TL;DR - Cute new arrival on the Manchester city centre coffee scene.
Whilst the Northern Quarter is packed with cafes, the city centre has always felt a bit less blessed - there are plenty of chains, but fewer independents than you might like. Pot Kettle Black used to be our favourite until they started doing table service only; then we switched to Tinderbox in Paperchase. After today, I think we'll probably switch to Michaels.
It's only a small unit, and the entrance is the arcade underneath the Royal Exchange theatre. The cafe is the end unit on the Cross Street side. It's all decorated very nicely - clean and bright with nice geometric pattern tiles, stools and lighting. It's a little like the Foundation Coffee House, but much more intimate.
According to their website the cafe was founded by two cousins, and from the second we stepped through the door we were greeted like old friends. Hugely welcoming staff - we also saw them going out of the way for people, moving furniture for older customers and such.
There's a cracking selection of things on offer despite the small size of the unit. A chiller contains sandwiches, and there are also a couple of sandwiches of the day on offer. There were also two varieties of soup, plus plenty of pastries and sweet treats. We both had coffees and soups, and were impressed by both.
Without a huge amount of seating, this place is probably aimed more at the take out market but whatever you're looking for it's well worth a stop. read more