Cafe society.

Fancy a nice cup of tea and a sit down? Simon Webbon leads us on a whirlwind tour of Manchester’s museum and gallery cafes

A museum cafe should be somewhere to debate and discuss what you have seen, somewhere to reflect on your experience and recharge your batteries for the next visit along the road. A ruminative gastronomic pit-stop, if you like. Here’s my pick of some of the best places to grab a bite in Manchester’s art spaces:

The Modern Caterer at Whitworth Art Gallery

Run by chef Peter Booth (AKA The Modern Caterer), the Whitworth cafe is a wonderful little place to be. It has a warm, homely atmosphere with fresh flowers at every table and handwritten chalkboard menus. All meals are prepared in front of you in the open kitchen, and all ingredients are fresh, local, and where available, organic. There is also a selection of organic wines, locally-produced beers and quality soft drinks. Dishes start at around £4-5.

The Modern Caterer has been recommended by The Good Food Guide, so you’re in good hands and it really is very difficult to get a better lunch within miles (unless of course you pay a visit to The Modern Caterer’s other eatery, Gabriel’s Kitchen). The last time I visited I bumped into Manchester’s ‘alternative mayor’, Peter Saville, so you never know who you might meet.

Cafe Aromat at Manchester Craft & Design Centre

Cafe Aromat is a small and comfortable cafe situated on the ground floor of the Craft and Design Centre in the Northern Quarter, and serves perhaps the best coffee in all of Manchester. Freshly roasted instead of sitting in tins for weeks on end, you really can tell the difference, and this is also one of the few places in town where they know how to froth milk properly, too. The service can, however, can be slow at times. Don’t visit too late in the afternoon; the food selection may be running low. Their carrot cake is to die for, though.

Cornerhouse

Manchester’s independent cinema/gallery space is also home to a restaurant and bar. With a wide range of homemade sandwiches, cakes, soups and hot food, it is an excellent place to grab some lunch or dine in the evening before seeing a film. But what they are really famous for is their pizza. Freshly made dough and inspired toppings make the Cornerhouse a far wiser choice than the predictable Pizza Express, or dare I say it, even Manchester’s favourite posh pizza joint, Croma. Cornerhouse also stocks a wide range of wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks. Free wifi is available, and it is a great place to sit and relax on one of the many large sofas while watching the hustle and bustle of Oxford Road through its floor-to-ceiling windows. Head there on a Monday evening for the regular (and brain-twistingly difficult) pub quiz. It’s free to enter, every team wins at least a bottle of beer and you can sample their delightful pizza slices for £1. The quiz starts at around 9pm but you must get there early to grab a table, as it gets busy quickly.

Honourable Mention

Manchester Art Gallery

The cafe here suffers from a critical flaw: it is exactly how you would expect it to be. It’s bright and airy, with a selection of sandwiches, cakes and drinks. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, and indeed the food and drinks are perfectly acceptable, there really isn’t much to ‘wow’ me here. I come here fairly regularly, and this is not intended to be a negative review, but I just wish they would do something a little more inspired with the impressive space they have available. The large room is echoey and somewhat clinical in appearance, and seems more like a canteen than a cafe you would be happy to spend an extended amount of time in. Manchester Art Gallery is a great place to grab a quick coffee and a bite, but if you’re looking for a more comfortable environment to sit and discuss Art, Life, The Universe and Everything there are more inviting places in the nearby Northern Quarter.

Simon Webbon is a music photographer and marketing consultant based in Manchester. His blog, Art & Cake, is about the best (and worst) museum cafes he encounters on his travels.

Image credits (top to bottom): Lunch at The Whitworth Art Gallery, courtesy Simon Webbon; Manchester Craft & Design Centre, courtesy the venue.

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