Thirsty Scholar

I love the setting for the Thirsty Scholar; under the railway, and it is brilliantly decorate on the outside. Given this I found the interior underwhelming (very bog-​standard pub) and the beer selection lacked imagination.
They were playing motown music, which I’ll admitt I did enjoy whilst drunk. However on reflection the DJ — a middle aged man in a suit — was the only one dancing.
This is a place that, having walked passed it on numerous occasions thinking it looked a great place, unfortunately disappointed me.

Although a bit out of the way this is an ideal ‘before a night out’ location for two reasons amongst others. Firstly it’s cheap! Something you can’t say about many places in town. Secondly it’s extremely convenient meeting place sitting literally underneath Oxford road station and major bus routes. There are regularly held open mic nights with enthusiastic local muscians singing their hearts out.
The outside seating area (underneath the bridge is usually packed on a hot summer’s day but a bit chilly the rest of the year) Its close proximity to local foodie favourites such as Zouk and Bachich also mean it’s a perfect for an after meal drink.

I was introduced to Thirsty Scholar by Baz H after we had a Sheesha in Rusholme. The place has a character about it and they serve a wide selections of beers. The place is good if you are planning a casual night out.

They have a vegan café pop up thing ‘Mod Café’ that has random opening hours (a poster with current hours is displayed in the pub) so, unfortunately, I didn’t have the time window to end up eating here, but stopped in for drinks on a Friday afternoon. Happy hour! A pint of raspberry ‘Hit & Run’ beer was about £2 before 8pm. It was delicious! There were a few other drinks on their happy hour promo listed behind the bar. Can’t really say much more as was just a quick stop while visiting Manchester for the weekend but it felt quite relaxed, quite spacious and seems fine for standing with a pint if it was really busy, and would be happy to go back.

Great pub, okay selection of beer, cheap beer (I live in London) nice outside area when it’s sunny, live music and great atmosphere.
What’s not to like?

I was first introduced to Thirsty Scholar when I was invited to a HotchPotch event upstairs above the pub. I really like the character of the place and the eclectic… sometimes random mix of stuff it always seems to have going on.
They have a good selection of beers and ales and the outside seating area is great place to drink from with added shelter from the elements.
Definitely worth popping in for a few!

Popped in for a quick drink before catching the train last Friday and it was a great place with a nice atmosphere. There was also a rather funky soul DJ playing some mean air guitar and trumpet: D Nice outside bit as well that I bet is good in Summer.

Funky pub in many ways and some great (and awful) live music nights!
Best drink I have had here is old Rosie scrumpy which I can’t find anywhere else in Manchester!

A cool place to hang out with a younger crowd. Most of the folks are friendly and polite. Also, the Thirsty Scholar has an open mic night which is very fun.

Part of the «triangle of bars» near the train station,
Under the bridge, this little pub surprised us by being literally «under the bridge». We found it by the empty tables that were parked, in the rainy Manchester night. Going on a weeknight, there was a open mic sort of live music night. The musicians/​performers played modern and celtic acoustic songs, with a rock twist. It seemed like a place for young folks, college kids, and a nice place
Be aware, they only accept cash.

The third point of the triangle (The other points being Grand Central and The Salisbury).
Seriously, for my money the 3 of them comprise the best mini pub crawl in the city centre, especially if you like loud metallic music and decent beers.
Whilst I prefer the other 2 pubs to Thirsty Scholar, this one does boast lots of spaces to plonk yourself down outside under the bridge, handy if you are a nicotine addict (Of which I am one).
Go on, get yourself lost in the Oxford Road Triangle, I dare you!

Good for: Good beer on tap, street art, open-​mic, prinking
Bad for: Happy Hour, outdoor drinking, Bank Holiday’s

an old and from my point of view rare original!

Finally managed to be a proper student and get some day time drinking in as the year and assignments came to an end. This was one of our watering holes of choice for the day and it’s a good one! I’d imagine it’s generally rammed but as our exam was on the first day of exam time for the undergrad student population we nearly had the place to ourselves! Great selection of local ales at reasonable prices. Cosy alcoves and friendly staff. Some live music started up later on that made us skip off elsewhere so we could chat rather than shout. The music was good though, a small local band, just not what we were after. Impressive for a Monday night though. I’ll be back! c*

Oxford Road is great for a casual night out. It’s full of students and creative types, and everything’s within easy reach of the train station. As for the Scholar, well, you only have to fall out of your train and you’re pretty much through its doors. It’s THAT close.
Since I did my review the Scholar’s had a humungo revamp and is now doing a great range of food, incorporating vegan and veggie options alongside some lovely fresh cakes that you can have with one of many kinds of brews — camomile, peppermint, regular, the whole gang. So not only is it a good place for a few sharpeners in the evening, it’s a great place to hang out at during the day. The outdoor seating looks rustic and artsy, surrounded by murals, and inside is so cosy and cavernous you’ll never want to leave. Perfect for summer and winter alike. The range of beers is immense, and I’ve recently taken to sharing bottles of Erdinger with the husband to be. Branching out.
And as well as awesome bands playing most of the time, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the quizzes here. One of the best pub quizzes I’ve partaken in… There have been pirate-​themed ones, where all the acts who played after the quiz had a seafaring theme. The quiz itself was superb — both traditional and modern, with a pictures round and an intros round (with GOOD music — thank you Dad for having me grow up with Frank Zappa, I think I was the only person in the pub that knew My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama). And now the Hotchpotch festival’s been taking over Sundays, which looks all kinds of amazing. Make your own musical instruments, anyone?
There are more reasons to visit the Scholar than there are fingers to count on, so don’t even try… just go.

I just can’t get enough of this pub. I bet the bar staff are sick of the sight of me. Luckily though, if they are they’re polite enough to let me buy my drink believing they aren’t, and wait until I’m away to a table before the eye-​rolling starts. Or maybe they really are happy to be facilitating my habit. Stranger things have happened.
It has so much character about it, and always an excellent selection of beers, lagers and ciders. I was even lucky enough this last Christmas to sample a seasonal hot Rekorderlig cider they were dishing out — heavenly.
Check their Facebook page for news of events. I usually tend to avoid at peak times on Fridays and Saturdays if I’m not in the mood for dancing, as it gets so crowded you are doing the old sardine-​tin dancing whether you want to or not! Or maybe I should blame that less on the crowds, more on the top tunes you’ll find your head bopping and feet tapping along to.

My first visit to the Thirsty Scholar was actually after a Valentines meal. OK, so it’s not Cloud 23, in fact there is nothing romantic about the place, but it was so good we actually went back there the next Valentine’s Day too!
On my numerous visits to this pub I’ve heard a wide variety of music from chilled out rock on the juke box to heavy metal bands to electroey DJs. During the day this is a pleasant place for a quiet-​ish drink but in the evenings there’s no chance of hearing the departing trains above when the bands or DJs get going.
Music aside, other good points about the Scholar include the fact that it serves Desperados, you don’t have to dress up to get in, it’s as far from pretentious as you could get and despite its name it doesn’t attract a typical student crowd. I’d especially recommend a visit during the Eurocultured Street Festival which happens every summer, when bands play under the railway just outside the pub.