Walking into the Bishop Blaize on a Wednesday afternoon, there’s little that immediately sets it apart from any other crowded pub in Greater Manchester on first impressions.
But venturing further inside, it becomes apparent that the pub, which is located on Chester Road in Old Trafford, is a bit of a popular watering hole for Manchester United fans visiting the club’s nearby stadium - which is just yards around the corner.
The walls are decked out with subtle yet obvious nods to the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney through memorabilia and artwork, whilst many customers are wearing their United best and in possession of bags of merchandise from the stadium shop.
Whilst it is clearly a firm favourite with United fans, there is another reason why many people chose to flock to the Bishop - and that’s because it has been rated one of the best Wetherspoons pubs in the country on numerous occasions.
Last year, the pub beat out the likes of the Royal Victoria Pavilion on Kent and the Golden Beam in Leeds to be named the most popular of all the chain's venues based on Google Reviews and with a 60.34% score of excellent reviews.
Similarly, a new list by Captain Caz this month revealed it to be the most popular Wetherspoons venue in the country, with two-thirds of customers hailing it as excellent. It fared better than The Caley Picture House in Edinburgh and The Greenwood Hotel in London.
Quite bewildered at this, I headed down to the pub for my lunch to see if I could get a glimpse of what made it so excellent. Being honest, my first glimpse of the outside doesn’t give me much of an impression that it could be one of the best pubs around with its dull grey and white exterior looking quite far from well-kept.
But walking in, I’m surprised to see just how rammed it is inside. There’s families, builders, people in suits, and plenty of United shirts in tow. The jackpot machines have a steady queue of men with pints in their hand ready, whilst the bar is tottered up with people waiting to put their orders in.
In fact, the place is so busy that I have to weave my way through the busy venue to find a spot at the very far back which is empty. As I sit down, there’s a group of older men near me who all appear to know, or at least be familiar with each other, but have all sat separately - all claiming their own table of four. It’s the right level of antisocial that I can appreciate.
My table is also in prime viewing sport of a TV screen showing Sky Sports News and the bulging glass collection point, with staff zooming past every few seconds with either fresh orders to be delivered to tables or with empty plates and glasses from those finishing up.
Whilst I have been to Wetherspoons on a fair few occasions, it’s always kind of a last resort spot for me and my friends - the price point usually being a main selling factor for us at the end of the month.
The menu is therefore not too alien to me, and consists of a range of sandwiches, wraps, burgers, curries and all-day breakfasts. Having already ventured into the world of Wetherspoon’s Curry Club in the past, it’s something I’m not quite ready to replicate just yet so I am quite happy to put that choice aside on this occasion.
Instead, I head online to try and see what is one of the most popular dishes on the menu - to put this excellent Wetherspoons to the test with the best-of-the-best. According to Reddit, it's the All-Day Brunch, which one person described as something which you ‘can’t really do wrong on’ and also ‘great to line the stomach with’.
That being said, there are a few other reviews I spot that state the bacon isn’t great and one person claims that the grilled tomatoes are simply just ‘taken out from the chiller, shouted at and then put on your plate’. But I’m up for the challenge.
Priced at £9.72 with a soft drink or £11.25 with an alcoholic drink, the brunch includes two fried eggs, bacon, two Lincolnshire sausages, baked beans and chips, which is a bit of a novelty to me. I’d much rather have toast or a hash brown instead, but each to their own. I’m also quite sad to see no sign of the controversial grilled tomato.
With it being a working lunch, I go for the soft drink option but mix things up with a raspberry refresher, which is allegedly made up of raspberry lemonade, orange juice, lime juice and an orange slice. Mine comes without the slice but is promptly delivered to my table, so I can’t really complain.
It’s essentially the type of mocktail I’d make as a kid when playing around with the multiple different drinks in my parent’s kitchen cupboard. There’s a lot going on flavourwise, but it’s refreshing enough and does the job just fine.
As I wait for my food to arrive, I am able to take in my surroundings and learn more about the establishment. Named after the patron saint of woolcombers, the pub goes as far back as the mid 15th century. Demolished in 1863, the site became the Talbot Hotel until the late 1970s when it returned to its pub roots thanks to Wetherspoons.
Like most Wetherspoons establishments, the pub features plenty of winding corridors, little side corners, unusual cubby holes, and of course, toilets at the top of a spiralling staircase. Whilst looking around, I also spot posters for local darts and poker events held at the pub.
Almost exactly 15 minutes after ordering, my brunch arrives at my table on that all-too-familiar Wetherspoons plate. Tucking into the bacon first, it’s not as bad as Reddit had made me believe.
There’s a nice grilled taste to it, however different bites of it do venture between it either being almost well-done or needing a little bit more cooking time. It’s also a little bit drier than I’d like, but that’s something that a slather of tomato sauce can help sort out.
The sausages are nice, with a pleasing crispy outside to them. There is nothing exceptionally brilliant about them, but nothing to complain about either. The eggs are not overdone and not dripping in oil, which is welcomed by me. They also do the job just fine.
And despite my initial concerns that chips do not belong on an English breakfast, they are also a bit of a delight. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, they’re tasty and I am very pleased they are on the plate. It's far from the best meal I've ever had but as a fill-upper, it ticks enough boxes.
Throughout my meal, staff were quick to wipe down tables that were emptied out and to remove any empty plates and glasses - all whilst zooming back and forth to the kitchen with new orders to deliver and drinks to serve at the bar. They were kept busy but very efficient and friendly.
Amongst those online reviews that have praised the Bishop Blaize as being an excellent pub, people singled out its ‘great atmosphere', 'friendly staff' and 'good selection of beers on tap'. Whilst I can only speak on two of those three points, the staff were certainly friendly and there was actually a good vibe to the place.
Some Wetherspoons venues can feel a little hollow or cold, especially those that don't have TVs or music on, but with the amount of people in the pub, it had a nice ambience that made it feel lively. I can only imagine it would be even more so when it's a United match day too - as apparently its hard to get into when matches are on due to its popularity.
Whether its the best pub in the country or not, I can't say I have enough experience to really make a qualified decision. But, in terms of Wetherspoons venues, I'd say it could certainly be up there.
The Bishop Blaize is on 708 Chester Road, Old Trafford, M32 0SF.
