Ezra & Gil ★ 4.5
Open since 2014, the Hilton Street original is Manchester's Northern Quarter brunch room locals queue for. Communal tables, Cornish-roasted coffee daily.
Signature drink: Flat white
Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Manchester lingers in over a cortado.
Where to sit and slow down
Federal Cafe and Bar ★ 4.5
Australian-style cafe in Manchester's Northern Quarter, packed from 09:00 daily. Banana bread, whipped ricotta, single-origin filter, Antipodean menu.
Signature drink: Flat white
Chapter One Books ★ 4.4
Independent bookshop-cafe on Lever Street in the Northern Quarter. Speciality coffee, quirky reads, author events and intimate performances; reliable laptop spot.
Signature drink: Flat white
Pot Kettle Black Angel Gardens ★ 4.5
Pot Kettle Black's NOMA outpost on the ground floor of Angel Gardens, opened 2021. Split-level cafe with herringbone timber, terrazzo, dedicated eggs benedict bar and house bakes.
Signature drink: Pour-over single-origin
Idle Hands ★ 4.5
Cosy speciality coffee shop on Dale Street, Manchester, serving coffee, natural wine and freshly baked pies. Loyal local crowd, communal tables daily.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Ancoats Coffee Co ★ 4.4
Royal Mills roastery cafe in Manchester's Ancoats district. Single-origin beans from Ethiopia and Colombia; the on-site cafe pours filter and espresso.
Signature drink: Warehouse City espresso
Pollen Bakery ★ 4.7
Sunday Times-listed Ancoats bakery cafe in Manchester by the marina. Sourdough loaves, viennoiserie, custom espresso blend, brunch plates daily Wed-Sun.
Signature drink: Espresso
Eagle Street Coffee ★ 4.3
Coffee counter inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor food hall. Atkinsons of Lancaster beans, communal tables outside the kitchen, filter pour-over daily.
Signature drink: Single origin filter