Mayhap Coffee in Wigan is clearly doing something right – walk past on any given weekend and you’re likely to see a polite line up people waiting outside its doors.
They’re queueing up for what’s become one of Greater Manchester’s very best brunches and coffee spots.
Tucked down a quiet street in Tyldesley, Mayhap Coffee is a proper indie that’s become a firm favourite with the local community since opening two years ago.
Rain or shine (and it’s usually rain in Wigan), locals make the pilgrimage to Chapel Street for their fix of pancakes, coffees and brunch dishes.
As it’s walk-in only, you’ve got to really commit to get a seat in this cosy spot – but it is always, always worth the effort.
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Hero dishes here include their huge pancake stacks, which are always lauded as some of the best in Greater Manchester, and their tower French toasts, including the monthly specials.
As time’s gone on, the Mayhap Coffee French toast has taken the shape of tiramisu, apple pie, and even Easter egg.
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Mayhap Coffee in Wigan. Credit: The Manc GroupEpic cheesy beans on toast. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Mayhap Coffee. Credit: the Manc Group
But you know what never goes out of style? Banoffee fudge French toast, that’s what. This is a literal cube of delicious brioche wearing a wizard’s hat of mascarpone on top.
Another star of the show is the humble beans on toast, elevated here with their own baked beans recipe, lashings of two different cheeses, and a fried egg on top if that’s what you fancy.
There’s also an nduja scramble, where this spicy, melty sausage is cooked in with fluffy eggs before being loaded onto toasted farmhouse bread and topped with feta and spring onion.
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Queues at Mayhap. Credit: Instagram, @mayhapcoffeeBrunch dishes at Mayhap Coffee. Credit: The Manc Group
Mayhap takes its coffee seriously and really knows its stuff, with a team who are more than happy to explain exactly what and why is going into your morning brew.
Its charming exterior is all thanks to a designated High Street Heritage Action Zone, which has seen several shop fronts in the area brought back to their glory days.
The sash windows at Mayhap Coffee now look almost exactly as they would have in 1895.
Shame those Victorians never got to experience the delights of a Mini Egg pancake stack, though…
Salford industrial estate bakery with incredible cinnamon rolls to open new site
Daisy Jackson
Mayya Bakery, a local ‘hidden gem’ with incredible cinnamon rolls, is set to open a brand-new bakery that will make it significantly less hidden.
Until now, Mayya has been quietly trading from an industrial estate in Salford, where it’s built a great reputation for its bakes despite an off-the-beaten-track-location and relatively little social media fanfare.
It opened its doors in 2024, operated by former primary school teacher Meli and her husband, dentist Oguz.
This is an artisan bakery with a real Turkish flare, with plenty of comfort food like freshly made gözleme (or gozzies for short) and bigger dishes if you fancy sitting in.
Their counters are stuffed with sweet bakes, like their perfect cinnamon rolls, plus loaves, babka, cookies, and homemade cheesecake.
For bigger dishes, you’ll find breakfast dishes like Turkish eggs, Simit (a traditional sesame bagel) breakfasts, and menemen.
The counters at Mayya Bakery’s current locationIncredible cheesecake at Mayya BakerySigns on Chapel Street Salford for the new Mayya Bakery
And now Mayya Bakery has revealed plans to open a new location in a much more prominent spot in town, with signs appearing in the windows of a unit on Chapel Street.
The sign reads: “Everything is homemade – including this picture.”
It also quips: “They called us hidden gem… not hidden anymore.”
Mayya will open on Chapel Street soon – keep an eye on our food and drink Instagram page The Manc Eats for the latest.
Sacha Lord set to back local hospitality again with money behind the bar of one Greater Manchester pub
Danny Jones
Local figure Sacha Lord is once again looking to help support Greater Manchester’s food and drink scene once again this spring by putting a total of £2.5k behind the bar of one lucky pub.
Well, let’s be honest, we’re about to be the real lucky ones.
It’s far from the first time that the Night Time Economy Advisor has done this, having previously put sizeable sums towards shared tabs on a few ocassions over the last few years.
Lining up his next handout for this coming early May bank holiday (perfect timing), it’s going to be a super and potentially very sloppy Sunday…
Tell me your favourite pub in Greater Manchester.
Bank Holiday Sunday 3rd May, I’ll be turning up and putting £2500 behind the bar.
Sharing the video above online earlier this week, the 54-year-old simply wrote, “Tell me your favourite pub in Greater Manchester. Bank Holiday Sunday, 3rd May, I’ll be turning up and putting £2500 behind the bar.”
The message is as straightforward as ever: “Support your local pub.”
Now obviously, the fact that people can reply with their go-to boozers and help influence the decision is one thing – something that has certainly always created an attraction each time he’s done this – but it’s also just a good way of marketing these watering holes to begin with.
Whether or not someone’s favourite public house tucked away in one of the 10 boroughs, or their bar of choice here in Manchester city centre, ends up being selected or not, it’s obviously great publicity having their names plastered on a notable social media account.
This is especially so when you see how much the post itself ends up being reshared and the overall exposure Lord ultimately lends them via creating such a big crowd discussion.
Here’s hoping we get proper beer garden weather over that long weekend.
It’s also worth noting that the further support stunts like this have helped garner support for other regional businesses – in particular, indies that are battling the cost of living crisis and so many other challenges within the sector – has proved crucial for some places to stay open to begin with.
A good example is the Thirsty Korean, who teamed up with the Altrincham-born entrepreneur to cover hundreds of bills back in 2023, and has now been able to expand into a larger venue down the road from their original Chorlton location.
The obstacles facing the hospitality industry remain varied and numerous, but gestures like this can go a long way to helping prop up those who need it.
Daisy Jackson -
20th September 2024 
