Massive queues formed up the street this weekend as fans flocked to the newly-reopened Northern Quarter brunch favourite 19 Cafe Bar.
This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it spot has become an absolute go-to over the years for all-day breakfasts and naughty pancakes, thanks in part to its chocolate bar-laden menu.
It has been closed for several weeks whilst undergoing a refurbishment but reopened its doors on Saturday with a brand new look.
Tucked away on Lever Street in the shadow of Piccadilly’s bus stops, if it wasn’t for the huge queues stretching down the road this weekend it would be very easy to walk on by.
The cafe is worth seeking out though, with its Biscoff and Kinder Bueno pancakes both big draws amongst its fans.
Image: 19 Cafe Bar
Image: 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, if you’re in the mood for a treat this is where to find it.
There are healthier pancake options too and a strong list of brunch cocktails available from the bar, with pornstar and espresso martinis, Aperol spritz, bloody marys and mimosas all on offer from 9am.
On the drinks front, you’ll find special hot drinks like gingerbread lattes and Terry’s hot chocolate served alongside proper builder’s brews, chai lattes, hot Biscoff, coffees and more.
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Image: 19 Cafe Bar
Image: 19 Cafe Bar
Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find traditional English and Irish fry ups, a bacon and black pudding benedict, salmon and avocado bagels, indulgent French toasts and loaded breakfast brioche buns.
Extras are available to add on from £1.50, with options like fried eggs, toast, Bury black pudding, smoked salmon, hollandaise and halloumi all on offer.
The cafe is reopened now with a brand new look, serving its hit all-day breakfast menu from 9am to 5pm seven days a week.
Feature image – 19 Cafe Bar
Eats
Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Hotel Chocolat is set to open a Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester city centre, and it’ll be absolute paradise for chocolate lovers.
The popular chocolate shop, which has stores across the UK selling delicious chocolate bars, boxes and more, is now preparing to branch out in town.
Hotel Chocolat then hit a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.
They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is up next.
If it follows in the footsteps of the Meadowhall cafe in Sheffield, visitors will be able to customise their perfect hot chocolate from thousands of combinations.
There are 18 flavours, different milks, and a whole variety of toppings available.
Then you drink can be served hot, over ice, or as a choc shake.
Colourful hoardings for the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe have now appeared on Cross Street, just next door to the new Joe & The Juice.
A planning application has also been lodged with Manchester City Council.
Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.
The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).
Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.
Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.
It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.
The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.
There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.
Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.
And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.
Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.
“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.
“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.
Georgina Pellant -
13th March 2023 
