The best breakfast and brunch in Manchester

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s a mantra that’s been ingrained in us since birth.

With so many amazing breakfasts in Manchester, why settle for any less than the best?

And we’ve been enjoying brunch since the 1890s. When writer Guy Beringer apparently proposed the hybrid meal between breakfast and lunch as a civilised way to deal with a hangover.

Not just a way to calm delicate stomachs, brunch was also a social occasion, perfect for swapping debauched tales from the previous evening. And indulging in a little hair of the dog, if necessary.

“Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting,” he wrote in his 1895 essay Brunch: A Plea. “It is talk-compelling. It makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Where does the best breakfast and brunch in Manchester?

Federal

Claudio and Emily opened Federal in 2014, and have gone on to create a little slice of Antipodean happiness in the heart of the city with branches in the Northern Quarter, Oxford Road and Deansgate.

All-day brunch dishes include smashed avocado and eggs with chilli salt and house pickles with smoked salmon (£11) or bacon (£8.50), as well as Turkish eggs (£8), halloumi with garlic and thyme roasted mushrooms on sourdough (£8.50), and a range of sweet treats from homemade toasted banana bread with vanilla mascarpone (£4) to French toast with berries, white chocolate and almond crumble (£8).

You can check out their menu by clicking here.

And with three sites to pick from across Manchester for an amazing Breakfast, It’s never been easier to get stuck into some great breakfast nosh.

Northern Quarter: 9 Nicholas Croft, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 1EY

Oxford Road: R3 No2 Circle Square, Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 7FS

Deansgate: 194 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3ND

Ezra and Gill

With branches on Peter Street and Hilton Street, neighbourhood hangout Ezra and Gil offers an extensive all-day brunch menu.

Dishes include healthy options – organic oats porridge made with almond milk (£5.50), house-baked granola (£6.50) or smashed pumpkin on toast with baby spinach, crumbled feta and free-range poached egg (£9.50) – as well as more indulgent options: chorizo and sweet potato hash (£9.50). 

Northern Quarter: 20 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 1FR

Peter Street: 49 Peter Street, Manchester, M2 3NG

Zouk Tea Bar and Grill

Zouk offers a fusion of traditional and contemporary dishes.

They have an interesting and eclectic menu, with so many choices to pick from you’d wish you had a spare stomach.

Traditional curries such as Karahis, Handis, and Biryanis, mingle with burgers, steaks and special roasts.

Don’t miss their sizzling mixed grills and aromatic tandoori bread straight from the clay oven.

Their well-loved and much-missed brunch makes a welcome return this Autumn too featuring a range of breakfast classics alongside a dish or two with a special Zouk twist.

Available for the first time post-pandemic, the brunch menu includes a selection of savoury and sweet dishes and will be served Tuesday to Sunday, from 8am – 3pm Tuesday to Friday, 9am – 3pm on Saturdays and 9am – 1pm on Sundays.

Zouk are also doing bottomless curry all week Mon-Fri 12-12 to celebrate National Curry Week.

With three amazing curries to choose from each day, you can’t miss them!

Address: 5, The Quadrangle, Chester St, Manchester M1 5QS

Check them out here

The Koffee Pot

A Manchester institution, The Koffee Pot on Oldham Street offers huge all-day breakfasts including fry-ups (from £9.50), fluffy buttermilk pancakes (£9-£10) and a range of Bennies, with vegan options available.

The MancMuffin (£9.50) is piled high with sausage patty, American cheese, smoked streaky bacon, potato rosti, runny egg and bloody Mary ketchup – and there’s a range of bloody Mary options alongside mimosas and boozy shakes. Thursday to Saturday from 4 pm you can tuck into incredible ‘hangover tacos’ dunked in gravy from Birria Brothers. 

84-86 Oldham St, Manchester M4 1LE

Moose Coffee

With branches on Piccadilly and York Street, Moose’s dishes aim to replicate an authentic American/Canadian brunch experience.

All-day options include homemade fresh potato hash fried on the griddle with meat and veggie options (from £8.50), stacked pancakes with a range of toppings (£10.50) and hot Belgian waffles (from £7.50) as well as a range of Eggs Benedict varieties.

20 York St, Manchester M2 2BB

The Smithfield Social

Brunch at this Thomas Street hangout is served from 9am to 4pm, and makes use of top ingredients including Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs and bread from Companio in Ancoats.

Why not tuck into green eggs and ham (£14) mustard glazed Gloucestershire Old Spot roast ham with two cackle-bean eggs, on toasted sourdough with green chilli salsa?

As well as breakfast sandwiches, you’ll find shakshuka (£11) and truffle and pecorino hash browns (£3) on the menu, alongside smoothie bowls with chia seeds (£7.50) and matcha green tea and blueberry pancakes (£7).

Check out their menu here.

53 – 55 Thomas St, Manchester M4 1NA

All-day brunch at Atlas Bar

Situated in the railway arches of Deansgate, Atlas Bar has been a Manchester icon for two decades and they also serve breakfast and brunch dishes as well as freshly ground, own blend, premium coffee from 8 am weekdays and 10 am weekends.

A bottomless brunch, from £29.50pp, means you can choose a breakfast item and get limitless drinks from their brunch drinks offer, which can be upgraded at an additional cost. Slots are for 90 minutes and must be pre-booked, and they offer vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

Check out their website here.

Trove

With branches in Ancoats, Levenshulme and Bloc on Marble Street, Trove offers a variety of enticing brunch dishes from sausages with borlotti beans with brown butter on toast (£10) or house-made kimchi and grilled cheese sandwich (£5.50) to a full vegan breakfast consisting of smoked Jerusalem artichoke, panisse, cavolo nero, mushroom, tahini, harissa beans, seasonal chutney, pickled shimejis and toast (£9.50).

Drinks include teas and coffees, organic juices, turmeric latte and spiced chai, and a punchy kimchi bloody mary (£7).

Nibble NQ

An independent, female-owned brunch and cake cafe on Oldham Street, Nibble NQ offers an all-day menu which includes meaty, veggie and vegan breakfasts (£9) and toasties (£6.50) as well as the ultimate breakfast bagel with smoked bacon, fried egg, smoked Monterey Jack cheese, pea and watercress guacamole, fresh tomato and spicy red pepper sauce (£6.50).

Sweet specials include toffee apple French toast with sticky toffee sauce and vanilla mascarpone (£7.50) and a raspberry and almond brownie hot chocolate (£4).

Bloom Café

Bloom Café Manchester on Deansgate is known for its hand-crafted CBD drinks and cakes – but they also do a great all-day brunch.

Favourites on the menu include Eggs Benedict, which is made with Bloom’s own signature hollandaise sauce (£9.45), the ‘Blooming good breakfast’, which is your classic full English with a few extras (£11.95), and the ‘Blooming vegan’ (£10.95) which contains two vegan sausages, smoky carrot bacon rashers, tomato, garlic mushrooms, beans and toast.

Breakfast butties at Northern Soul

You know and love their grilled cheese, but now Northern Soul do breakfast butties, too. The bacon version (£3.50) is filled with smoked streaky bacon, fried egg and American cheese, or try one with a Mancunian sausage patty, egg and cheese.

The Morning Glory (£4.50) is the full works: Mancunian sausage patty, smoked streaky bacon, fried egg, American cheese, a hash brown and a touch of tomato and chilli chutney in a toasted brioche bun.

Available at TIB STREET Unit G20-21 Smithfield Building, Tib St, Manchester, M4 1LA and The University of Manchester, The Market, Manchester, M13, 9PL from 8.30am to 11am. 

Check out their website here.

Dishoom

Dishoom has become famous for one breakfast dish above all others: the bacon naan (£6.50, or £9 for double bacon). Smoked streaky bacon is crisped and piled high in freshly baked naan bread with cream cheese, chilli tomato jam and fresh herbs.

There’s also sausage, vegan sausage and egg versions, but don’t miss the triple-stacked rice pancakes (£7.90) topped with Greek yoghurt, fresh berries and toasted coconut. We also love veggie-friendly spiced meat-free keema with sali crisp-chips and homemade toasted pau buns.

Served from 8am to 11.45am on weekdays and from 9am to 11.45am on weekends.

Check out their website here.

Alberts Schloss

This Bavarian bier palace is a top spot for daily breakfast and brunch. The menu features steak and eggs and French toast alongside coconut porridge and crayfish eggs benedict (£10), as well as a full-cooked breakfast.

Breads, pastries, cruffins and kronuts (£4) are all baked in-house daily and also available to take away. Drinks include freshly squeezed juice, artisan coffees and teas and shakes, plus boozy options such as mimosas, Bloody Marys, French 75 cocktails and prosecco.

Served from 8.30am-11.30am Monday to Friday, and from 9am-11.30am at weekends.

Check out their breakfast menu by clicking here.

Pot Kettle Black (PKB)

It’s perfectly acceptable to have tacos for breakfast at Pot Kettle Black, which has branches in the Barton Arcade and Angel Gardens.

Their breakfast tacos (£10) are loaded with smoky chorizo, scrambled egg, avocado, feta, spring onion coriander and pico de gallo. If you fancy something sweeter, there’s Manchester tart French toast (£9.50). Plus great coffee, of course.

Served daily from 8am until 4pm.

Check them out here

The Ivy

The Ivy offers a breakfast for all occasions from a full English (£13.95)  to toasted crumpets (£3.25), pastries and hot buttermilk pancakes (£8.95), all served in an elegant brasserie setting.

There’s also grilled asparagus with poached eggs, whole kippers with parsley butter, and caramelised pink ruby grapefruit as well as healthy juices and smoothies, teas and coffee with proper cream.

Served from 8am until 11.30am Monday-Friday, and from 9am until 11am at weekends.

Check out their website here

Masons

Settle into one of the plush, velvety green booths at Masons in Manchester Hall for an elegant breakfast experience.

All dishes are £9 and come with English breakfast tea or coffee, including steak and eggs with truffle hollandaise, a full cooked breakfast, or a locally sourced ham and Lancashire cheese platter with pastries, granola and juice.

Served 8.30am-11.30am Monday to Friday, and 9am-11.30am at weekends.

Check out their website here

20 Stories

It’s only for one day, but where else could you celebrate a lazy Sunday with black pudding benedict (£10) and a champagne supernova cocktail?

Sunday brunch at Manchester’s highest restaurant is a classy affair, with crushed avocado, smoked salmon and grilled sourdough on the menu as well as a hearty option of baked free range eggs, fried potato, chorizo, pickled red pepper and spinach.

Brunch is served every Sunday from midday to 3pm.

Check out their website here