Neighbourhoodnorthern-quarter

Why locals love it: Manchester speakeasy hidden behind a working laundrette frontage on Shudehill. You pick up a phone, ask the operator for a slot, and a door opens to the bar.

Tip: Ring the buzzer at the laundrette and ask for the booking on the phone.

Location

Address: 19 Shudehill, Manchester M4 2AF

Also in northern-quarter

Siop Shop ★ 4.4

northern-quarter

Welsh-influenced bakery cafe in Manchester's Northern Quarter on Tib Street. Pic-niq sausage rolls, bara brith, brunch plates and excellent espresso daily.

Why locals love it: Manchester's Welsh bakery on Tib Street, tiny, ten covers, the kind of place locals keep to themselves. Pic-niq sausage rolls are the city's quiet legend.

Tip: Sausage rolls sell out by 14:00 most weekdays; arrive at 09:00 for the bakes.

Full northern-quarter food guide →

More hidden gems in Manchester

Cuckoo Prestwich ★ 4.4

prestwich

Prestwich Manchester bar and pizza room on Bury New Road. Low-intervention wine list, sourdough pizza, small plates and a daytime coffee programme.

Why locals love it: Prestwich neighbourhood bar and pizza room three miles north of Manchester city centre. Few city-centre diners make the trip up the Bury line for the room here.

Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays; Saturday afternoon long lunch is the calm shift.

Siop Shop ★ 4.4

northern-quarter

Welsh-influenced bakery cafe in Manchester's Northern Quarter on Tib Street. Pic-niq sausage rolls, bara brith, brunch plates and excellent espresso daily.

Why locals love it: Manchester's Welsh bakery on Tib Street, tiny, ten covers, the kind of place locals keep to themselves. Pic-niq sausage rolls are the city's quiet legend.

Tip: Sausage rolls sell out by 14:00 most weekdays; arrive at 09:00 for the bakes.

Black Jack Brewery Tap ★ 4.3

noma

Manchester's Green Quarter brewery on Gould Street. Stouts and porters the year-round house style; the taproom rotates a guest beer or two weekly here.

Why locals love it: Manchester's Green Quarter brewery on Gould Street; tiny taproom, stouts and porters the house style for those who skip the Cloudwater queue here.

Tip: Open Thursday to Sunday only; bring cash for the more obscure guest pours.

Fort Coffee ★ 4.5

deansgate

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

Why locals love it: Hole-in-the-wall under the Deansgate Mews arches, easy to miss between Holy Grain and Another Hand. Slayer espresso machine, in-house bakery, near-zero passing trade noise.

Tip: Sister sites Another Hand and Dormouse Chocolates are two doors down on the same mews; do a triple.

Restaurant Orme ★ 4.5

urmston

Jack Fields's Urmston tasting-menu room in Manchester. Six-course tasting from regional produce, vegetarian set holds its own on the menu.

Why locals love it: Manchester's Urmston tasting-menu room: Michelin Guide listed, far from the city-centre tourist drag, twenty minutes by tram. Locals book the room for it.

Tip: Twenty minutes by Metrolink from city centre; Wednesday to Saturday dinner only here.

Pollen Bakery Cinnamon Bun ★ 4.7

ancoats

Sunday Times-listed Ancoats bakery by Manchester's New Islington marina. Sourdough loaves, croissants, the cinnamon morning bun is the city's hidden bake.

Why locals love it: Manchester Ancoats bakery flagship, Sunday Times-listed; the cinnamon bun is the menu sleeper that hasn't gone viral the way the croissant has elsewhere.

Tip: Arrive by 10:00 weekdays for the cinnamon bun out of the case; sell by noon.

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