folds of this fine park.
Basically, in the daylight hours, this is a really fun place with a couple of playgrounds, some ornamental train wheels (to act as a reminder of what went before and, alas, the keeper of some of my more un-wholesome secrets... to which, I apologise to that man walking his dog. I was unseasonably warm and I'd been drinking) and the like and, come the night, the scallies mooch about, bored and S shaped, shooting up and passing out on grass verges.
I dearly love this place though and it is great in the summer. A place filled with children making rubbish dams in Pearl Brook and people offering to play in skins on the nearby astroturf.
Old Station Park - I love you... provided you don't tell me mum what I used to get up to with you.
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80-84 Winter Hey Lane, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL6 7NZ
Sokrates Greek Taverna - Horwich
mofgimmers
wrote on 29 June 2010
Sokrates is a fine little Greek restaurant tucked away in the Pennines.
The food is uniformly decent and surprisingly cheap. There's banquets to share and a good range of dishes, all of which look good enough on the menu to take a hopeful punt on. In fairness, they ARE all worth taking a punt on!
The bar is as well stocked as any restaurant bar and the wine list is... well... I'm not a wine expert so I wouldn't know. From the look of it, it seems good enough unless you're Oz Clark.
The staff are all pleasant and clued up and, on certain nights, they have traditional Greek music and, well, let me just say that, if you're after a quiet romantic night in, avoid this one (ring ahead to find out when it is as I can't remember) as it can get a bit loud. Fun as hell though.
A good little restaurant this!
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206 Lee Lane, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL6 7JF
Old Original Bay Horse - Horwich
mofgimmers
wrote on 29 June 2010
The Original Bay Horse, for some reason, has the unflattering and unfair nickname of 'The Flea Pit'. This may be down to the fact that a couple of minutes of staggering and you'll find another pub called The Bay Horse.
This is definitely the finer of the two and, arguably, the best pub in the area.
You see, what we have here is a proper country pub. Exposed beams and brass topped table and a bar that serves some really wonderful real ales (including the fantastic local Bank Top brews).
The price of a pint in here is outrageously cheap (especially if you're used to city prices) and out the back of the pub is a great outdoor seated area.
If you do nip in for a pint and the weather is nice, be sure to check out the ashtrays on the tables in the garden as you'll find that they're metallic dog dishes that have been nailed down.
It's the quirky things like that which really make a pub for me.
A must visit and a stone's throw to the bracing and frankly gorgeous West Pennine Moors.
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507 Blackburn Road, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 8NN
mofgimmers
wrote on 28 June 2010
Little Italy looks like your typical grotty takeaway that you'd only dream of entering when you're viciously drunk.
However, don't judge this place by its exterior because inside there's some excellent pizzas to be snaffled.
Whereas most takeaways offer up doughy greasefests that you could prop a window open with, Little Italy offers proper pizzas with great toppings. The thin crust pizzas are particularly good.
The prices are outrageously cheap too. They seemingly have a constant Buy One Get One Half Price offer too, which doesn't make any business sense whatsoever, but I wasn't about to complain.
The food is great and it is open 'til very late and definitely one to keep on the radar if you want some decent grub in the area.
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68-70 Belmont Road, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 7AN
mofgimmers
wrote on 28 June 2010
The Brewery Tap is Bank Top's first pub and what an outrageously good place it is too.
As the flagship ale-house for the brewers, it won't surprise you to find that the beer is uniformly excellent. There's a great mix of Bank Top's own ales, such as the firm favourite 'Flat Cap', as well as newer additions such as 'Gold Digger' (which has a very amusing tale behind it which should only be told by the patrons and bar staff of the pub) as well as some great guest ales.
It is out of town, but definitely worth a visit - a taxi from Bolton town centre should cost around £4. When a pair of fine ales cost less than that, it is well worth going along.
Bank Top is Bolton's local brewer and was set up in the '90s in an old (and very handsome) tennis pavillion. Trivia fans will be pleased to know that the first pint ever poured at the brewery was by Bill Tarmey who of course played Rover's Return landlord, Jack Duckworth.
The pub itself is very homely and will look better when it ages slightly (it is still a bit neat, but that's a very very small gripe).
There's also a decent sized beer garden which is great on balmy days.
It really is a fantastic pub and well worth the trip.