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.
News
Chorlton’s Horse and Jockey is reintroduced to the suburbs after stunning transformation
Danny Jones
The much-loved Horse and Jockey in Chorlton is back open for business following a major and marvellous refurb, which has seen the heart and soul of the pub restored to its former glory.
Opening just in time for the bulk of cosy boozer season, we’re about to spend A LOT of time in here.
With an impressive culinary pedigree to boot, the ‘new and improved’ Horse and Jockey was always bound to be a hit with critics and natives alike, we just weren’t expecting them to knock it quite so far out of the park – or, in this case, Chorlton Green.
Giving the already gorgeous 200-year-old structure a new lick of paint and then some, the new Horse and Jockey looks set to reassert itself as one of the prettiest, cosiest and tastiest pubs you’ll find in central Manchester.
Benefitting from sitting just outside the city centre, you’ve still got plenty of footfall from those who have seen Chorlton become a foodie destination all of its own, and those who have lived there all their lives.
Yes, you’ll still find plenty of old boys sipping their well-deserved pints and dogs curling up on the carpets here.
Now boasting up to 82 covers outside in the familiar evergreen beer garden, with table service in the summer, you can see this being a go-to spot for grub and a reliable watering hole for all year-round.
It’s also worth noting that it’s a pretty roomy venue inside as well, with an entirely refurbished upstairs seating area and a dedicated private dining space now, too.
The Horse and Jockey is glistening once again ahead of reopening this month. (Credit: The Manc Group)
Other touches we especially liked are bringing Chorlton Pale Ale – which used to be brewed right here in the Jockey itself prior to Covid – back on draught. It may be made elsewhere nowadays, but we’re glad to see it being shipped back to and served out of its ancestral home.
And it just gets better.
As well as supporting the local art scene by sourcing works from Greater Manchester creatives, they really are aiming to make this a community cornerstone.
They’ve taken the holistic idea of a public house right back to its roots, providing not only a place to meet, eat and drink for regulars, but also a real social outlet right in the middle of the suburb.
It’s also about supporting and celebrating traditional British pubs and the Northern working-class culture that goes along with it.
There’s still a recognisable style and familiar feel to the Horse and Jockey refurb. (Credit: The Manc)
The majority of the furniture is even salvaged from the pubs we sadly lost up and down the country, not to mention other businesses that have unfortunately closed post-pandemic and the continuing struggles facing the industry.
We’re lucky to have people like this putting drinks in our hands and keeping our bellies full, so we’re glad that they’re doing what they can to pay homage to those who have come before them as well.
Perhaps most heartwarming is that not only have they kept pre-existing staff in post during the switch-over, but they’re all welcoming back familiar faces from the past. Once again, this is about championing the beauty of British pub culture in all of its facets.
This is a proper foodie pub at its core, boasting cosy vibes just in time for the colder months; they even restored three of the five original fires that used to burn through the autumn and winter back in the day.
Bookings are live already, and if you’ve tried the Sunday roast at The Black Friar, you expect this place to fill up just as quickly – we’d reserve our tables early if we were you…
The food offering is substantial, filling and full of flavour. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
This may be a big rebrand and transformation, but there are also still the same old Joseph Holt favourites on the taps for those who love the classic lineup, and they’ve even used their ‘Trailblazer’ stout glaze on one of their cheesecakes. Safe to say, they have our undivided attention with that one.
Owner Neil Burke, who formally acquired The Black Friar two years ago and now heads up the revamped Horse and Jockey, said of the reopening: “I have a personal history with the Horse & Jockey and it’s always held a special place in my heart.
“It’s such a beautiful building, but it hasn’t been shining the way it should in recent years. As a local myself, I felt Chorlton deserved a proper foodie pub – somewhere that delivers brilliant food in a setting that does justice to the building’s history.”
To top things off, they’ve got Michelin-trained head chef Paolo Bianchileading things in the kitchen.
“The Horse & Jockey is an iconic part of Chorlton’s history and I’m proud to be leading its kitchen with the brilliant Black Friar team”, says Bianchi. “After gaining years of experience in Paris, Dubai and London, it feels great to be rooted in Manchester, a city I’ve really fallen in love with.”
“My vision is simple, to serve British classics that people know and love, elevated with seasonal local ingredients, touches from my Italian heritage and international experience. The menu will be ever-changing, so guests can expect something fresh every time they visit.”
As for your job, it’s simple: expect great, hearty pub grub classics elevated to a gourmet level, with all the welcoming warmth of a traditional English pub.
This isn’t just a metropolitan boozer trying to be acountry-style pub; the Horse and Jockey is a Chorlton gem reborn. It opens on Monday, 20 October, and you can guarantee you’ll be seeing us there.
The RSPCA has issued an urgent ‘Adoptober’ plea with a record 1,700 cats needing homes
Daisy Jackson
The RSPCA has issued an urgent plea for people to provide loving homes for rescue cat, with a record-breaking 1,700 moggies currently in the RSPCA Manchester & Salford Branch.
The charity has dubbed this month ‘Adoptober’ as it rushes to rehome as many of these gorgeous cats as possible.
The RSPCA has said that the number of cats needing homes has more than doubled since 2020, with an all-time high number of animals in the care of its branches.
They have also found that it’s taking, on average, a week long to find new homes for cats (rising from 32.5 days in September last year to 40 days on average this year).
There are several cats locally who are desperate to find their forever homes, like Roxy, who’s received no interest since she was placed up for adoption.
The rise in numbers is partly due to several recent large-scale cruelty and neglect cases which have led to high numbers of cats being taken into the RSPCA’s care.
RSPCA cat welfare specialist, Alice Potter said: “We have an astonishing number of cats in our care who are looking for a new home. Many have come from recent large-scale cruelty and neglect cases.
“We’re experiencing an unprecedented rehoming crisis, with centres so full they are unable to accept any more cats – so most of the incoming animals are having to be placed in private catteries until spaces become free in our own rehoming centres.
“Despite the best efforts of those who care for them, life in a cattery can be stressful for cats so by finding them loving homes as quickly as possible we can also free up space for other cats who need our help.
The RSPCA has issued an urgent ‘Adoptober’ plea with a record 1,700 cats needing homes
“This month’s Adoptober rehoming campaign is encouraging more people to consider adopting one of the lonely cats featured on our Findapet website who are looking for a forever home.”
So back to that lovely girl Roxy – this five-year-old loving cat has been looking for a home for a couple of weeks but hasn’t had any interest.
Susie Hughes, Branch Manager, said: “Roxy came into our care from neglectful conditions – she had never been to a vet and had live fleas that had made her scratch her fur thin and cause scabs on her skin.
“Roxy has been in our care three weeks now and has really started to blossom. She is clearly feeling a lot better because she has now started to show her playful side and chase catnip toys.
“Roxy is a very sweet, people orientated kitty. She loves to weave around your legs, rub against you and even enjoy a lap snuggle – she just loves a fuss!”
Roxy has now moved into a foster home where she has come out of her shell more.
She is looking for a home where she will have plenty of peace and quiet, no dogs or other cats and any children aged over 11.
“What Roxy wants is plenty of sofa cuddles, sunbathing opportunities and the chance to potter outdoors is a must,” added Susie.
“If you are reading this and you are the purrfect person for her, please get in touch. We’d love to find her a home this Adoptober!”
You can find more cats and kittens available for adoption from the branch here.
Alice added: “There’s a cat for everyone: cute kittens, marvellous moggies, fireside felines and outdoor adventurers, we’ve got every kind of cat waiting for another chance at happiness.
“We always encourage prospective pet owners to look beyond appearance, breed and colour and instead look for a personality that matches you and your lifestyle. However, we also have purebred and pedigree cats coming into our care – so even those who have a particular breed or type in mind may find their perfect partner, without fueling problematic commercial breeding.
“We’d urge anyone ready and able to adopt a rescue animal to fill in a ‘perfect match’ form with your local RSPCA centre or branch and they’ll let you know when an animal who matches you comes into their care.”
Georgina Pellant -
14th August 2021 
