Dulcimer

I’ve been here a couple of times. The atmosphere is nice here. Sometimes there is band performing & I quite enjoyed the show last night. There are a number of bars nearby, so it’s a good place to start from or end up with for bar crawls.

Nice bar with lots of places to sit. There were big boards advertising a 50% off food deal the last time k went, but apparently that’s not running any more :(there’s a good range of drinks available and the staff are great! There’s a pub quiz there which I’ve always wanted to enter but never got round to! Great location in the centre of Chorlton — easily accessible by bus or tram. Well worth a visit!

Dulcimer is not a bad bar which is located on Wilbraham Road in Chorlton.
There are selection of drinks ranges from a wide range of ales, to sickly sweet German Früli to bottles of Peruvian Cusquena. I was surprised the bar was fairly quite for a Saturday night.
The staff were highly knowledgeable and really helpful.
It’s not bad but it not my kind of place.
Then again it is my opinion.

I didn’t massively get the hype of Dulcimer when visiting a couple of weeks ago, maybe it was because it was fairly dead on a Saturday night but I found it all a bit open and lacking in atmosphere. I have friends who speak highly of it here and have reviewed it well so maybe I need to pay a return visit soon, but on this occasion it all seemed a bit flat.
The bar staff were friendly and up for a chat while I was waiting for my beer but I didn’t think a huge amount of the beers all on pump weren’t that exciting and all seemed very like old man beer. I was hoping for some really great beers on offer with some super strong hop offerings.
Hopefully next time I visit it will be a bit busier and more action packed!

This review may have to be «reviewed» in the near future. But considering the very rich offering in Chorlton, I haven’t been personally convinced all that much by Dulcimer.
An OK selection of beers but a very blokey atmosphere, not a big fan of the décor etc.
It’s alright but it doesn’t feel like my kind of place.
But then again those things are very personal

A good selection of beers and window seats with comfy cushions — need I say more?
Food was reasonably priced (most dishes we read about were £5) and looked nice, although we didn’t sample any so I can’t comment on the taste. There’s a great selection of bars snacks; from pickles to pretzels. The music choices were brilliant. It’s clear that they support local brewers and bands from the posters in the windows. A real community spirited place and a must if you’re in the area.
As with most places, don’t expect much change from a tenner after choosing 2 pints — but it seems justified in such a laidback, pleasant atmosphere.
If I lived nearer, I can imagine spending many a tenner in Dulcimer.
See you there!

I’m a regular here and have been for about four years. They have a lovely list of red wines that have been killer staples for some time, and never fail me! They also know what makes a great pint, with tonnes of real ale, premier lagers and proper ciders. It’s an awesomely folky vibe with excellent bands and a legend of a local DJ. One of my favourite places! I’ve spent entire summers out back in an advanced state of refreshment. Oh cider. Oh cheese.

Something about the exterior of Dulcimer has never appealed to me — something oddly old-​fashioned that I couldn’t put my finger on that led to me walking past it on a few occasions.
Now I’ve been inside it’s a whole different story. I like Dulcimer. In fact I like it a lot. So much that every time I’m in it I can’t help but exclaim, at least once, ‘I really like this place’.
Why? Many reasons.
— A great range of beer and staff who are friendly and knowledgeable.
— I’ve never eaten here but I love the simplicity of the menu. Also the weekday deal on the board/​platter things sounds like a total steal.
— The outdoor seating is lovely and I would like to publicly stake my claim over it for the summer please and thanks.
— No room to sit? Pop upstairs where there’s loads more searing and, delightfully, another bar.
— Once again, never been to any sort of event here but I’m impressed that they provide you with a list of what’s occurring that month.
Overall I think this place is pretty excellent. It even got my dad’s full stamp of approval!

Seriously impressed by their beer selection. I nipped in here on a wander around Chorlton but sadly only had time to grab a half. Beavertown ‘Gamma Ray’, though, so a pretty excellent half! It struck me as a cool little place, cosy and relaxed, lots of wood in the décor, which I always like.
They frequently have live music on; in fact, it seems that Dulcimer is playing an integral role in keeping the live music scene in Chorlton as vibrant as it is!
They are currently advertising their Spring Ale Fest in conjunction with LoveBeer (17^th — 21^st April). Free entry, forty beers, ciders and perries, and the launch of the Dulcimer/​First Chop Brewing Arm collab beer. I rather think so. Oh — and if you happen to be a CAMRA member, there’s a 10% discount in the offing. See you there!

I hadn’t been in Dulcimers for a long time but headed down there for a new book club meeting. They appear to have done a refit and the interior now has an extra bar upstairs which is a great addition.
There were lots of cushions on the seats which made me want to sit down and spend the evening there. The barman quite happily made my favourite drink for me although it wasn’t officially on the menu. They have a great range of beers and a cosy interior. I need to get back there for a proper evening and can’t wait for the next book club.

Went once, thoroughly enjoyed it, wish I had more time to visit again!

yippie skippie, dulcimer is back! okay, it’s been back for a good 3 months. but still, those few months when it was closed was a dreadful way to start the new year.
still a fantastic selection of beer/​cider (including all those yummy real ales/​ciders), and now a more diverse range of snacks — sometimes a bowl of crispy pretzels just does the trick. wonderful music, including live music nights again. if this wasn’t enough, they have a lovely selection of hot drinks. best bar around!

Sadly, from the looks of things Dulcimer and its sister venue, Chilango have both closed their doors for now. (Well, it was in Manchester Confidential which means it must be true —
)
This is a crying shame, because I’m sure that I’m not the only freelancer in Chorlton who used to shack up in Dulcimer during the day to gorge themselves on pâté and pints whilst they were working, and then pop down there at night to sup on real ale whilst listening to a bit of folk. I also used to love their Krautrock nights which often saw me shaking my booty in a rather unladylike manner to Can, as well as the live gigs they’d often put on there.
Rumour has it that Dulcimer is being done up and will soon rise like a phoenix from the flames. I hope so. Somehow I can’t really imagine Chorlton without it.

Have you ever seen A Mighty Wind? It’s the much underrated mockumentary from the chaps that brought us Spinal Tap, only this time their target was folk music. No one is safe! Unfortunately, when I hear the words ‘folk music’ it is this film that comes to mind, however: visiting Dulcimer has made folk cool again in my book, returning it to its hippy free-​love cool as opposed to bald heads and beards.
The award-​nominated self-​proclaimed folk bar Dulcimer in Chorlton, located on the magical yellow-​brick road of bars and restaurants known as Wilbraham, is a bare brick (you know how I love bare brick) extravaganza of traditional music and rustic atmosphere. With a large and varied choice of beers, including my favourite strawberry Fruli on tap, they pretty much had me from the moment I walked in the door.
Except for a slight problem. The blonde generally drinks Malibu and lemonade, so Dulcimer made life a little bit harder for her when they claimed not to serve Malibu. She opted for sloe gin instead but after a couple of drinks that ran out, leaving her rather stumped. However, the bartenders were friendly and patient so it didn’t scupper our experience too much.
Having done a little research on old Dulcimer, I’ve realised that the rustic feel comes from the fact that the building was stripped back to the original features were still intact, and furniture and fittings were sought via many long searches on eBay. So there’s a real homely bric-​à-​brac feel to the place, and this makes for a great hang out in which to relax and while the day away, or wind down in the evening.
Folk figureheads both opened the bar and select the music, so you can be sure you’re in safe and very relevant hands when chilling out here. As well as beers there’s plenty for the wine buff to get excited about, and the bar itself is set out so perfectly and spaciously that you can actually spend time browsing the selections before placing your order. Food is traditionally British in snack form with a great emphasis on cheeses and chutneys, two of my favourite things, and, well, the opportunity to taste cheese alongside real ales and wine is always a positive thing. Soups and homemade cakes are also on offer, and the free wifi access means you can settle yourself down there for work or play.
It’s places like this that make me happy to go the extra few miles to visit Chorlton. If Dulcimer could provide Sting in his barefoot lute-​playing phase, it would be just about perfect.

Dulcimer is almost the perfect bar for the nouveaux-​twee that reside in Manchester’s most hummousy ‘burb.
It’s a place of beards, Birkenstocks, licorice roll-​ups, real ales, posters of folk-​rock royalty, girls with floaty sleeves and folk and psychedelic music pumping out of some genuine ‘70s speaker stacks.
This could well sound like hell to some, but for many, it’s an ideal ale-​house.
The only drawback with Dulcimer is that it can be a victim of its own success. Friday and Saturday can be very busy and the yard at the back can be overcrowded if you want a quick smoke (or to escape the heat of the main throng).
However, to mark Dulcimer down for that would be pure folly. It’s not like they’re expected to turn people away just because it’s a bit full.
Everyone in there looks like they’re in a band (and in many cases, actually are). Don’t let that put you off though. The egos are usually left at the door.
Personally, my main problem with it is that it’s in Chorlton and a pain to get back from after a skinful. However, if you’re local, you should certainly give it a try.
It’s a muso’s dream.

It’s probably fair to say that Dulcimer is the most popular bar in Chorlton.
The selection of drinks ranges from a wide range of tasty British ales, to sickly sweet German Früli to bottles of Peruvian Cusquena. Prices are a little more expensive than in certain other bars in Chorlton, but despite this the bar never fails to fill up and is often full to bursting point on Friday and Saturday nights, with the crowd spilling out onto Wilbraham Road’s narrow pavement. Dulcimer’s acoustic and folk gigs are also really popular, and are always advertised on posters and flyers inside the bar. The chalkboard outside also forewarns you of important dates for your diary (at the moment it is displaying whiskey offers for Burn’s night).
After many good nights with a pint of Guinness in a bustling Dulcimer, I decided it was time to show it off to my other half. I took him in on a weekday evening, we ordered two pints of ale and went upstairs, where there were only a couple of others, who seemed to be using the bar some sort of a business meeting.
«So, what do you think?» I asked.
«It reminds me of my old youth club,» was his response.
With its minimalist bare brick walls, weird posters, lack of atmosphere (on this rare occasion) and (as described by Emma-​Louise) e-​bay furniture I could see exactly where he was coming from. So what? It’s a bloody good youth club which serves tasty alcohol and plays great music. See you down there.

At last, there’s a bar where you can go and hear freak-​folk, weird country and free jazz!
Run by a local muso, Dulcimer is a small bar on Wilbraham Road in Chorlton. The school blue exterior is shocking but inside it’s simply decorated with brick walls, wooden tables and chairs and awesome, limited edition, music and film posters. They have cool singer-​songwriters playing occasionally and deejays like Twisted Nerve /​Finders Keepers boss Andy Votel playing a couple of nights each week. Drinks wise, they stock everything from quality spirits to great local ales whilst foodies have a choice of homemade soup or a cheese board with strong cheddars and local bread from the Barbikan deli.
For me personally though, it’s all about the great tunes, friendly staff and the fact you can hear Wendy & Bonnie whilst sipping your Guiness!

Dulcimer has Fruli on tap… it was going to get five stars for that alone!
But they definitely earn five stars anyway for just how great this bar is.
It’s a bit of a weird location, slap bang in the middle of Chorlton, this place would be so at home in the Northern Quarter… but Chorlton is getting more and more like the Northern Quarter all of the time, especially now Oddest has sprung up!
This bar is perfect for meeting up with old friends for a coffee and a chat, great to start off a big night and amazing for a few quiet ones. It suits everyone. The staff are great, laid back but not lazy, it’s just comfortable in every way possible.

Fantastic coffee, fantastic bar staff and a fantastic addition to the Chorlton scene.
Interior for this bar is great: bare brick walls with lots of pictures. This place is not just ‘another Chorlton Bar’ it is a valuable addition with a great friendly atmosphere and great prices.
This bar made me think twice about how little I visit Chorlton for nights out. It is bound to make great impression with everyone.

I’m not sure whether I admire its pomp or think its plain pompous, either way any bar that attempts to hold a 3 day Woodstock tribute event is giving it 110%! Actually, I’ve made up my mind, how can you not admire that? All too often now it is the lazy arrogance of bars that makes them such depressing places to be. Dulcimers obvious love for what it does gives a it a vitality and vibrancy that belies its ‘British Legion meets French café’ kit-​out.
With so many fantastic acts playing here so regularly it is impossible to single any one band out but my tip is to keep a lookout for who’s playing the Thursday slot, you’ll often stumble across a real end of leg. Dando Shaft, Tudor Lodge, Meic Stevens, Heather Jones, Magic Carpet and the Incredible String Band’s Robin Williamson have all made at least one appearance.