A new bakery that serves fresh-out-the-oven cookies until 3am is ready to open in Manchester city centre.
Insomnia Cookies is opening its first ever UK site (and its second too, actually) here in our city, taking over a unit at the Royal Exchange on Cross Street.
Due to open early next week, you’ll find warm, chewy cookies, delicious freshly-made milkshakes, and ice cream sandwiches.
And to celebrate its launch, Insomnia Cookies will throw a grand opening party on Saturday 2 September, with free cookies handed out alongside merch.
The first person in the queue on the day will be given a year’s supply of cookies, too… race you.
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The cookie company already has 240 sites across the USA but until now hasn’t ventured to this side of the pond.
A box of cookies at Insomnia Cookies. Credit: The Manc GroupA Biscoff deluxe cookie at Insomnia CookiesInsomnia Cookies at Royal Exchange, Cross Street, Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupInsomnia Cookies on Cross Street. Credit: The Manc Group
You can order warm cookies alongside ice-cold milk or even a pot of frosting for dunking in, with deliveries running until 3am with Deliveroo.
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Insomnia Cookies is the brainchild of founder Seth Berkowitz, who dreamt up the idea while he was a college student looking for late-night snacks.
The Insomnia Cookies menu
Classic Chocolate Chunk: the signature Insomnia flavour – classic dough loaded with thick, melty chunks of chocolate.
Double Chocolate Chunk: even more indulgent, the Double Chocolate Chunk also boasts a chocolate-flavoured dough.
White Chocolate & Macadamia: sweet and nutty with thick chunks of white chocolate and whole macadamia nuts folded through the dough.
Cinnamon: the UK’s take on a US staple, the Snickerdoodle. Contrary to popular belief, Snickerdoodles have nothing to do with Snickers and are in fact just… cinnamon flavoured.
Sugar Cookie: another US classic, the humble Sugar Cookie is for the purists. Think of it as a palate cleanser between cookies.
Vegan Hazelnut Deluxe: filled to the brim with smooth, vegan-friendly hazelnut spread, this chunkier cookie means that vegans don’t have to be left out of a late-night indulge.
Triple Chocolate Chunk Deluxe: this big, buttery cookie has a triple helping of gooey chocolate chunks.
Classic With M&Ms: the iconic M&M meets the iconic Insomnia crispy-on-the-edges-but-soft-in-the-centre cookie dough. A match made in sugary heaven.
Ben Lacey, managing director at Insomnia Cookies UK, said: “It’s a massive milestone for us to be opening our first bakeries in the UK. Manchester is a city that knows what it means to be up all night, so it was a no-brainer for us as our first location.
“We’re excited to be bringing the authentic, cult-favourite taste of Insomnia Cookies to the UK – including all the classics, plus some delicious limited edition flavours to boot.
“Late-night dessert shops are big here, but there’s long been a gap in the market for warm, fresh cookies hand-delivered to your doorstep all day and late into the night.
“Whatever the reason you’re up late at night – whether you’re hosting a house party, headed out to see someone special, or even editing episodes of your grindset podcast – we’re on hand to satisfy your sweet tooth.”
Insomnia Cookies opens two Manchester sites – on Cross Street in the city centre and at University Green of Oxford Road – on 29 August, with deliveries available through Deliveroo.
The best cheese tasting party in the North is BACK at a new Manchester venue
Danny Jones
That’s right, one of the biggest and best cheese tasting nights in the entire land is returning to Greater Manchester at a brand new city centre venue.
Not to be over-the-top, but this isn’t just another experience sampling possibly the greatest foodstuff on Earth, it’s a fully-fledged cheese-lovers’ party.
Some of you may have come across Homage2Fromage before, but for anyone unaware of the Yorkshire-born event, it started out as a monthly cheese tasting club and went on to expand across the dairy-adoring North at large.
Relaunching here in Manchester for 2026, all you lactose-intolerant people better watch, because Home2Fromage is coming back with a vengeance and heading to the Northern Quarter. Here’s how it went down the last time we visited one in Leeds:
Leeds, Sheffield, Harrogate, Manchester and who knows where else next.
Posting up in a relatively recent addition to NQ‘s bar and restaurant scene, The Faraday – a pub on Lever St that replaces the old Seven Sins back in October – it looks set to be an ideal venue for the regular evening series.
Homage2Fromage will be making its Manc return this month, and better still, they’re holding a cheeky little giveaway to sweeten the pot.
As in the deal, we mean – not the inevitable bowls full of olives, chutney, oil and various other dips…
To welcome this celebration of all things cheese coming back to Manchester city centre, they’re giving away a bunch of free tickets: 20 pairs in total.
Worth over £50 a piece for each twin set of tickets, you’d be a fool not to at least throw your hat in the ring for this one.
As you can see, the competition closes this Thursday, 19 February, ahead of the full relaunch party next week (Wed, 25 Feb), and all you have to do to enter is fill out this super quick survey.
It really is as simple as that; a few quick words are all that stand between you and a potential mountain of cheese and more.
You can find all you need to know about the event right HERE, and in case you haven’t popped into The Faraday just yet, see more down below.
It’s still somewhat early days, but we can see ourselves spending a fair bit of time in this up-and-coming Manchester watering hole, especially when there’s cheese nights involved.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Publicity pictures (supplied)
Eats
The best pancakes in Manchester and where to find them
Danny Jones
Pancakes might traditionally be a relatively simple staple, but here in Manchester our restaurants and cafes go large, with dozens of different styles, flavours and toppings to choose from– and we have some of the best places going in the North West.
There’s a pancake to suit everyone if you know where to look, from sweet to savoury, miniature to fat and thin to fluffy.
We’ve broken down some of our favourites below to help you get your pancake fix all year round. Yes, it may be Shrove Tuesday is looming, but one day is hardly enough to sample them all.
There are some relative newcomers to check out, too. Keep reading to discover the best places for pancakes in and around Manchester.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, La Vie Cafe, just at the end of Deansgate on the corner of St Mary’s Gate and Blackfriars Street, is one of the most sleek and stylish little corners you’ll find flipping perfect pancakes anywhere in Manchester.
While they’re well known for everything from the hot and cold brews, to luxurious topped waffles, French toast and more, their berry and Kinder combo stack might be one of the best desserts in town, full stop.
Us lot here in The Manc office would happily eat and drink here for hours – and many people do – but our wasitlines woudn’t thank us for it.
Now, if you’re more of a crepe person than a fluffy stack fan, then this increasingly viral and trending spot on Brazennose Street, just between two of the city’s most resurgent squares, might be a good alternative for you.
Putting a somewhat lighter and more delicate Japanese twist on the classic French-style dessert, these thin but flavourful little pancakes feel like a happy medium between treating yourself and pure decadence and potential overindulgence.
Their creme brûlée matcha flavoured crepe is absolutely to die for and an absolute must-try.
3. Hampton and Vouis – Central and Northern Quarter
Credit: The Manc Group
This cute little cafe next to Albert Square used to be very easy to miss, but with a second venue in the Northern Quarter now too, they’re more worth seeking out than ever. Venture inside, and you’ll find great coffee, a counter full of bakes from local suppliers and an excellent year-round pancake menu.
Here, fluffy American-style pancakes are loaded with sauce and sweet treats like Jammy Dodger biscuits, raspberries, caramel sauce and strawberry jam.
There’s also a Lotus Biscoff stack, a special apple crumble and custard stack, Biscoff and Bueno stacks, as well as plenty more – all come with vanilla ice cream on the side.
4. Cafe North – Shudehill
Heading over to Shudehill now, and just on the edge of the Northern Quarter, you’ll find Cafe North, which manages to be one of the cosiest and somehow still rather quiet city centre spots for good pancakes, even despite sitting on a busy main road.
It’s a no bookings kind of place, and it does fill up pretty quickly around breakfast time on weekends, and they do savoury just as well as they do sweet, but when it comes to the pancake game, the level of variety is unreal.
Summer fruits with mascarpone and honey, streaky bacon and maple syrup, fruit and Nutella, pistachio cream, Biscoff and more – the list is massive.
Next up is another NQ spot that often gets forgotten about, perhaps because it’s down the ‘quieter’ stretch of Tib Street that is so typically busy with deliveries and cut-through traffic that people just want it pedestrianised.
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However, if you haven’t tried Sugar Junction before, you’re seriously missing out. It also happens to be ‘r Amy’s favourite, and trust us, this girl knows what she’s talking about.
The rest of their menu is also jam-packed with all the sugary goodies you’d expect from a gaff with this name, but it’s well worth a visit if you want your pancakes just about as sweet as they come.
7. Moose Coffee – Piccadilly Approach and Central
Credit: The Manc
Canadians are famous for their pancakes, and the selection at Moose in Manchester is up there with the best. Made fresh to order, think a stack of three dusted with icing sugar and served with Canadian butter.
Whether you opt for savoury or sweet toppings, maple syrup on the side is pretty much a given (yes, even with your eggs and bacon), and we’re absolutely here for it.
The only thing that could make it more authentic is if the staff often split the bill for you unrequested. A nice little touch.
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8. Ezra and Gil
In at number eight is arguably one of the original contemporary brunch spots during Greater Manchester’s biggest foodie boom over the past decade, Ezra and Gil, who smash both day and night when given the chance.
They’re another one of those where you’ll always find a queue coming out the door and for good reason, as they’ve been reinventing the pancake game here in the city centre for a long time.
We’ve been Ezra and Gil die-hards since day one. Exhibit A:
Still as good now as it was back then.
9. 19 Cafe Bar
This blink-and-you ‘ll-miss-it spot has become an absolute go-to for naughty pancakes, thanks to its chocolate bar-laden menu.
The Biscoff and Kinder Bueno pancakes are the big draws here at 19 Cafe Bar. Loaded with the likes of Biscoff crumb and spread, banana, ice cream and salted caramel sauce, or homemade Kinder sauce, Bueno, chocolate sauce, roasted hazelnuts and vanilla ice cream.
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There are healthier pancake options, too, and a strong list of brunch cocktails available from the bar. Familiar Brett from our ‘On The Street’ series is a big fan:
A greasy spoon cafe, but make it Northern Quarter.
The Koffee Pot has long been a go-to breakfast spot, way before it moved up from Stevenson Square to its newer premises on Oldham Street.
It’s been known for fry-ups and breakfast tacos for nearly half a century now, but you can get a solid pancake stack here, too. Think all-American buttermilk pancake stacks with added sausage patty, smoked streaky bacon, hash brown, fried egg and maple syrup.
It’s basically a full English in a pancake stack, and who doesn’t want that?
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Credit: The Manc
11. Bruncho – Deansgate
Our penultimate pick of top-tier present-day pancake houses in central Manchester is the ever-filing out the door, Bruncho, who work magic with their Middle Eastern twists on brunch staples.
This spot also serves as just one stop among Deansgate’s growing brunch triangle. In fact, make that quadrangle – quitangle? Not sure, all we know is there’s a lot to choose from along here, and plenty serving pancakes.
Honestly, does this place even need an introduction at this point? The Northern Quarter staple brunch does some of the best breakfast plates and more in Greater Manchester, let alone just here in the city centre, so it’s no surprise they have some super pancakes, too.
We’re personally partial to their milkshakes, to be completely honest, but know people who still refuse to suggest anywhere else for some naughty stacks that Fress on Oldham Street, even after all these years.
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You can see the full menu HERE, but we’d recommend going for the duo delight offer and getting your pick of whatever two flavours you think pair best.
Credit: The Manc
13. Leo and Roobs – Salford
Just over on the edge of Salford, as you leave the glitzy reaches of Spinningfields behind, this beloved breakfast spot has become increasingly popular since it opened back in June 2024.
They’re not for solid coffee, great deals on various brunchy bits, and in case you didn’t know, some very tasty pancakes. Specifically, that tiramisu one you might have heard about, which is nothing short of unreal…
For context, when we asked our resident taste-tester EmJ on the day what she made of it, all she could repeat was “BANGIN'”. Says it all really, doesn’t it?
Daisy Jackson -
22nd August 2023 
