The best cafés in Manchester

The Koffee Pot, a beloved café in Manchester, is appreciated for its quintessential British charm and impressive breakfast and brunch offerings, featuring both traditional and innovative dishes like full English breakfasts and vegan options. The café interior exudes a retro flair with colourful leather booths and art-adorned walls, making it a vibrant gathering spot for both locals and visitors.

Born from an indie music company that started in a flat over a decade ago, Ditto Coffee borrows its blueprint from Melbourne's hole-in-the-wall cafés. The Manchester shop keeps things simple: a house blend of Brazilian, Nicaraguan and Guatemalan beans, homemade cakes and unfussy snacks, with playlists of new independent artists on constant rotation. Expect a mix of remote workers, locals killing time, and people who prefer a café with background music to a library hush.

Self-styled masters of Antipodean brunch Federal run several outlets across Manchester, offering a menu laden with brunch staples like smashed avocado on sourdough, French toast, and Turkish eggs. A selection of speciality coffees and cocktails are also available. These cafés are warm and inviting, with lush foliage and decor, and even stock Tim Tams and other Australian treats.

Ancoats Coffee Co. is an artisan coffee roastery in Manchester dedicated to delivering high quality coffee for both home brewing and immediate consumption. Drop by the café to try their speciality coffees in a welcoming, community-focused setting. The venue regularly hosts cuppings, workshops, and other fun, informative events.

Pot Kettle Black is a collection of Antipodean-style cafés in Manchester, offering an extensive brunch menu all day long. Patrons can enjoy a variety of options including avocado toast, egg dishes, smoothie bowls, along with light lunches and freshly-baked goodies. Artisan coffee and a selection of other beverages are also available. The Angel Gardens location also features Sunday roasts and regularly hosts comedy cabaret events, whilst the city centre branch resides in the beautiful Barton Arcade.

Established in Nottingham in 2012, 200 Degrees has expanded nationwide, spreading its dedication to artisanal coffee. They roast their beans at a lower-than-usual 200 degrees for a richer taste and operate barista schools offering courses for all abilities. Their Manchester coffee shop is a good spot to get some work done as it features free Wi-Fi and a bookable meeting room, as well as serving fresh food and speciality coffee throughout the day.

Spread over two floors, All The Shapes in Prestwich is a modern café and bar featuring a stylish interior and extensive outdoor seating. The kitchen offers a seasonal brunch menu, including dishes like spring eggs and signature breakfast tacos, alongside hot drinks, cocktails, and other beverages. During weekend evenings, the venue stays open late and frequently features DJs, establishing it as a favoured local spot.

Foundation Coffee House operates several locations across Manchester, all designed with a bright and contemporary industrial style. These cafés are great for enjoying a coffee paired with a cake or brownie, or indulging in more substantial breakfast and brunch options. They also cater to a variety of events. The menu features light fare such as granola and porridge, alongside sandwiches, fry-ups, and toast topped with choices like avocado, mushrooms, or eggs.

Ezra & Gil is a popular breakfast and brunch destination in Manchester, offering an extensive all-day menu. You can enjoy everything from traditional brunch items like eggs Benedict, pancakes, and fry-ups to global delights including pasta, salads, and poke bowls at this café, and cocktails are also on hand to complement the meal. The contemporary industrial cafés also let you stock up with groceries and artisanal products.

This cosy Ancoats café treats coffee like a small science project without making a big song and dance out of it. Owners Noddy and Cyrus have borrowed ideas from Japan and Hong Kong, so the menu includes playful drinks  inspired by those locations. In the kitchen, Cyrus turns out thick, crumbly cookies that do the job beside an espresso. The room is cute and low-key, tucked along Oldham Road,.

Sugar Junction is a charming café inspired by a passion for baking, wholesome cuisine, top quality coffee, and retro aesthetics. The decor features china tea sets, vintage posters, and period-appropriate music, creating an ambience that harks back to a nostalgic era. This complements their homemade cakes and freshly-prepared dishes, including afternoon tea and all-day brunch.

Idle Hands is a cosy café in Manchester celebrated for its daily offerings of freshly-baked sweet pies and cakes, featuring flavours such as salted caramel apple, pecan, and cookie dough. The café also offers an all-day brunch menu with comforting dishes like slow-stewed beans on sourdough and traditional fry-ups. To accompany your meal, enjoy coffee sourced from a rotating selection of roasters. Idle Hands can get pretty busy, so you might have to wait a bit to be seated.

If you love baked goods, make sure to add Siop Shop in Tib Street in Manchester to your list of places to visit. Their doughnuts have developed a cult following thanks to their inventive flavours, alongside traditional favourites like jam and custard. Along with these sweet treats, they offer buns, savoury snacks, and coffee, all tied together by an easygoing ambience.

More of a low-key local than a destination with a queue, 92 Degrees is the sort of café you end up using by routine. There are three small branches across Greater Manchester, each running on a living-wage policy and a lot of talk about ethical beans. The menu is simple, featuring house blends, a rotating single-origin, pastries, and lunch bites, and the rooms are relaxed enough that nobody minds if you stay a while with a laptop.