Starbucks at St Ann's Square in Manchester replaced the much larger branch which was located across the way, while I prefered the old branch, this isn't too bad either.
The store is over two levels, there is a large communal table and a couple of other tables on the Ground Floor, most of the seating is on the upper level which is accessed by a flight of stairs, with a small balcony that allows you to look over the rest of the store. There is also some outdoor seating in use.
Due to the layout of the store, the downstairs area can become pretty busy and the downstairs seating area might not always be comfortable, so I would recommend going upstairs if you plan to stay in and relax with your beverage for a while longer.
The store seems to follow the new darker Starbucks layout, but it looks good and I like it.
The staff are generally friendly and the beverage quality is good, my past drinks from here include an Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte and an Iced Eggnog Latte and I have enjoyed them both. I have found the Iced Eggnog Latte is often hard to get right, due to the thickness of the eggnog, some baristas often leave it in two layers, I like how they take the time to mix it in here so you're not just drinking a thick clump of eggnog with coffee on top.
Prices did seem slightly different compared to other stores, I'm not too sure why, I had one drink work out 5 p cheaper than normal (Why bother for such a small amount?), others a little more expensive. I do believe that a chain should deliver the same prices unless they have a VERY good reason. (Airport, understandable but a random location in a city centre? WHY!?)
4* - A nice Starbucks branch regardless and meets the usual standards. read more