I've been to pollen for take out pastries, coffee, and adore their sourdough, but I've never…read moreactually sat down to eat anything more than pastry ... until I did. whenever I've passed this branch, its always been busy, people queued outside on weekends, all tables full inside and outside, and generally busy, so I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to get sat down when I went. It was a Sunday morning, and I could only get there long after opening due to my transport arrangements so I was worried ... but thankfully I was easily able to get a table to sit down and eat .. I'm lucky most of the people of Manchester don't wake up early on a Sunday. So it was a little quiet but inside was almost full when I got there ... which was nice. It was a decent day and I was kinda close to the window so could see the marina and all the people exercising and walking their dogs and it's with sitting and just chill. So with sitting and eating, I wanted to get something good. it always looked amazing when I was waiting for my drink to take out, but I'm always one to have eggs Benedict whenever I can, so I figured I might as well try theirs ... and it did not disappoint. It came with ham hock, 2 eggs, brown butter, hollandaise, and crispy kale on their own sourdough. Im not usually one to have kale ... but they made it amazing. I finished every last bit and wanted more ... it was hands down, one of the best eggs Benedict I have ever had. To accompany the eggs benny, I also went for a coffee, as you do, and an orange juice, which was so nice. Hands down will always recommend people to go to pollen, if not for their sourdough and coffee and pastries to go, but also to sit and eat. Love this place

This place is quite popular! There was a long line (or queue) but it went pretty quickly. I was…read morehappy they had an iced black, since I prefer ice coffees. There is a homemade Yuzu drink that I'd love to try next time. Outside has a few more seats than inside. They can run out of food, so I'd make sure you get here on the early side if you want food. It's a pretty casual spot and loudness level depends on the crowd. The food tastes very good!

One of the reasons why I gained so much weight is because of the sweets, and carbs! Yes, it's true,…read moreI have to admit. I'm a carbaholic! Places like Ho's Bakery doesn't help because they have fabulous Asian pastries. My friend Marvin brought me here, and we bought major carbs for our trip back to the U.S. Small bakery shop, old fashion, but best egg custard in Manchester,

Roll up to Ho's Bakery in Chinatown for good quality Chinese buns to take out. There's another one…read morein Manchester and one in Leeds - is Ho soon to take the country by storm? Maybe. One bun at a time. This little bakery tucked into an old arched building has nothing but freshly baked goodies (a few savoury snacks too like pasties) and for that we love them. I've never tried the bubble tea myself but friends have raved about it - they have all different flavours so it is definitely on my to do list. But I can tell you that their cakes with cream, fresh fruit, things like that are so so delicious. The prices, whilst steeper than a donut in Greggs, are still pretty good for what you are getting so don't let this put you off.

Look...... I'm getting a bit bored of this..."oh its so expensive malarky". People need to get…read moretheir heads around the fact that in society there is always gonna be a disposable income gap. Now I understood that when I was a student for example. I never bothered going into Harvey Nichols or any other shop for that matter where I knew it was too expensive for me. There was no point!!!!! So DONT bother going in if its too expensive and whinging about the price!!!!!!! Harvey Nick's Second Floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie is actually great, especially with Head Chef Stuart Thomson's award-winning menu. I feel like a kid in a sweet shop everytime I am there, they stock stuff you just can't buy in most other places. Get some food fro the deli and sit and watch the exchange square world go by....ahhhh bliss!!! Right next door is a massive wine colleciton for you should you decide to sample some while you're there. Apparently it's one of the most extensive wine lists in Manchester. So if you do have a disposable income and don't mind spending a few extra pennies on some pistachios from brazil or something, check it....innit!!!

Can anyone spare a few pounds? I wouldn't usually ask but there's no way I can stretch to buying a…read moreloaf of sourdough, a block of Lancashire cheese, a handful of vine tomatoes and a bottle of champagne from Harvey Nichols otherwise! Located on the second floor of the posh department store, the Foodmarket is packed floor to ceiling with thousands of the company's own products packaged in their iconic silver tins and bottles with slick black and white photos. There's everything you could want from whole hampers to tea, coffee, shortbread, pickles and chutneys. At the back of the store, there's a small deli counter that stocks fresh cheese, parma ham, pasta and other delicacies, a luxury wine and champagne counter, a tiny bakery section with freshly baked bread and a wee grocery section selling organic fruit and veg. If they extended these sections I'd probably visit more but as it is, the Foodmarket is too limited and too damn eXpensive.

To celebrate my work not able to get rid of me, I went to this lovely little placec in arndale as…read moreit is meant to be low in sugar, non diary and non gluten - another word maybe guilt free sweet desserts! I ordered 2 raw cheesecake (strawberries and lime / pineapple and ginger) meaning it can be eaten by vegans and 2 slices of cakes(pistachio and orange/chocolate) non gluten. Each of these slices were £3.00 to £3.50. The cheesecakes were ok but it isnt as good as wild food cafe in london, where the base was cruchy and the filling of the cheesecake is actually creamy and not grit-ly. However their cakes were moist and delicious especially the pistachio and orange cake. I could definitely have another slice of this!

Simone's is a health bakers with some gluten free food, located in the Arndale Market, which is one…read moreof the only areas of the Arndale in Manchester with smaller, independent businesses, without having to go outside the Arndale Centre into the likes of the Northern Quarter. I called here after being advised to come here from my waitress at Druckers on their gluten free situation. They basically have fake grass outside as you walk in, which is interesting decor. Inside, it just seems pretty plain and the range is quite poor for gluten free, and even for normal foods in general, they're didn't seem to be much there. Other than probably two cakes which didn't sound or look fantastic, that was about it and in the end, I decided to walk away quite upset so sadly I hate to be rude, but I can't understand what others see in this place, for me it just disappointing hence sadly deserves a single one star.

Can NOT recommend this company at all. If i could leave a 0 star review I would. Paid £75 for a…read morecake that arrived well over 2 hours late and to top it off the name was wrong on the cake. When contacting them they were massivly unhelpful, constantly hung up the phone when attempting to contact them.

Game night at my house is also take away night, and in a stocking change to the normal greasy pizza…read moreand chips we decided to give this place a go. They will send a cake to my door - how could this be a bad plan! Well, it was a bad plan .... I really wanted to like this place but after having to wait for over an hour I was being to have a bad feeling about this but this and as they came to the door with each piece of cake boxed up and tried with a ribbon I thought we were in for a treat! The cake however where a huge let down. Three out of the five off us ordered different tapes of cheese cake - cookie, lemon and white chocolate. All where the same cake (vanilla, and not a good vanilla) with different toppings. Which I wouldn't say was as advertised. Know well I was not expecting the best from this place I was expecting a little better than this as this place isn't cheap - 5.00 per cake and 8.00 on a milkshake. Though to give them some due - the milkshake was very nice

Have stopped for coffee here a few times and it's a great place to come for coffee…read more Although small inside, it's fitted out very well with stools and there's plenty of space to sit, inside and out. The coffee is excellent although the music and volume can be annoying, although it wouldn't stop me returning. There are a good selection of cakes and snacks too.

A hidden gem of a coffee / wine bar situated inside Victoria station, I must have walked past it…read morehundreds of times. Today I popped in for a coffee and some breakfast on my way to catch the metrolink and was pleasantly surprised. It's very small but quite cute. I ordered a latte and a ham and cheese toastie to go. They have a varied breakfast menu and have fresh sandwiches to either eat in or take away. More people should try here instead of Starbucks pretty much next door. It's better value and better coffee.

Handford's is a deli/bakery on Manchester's Arndale Market and one of my favourite stalls on the…read moreArndale Market. The stand its-self is quite small, but this is typical of stands of this nature. I called at here by chance to try some Lancashire Cheese, and I asked for a sample which they delivered, the quality was very good, much better than I've found on the market and for a long amount of time I have struggled to find a good Lancashire Cheese, since my regular one was discontinued by Tesco. The stock seemed slightly bare in what was displayed on the stall, there were a few kinds of cheese but there wasn't a large amount of them or even information about them in a clearer and easier way. The member of staff working was the same on most of my visits, she seemed friendly enough. The pricing is also reasonable. Cheese Quality 4/5 Cheese Selection 2/5 Overall feel of the stall 2/5 Overall selection 2/5 Other items sold 2.5/5 Pricing 3/5 - This averages around a 2 to a 3-star rating but due to the service and pricing being average/satisfactory and the quality being above average, despite multiple flaws I do feel this deli and bakery business, Handsford's deserves a three-star rating.

Hansfords is a bakery in the market hall area of the Arndale Centre. I love this whole little area…read moreof the Arndale Centre. It's full of some great independent businesses that offer a great alternative to all the corporate blandness going on in the rest of the Arndale Centre. Hansfords is kind of half deli, half bakery, offering made-to-order sandwiches as well as a few cakes and pastries. To get a quick, simple and filling lunch, Hansfords have the whole thing covered.

Millies Cookies is a bakery shop in the UK which set themselves up in town centres and shopping…read moremalls. I came in this branch today, opposite Game and The Card Factory in the Manchester Arndale as I had a promotional free cookie from O2 Priority Moments, which normally costs £1.29 This is the main branch of the two, and it also makes large iced cookies for special occasions at quite high prices. The service here was decent, the man who served me was friendly enough but he was slow in dealing with customers and I was waiting for around 3 1/2 minutes as he was the only one working on my visit, which isn't right for a busy branch in a large city like Manchester. The cookie was a decent size and wasn't really value for money compared to what you can get in a multipack. Quality was average, and flavours were limited. I opted for coconut. Sadly this is just an average shop really, which I wouldn't even class as a bakery due to such a high focus just on cookies, Location, some aspects of value and service warrant a low two star rating.

'Millie's Cookies'- how lovely and friendly does that sound?! Who wouldn't want cookies from…read moreMillie? Lovely old Millie. Turns out there's loads of 'em and the name was all just a soulless piece of marketing. It's fair enough I suppose I mean, how many people would fancy nipping to 'Adolf's Cookies'? How about 'Darth's Cookies'? OK, bad example there, the mixing of Star Wars and crumbly, biscuity goodness would obviously be a beautiful thing but you get my point. I'm getting way off the point here. As you can see, I've given ol' Millie the big five stars. At the rate I'm eating them, these cookies are going to give me diabetes. But they are so good I actually think it's worth the lifetime of injections and blackouts just to keep munching! Go ruin your teeth today, you'll thank me later!

Lovely 'little' place to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.This may have been possibly the…read moresmallest coffee shop I have ever visited but my goodness I may just fallen in love with coffee as well as Tea. Relax and listen to the fine selection of music or you can watch and listen to the water installation just outside. On a sunny day why not sit outside and realise what a beautiful city we live in. -Today I tried their latte Artisan coffee in Manchester at its best

Ever since seeing 'Grindsmith' on kickstarter months ago, an uber-cool urban eco-pod of a coffee…read morehouse, I had been eager to venture to Greengate Square to give it a try. I was adamant that given the compact-wooden-pod nature of the place, I should only go in extreme weather conditions in order to make the trip all the more exciting. In beloved but rainy Manchester, blue-skies and sunshine qualifies as extreme conditions. As such, during a sunny June Sunday, I seized the opportunity to sip on a 'Grindsmith' flat white, with sunshine beaming through the open façade (almost entirely made of glass) - I was not disappointed. An excellent decision on my part to go when sunny and excellent brewing skills from Grindsmith as far as kick-ass flat white's are concerned. Grindsmith offers little when it comes to food, there was a very small selection of baked goods but they looked rustic and appealing. I wasn't expecting an extensive food menu, nor was I disappointed by its lack. What is pretty darn cool however, is that Grindsmith stock 'Ginger's Comfort Emporium' ice-cream - absolutely the best ice-cream I have ever tasted! (See my review of the cafe in Affleks palace) Marry this with a Grindsmith espresso and you've got an Affogato sent directly from heaven. £3 well spent I'd say - a delightful weekend treat. Take a walk to Greengate Square. Look, I know the Premiere Inn there is really ugly and a bit of an off-putter, but once inside Grindsmith's coffee haven, you'll forget such an architectural disaster ever happened. You can read more of what I have to say about Grindsmith (and other places) on my new blog: http://thehungrygiraffe.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/grindsmith-espresso-and-brewbar.html