A 138-year-old Salford venue is holding a four-course tasting menu to mark the reintroduction of Boddingtons cask beer to the premises.
The Black Friar on Blackfriars Road has scheduled a Boddies Dinner for Wednesday 16th September that celebrates the return of the draught ale to what stands as the oldest remaining pub originally associated with the brewery. Executive head chef Ben Chaplin has compiled a four-course menu incorporating the ale into each dish.
Priced at £59 per person, the meal includes drink pairings for every course. Guests receive a welcome Boddingtons Shandy Spritz alongside a corned beef Boddingtons rarebit beignet. Starters and mains consist of a Boddingtons beef mince served on toasted sourdough with sour cream and pickled shallots, followed by a main of honey mustard Boddingtons glazed chicken with a chicken croquette and confit leeks. The evening finishes with a Boddingtons and honeycomb Knickerbocker Glory containing toffee jelly, Chantilly cream, Horlicks crumb and custard.
The evening will also include presentations on local brewing history alongside the food service. Guest speakers will present talks detailing the history of the brewery and its industrial connections to Salford and Manchester. Ticket holders will receive a welcome drink, paired wines, a signature cocktail and a pint of cask ale.
Owner Neil Burke stated: “The Black Friar and Boddingtons go back further than most people realise. This pub was built for Boddingtons’ workers, so when the cask came back, there was only one place it truly belonged.”
Boddingtons was originally brewed in Manchester since 1778 at the historic Strangeways Brewery, which closed in 2004. JW Lees now brews Boddingtons Cask Ale under licence, bringing production back to Greater Manchester for the first time since 2012.
The beer first became known nationally in the 90s, when Melanie Sykes famously advertised the beer with the tagline ‘by ‘eco, it’s gorgeous’. The beer was then namechecked in an episode of Friends, after Joey and Chandler discover their love of the beer on a trip to London.
The Black Friar was originally constructed on Blackfriars Road in 1886 before falling into disuse in the 21st century. Owner Neil Burke and head chef Ben Chaplin took over management of the site after a £1.4 million restoration process, reopening the premises in 2021 before acquiring full independent ownership. The property had previously stood derelict for two decades following a major building fire in 2001.
Speaking to Salford Now on bringing the venue back to life after its two-decade closure, Neil Burke stated: “After six months I really saw the potential. I fell in love with it really.”
“I fell in love with the community, the people who come see us, the people living on our doorstep and just the idea of bringing what had been a well-known, well-established pub into the 21st century and giving it a new lease of life.”
Highlighting the recruitment strategy for the restored venue, Neil Burke added: “I try my best to recruit people from the Salford area because again I want staff who know regulars, who know people and recognise names.
“Having people who live and work on the doorstep of the pub is important.”
The layout of the venue spans several distinct areas, including a traditional ground-floor pub bar, a modern glass-fronted dining room, a top-floor private dining space known as the Sanctuary and a covered garden tavern.
Over the summer of 2026, the venue ran its “Summer of Boddies” seasonal programme across these spaces. Events included open-air comedy nights in the beer garden in partnership with the Frog and Bucket, along with an exterior floral art installation by artist Kelly Louise Chapman featuring giant yellow sunflowers and worker bees.
The Black Friar operates an a la carte restaurant alongside traditional bar service, serving Blackfriars Pilsner and Blackfriars IPA, alongside Boddingtons bitter on cask. The kitchen serves pub classics, Sunday roasts and pre-ordered giant sharing pies.
