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Leaf

4.6 (10 reviews)
InexpensiveCafes, Coffee & Tea, Bars

Leaf Photos

LEAF ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Good for groups
Good for kids

Recommended Reviews - Leaf

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Reviews With Photos

Cute tea leaf pieces on the check.
Ashley O.

I saw this place on yelp and realized it was new. I walked in and was greeted by kind staff. The most cozy, amazing atmosphere. Ordered an almond milk cappuccino, the tomato pepper soup and some falafel bites. The best soup I've ever had! Will be coming here frequently because of the perfect working atmosphere and amazing food. Tons of vegan options!

First cheque
Adam C.

Leaf on Portland Street hasn't been open long. It can't have been, because a tea room I haven't heard of? Really? Leaf also is really passionate about tea, which is something I like to see. Tea shops that don't just serve tea but are BIG on tea are welcome in a world of artisan coffee blend shops! This is self evident when you first walk in. The space is huge compared to what you'd expect given the shop front, and due to the nature of the building has a very spacious New York Loft feel to it, complete with iron girder columns. As you walk in, there's a large display on the wall showing tea blends of all varieties and tastes, with jars of loose leaves for you to smell and read about. For a tea lover like me, this is very much a kid-in-a-candy-store moment! I'm approached by a member of staff who I later found out was called Carrie (or Cassie? I'm so sorry I forgot!!), but who was superb, telling me about the tea blends, suggestions on ones to try based on my tastes, and enthusing about their ethos, telling me about upcoming free tea tasting sessions. A friendly and enthusiastic knowledgeable member of staff greeting you as you enter is always a damn good sign in my book! I had a wander around to take some photos. The space is really huge, and Carrie told me that there was also a large basement area that was event space too. I took my seat and read the menu. It was nice to see a good array of teas in the menu too, as well as some delicious looking lunch and snack options. I was a touch late for breakfast, but the staff were accommodating enough to still allow me to have some granary toast and marmalade. After discussing with Carrie about tea blends, I decided to go for a flavoured black tea, and went for Wild Cherry. This was brought over to me in a modern glass teapot baring the old adage of "Where There's Tea There's Hope" (I quite agree!) . The tea was delicious, but as it was also a black tea, I thought I'd try a little milk. I went to the counter and asked Carrie for milk. At first she simply looked at me and didn't react, so I thought she hadn't heard me. Then I realised as her eyes widened that she was in fact trying to compute what I'd asked for without recoiling in terror. "With wild cherry?" she asked, aghast. She turned to another member of staff behind the bar and asked "can I have some milk... for this gentleman's Wild Cherry Tea...", informatively. The other member of staff bent backwards, "really?!" she asked in astonishment. I didn't take even the slightest bit of offence or insult at this, because this was clearly two people who enjoyed their tea, and knew their tea well! We laughed, and said how with it being black tea it could still work, similar had worked with various chai teas and lattes, so I gave it a try. It was alright, but eh... better without the milk. The staff were right. I'll remember that next time. TRUST THE STAFF! This impressed me actually. It's nice to see somewhere with as much enthusiasm for tea as a lot of places have for coffee. The toast and marmalade was tasty, and I was now thoroughly warmed up from the cold December air of Manchester. Carrie told me that as the tea shop was under offices, their heating pipes ran down through the tea shop, keeping it perpetually toasty warm. Handy! Before I left I had a look at some Christmas gift sets they were selling, as well as a framed receipt, which on closer inspection I saw was their very first sale, their first transaction. That's a nice thing to commemorate and display, and shows a pride in what they're doing. In short, Leaf is spacious, modern, pleasantly furnished and decorated and fairly priced for both food and drinks, as well as being run by a friendly, knowledgeable and efficient staff. Well done Leaf, I'll be back soon!

Cinnamon toast.
Stella Y.

Great food and great service. Definitely one of the best choices for brunch at Manchester city centre.

Crisp Fried Salt and Pepper Squid

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Review Highlights - Leaf

This smart and modern bar and tea shop is the owner's first venture outside Liverpool, after their popular flagship on Bold Street and two other operations there.

Mentioned in 2 reviews

Read more highlights

Takk - Some of the art for sale inside

Takk

(47 reviews)

££

Northern Quarter

So I've heard many things about this place .. and my favourite bar is down the road so I pass it…read moreall the time. With trying to find a place for breakfast/brunch the other day, this place was at the top of the list. It was very nice inside .. very relaxing, calm, people working, people chatting .. it felt cozy and comfy. We picked a table and ordered our stuff at the serving bar .. I went for poached eggs on sourdough toast, and a latte .. but turns out they had a coffee and pastry offer so I also got a blueberry croissant. All the food was so good .. the pastry felt and tasted freshly and home made as I think it was whole meal flour which was nice and a change .. the blueberry jam inside was epic .. the coffee was brilliant and the eggs perfectly cooked and sourdough not overly toasted (which I can't seem to master at home) .. the only thing I would say bad was, with getting poached eggs, it felt like not a lot .. 2 eggs on a large slice of.. looked and felt like something was missing. Would absolutely return tho ... will deffo get a takeout coffee when passing in future

My husband and I met a friend for a late brunch here two weekends ago. On first impressions, the…read morespace was great: airy and relaxing with wooden tables throughout and good music playing in the background and friendly staff. The menu options also looked appealing. I chose the lemon and mint pea smash on toast with smashed avo and feta and a beetroot spread and my husband got the French Toast. The presentation was lovely for both so I was greatly surprised my dish was so bland! Really flavourless avo and mash even with the feta. The bread was also more burnt than toasted. Meanwhile my husband's toast was divine; it was basically a yummy sugar bomb. The carrot cake I got for takeaway was also a bit dry but tasted good (although I have had better).

The Foundation Coffee House - Yogurt Breakfast Bowl // good and super filling

The Foundation Coffee House

(51 reviews)

££

Northern Quarter

I wanted to grab food here but came too late as the kitchen just closed. I ended up just trying…read moretheir coffee. I asked for a cold Vietnamese coffee (not sure if they didn't hear) but got a hot one instead. I didn't mind it as the weather was being indecisive that day anyway and would be too cold to be holding my cold drink outside. The coffee itself was pretty good considering I haven't had decent coffee in awhile. It wasn't overly sweet either which was what I was worried about at first. I'll try to come back and try their food next time.

This is a pretty cool coffee shop in the Northern Quarter. It's quite large too with ample seating…read more We surprisingly found a big table in its own little cubicle with space for our newborn's stroller and 4 adults. The ambiance here is great. I like the decor. It's perfect to catch up with friends or coworkers, and it would be also be an enjoyable co-working space. We saw plenty of people toiling away on their laptops. Unfortunately, one little gripe though, all of the booths only had one person, camped out with their laptop, so those people should be more mindful to take a smaller table if they're going to work for several hours. I like the various seating options including big tables, small tables, comfy sofa chairs, and counter seating. The menu offers lots of options too including chai lattes which seem less common in the UK, so that was a nice surprise. Overall, it's a cool spot. I'd come again.

Fig + Sparrow - Three weeks of the only toilet in the venue being broken.  Oscar Wilde couldn't describe the stench, either.

Fig + Sparrow

(42 reviews)

££

Northern Quarter

5 years have passed since I was last here.. Unfortunately time has not served this place well…read more Deciding to meet up before an event for some breccy I was not quite prepared for the upcoming events. The decor is still quite homely however the seating is still very close, to a point where my friend could not even sit opposite me due to the narrow gap between the chair and table. Embarrassment set aside I went to grab some menus to find there was none. I was informed by a waitress that I had to read off the wall..so for ease I took several pictures of the menu to enable my friend to browse with ease. The menu was limited, I mean when I think of breccy I imagine eggs to be present at the very least. But no this was eggless, baconless with just options of toast, avocado, and nothing inspiring really..also there were NO PRICES. Walking up to the till I was acknowledged by a grumpy guy. Perhaps he needed a Smile latte. Anyway I ordered a cold brew along with the avocado on toast, paying extra for some additional smoked salmon. After choosing what fresh bread I wanted, he slapped me with a £12 bill.. I was gobsmacked.. Returning to my seat I reassured myself " This is going to be the best avocado on toast ever". So the cold brew arrived with a fresh piece of orange floating in it. It was pleasing to note that the brew making is still top notch. Now the food itself.. this arrived on two pieces of toast, half a pear sliced on each piece with a sliver of smoked salmon. This was dressed with a light mixture of chili and lemon. My friends beans and toast was deconstructed, she had to make it up herself...this was I think £6-8 ...for beans on toast.. I found my victuals tasty enough but could not justify the price, £5.99 would have been more realistic at best. Anyway overall the service was poor, the lack of important details such as no physical menus, napkins, prices, inquiries if the food was okay and lack of logical seating. I might pop in for a coffee to take away but this I doubt.

Was happy to find this place after rather miserably trudging round the Northern Quarter in the rain…read morelooking for somewhere to sit down and have a hot drink. It has a comforting well maintained ambience (even the basement loo!) and the staff are extremely friendly. I really like the broad wooden table in the middle of the coffee area, feels calming and comfortable to sit at! I tried the Marrakesh loose leaf mint tea which was very nice although not as good a fresh mint tea - when I return next I'll try the peppermint instead. They have some lunch in a jar meals which is a fun concept although I'm not sure the actual contents would be that exciting. But it's a nice touch, also like the jugs of water with orange slices and sugar syrup. Shops like this which contain loads of really overpriced unnecessary home items I normally just dismiss as selling tat but for some reason the stuff here entranced me, especially cushions featuring a dog saying "Bonjour" /holding a French flag in its mouth (srsly I don't know why I found this so cute) and a wire basket for £18 which I for some reason felt I really need in my life. My friend felt the same about a set of colourful plastic spoons...I don't what this place does to you but I enjoyed it!

Leaf - cafes - Updated May 2026

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