Idle Hands

Ben Williams, Managing Editor

Visit now

Idle Hands

35 Dale St, Manchester, M1 2HF
  • Monday7:30am - 6:00pm
  • Tuesday7:30am - 6:00pm
  • Wednesday7:30am - 6:00pm
  • Thursday7:30am - 6:00pm
  • Friday7:30am - 9:00pm
  • Saturday9:30am - 9:00pm
  • Sunday10:00am - 5:00pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Idle Hands - Coffee Shops in Manchester - Creative Tourist
Book now

Originally a six-month pop-up venture on Piccadilly Station Approach, Idle Hands was a breath of fresh air on a rather dreary stretch that’s only been revamped in recent years. Idle Hands, complete with an awesome dog, then made a temporary move to the corner of Newton and Dale Street.

In fact, it’s literally bigger and better than ever before

Now, finally, Idle Hands has a permanent home a few meters away in one of the Northern Quarter’s grandest buildings on Dale Street. The good news is, it’s still fantastic. In fact, it’s literally bigger and better than ever before.

There’s still a bit of Scandi feel to the place with neatly designed furniture adorned with etched wooden menus and geometrically cast plant pots.

Damn fine (vegan) cherry pie

The staff are lovely and the coffee is as excellent as ever, there’s now a full-blown kitchen knocking out an excellent menu too. Vegans are especially well catered for here with Oatly on-hand for those looking a dairy-free flat-white which actually tastes nice. We also enjoyed some damn fine (vegan) cherry pie and we’ll be back for more.

You’re really spoiled for choice for coffee shops in Manchester, but Idle Hands is making a fist of standing out from the pack with good food and coffee alongside after-hours events and a well-stocked fridge of quality beers.

What's on near Idle Hands

Rock and Goal
Until
ActivityManchester
Rock and Goal Tour

Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.

From £9.99
deathcrash Press Image
MusicManchester
deathcrash at YES

Quiet introspection and cathartic eruptions – the mysterious kids in the corner of the Brixton Windmill scene bring their new album Somersaults to YES.

From £17.45
Craft Beer Tour Around Manchester
Until
ActivityManchester
Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Join Craft Beer Tour Manchester for a journey through some of the cities best local breweries and artisanal beer serving bars. Discover the personality of Manchester’s beer through a diverse

From £45
Peterloo Tour Jonathan Schofield
TourManchester
The Peterloo Massacre Tour

Visit key locations associated with a moment that helped shape the future of the nation, tracing the footsteps of those who stood for change.

From £20.00

Where to go near Idle Hands

Chopstix Manchester
Manchester
Restaurant
Chopstix Manchester

Chopstix is a noodle bar based on the approach to Piccadilly Station, with a great range of quick and easy Chinese dishes.

Manchester
Restaurant
Store Street Exchange

Large open plan restaurant on the ground floor of DoubleTree by Hilton, near Manchester Piccadilly. The food is high quality, with a variety of menus, including a la carte and afternoon tea.

Manchester
Restaurant
Bistrotheque

The in-house restaurant at Cultureplex offers up seasonal menus by Blaine Duffy, as well as some unique classic dishes.

Manchester
Event venue
DIECAST

We try out the Sunday roasts at Diecast, Manchester’s new creative neighbourhood, food hub and cultural space.

Higher Ground
Manchester
Restaurant
Higher Ground

Higher Ground is a restaurant in Manchester city centre, showcasing the skills of former Where The Light Gets In Head Chef Joseph Ottaway.

Cloudwater Beer Hall
Manchester
Cloudwater Beer Hall

The celebrated Cloudwater Brewery is opening a beer hall at the thriving Kampus development in Manchester’s Gay Village, featuring a full kitchen.

Culture Guides

A busy image created using generative AI. The image depicts a man at the centre with grey hair and rosy cheeks, surrounding him are fairies that appear to be created in his own image with multiple limbs and unique bodily proportions. Around them are hundreds of vials, microscopes and dated scientific equipment.
Exhibitions

Spring has sprung a wealth of great exhibitions in the North West, from intimate photographic shows to huge installations.

Theatre

Closer, riskier, more immediate. Our small-scale theatre picks stretch from unsettling fables about nationhood to the inner workings of a mind trying to hold itself together.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

Fatoumata Diawara by Alun Be.
Music

This month’s live music picks move between ambitious new work, grassroots celebrations and a few memorable settings.

Food and Drink in the North

Spring has arrived, bringing with it al fresco dining and a rush of high-profile food and drink-related events in Manchester.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.