The Badger

Proper traditional-style pubs with good fodder; the countryside (and even the suburbs) is littered with them, so why are they so hard to come by in the city centre? In fact, I reckon I could count them all on one hand. So you could imagine my delight when I found out the team behind The Crown & Kettle and The Rat & Pigeon (two bloody good pubs, if you ask me) were opening a third site slap bang in the middle of the Northern Quarter.

The Badger, as it’s simply named, has turned the former Calcio site on Dale Street into a charming Dickensian-style gastropub, complete with all the decorative bells and whistles you could wish for; taxidermy ducks, vintage horse brasses, William Morris-esque wallpaper, Royal Doulton Toby jugs – the lot.

The food options are fairly concise, fitting on one side of A4 with just over a handful of options per category. All of which were reasonably priced; sides like triple cooked salt and vinegar chips start from just £4.95 and mains hover around the £20 mark, with the exception of an 8-ounce sirloin topping out at £31.95.

If, like me, you find solace in cosy, dimly lit nooks, surrounded by taxidermy and nicknacks from times gone by, whilst being served homely dishes that focus more on flavour than flare, then The Badger might just become your new favourite spot, too.