Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge is a restaurant that’s putting in an enormous amount of effort to please just a very small group of people – this teeny tiny bistro has just 18 seats.
With such a small capacity no one would blame them for sitting back and scaling back to a concise little menu of pizza – but Giuseppe’s really said ‘no grazie’ to such an idea and committed itself to a full bistro menu.
It’s yet another exciting addition to the rapidly-booming restaurant scene here in Tameside, where neighbours include Cafe Continental, Gladstone Barber & Bistro, and SK15 Bar & Bistro.
Giuseppe’s arrival on the Stalybridge high street has created a cosy corner for locals, one which could quickly follow in the footsteps of Ornella’s to become a fully-booked-for-months-in-advance destination.
Inside its welcoming navy blue walls you’re welcomed by a room filled with trailing plants, ceramic lemons and a huge doodle map of Sicily.
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The menu also hails from Sicily, specialising in wood-fired pizzas but also dipping a toe into pasta and small plates too.
Pizza at Giuseppe’s Italian bistro in StalybridgeA spread of dishes at Pizza at Giuseppe’s Italian bistro in Stalybridge
Giuseppe’s pizza dough is meticulously made fresh with Italian 00 flour, left to ferment for at least 48 hours, before being stretched and topped and cooked in the wood-fired pizza oven until it’s all puffed-up and charred around the edges.
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At lunch times, those delicious pizza doughs are folded in half to make Italian panozzi sandwiches, the charred dough encasing fillings like Sicilian fennel sausage and friarelli, and mortadella with stracciatella.
These are strong contenders for the best pizzas this side of Greater Manchester, with a soft and chewy crust that stands up against much bigger names in the pizza game.
Rum baba at Giuseppe’sThe team at Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge
Giuseppe’s pasta bowls include a hearty paccheri with Sicilian sausage AND guanciale, all salty and rich and creamy.
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And once you’ve eaten your fill in this tiny little spot, where the windows go all steamed up in winter and you’re nudging up against neighbours chatting over pizzas, you can polish off with Italian desserts too.
There’s a very respectable slab of tiramisu on offer, plus a rum baba soaked in syrup and packed with fresh cream.
Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge may be small in capacity but it’s huge on spirit.
The 13 best bakeries in Greater Manchester, for bread, pastries, cakes and more
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester has one of the best food scenes on the planet, and when it comes to bakeries, our corner of the UK really shines.
From traditional British bakeries selling old-school northern favourites, to artisans who have put Manchester on the global map, we’re not short of options here.
There are tiny little award-winners, family-run favourites, viral sensations, and plenty more besides.
We came up with a list of 10… then kept remembering more places, so you can have a baker’s dozen of 13 great bakeries instead. Here we go!
Pollen, Ancoats and Kampus
PollenPollen at Kampus
Pollen is perhaps the name on this list that just about everyone in the nation will have heard of.
The brilliant, artisan bakery started life in a railway arch behind Manchester Piccadilly and quickly had queues down the street for its towering, flaky cruffins.
Since then, it’s opened its own waterside cafe and bakery in Ancoats, as well as a gorgeous modern space in the leafy Kampus, and is widely accepted to be one of the best bakeries in the North – if not the entire country.
Order a cruffin, and take a loaf of sourdough home with you for later.
Long Boi’s Bakehouse, Levenshulme
Long Boi’s Bakehouse in Levenshulme has been named one of Britain’s Best Bakeries in the Good Food Guide
Long Boi’s Bakehouse is a neighbourhood, women-owned bakery, which was recently named in the Good Food Guide’s list of Britain’s Best Bakeries (alongside Pollen for Greater Manchester).
The colourful bakery operates from a former off-license in a residential corner of Levenshulme, first finding fame with its homemade Pop Tarts, but it’s done A LOT of amazing baking since then.
Fans will travel great distances for their savoury pain au pickle (pictured above), as well as fluffy Lamington cakes and other sweet pastries.
Half Dozen Other, Red Bank and Oxford Road
Halloween specials at Half Dozen OtherPistachio cookie at Half Dozen Other, Manchester
From its all-pink warehouse in Red Bank, Half Dozen Other is one of the Manchester bakeries that everyone is talking about.
You’ve got a few options to visit, either popping in to pick up a treat from the main bakery, or visiting their cafe on Oxford Road (or indeed, grabbing a croissant from Pot Kettle Black).
Head baker Mark is a fountain of baking knowledge and inspiration, somehow coming up with brand-new creations every single week.
From Halloween specials in the shape of brains and fingers, to ever-changing flavour variations on pain suisse and pain au chocolat, there’s a reason people have made this a staple in their weekend plans.
La Chouquette, Didsbury
Bread at La Chouquette
La Chouquette is widely accepted to be one of Greater Manchester’s top bakeries, famed for its traditional French pastries, desserts and cakes.
The queues out the door every weekend speak for themselves – these are almond croissants worth travelling for.
Founded by Mairead Deignan and Florent Verove, La Chouquette has grown in size and gone on to open a second site, Piqniq, serving sandwiches on proper baguettes.
Hive Bakehouse, Westhoughton
Pistachio cruffins, fresh focaccia, and sticky toffee Danishes – have we caught your attention yet?
What started as a lockdown hobby in the owner’s garden has flourished into a beautiful cafe set inside an old stables, and we definitely recommend giving Hive Bakehouse a visit.
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Whether you want to visit their cafe to try their delicious bakes, or you’re a business looking for bread suppliers, Hive Bakehouse has got it all – and by visiting them, you’re also supporting a lovely family-run business, too.
The Flat Baker, Ancoats
Viral Manchester bakery The Flat Baker
If you haven’t seen The Flat Baker on social media, you must not be on social media at all, because this place is an online sensation.
And the bakes really live up to the hype, too. Owned by Debs and Matt, who started the business out of their flat in lockdown, they’ve gone from a tiny hatch in Ancoats to their own sunny cafe just next door.
There’s a counter packed with their phenomenal Brazilian and French bakes, including traditional brigadeiros, their famed pistachio range, and delicate savoury pastries. There’s not a bad order to be had, truthfully.
Companio, Ancoats and Northern Quarter
There’s something about Companio that feels more honest-to-goodness than most of the other bakeries in Greater Manchester – maybe it’s the way you can see the bakers pummelling dough just behind the counter.
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Now with two sites in the city centre, there’s even more chance to pick up giant sourdough loaves, freshly-made Danishes, or maritozzi bursting at the seams with cream.
There’s something VERY satisfying about sitting eating a freshly-baked pastry while you watch a baker roll out the next batch right in front of you.
Polish bakehouse Sticky Fingers now has a new (second) home, which means even more chance of grabbing one of their insane bakes.
Run by partners Adrian and Klaudyna, the new Underbank cafe is serving up all of their usual best-sellers, alongside proper good coffee to pair with it.
The new spot is stacked with all their cult classics – think blackcurrant Bakewell brioche, rich banoffee danishes, and cherry-topped pastries. It’s no wonder they sell out the minute stuff hits the trays.
This family-run bakery was set up by teacher-turned-baker Matt Townley, whose bread delivery business went pretty busy during lockdown (look, not all of us got into baking our own sourdough).
They’ve always got loads of specials worth popping in for, whether it’s a tear-and-share brioche heart for Valentine’s Day, or a supersized Easter hot cross bun loaf.
It’s a real class act, and you can see the talented team of bakers at work inside the cafe too.
Lottie’s Bakehouse, Chinatown
There’s a fabulous Chinese bakery right in the heart of Chinatown, serving up traditional Chinese treats and Japanese fusion baked goods.
There’s everything from pandon coconut buns and maple syrup toast, to seaweed rolls, pineapple buns, coffee rotis, and LOADS more.
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You can even customise your own cakes, as well as enjoy matcha, coffee, and traditional Chinese drinks on the side too. Don’t miss their bow-shaped croissants.
Loafi, Ramsbottom
A cross-section of the custard tartInside Loafi in Ramsbottom
Forget your fancy-pants artisan bakes or viennoiseries – this bakery up in Ramsbottom is all about old-fashioned and traditional northern bakes. And it’s absolutely brilliant.
Whether it’s a sticky-bottomed Eccles cake, a corned beef sandwich on a soft milk roll, or a primary school reminiscent cornflake tart, Loafi is really celebrating the North West in all its eras.
And then the star of the show – their custard tart. These fly off the counter within minutes of landing, but we’ll go to great lengths to get our hands on that Manchester Tart again in this lifetime.
Hidden on an industrial estate in Salford, Mayya is dishing out some of the best baked goods around – and yes, that includes cinnamon rolls so good they might ruin all others for you.
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What started as a homegrown hobby has flourished into a cosy spot for proper Turkish comfort food, from freshly made gözleme (or gozzies for short) to bigger dishes if you fancy sitting in.
Grab yourself a fresh juice or one of their silky coffees to sip on and you’ve got the ultimate little treat.
As with all good neighbourhood venues, All Things Nice wears a few different hats.
By day, it’s a cafe and bakery where you can tuck in to fresh pasties, homemade bagels, and brunch dishes perched atop their in-house loaves; by night, it’s all about homemade sourdough pizzas, great wine, and premium meats from local butchers.
Their bakes and cakes are absolutely beautiful – they really do hit the nail on the head with everything they pop on the menu.
Five Greater Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this past month | March 2026
Danny Jones
Don’t look at us like that… It was a bank holiday, and we had a lot of stuff to sort before the long weekend – and a good chunk of that was spent listening to loads of Manc music, new and old, so just shut your trap and get ready for another batch of fantastic artists.
Seriously, though, we’re sorry you had to wait a few extra days than usual to get your latest fix of local tunes, but good things always come to those who wait.
If you happen to be new to this regular series of ours in 2026, it’s pretty much what it says on the tin: every month, we round up the stuff from in and around the Greater Manchester region that we’ve been listening to of late.
Simple as that. Let’s crack on, shall we?
1. Freak Slug
Born in Italy and now based in Manchester after studying in London, Xenya Genovese – a.k.a. ‘Freak Slug’ – is mixing trippy, shoegazey, alt-pop and rock sounds to great effect, which is even more impressive when you find out she produces pretty much everything herself.
There are notes of everything from Slow Pulp and Mazzy Star, to bits of Hazel English and Soccer Mommy; if you were thinking NewDad, too, you’d be absolutely right. In fact, the rising star is currently on tour with them over in North America after having played some domestic and European shows.
If you’re just getting started, we’d recommend two of her biggest hits, ‘Radio’ and ‘Friday’, as you’ll get a good broad strokes idea of her style, but we do love the slightly more Northern attitude and almost Kate Nash-esque no-nonsense of recent single ‘Honest Man’. You can find a snippet of her latest down below.
In at number two is Manchester’s answer to the country music scene – specifically, the growing host of fantastic female artists who are becoming increasingly influential in the space. If you’re a fan of Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley, Ashley Cooke, Alana Springsteen and the like, she’s right up your alleyway.
One of our own, if you’re a fellow British country fan who often suffers from a dash of impostor syndrome, you’ll be glad to hear she does her best work when she leans more into that some of that self-awareness and self-deprecation, highlighting what makes her different rather than trying to blend in.
It’s a trap that plenty of UK artists can fall into when trying to tap into a sound, but instead, this is what sets it apart; there are no better examples than ‘Past Life Cowgirl’ and ‘Don’t Give Me Hope’, which still show a pop sensibility that could see her playing arenas. And if you don’t like it, as the girl says, you can ‘Kiss [Her] Accent’.
We spoke to her at our first taste of C2C music festival.
3. Ishango Bone
In at number three up is an up-and-coming band that technically has only one Spotify release as yet, along with a smattering of other raw recordings from gigs, etc. online, but they’re nonetheless one that has quickly caught our attention – and not least because of that moniker.
Taking on the same title as a 20,000-year-old ‘calculator’ found near the Nile River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (fall down the rabbit hole at your peril), choosing to name themselves after this gives you a little bit of insight into this curious, interesting, experimental and admittedly odd project.
Even their social media is pretty unique and eccentric, mirroring that somewhat detached, third-person voice used by the likes of Sleep Token, and talking about the project as if it were research into some new alien entity. Bit weird, but so are we, and we like it. New single ‘The Agency’ out on 24 April.
The Salford kid is still very early in his career. It was only back in February 2023 that a then 12-year-old Denton won Marr’s eponymous award from the Salford Foundation Trust. However, since then, the young man has clearly got the right people around him as his sound is already coming across well-developed.
He doesn’t have tonnes out yet, so you might as well complete his discography. Thus far, you can hear influences of Britpop legend Richard Ashcroft, but also fellow Wiganers, the Stanleys, but it’s still too early to tell where he’ll go. All we know is it’s uplifting indie that’s perfect for a spring soundtrack.
5. The Cavs
Last but not least, we have The Cavs, who feel like they’ve been around forever because, well, it has been a good seven years or so since their very first song. We feel like we’ve caught them at festivals here and there, but never quite seen them have their one breakout moment. Could it be coming this year?…
The local lads are back after a little break, having last released music this time last year, but there feels like a fresh wave of momentum might be about to take them onto that next level, as we’re once again seeing them all over our algorithm. They’ve always had a big sound, but it deserves a bigger following.
We might still have a soft spot for the anthemic, 90s/early noughties feel of ‘Find A Way’, and we still maintain that ‘Headshot’ has one of the most addictive intros and recurring riffs we’ve any contemporary rock band could hope to write, but their new release ‘Hallowed Ground’ is well worth a listen to, as well.
So there you have it: another round-up to wrap up Q1 of this year’s journey through Manchester’s musical scene.
As always, we’re looking for new suggestions all the time, so let us know who you’re listening to at the minute – or rather who we should be – down in the comments.
Oh, and since you’re here, why not check out last month’s list?
Daisy Jackson -
14th February 2025 
