Elephant & Castle

You know what you're getting when you push through those doors on Deansgate – and sometimes that's exactly what you want. The familiar Wetherspoons formula works here: decent pints at prices that won't make you wince, hearty pub grub that fills the gap, and enough space to actually find a seat most times of the day. The breakfast runs until noon and does the job properly, whilst the usual suspects dominate the main menu – think burgers, curries, and fish and chips that hit the spot without any pretensions. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel, just keep it spinning reliably in the town centre when you need somewhere dependable that's open from morning till night.