Best Coffee Shops and Cafes in Guide

"Situated in Manchester’s creative Northern Quarter, Home Sweet Home is a characterful and charming café where friendly staff serve a popular brunch seven days a week, and at a reasonable price too. With a wide breakfast, including the house speciality, a cheeseburger toastie, there’s a choice to suit everyone. Head there for breakfast, lunch, or even afternoon tea which features freshly baked cakes and tempting sundaes, and wash everything down with freshly ground coffee."

"Found in Northern Quarter, Home Sweet Home gives you a taste of the American pie with its mouth-watering brunch menu. Home Sweet Home offers generous helpings of comfort food and over-the-top indulgent treats to satisfy all your heart's cravings - toasties, tacos, eggs, bacon, waffles, fried chicken, steak, coffee, milkshake, cakes - Home Sweet Home is classic American dining with high quality, fresh ingredients."

"This place really does feel like home, or rather an American Grandma’s home. It’s Grandma in the USA, in Manchester. Floral wallpaper, little framed pictures dotted on the wall, the smell of fresh baking; you feel welcome as soon as you step through the door."

"With the main space in the Northern Quarter and a funky outpost in one of Hatch’s shipping containers, this sleek coffee shop is an ode to Scandinavia. The owners are obsessed with all things Nordic (particularly Reykjavik), so opened this ode to the region complete with the house Nordic Style espresso (roasted by Clifton Coffee in Bristol), cosy ‘hygge’ vibes and trendy baristas. At the Oxford Road shop, there’s a more contemporary Scandinavian them, with a turquoise coffee machine, plenty of blonde wood and funky grey tiles create a calm backdrop to enjoy your coffee, or purchase one of the handy reusable cups and get an iced coffee to take away."

"This Icelandic inspired coffee house and creative space is one of the newest additions to The Northern Quarter, and is rapidly becoming one of the most popular. The minimal design, open brickwork, old school graffitied tables and atmospheric lighting really do make you feel as though you are hiding from the cold somewhere in downtown Reykjavik. These guys know how to make the perfect coffee, and are accommodating if you require something specific – just ask."

"Everyone knows that everything Scandinavian is cool, from their lights to their murder mystery TV to, well, their weather. The Scandinavian theming of this Manchester cafe isn’t entirely clearly drawn – not sure a prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich is traditionally Scandinavian – but the laidback interior is very Scandi, as is the giant map of Iceland on the wall. Wear a heavily patterned jumper if you want to hammer home the theme."

"If you're in need of some comfort food, North Tea Power should be high on your list. The Northern Quarter coffee shop is fronting cheap eats in the form of all day breakfast and smart sarnies. When you're done, check out their tasty herbal tea selection."

"A cracking cup of coffee, a great name and serves alcohol too (but not first thing in the morning). What more could you want?. 36 Tib St, Manchester M4 1LA@northteapower / northteapower.co.uk"

"The water bowl by the door signifies that dogs are welcome at Ezra & Gil, so clearly babies are no big deal. You do have to negotiate a few steps to get inside – the Stevenson Square entrance is the more manageable of the two – but once inside you’re all set for a hassle-free visit: there’s a cracking brunch menu, plenty of spots to stow your buggy, high chairs and sturdy baby change facilities. Service is generally quick, even when the place is packed out with weekend crowds – invaluable when you’ve got an impatient babe with you – and the music/chatter’s just loud enough that any kiddie kick-offs will be largely drowned out (I am absolutely speaking from personal experience here)."

"A local favourite, Ezra & Gil is consistently busy, with freelancers, Instagrammers and general foodie lovers all big fans of the Northern Quarter spot. The perfect place to go if you’re after a seriously photogenic breakfast with a bustling atmosphere, Ezra & Gil has a tasty brunch and breakfast menu featuring all the classics, from full English breakfast, to all the eggs and smashed avo on toast a millennial could dream of. The menu is pretty big, too, so you’re guaranteed to find something that tickles your fancy."

"Ok, so this coffee shop isn’t technically in Ancoats, but it’s less than a 5 minute walk away, in the Northern Quarter so I couldn’t not include this. This hipster spot is perfect for all day brunch, coffee and somewhere to sit and work. I’ve currently been here for 4 hours and counting; demolished this avocado and chilli poke bowl, iced mocha with oat milk and even made a couple of friends!"

"Just a few minutes from the Shipley Glen tramway lies a stunning country pub on Baildon Moor. The classic Yorkshire bricks, wood-burning stoves and huge beer garden with amazing views make The Old Glen House well worth a trip out of the city – especially if you have the pooch with you as it’s super dog-friendly. You can look forward to delicious pub grub and a mean Sunday roast, which you can pair with ales, wine and spirits."

" This handsome, solid stone building has appeared in a number of guises down the years, including a temperance inn and a tearoom for local mill worke ..." Read our full review"

"Manchester's newest late-night bar and gig venue will open for the first time on Thursday May 20, taking over the old Walkabout site. It will bring a taste of the Deep South with blues music, a menu of barbecue and soul food and a bar packed with bourbons. A live music programme, running seven days a week, will take in everything from 1930s Delta blues, funk, acoustic, rock n roll, roots and southern soul music."

"The Blues Kitchen is a fab Cajun-inspired restaurant with venues all around the country, and luckily for Manchester, they’ve got one. They serve up American BBQ classics and New Orleans soul food, and it’s absolutely immense. Their brunch menu has everything from a shrimp taco salad to creole crab benedict, so there really is something to suit every taste."

"Zizzi restaurants are passionate about simple Italian cookery. Whether it's pizza or pasta, salads or risotto, or carne and pesce (meat and fish), each dish is prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients - from the popular classics to Zizzi's own…"

"The double award winning Town House Coffee & Brew Bar, serving breakfast, brunch, coffee and cakes is open 10am to 4pm Wednesday to Sunday. The Friargate shop also has plenty of outdoor seating."

"27/05/2021: I only had a spare 40 minutes for dinner on a training day I was on in Preston. I went in to just get some chips and a cold coffee and the chips..."

"French cuisine is widely considered to be the best in the world. Chefs from every corner of the globe flood to Paris to learn all the famous tricks and techniques of Haute cuisine that only the French seem to have the natural finesse for. If fine French cuisine is your bag, then look no further than 63° Degrees in the Northern Quarter."

"Dishing out a slice of France right here in England, 63 Degrees is the perfect place for fine dining in Manchester. Set in an informal space, there's an innovative food offering, including pan-fried scallops, escargots and artichoke velouté with truffle oil."

"Take a loved one to the elegant and stylish Bertram’s Restaurant and enjoy adult-only dining with a difference. Start with drinks on the scenic Terrace Bar, followed by a sumptuous meal. Alternatively, opt for one of their popular afternoon teas – the perfect celebratory treat!"