9 cafe rooms in Manchester we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Manchester | Cafe across every city.

Coffee culture in Manchester is concentrated in the Northern Quarter, where independent roasters and bookshop counters fill the converted warehouse blocks. Ezra & Gil, Federal Cafe and Bar and Idle Hands sit at the centre of it, while Chapter One Books pairs flat whites with a reading room. Out in Ancoats, Ancoats Coffee Co and Pollen Bakery carry the same specialty bent into the mills.

Ezra & Gil ★ 4.7

Café · £

northern-quarter · 20 Hilton Street, Manchester M1 1FR

Open since 2014, the Hilton Street original is Manchester's Northern Quarter brunch room locals queue for. Communal tables, Cornish-roasted coffee daily.

Federal Cafe and Bar ★ 4.6

Café · £

northern-quarter · 9 Nicholas Croft, Manchester M4 1EY

Australian-style cafe in Manchester's Northern Quarter, packed from 09:00 daily. Banana bread, whipped ricotta, single-origin filter, Antipodean menu.

Chapter One Books ★ 4.2

Café · £

northern-quarter · Unit 1 Chatsworth House, 19 Lever Street, Manchester M1 1BY

Independent bookshop-cafe on Lever Street in the Northern Quarter. Speciality coffee, quirky reads, author events and intimate performances.

Pot Kettle Black Angel Gardens ★ 4.5

Café · £

northern-quarter · Angel Gardens, 1 Rochdale Road, Manchester M4 4GE

Pot Kettle Black's NOMA outpost on the ground floor of Angel Gardens, opened 2021. Located in Northern Quarter. Order the pour-over single-origin.

Idle Hands ★ 4.3

Café · £

northern-quarter · 35 Dale Street, Manchester M1 2HF

Cosy speciality coffee shop on Dale Street, Manchester, serving coffee, natural wine and freshly baked pies. Loyal local crowd, communal tables daily.

Ancoats Coffee Co ★ 4.1

Café · £

ancoats · Royal Mills, Redhill Street, Manchester M4 5BA

Royal Mills roastery cafe in Manchester's Ancoats district. Single-origin beans from Ethiopia and Colombia; the on-site cafe pours filter and espresso.

Pollen Bakery ★ 4.8

Café · £

ancoats · Cotton Field Wharf, 8 New Union Street, Manchester M4 6FQ

Sunday Times-listed Ancoats bakery cafe in Manchester by the marina. Sourdough loaves, viennoiserie, custom espresso blend, brunch plates daily Wed-Sun.

Eagle Street Coffee ★ 4.0

Café · £

northern-quarter · 1 Eagle Street, Manchester M4 5BU

Coffee counter inside Manchester's Mackie Mayor food hall. Atkinsons of Lancaster beans, communal tables outside the kitchen, filter pour-over daily.

Fort Coffee ★ 4.5

Cafe · ££

deansgate · 255 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN

Speciality coffee roaster cafe tucked under Deansgate Mews. Slayer espresso, single-origin filter and pour-over, plus in-house pastries from a tiny bakery.