A proper greasy spoon breakfast is fast becoming a lost art in central Manchester, as hollandaise-loaded benedicts move to slowly edge out the classic fry-up cafes.
Sadly, Linda’s Pantry is no more, neither is Fatso’s- yes, we shed some tears writing this. Don’t worry, though, there are still some great little greasy spoon spots to head for a spot-on builder’s brekkie – and we’ve done our best to locate them all for you.
Keep reading to discover where to get the best no-muss, no-fuss, traditional fry up in Manchester this weekend.
If you know of any more, let us know over at @themancuk.
Essy’s can be found on King Street and is just as popular with the solicitors as builders in the morning / Image: Zomato
Essy’s
With its no-frills appearance, Essy’s feels very much pulled from another era – before brunch was a hipster pursuit and everyone was happy enough with a fried egg and sausage butty.
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All-day breakfasts start at £8.50 here, or you can get a breakfast Vienna for £4.95. They also have a special ‘builder’s breakfast’ on the menu for £7.50.
Find it at 31-33 King St W, Manchester M3 2PW.
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Rustica is iconic in the Northern Quarter – just ask anyone / Image: Georgina Pellant
Rustica
Known for its butties and all-around great breakfast menu, if you’re in the Northern Quarter you can’t go wrong with a takeaway breakfast from Rustica.
With dishes starting from just £2, grab yourself some egg on toast or some sort of variation on an egg, bacon and sausage butty for under £3. If you want a full fry up, it’s a fiver with toast, whilst cups of tea and coffee start at just 60p. Not too shabby, like.
Find it at 1 Hilton St, Manchester M4 1LP.
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Gemini Cafe is a student favourite and can be found on Oxford Road / Image: Worldorgs
Gemini Cafe
A classic student haunt (and for good reason), Gemini Cafe is an Oxford Road staple. Close to the unis and various halls of residence, it’s understandably popular with Manchester’s undergrads – but is also frequented by a load of locals for its reliably spot-on cafe breakfasts.
This classic breakfast diner, with its Formica tables and PU seats, isn’t fancy – but then that’s not what we’re here for. It’s all about the scran and the very reasonable prices.
Find it at 328-330 Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9NG.
This cafe in the Manchester Arndale is always busy / Image: Signage Systems
Rowntree’s Cafe
A solid Mancunian favourite, Rowntree’s in Manchester Arndale can always be relied upon for a solid breakfast scran. A city staple for over 25 years, it’s open from 8am most days serving all day breakfast fry ups and other bits and bobs too.
Inside, you’ll find pictures of Coronation Street characters all over the walls – just part of the place’s quirkiness. Be prepared, the portions here are huge – so make sure to come hungry.
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Find it at Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre, 20 High St, Manchester M4 1QB.
The Koffee Pot might have upgraded its aesthetic but it still does a banging breakfast / Image: The Koffee Pot
The Koffee Pot
Over the years, The Koffee Pot has moved away from its builder’s breakfasts roots – upping sticks from its original Stevenson Square home where you could once count on the biggest mug of tea (or coffee) in the Northern Quarter, over to Oldham street.
Nowadays, you’ll still find a solid choice of fry ups including a Fully English, Irish Fry and a ‘Big Yin’ with MacSween haggis, square sausage and a tatty scone. Fry ups start at £9.50. Alternatively, or opt for a big Manc Muffin with sausage patty, american cheese, bacon, potato rosti and runny egg for the same price.
Find it at 84-86 Oldham St, Manchester M4 1LE.
Part bakery, party deli, Hansfords has been around for over a century / Image: Hansfords
Hansfords
Part bakery, part deli, Hansfords is one of the Arndale originals and in that time the offering has barely changed. In the bakery business for over a century, its counters are stuffed with pies, cakes, sausage rolls and cheese but it’s the breakfast vienna sandwiches that have really got our attention.
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Popular with the builders in the morning, get in early and opt for a Full English in a Vienna at breakfast for the ultimate morning treat. Alternatively, go for a full tradional breakfast with plenty of black pudding to get your day started.
Find it in the Manchester Arndale at 49 High St, Manchester M4 3AH.
Cafe North’s breakfast is available all day long / Image: Cafe North
Cafe North
Found on the edge of the Northern Quarter, this independent cafe can always be relied on for good grub. On the breakfast menu here you’ll find not one, not two but six different fry-up varieties – ranging from ‘mini’ to ‘big’ to ‘super’ sized, with further options for veggies too.
With prices starting from £7 for the mini, which includes one sausage, one bacon, one egg, beans, tomato, mushrooms, and toast, it’s not necessarily the cheapest builders breakfast in the world but it’s still a damned good shout. No need to book, just turn up.
Find it at 66 Shudehill, Manchester M4 4AA.
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Kim’s Kitchen in Hulme has recently had an oveerhaul – but their breakfast menu is just as brilliant as ever / Image: Kim’s Kitchen
Kim’s Kitchen
If you want service with a smile, go to Kim’s Kitchen for one of their ‘Propatop’ breakfast fry ups or barms.
Served until 4 pm, there’s two vegan options and a veggie alongside the classic meaty full English (£9) – plus barms in fluffy Lancashire oven bottom muffins. We like the look of the halloumi and hash brown one (£5) a lot, actually but there’s absolutely loads to choose from.
Find it at 49 Old Birley St, Hulme, Manchester M15 5RF.
Porky Pig began life as a street food stall but now has it’s own cafe in Manchester / Image: Porky PIg
Porky Pig
If you love a traditional full English but fancy it with a twist, why not try it tucked inside a giant Yorkshire pudding?
What first began as a street food stall at Manchester Christmas markets now has its own permanent home just behind the town hall. Get the full works – – tucked inside a giant Yorkshire, or opt for it without, whatever you like.
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Breakfast Yorkshire puddings include bacon, sausage, egg, tomato, mushroom, beans and hash brown and will set you back £8.25, but there’s some fat breakfast sandwiches and burgers to be found here too as well as cheap options like two slices of toast for £2.15.
Find it at 7 Cooper St, Manchester M2 2FW.
Hatty’s is often thought of as a late-night takeaway, but their breakfast sandwiches are mega / Image: Trip Advisor
Hatty’s
You might’ve frequented this little Deansgate kebab and pizza shop after a night out, but it can also be relied on for a cracking breakfast barm. It’s super cheap too – a fried or scrambled egg barm will cost you just £1.50, rising to £2 if you want bacon or sausage.
They’ll also put in extras like hash browns for you in the breakfast barm, so you can build it just how you like it. Perfect when you’re feeling hungover and fussy. Be warned, though, they don’t start it until 11am.
Find it at 247 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN.
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Bowler’s is an institution in Manchester / Image: TripAdvisor
Bowler’s Sandwich Bar and Cafe
An institution on Albert Square, Bowler’s has got its own little bit of rustic charm.
Sat next to the quaker building, the owner has been here for years serving up reasonably-priced sandwiches, baked potatoes and breakfasts. A fry up here will; set you back £4.50 – leaving you with change from a fiver.
Find them at 2 Mount St, Manchester M2 5WQ.
Moose Coffee is an all-round favourite with some great Canadian breakfast options / Image: Moose Coffee
Moose Coffee
Strictly a Canadian breakfast spot, there are some absolutely belting fry ups to be had here. The menu is massive, with a whopping eighteen different fry ups to choose from on their all day breakfast section.
With prices starting from £8.95, it’s also pretty reasonable too. Be warned, it’s really popular here so you’ll probably have to queue.
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Find it at 20 York St, Manchester M2 2BB.
Bread and Bowl at The Crown and Anchor
A whole loaf of sourdough bread, hollowed out and filled with all the best bits of a fry up? It’s not traditional, but we’re here for it.
Bread and Bowl’s comes with juicy high-grade sausages, thick-cut bacon and hash browns between layers of beans, cheese, mushrooms, and tomatoes and will set you back £11 for a regular or £15 for a large. There’s veggie and vegan options too, and they even deliver if you’re feeling lazy (or happen to be isolating).
Find it at the Crown and Anchor, 41 Hilton St, Manchester M1 2EE.
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Fans are preparing to pay tribute to Mani from The Stone Roses ahead of his funeral service
Danny Jones
Stone Roses fans and Greater Manchester locals alike are getting ready to pay their respects to the late, great, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, following his tragic passing last month.
As well as details surrounding his funeral being announced earlier this week, the iconic Manc musician’s cause of death has also finally been revealed.
While Hatton’s service featured a high-profile cortège which started all the way from his hometown of Hyde, past multiple landmarks and ending at the Etihad Stadium, those local to Mani’s family home on the edge of Stockport are also being welcomed to help send him off.
It's the funeral of Mani of the Stone Roses on the 22nd. He lived locally. This poster is asking people to line the route of his funeral cortege to "show that he truly was adored". pic.twitter.com/X0DYHl10Hp
He had been struggling with emphysema for some time; he was declared dead at his home in the suburb of Heaton Moor, and is said to have died peacefully in his sleep.
As you can see from the posters put in various places around the area, residents wishing to pay their own tributes to Mani before his private funeral service at Manchester Cathedral are encouraged to line the long street leading down from St Paul’s and Heaton Moor United Church as he heads towards the city.
Departing Parsonage Road from 10am on Monday, 22 December, before turning right onto Heaton Moor Rd, then Wellington and eventually on to the Cathedral, you can expect plenty of people to show up.
One of those people will be his former bandmate and another influential guitarist, John Squire, who is one of many famous musical names to have honoured him in their own way over the last few weeks.
Other members of The Stone Roses, as well as Primal Scream (who he joined in 1996), are expected to join the close family and friends at the service itself.
Nevertheless, we have no doubt that plenty will be observing the funeral in their own way.
So, for those of you also looking to honour him, you know what to do; and to quote the poster itself, “together we can show this local legend and his family that he was truly adored.”
Plans to transform Chorlton’s old shopping centre have been green-lit
Danny Jones
Yes, after a prolonged period of uncertainty, the plans put together for redeveloping Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre are now moving forward.
Following an extensive consultation period back in 2023 and planning permission having now been approved by Manchester City Council, the transformation of the long-neglected retail complex has been green-lit, and the project will be moving forward even sooner than you think.
As confirmed earlier this week, Stretford-based construction company PJ Livesey will be working in tandem with the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to deliver the major regeneration, which will see even more living spaces and leisure facilities arrive in the already thriving suburb.
Following an official press release on Thursday, 18 December, we’ve now been given a latest glimpse at what the developers are hoping the new Chorlton Cross district will look like.
Credit: Font Communications (supplied)
Plans for the transformation of both the high street and the old Leisure Centre date back to 2023 and even further when taking into account the Council asking the public for their thoughts on what should happen with the area, but Chorlton Cross, specifically, has been the subject of debate for some time.
The bulk of units in and around the largely forgotten shopping centre are now empty, with just a few hold-outs still clinging on to their space.
Now, following extensive feedback from native Mancs and those who have flooded into the South Manchester town over the past decade, the approved plans have now been revealed.
They include:
A mix of 262 one, two and three-bed apartments, all with access to outdoor space through balconies and gardens
20% affordable homes available through a mix of tenures, with 18.5% of these being available for social rent
Around 3,500 sq metres of public open space, including a fully walkable route through Manchester Rd and outdoor seating areas to encourage people to stop and dwell
A mix of flexible retail spaces, such as a new ‘Makers Yard’ suitable for smaller, start-up businesses
Up to 60 new trees across the site with maximised retention of existing trees
Manc filmmaker, Bernard Leach – who has been making videos about the region since 2007 – shared a longer look at how the vision for this next chapter in Chorlton‘s residential and retail history is currently shaping up earlier this month.
As you can see, some sections of the old Lancashire village and ‘cum-Hardy’ parish could look rather unrecognisable sooner than you think.
Should everything go ahead as scheduled, those involved are hoping to get work underway in the New Year, with the ‘decommissioning’ of all existing buildings, including Graeme House, undergoing demolition by early 2026.
With the majority vacating their premises in recent years, it’s fair to say that it’s been vastly underutilised for far too long.
Posting on social media back in September last year, nearby resident Nigel Woodcock wrote: “Serious question, not just councillor-baiting, but can anyone explain why the retail businesses in Chorlton Precinct were booted out before any decisions were made about what’s going to happen to it?
“It makes no sense to me. No plans have even been submitted, so far as I’m aware, so why kick out those businesses and leave it derelict for so long? The land and buildings are actually owned by the combined GM Local Authorities, so one might expect a modicum of political and business nous to be applied.”
Similar to the new plans being put together for the stretch of land between Castlefield and Salford, most are just glad something is finally happening with the space.
Commenting on the plans progressing, PJ Livesey’s Managing Director, Georgina Lynch, said in an official statement: “This is a landmark moment for Chorlton, marking the transformation of the former shopping centre into a vibrant new hub for the community.
“Working closely with Manchester City Council, we’ve carefully balanced the delivery of much-needed new homes – including 20% affordable – with the creation of lively, welcoming spaces to shop, relax, and spend time.
“This site is at the heart of Chorlton, and we’re bringing it back to life, cementing the area’s reputation as a truly great place to live.”
What do you make of the Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre regeneration plans?
Georgina Pellant -
14th August 2021 
